Dr Mark A Birrell

Dr Mark Birrell is a Research Fellow and co-head of the Respiratory Pharmacology Research Group.

Mark obtained a BSc (Hons) Degree in Pharmacology from the University of East London whilst working at a major pharmaceutical company, Sanofi-Aventis. During his 15 years in industry Mark has had extensive experience in various phases of drug discovery. The therapeutic aim was to develop new medicine for initially cardiovascular diseases and then later respiratory diseases. He left industry in 2000 to help set up a new section, Respiratory Pharmacology, at the NHLI with Professor Belvisi. In the first 3 years he also obtained his doctorate in pharmacology at Imperial College.

Since completing his PhD, Mark has become a key member of the ever growing Respiratory Pharmacology research group (currently 20 people strong), which he now heads alongside Professor Maria Belvisi.

Mark has a substantial publication record in peer review journals and is an internationally recognised expert in the respiratory field, particularly in pre-clinical models of asthma and COPD.