Xin Wang

Xin Wang, MB ChB, Msc (Medicine), PhD

Prof

Personal profile

Biography

After my first degree of MB ChB (Wuhan University School of Medicine), I left China to pursue scientific training in various labs in South Africa, and then UK. My research activity and publications led to the award of PhD degree at Faculty of Life Sciences, the University of Manchester, soon after I was awarded a prestige 5-year RCUK fellowship, which enabled me to establish independent research in Gene Regulation and Sigalling in Cardiovascular Diseases. At the end of the 5 year Fellowship I took a position as Lecturer,  Senior Lecturer, and then promoted to Chair as Professor of Molecular Cardiology. I am theResearch impact Lead of  Cardiovascular Sciences Division at Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, the University of Manchester, and I am also a senior editor of British Journal of Pharmacology; editor of Cardiovascular Research and Hypertension. I am also editor-in-chief of International Journal of Drug Discovery and Pharamcology. 

Research interests

1) Deciphering organelle signalling in metabolic HFpEF

The prevalence of HFpEF has been steadily increasing in parallel with the rising rates of obesity worldwide. Among the various contributing factors to the development and progression of HFpEF, obesity stands out as a primary driver, exerting its direct impact through mechanisms involving dysregulation of lipid metabolism and systemic low-grade inflammation. The endoplasmic reticulum (ER) is particularly sensitive to certain types of stress, such as lipid dysregulation, due to its central role in lipid synthesis. Recent clinical data and experimental evidence from us and other groups suggest that the ER serve as a primary sensor responding to obesity-instigated metabolic and inflammatory insults, and resultant ER stress amplifies an integrative organelle signalling to affect cellular homeostasis, energy production, and intracellular inflammation attributable to HFpEF. My group are addressing the following translational research questions:

i.    What are the unique profiles of lipid metabolites and pro-inflammatory cytokines in the plasma of metabolic HFpEF patients, specifically obese HFpEF patients?
ii.    What are the unique profiles of lipid metabolites and cytokines in the myocardium of HFpEF patients?
iii.  How does impaired ER function impact autophagy (including lipophagy and mitophagy), energy production, oxidative stress, and intracellular inflammasome activity in the development of HFpEF?
iv.    How does impaired ER function affect intracellular lipid metabolism, including lipogenesis, lipolysis, and lipid transport/storage?
v.    Whether agents that enhance ER function could serve as a viable therapeutic strategy for HFpEF?
vi.    Do synergistic treatment regimens involving ER function enhancers, lipid-lowering agents, and inflammation inhibitors exert overall beneficial effects on the management of HFpEF?

2) Evaluation of candidate exosomal microRNA biomarkers in the diagnosis of HFpEF.

Heart failure (HF) is the most common cause of hospitalization in older patients and is projected to affect 10% of the population by 2030. HFpEF comprises approximately half of heart failure cases and differs from HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) both aetiologically and in respect of treatment regimens. The diagnosis of HFpEF remains challenging, especially in its early stages, given the heterogeneity of the patient population and the more complex imaging findings compared to HFrEF. We are identifying early HFpEF biomarkers from circulating exomiRs in patients of varying phenotypes and etiologies, which may indicate the underlying mechanism of HFpEF, thereby identifying potential targeted therapies.

Teaching

Omic technologies and resources BIOL21152

Pharmacology Practical Unit BIOL31661

Academic Tutorials Year 2 B20000

PBL Medical School Year 1

 

Expertise related to UN Sustainable Development Goals

In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. This person’s work contributes towards the following SDG(s):

  • SDG 3 - Good Health and Well-being

Education/Academic qualification

Doctor of Philosophy, Biological function of MAP kinase signalling , The University of Manchester

Award Date: 20 Jun 2006

External positions

Senior Editor, British Journal of Pharmacology , British Journal of Pharmacology

1 Jan 2023 → …

Editor in Chief, International Journal of Drug Discovery and Pharmacology, International Journal of Drug Discovery and Pharmacology

1 Aug 2022 → …

Editor, Hypertension, Hypertension

1 Feb 2022 → …

Cardiovascular Research, Cardiovascular Research

1 Aug 2020 → …

Research Beacons, Institutes and Platforms

  • Lydia Becker Institute

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