Julian is an integrative physiologist translating novel findings from animal models to humans. He was educated at the University of Birmingham (BSc (Hons) 1984) and University of London (PhD, 1987). Subsequently, between 1989-1994 he was a fellow at EI DuPont, Wilmington and University Washington, Seattle, US, and an Alexander von Humboldt Fellow (University of Göttingen, Germany). In 1994, he was awarded a British Heart Foundation Fellowship at the University of Bristol, UK. His research focuses on the neural coupling between the cardiovascular and respiratory systems. His novel fundamental discoveries have resulted in first-in-human trials for treating neurogenic hypertension, sleep apnoea and heart failure.

In 2017, Julian transferred to the University of Auckland, New Zealand, where he is Director of Manaaki Manawa (established 2019) – the Centre of Heart Research, and Co-Director of Pūtahi Manawa – Healthy Hearts of Aotearoa New Zealand (established 2021), which is the first national Centre of Research Excellence addressing equity in heart health through community-led research. He is founder member and Chief Scientific Officer for Ceryx Medical Ltd. designing a novel bionic pacemaker for heart failure. He has 440 publications, ~24,200 citations and an h-index of 84. He was made Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 2021.

• Carotid body, an oxygen sensing structure, which also senses blood sugar. Our goal is to understand the genetic and molecular mechanisms underpinning carotid body hyperactivity that contributes to the aetiology of diseases. We aim to use re-purposed drugs and natural compounds to reduce the hyperactivity of the carotid body and correct the excessive sympathetic activity in cardiovascular, respiratory and metabolic diseases.
• Devices: we are using analogue chips that provide closed loop control of organ function. Current studies are exploring a novel cardiac pacemaker that restores the hearts’ natural rhythm and variability.
• We are performing first-in-human clinical trials on hypertensive diabetic and heart failure patients to translate our novel findings.

In 2015, Xin completed his doctoral studies at the Department of Physiology, University of Auckland, where he extensively investigated how stretch influenced contractile and calcium changes in cardiac trabeculae and isolated whole hearts. Following his Ph.D., Xin moved to Oslo, Norway as a postdoc to continue his research into various cardiovascular diseases. Specifically, he utilised state-of-the-art microscopy techniques to study alterations in protein localisation of cardiac muscle cells in health and during heart failure. After 7 years away, he is now back in Auckland as a senior research fellow in Professor Julian Paton’s group trying to understand how carotid body regulates various chemoreflex responses in heart disease.

The carotid body (CB) is a multifunctional, peripheral chemoreceptor activated by an array of stimuli including acidosis, hypoxia and hypoglycaemia. Importantly, these processes are predominantly driven by glomus cells (GCs) found in the CB. In health, CB activation evokes system-wide chemoreflex responses to maintain cardiorespiratory and metabolic homeostasis. Given the multitude of responses, discrete signalling pathways must exist within the CB to precisely control the appropriate pattern of response dictated by physiological needs. By identifying these unique pathways, we can develop therapy that targets specific chemoreflex response without the unwanted side effects.

Igor Felippe completed his PhD under supervision of Prof. Julian Paton at the University of Auckland. Originally from Vitória-ES in Brazil, his research interest encompasses the understanding of carotid body physiology and its involvement in the development of hypertension and the toxicological effects of organophosphate pesticides.

I’m a biomedical scientist with interest in the physiological and maladaptive responses of peripheral chemoreceptors to changes in O₂ tension. The carotid body hyper-activity has been associated with many cardiovascular diseases, including hypertension and heart failure. My aim is to understand the underlying mechanisms behind this abnormal activity and design new therapeutic interventions that could be translatable into clinical settings. Amongst the various approaches we undertake, it includes preclinical trials of FDA-approved drugs that have the potential to be repurposed in the market.

Anna Ponnampalam is a Senior Pūtahi Manawa Fellow, and a reproductive biologist working to demystify the uterus, periods and pregnancy biologically and culturally. Her work includes how pregnancy complications such as gestational diabetes affects future heart disease risks for pregnant people and children and understanding the pathophysiology of endometriosis.

Anna is exploring the role of placenta and sympathetic nervous system in the development of offspring’s long term health complications especially diabetes, cardiovascular disease and obesity; determining the causes for ethnic disparities in prevalence of non-communicable diseases and investigating the role of hydroxymethylation in the development of endometriosis. She is interested particularly in the role of genetics, the environment and sympathetic nervous system in the pathogenesis of gestational diabetes. Maori, Pasifika and Asians have the highest prevalence of gestational diabetes, yet much of our knowledge gained about the risk factors have focused mainly on European populations. She is aiming to change this narrative.

I am an expert in in-vivo animal models, such as developing diabetic and stroke animal models, with a wealth of surgical and analytical skills, including acute and recovery of chronically instrumented rodents with radio-telemetry to gain cardiovascular, brain tissue oxygen, and intra-thoracic pleural pressure recordings. My current and doctoral research has been published in high-impact papers (Circulation Research, Hypertension, Stroke) and also contributed to the basis for an ongoing clinical trial. I work efficiently to carve out my own research niche along with teaching and mentoring students. My ambition is to build a research group in NZ and collaborate overseas that addresses diabetes and hypertension, which is hugely prevalent worldwide.

My primary research interest is focused on diabetes and cardiovascular disease and a better understanding of the pathophysiology of these diseases using various animal models. I aim to devise novel treatment strategies for cardio-metabolic illnesses that have translatable potential for humans. Recently, the carotid body, a rice grain structure located at the bifurcation of the common carotid artery in the neck, has gained massive attention for its involvement in the cardiometabolic homeostasis. Currently, I am working on several exciting novel targets within the carotid body to treat cardiometabolic diseases that can potentially lead to new therapeutic interventions.

Olivia completed her Bachelor of Biomedical Science, majoring in functional human biology at the University of Otago in 2019. She then completed a bachelor of Biomedical Science Honours in 2020. Her project was studying the relationship of myofilament proteins and the effects of exercise in type II diabetes. Olivia has commenced her PhD in Biomedical Science in 2021, working within the Translational Cardio-Respiratory Research Laboratory, led by Professor Julian Paton.

Glutamate and GABA are major modulators of excitatory and inhibitory signals in the adult mammalian brain. Glutamate transmission is critical for neural plasticity, learning and memory whereas GABA plays a fundamental role in control of excitability and in generation of neuronal oscillations. In the carotid body, a chemosensory organ known to be sensitised upon repeated stimulation, evidence has established glutamatergic and GABAergic signalling components. Therefore, given the importance of glutamate and GABA in synapse and circuit formation, we might expect to see enhanced chemoreflex responses that underpin physiological changes in the carotid body.