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School of Cardiovascular and Metabolic Medicine & Sciences
Faculty of Life Sciences & Medicine

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Research facilities

 


Sites and facilities

Both our Denmark Hill and St Thomas’ sites have access to Clinical Research Facilities (CRFs), which also provide a focus for collaborative programmes with groupings working on developmental programming, nutrition/metabolic syndrome, stroke, stem cell transplantation and sickle cell disease.

We have a broad range of complementary basic and clinical research expertise, including the use of integrated state-of-the-art approaches to the study of cardiovascular biology and disorders. The vast majority of School research laboratories are housed in newly refurbished accommodation and have excellent equipment and facilities. Research methods and techniques in routine use within the School include:

  • State-of-the-art molecular and cell biology and biochemistry, including the application of proteomics and gene transfer.
  • Culture models to investigate the biology of endothelial cells, cardiomyocytes, vascular smooth muscle, fibroblasts, and other cells.
  • Fluorescence and confocal microscopy, including the use of FRET/FLIM to assess protein-protein interactions; microepifluorescence; and electrophysiology.
  • Structural biology, biophysics and bioinformatics.
  • Ex vivo and in vivo assessment of cardiac contractile function and haemodynamics including the use of microconductance and pressure-volume analysis both experimentally and in humans.
  • Analysis of sarcomere shortening and contractile function in skinned and intact single myocytes.
  • Ex vivo and in vivo assessment of vascular function in experimental models and human tissue, using organ baths, tail cuff plethysmography, telemetry, forearm plethysmography, ultrasound, and coronary pressure and flow measurements.
  • Defined experimental models of genetic and induced hypertension, cardiac hypertrophy, myocardial infarction, remodelling, heart failure, atherosclerosis, metabolic dysfunction, diabetes, obesity, thrombosis, and inflammation.

 

 

 

James Black Centre

The £30M James Black Centre at Denmark Hill is a new research building that opened in January 2007 and accommodates a large component of the School of Cardiovascular Medicine & Sciences. This facility was funded by significant awards from the BHF, SRIF and charities associated with King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and also houses groups working on molecular haematology, neurobiology, translational stem research and transplantation. It provides a highly multi-disciplinary environment with excellent core facilities including genomics, proteomics, mulitphoton confocal microscopy and MRI.

jbc-building-autumn

 

Sir James Black

Sir James Black (b 1924-2010), Emeritus Professor of Analytical Pharmacology at King’s, received the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1988 for the development of beta-blockers, used for the treatment of coronary heart disease, high blood pressure and heart failure and anti-ulcer histamine receptor blocking drugs, including the best-selling Tagamet. Sir James is credited with introducing analytical pharmacology as a new way of thinking to the process of drug development.

Sir James Black