Dr Chris Neal

Summary

I am a Research Fellow in the Microvascular Research Labs in the Department.

My research interests lie in investigating microvascular permeability and ultrastructure. My current main research focus is on the Renal glomerulus and glomerular filtration, This interest arose as a result of recent discoveries made in our lab about the minute structure ( ultrastructure) of the glomerulus. We have discovered a whole new morphology and with this a new physiology, namely, glomerular urodynamics, which is the study of fluid flows in the gomerulus after passing the glomerular filtration barrier (glomerular capillary wall). This has already lead to 3 publications and much interest as it contradicts the current held simple urodyamics of the old view of the glomerulus. We are currently persuing this study with experiments on isolated glomeruli both here and with international collaborators and redefining glomerular ultrastructure in disfunctional kidneys. We are also reviewing human renal biopsies to see if glomerular urodynamics can shed light on human kidney disease.

Memberships

Organisations

School of Physiology and Pharmacology

Bristol Heart Institute

Microvascular Research Laboratories

Research Areas

• Microvasculature

Research Themes

• Cardiovascular Research

Recent publications

• Bills, V, Salmon, AHJ, Harper, SJ, Overton, TG, Neal, CR, Jeffery, B, Soothill, PW & Bates, DO. ‘Impaired vascular permeability regulation caused by the VEGF???b splice variant in pre-eclampsia’, BJOG, 118(10), (pp. 1253-1261), 2011
• Qiu, Y, Ferguson, J, Oltean, S, Neal, CR, Kaura, A, Bevan, HS, Wood, E, Sage, LM, Lanati, S, Nowak, DG, Salmon, AHJ, Bates, DO & Harper, SJ. ‘Overexpression of VEGF165b in podocytes reduces glomerular permeability’, J Am Soc Nephrol, 21(9), (pp. 1498-1509), 2010
• Salmon, AHJ, Neal, CR & Harper, SJ. ‘New aspects of glomerular filtration barrier structure and function: five layers (at least) not three’, Curr Opin Nephrol Hypertens, 18(3), (pp. 197-205), 2009
• Salmon, AHJ, Neal, CR, Sage, LM, Glass, CA, Harper, SJ & Bates, DO. ‘Angiopoietin-1 alters microvascular permeability coefficients in vivo via modification of endothelial glycocalyx’, Cardiovasc Res, 83(1), (pp. 24-33), 2009
• Qiu, Y, Bevan H, Weeraperuma S, Wratting D, Murphy, D, Neal, CR, Bates, DO & Harper, SJ. ‘Mammary alveolar development during lactation is inhibited by the endogenous antiangiogenic growth factor isoform, VEGF165b’, FASEB J, 22(4), (pp. 1104-1112), 2008
• Salmon, AHJ, Toma, I, Sipos, A, Muston, PR, Harper, SJ, Bates, DO, Neal, CR & Peti-Peterdi, J. ‘Evidence for restriction of fluid and solute movement across the glomerular capillary wall by the subpodocyte space’, Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, 293(6), (pp. F1777-F1786), 2007
• Singh, A, Satchell, SC, Neal, CR, McKenzie, EA, Tooke, JE & Mathieson, PW. ‘Glomerular Endothelial Glycocalyx Constitutes a Barrier to Protein Permeability’, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 18 (11), (pp. 2885-2893), 2007
• Salmon, AHJ, Neal, CR, Bates, DO & Harper, SJ. ‘Vascular endothelial growth factor increases the ultrafiltration coefficient in isolated intact Wistar rat glomeruli’, Journal of Physiology, 570 (1), (pp. 141-156), 2006
• Neal, CR, Crook, H, Bell, E, Harper, SJ & Bates, DO. ‘Three-dimensional reconstruction of glomeruli by electron microscopy reveals a distinct restrictive urinary subpodocyte space’, Journal of the American Society of Nephrology, 16 (5), (pp. 1223-1235), 2005

View complete publications list in the University of Bristol publications system