Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Profile

Director of Research, School of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences

Head: Molecular Medicine Group
http://www.port.ac.uk/molecularmedicine/

Qualifications
PhD, MD

Current University post held
Professor of Molecular Medicine

Internal memberships / posts
Chair – Research and Knowledge Transfer Committee
Chair – Science Faculty Research Degree Committee
Member - School Executive Committee
Member - University Research Degree Committee
Member – Faculty Research Ethical Review Committee
Member – Faculty Genetic Modifications Safety Committee

External memberships / posts
The Biochemical Society
European Society for Gene Therapy
Expert Opinion on Emerging Drugs Editorial Board member
Euroimplant Scientific Board member
Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Key teaching responsibilities
Level M: Molecular basis of diseases, application of molecular biology methods, gene therapy and gene medicines, project supervision.
Postgraduate Level: Scientific research methods for MPhil and PhD students.
PhD supervision.

Key research interests
Pathogenesis of Duchenne muscular dystrophy, role of the dystrophin complex in brain, gene therapy using non-viral vectors.

Selected recent publications:

1. Boumechache M, Masin M, Edwardson JM, Górecki DC, Murrell-Lagnado R. Analysis of assembly and trafficking of native P2X4 and P2X7 receptor complexes in rodent immune cells. J Biol Chem.; 284(20):13446-54. 2009
2. Lavigne MD, Yates LL, Coxhead P, Górecki DC. Nuclear-targeted chimeric vector enhancing non-viral gene transfer into skeletal muscle of Fabry mice in vivo. FASEB J. 22(6):2097-2107, 2008.
3. Hamilton N, Vayro S, Kirchhoff F, Verkhratsky A, Robbins J, Górecki DC, Butt AM. Mechanisms of ATP- and glutamate-mediated calcium signalling in white matter astrocytes. Glia 56 (7): 734-49, 2008.
4. Wilczynski GM, Konopacki FA, Wilczek E, Lasiecka Z, Gorlewicz A, Michaluk P, Wawrzyniak M, Malinowska M, Okulski P, Kolodziej LR, Konopka W, Duniec K, Mioduszewska B, Nikolaev E, Walczak A, Owczarek D, Górecki DC, Zuschratter W, Ottersen OP, Kaczmarek L. Important role of matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP-9) in epileptogenesis. J. Cell Biol. 180 (5):1021-35, 2008
5. Hazai D, Lien C-F, Hajos,F, Halasy K, Górecki DC, Jancsik V. Synaptic expression of α-dystrobrevin: localisation of a short α-dystrobrevin isoform in melanin-concentrating hormone neurons of the hypothalamus. Brain Res., 1201: 52-9, 2008.
6. Michaluk P, Kolodziej L, Mioduszewska B., Wilczynski G M, Dzwonek J., Jaworski J., Górecki DC Ottersen OP, Kaczmarek L, β-dystroglycan as a target for MMP-9 in response to enhanced neuronal activity. J. Biol. Chem, 282: 16036 – 16041, 2007.
7. Pennadam SS, Ellis JS, Lavigne MD, Górecki DC Davies MC, Alexander C. Synthesis and characterization of variable architecture thermo-sensitive polymers for complexation with DNA . Langmuir, 23(1):41-49, 2007.
8. Lien C.F, Hazai D, Yeung D, Tan J, Fuchtbauer E-M, Jancsik V, Górecki D.C. Expression of α-dystrobrevin in blood-tissue barriers: sub-cellular localisation and molecular characterisation in normal and dystrophic mice. Cell Tissue Res., 327(1):67-82, 2007.
9. Lavigne MD, Pennadam SS, Ellis J, Yates LL, Alexander C, Górecki DC. Enhanced gene expression through temperature profile-induced variations in molecular architecture of thermoresponsive polymer vectors. J Gene Med., 9(1):44-54, 2006.
10. Wimsey S., Lien C.F., Sharma S., Brennan P.A. Roach H.I. Harper G.D., Górecki D.C Changes in endothelial expression of β-dystroglycan and specific degradative enzymes in the osteoarthritic synovium. Osteoarthritis and Cartilage, 14(11): 1181-8. 2006.
11. Yeung D, Zablocki K, Lien C-F, Jiang T, Arkle S, Brutkowski W, Brown J, Lochmuller H, Simon J, Barnard E.A, Górecki D.C. Increased susceptibility to ATP via alteration of P2X receptor function in dystrophic mdx mouse muscle cells. FASEB J. 20(6): 610-20, 2006.
12. Zeng Z, Sharpe C.R, Simons J.P, Górecki DC. The expression and alternative splicing of α-neurexins during Xenopus development. Int. J. Dev. Biol., 50(1): 39-46, 2006.

Reviews:

1. Górecki DC, Beręsewicz M and Zabłocka B. Neuroprotective effects of short peptides derived from the Insulin-like Growth Factor. Neurochem Int. 2007; 51(8):451-8.
2. Rees MLJ, LienC-F and Górecki DC. Dystrobrevins in muscle and non-muscle tissues. Neuromuscular Disorders. 17(2):123-34, 2007.
3. Górecki DC. “Dressing-up” naked plasmids: Emerging non-viral gene therapy vectors. Discovery Medicine, 6(35): 191-197, 2006.
4. Lavigne MD and Górecki DC. Emerging vectors and targeting methods for non-viral gene therapy. Expert Opin. Emerging Drugs. 11(3): 541-57, 2006.
5. Pennadam S.S., Firman K., Alexander C., Górecki D.C. Protein-polymer nano machines. Towards synthetic control of biological processes. J. Nanobiotechnlogy, 6,2(1),8 2004.

Last updated: May 2009