Professor Julia Buckingham

Pro-Rector (Education & Academic Affairs) and Professor of Pharmacology

As Pro-Rector Julia is responsible for leadership of the development and implementation of the College’s overall educational strategy, the quality of educational provision and the direction of the academic support divisions which underpin the College’s educational mission. For further details see Education Office.

She is also Chairman of the College’s Centre for Integrative Mammalian Physiology and Pharmacology (CIMPP)

Research

The hypothalamo-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis plays an essential role in the maintenance of homeostasis. In normal circumstances its activity is tightly regulated and, hence, the circulating levels of glucocorticoids (GCs) are maintained within narrow limits. Modest disturbances in GC secretion/activity are however not uncommon and are increasingly implicated in the pathogenesis of a variety of diseases including depression, neurodegenerative disease, autoimmune / inflammatory disorders, hypertension, type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity. Our work aims to understand the mechanisms that regulate the secretion and activity of glucocorticoids.

The work encompasses (a) molecular and cellular studies in cells lines and primary cells/ tissues, (b) whole animal studies in genetically modified rodents and their wild type counterparts and (c) studies on patients with disorders of neuroendocrine function. Our principal emphasis is on fundamental research, but we also undertake routine screening of compounds for actions on the hypothalamo-pituitary axis and peripheral endocrine organs as the in vitro and animal models we have developed lend themselves well to this purpose.

Publications PDF Acrobat Document