Profile
Nick Goulding graduated from the University of Southampton with a BSc (Hons) in Physiology and Biochemistry in 1978 and a PhD in Immunopathology in 1982. He spent 10 years at the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases as senior research fellow and Lecturer before moving to St Bartholomew’s Medical College in 1992 as Senior Lecturer. He became Reader in Cellular Pharmacology in 2001 and Professor of Pharmacology and Medical Education in 2004. In December 2009 he was elected Vice-President of the British Pharmacological Society with special responsibility for academic development. In 2016 he was awarded a Principal Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy. As Head of Student Academic and Pastoral Support for the Medical School, Nick is responsible for co-ordinating the support to almost 2000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. He is also an ordained priest in the Church of England and has interests in the interface between Science and Faith.
Research
Group members
- Research staff: Dr Guglielmo Rosignoli
Summary
The mechanism of action of glucocorticoids in inflammatory diseases
Professor Goulding’s research interests lie in the area of glucocorticoid biology, with particular reference to the use of glucocorticosteroids in the treatment of inflammatory diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis. Nick also co-directs the newly formed Core Cytometry Facility with the Institute of Cancer.
His research group has recently received funding from the Arthritis Research Campaign, the Sir Halley Stewart Trust, and the William Harvey Research Foundation.
Specific areas of research interest include the role of glucocorticoids in the haemoglobin scavenger receptor CD163 mediated clearance of iron from inflamed sites, the non-genomic action of glucocorticoids in mediating rapid effects on immune function and the impact of annexin I deficiency /dysfunction on the development of chronic inflammatory disease. Prof Goulding also has interests in the ethics of medical research with a particular focus on the use of embryo-derived stem cells as therapeutics.
Ethics of Human Embryo Research
The ethical, legal and social implications of the use of human embryos in medical research are complex and far-reaching. Professor Goulding leads a Halley-Stewart Trust-funded project to generate and assess the impact of novel educational materials for UK medical students in this rapidly developing area of medicine. The programme is now available online.