Contact details
Dr Deborah L Clarke
Honorary Research Fellow
National Heart & Lung Institute
Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 8579
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Dr Deborah L Clarke
Deborah Clarke is a Research Fellow in the Department of Respiratory Pharmacology in Airway Diseases at the National Heart & Lung Institute. Dr Clarke qualified at Sheffield University and moved to Imperial College where she undertook her PhD investigating the role of prostanoids and 8-isoprostanes in the regulation of inflammation, with a particular interest in human airway smooth muscle cells. She then moved to The University of Nottingham on a Wellcome Trust funded postdoctoral position looking at the role of protein kinase C isoforms in regulating smooth muscle function.
Her current position aims to determine the effects of the potential novel anti-tussive therapy, cyclodextrin, on sensory nerve activity and the cough reflex in man. Cough is an important defence mechanism that helps clear excessive secretions and foreign material from the airways. However, it also presents as the first and most persistent symptom of many inflammatory airways diseases, and can also be idiopathic in nature. To date, the only effective treatments for cough are opioids (such as codeine), which have major central and peripheral side effects. Therefore, the identification of novel therapeutic targets for the treatment of chronic cough will be of immense therapeutic benefit and will greatly enhance the quality of life of patients. This work may highlight a novel anti-tussive agent for the treatment of cough.
