Newcastle University

Background

Undergraduate: BSc - Biochemistry and biological chemistry, Nottingham University, 1995
Postgraduate: PhD - Biochemistry and magnetic resonance. Cambridge University, 1999
Postdoc: Department of Neuroscience, University of Florida. 2000 - 2006

Research Interests

• Oxidative stress: development of novel techniques to image tissue glutathione content and metabolism
• Non-invasive in vivo measurement of tissue glycogen content and lipid composition by ¹H and ¹³C spectroscopy
• Dynamic contrast-enhanced imaging of pulmonary vascular properties: application to clinical research
• Measurement of lung respiratory function using ¹⁹F MRI of inert tracer gases
• Development and application of methods for non-invasive investigation of diabetic kidney disease

These projects centre on the development of cutting-edge MR methodology, and application of these methods to pre-clinical models and/or clinical studies to investigate the changes in biochemistry, physiology and function associated with disease.

Grant funding

• MRC New Investigator Research Grant: In vivo monitoring of liver oxidative stress by magnetic resonance measurements of glutathione turnover. 2009-2012

Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre

I am a member of the Magnetic Resonance Physics Team at the Newcastle Magnetic Resonance Centre, our research focuses on the application of cutting-edge MR imaging and spectroscopy methods to clinical research. We have a Philips 3T Achieva whole-body scanner equiped with multinuclear (13C, 31P, etc) capability, and a Varian 7T pre-clinical MR system.

PhD supervision: Biomedical Magnetic Resonance Research

Current PhD studentship opportunities: EPSRC funded MRes/PhD studentship - "Development of advanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) and Spectroscopy (MRS) methods for dynamic non-invasive monitoring of tissue metabolite content".

NHS - Modernising Scientific Careers: Clinical Sciences MSc

Course contributor and Lecturer to the "Medical Physics: Imaging with Non-ionising Radiation" MSc module.

• Detko E, OHara JP, Thelwall PE, Smith FE, Jakovljevic DG, King RF, Trenell MI. Addition of protein and amino acids to maltodextrin and galactose does not enhance post-exercise liver and muscle glycogen synthesis. British Journal of Nutrition 2013. In Press.
• Thelwall PE, Simpson NE, Rabbani ZN, Clark MD, Pourdeyhimi R, Macdonald JM, Blackband SJ, Gamcsik MP. In vivo MR studies of glycine and glutathione metabolism in a rat mammary tumor. NMR in Biomedicine 2012, 25(2), 271-278.
• Gamcsik M, Clark MD, Ludeman SM, Springer JB, D'Alessandro MA, Simpson NE, Pourdeyhimi R, Johnson CB, Teeter SD, Blackband SJ, Thelwall PE. Non-invasive Monitoring of L-2-Oxothiazolidine-4-Carboxylate Metabolism in the Rat Brain by In vivo C-13 Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy. Neurochemical Research 2011, 36(3), 443-451.
• Thelwall PE, Taylor R, Marshall SM. Non-invasive Investigation of Kidney Disease in Type 1 Diabetes by Magnetic Resonance Imaging. Diabetologia 2011, 54(9), 2421-2429.
• Lim EL, Hollingsworth KG, Smith FE, Thelwall PE, Taylor R. Effects of raising muscle glycogen synthesis rate on skeletal muscle ATP turnover rate in type 2 diabetes. American Journal of Physiology - Endocrinology and Metabolism 2011, 301(6), E1155-E1162.
• Lim EL, Hollingsworth KG, Smith F, Thelwall P, Taylor R. Inhibition of lipolysis in type 2 diabetes normalizes glucose disposal without change in muscle glycogen synthesis rates. Clinical Science 2011, 121(4), 169-177.
• Smith FE, Cousins DA, Thelwall P, Ferrier IN, Blamire AM. Quantitative Lithium Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy in the Normal Human Brain on a 3T Clinical Scanner. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2011, 66(4), 945-949.
• Lim EL, Hollingsworth KG, Thelwall PE, Taylor R. Measuring the acute effect of insulin infusion on ATP turnover rate in human skeletal muscle using phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance saturation transfer spectroscopy. NMR in Biomedicine 2010, 23(8), 952-957.
• Stevenson EJ, Thelwall PE, Thomas K, Smith F, Brand-Miller JC, Trenell MI. Dietary glycemic index influences lipid oxidation but not muscle or liver glycogen oxidation during exercise. American Journal of Physiology: Endocrinology and Metabolism 2009, 296(5), E1140-1147.
• Shepherd TM, Thelwall PE, Stanisz GJ, Blackband SJ. Aldehyde fixative solutions alter the water relaxation and diffusion properties of nervous tissue. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2009, 62(1), 26-34.
• Shepherd TM, Flint JJ, Thelwall PE, Stanisz GJ, Mareci TH, Yachnis AT, Blackband SJ. Postmortem interval alters the water relaxation and diffusion properties of rat nervous tissue - Implications for MRI studies of human autopsy samples. NeuroImage 2009, 44(3), 820-826.
• Hollingsworth KG, Jones DE, Aribisala BS, Thelwall PE, Taylor R, Newton JL, Blamire AM. Globus pallidus magnetisation transfer ratio, T1 and T2 in primary biliary cirrhosis: relationship with disease stage and age. Journal of Magnetic Resonance Imaging 2009, 29(4), 780-784.
• Garrood P, Hollingsworth K, Thelwall P, Birchall D, Eagle M, Bushby K, Straub V. MRI in Duchenne muscular dystrophy: Quantification of fat infiltration and gadolinium uptake using whole-muscle regions of interest. Neuromuscular Disorders 2007, 17(9-10), 816-817.
• Thelwall PE. Detection of ¹⁷O-tagged phosphate by ³¹P MRS: A method with potential for in vivo studies of phosphorus metabolism. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2007, 57(6), 1168-1172.
• Ozarslan E, Basser PJ, Shepherd TM, Thelwall PE, Vemuri BC, Blackband SJ. Observation of anomalous diffusion in excised tissue by characterizing the diffusion-time dependence of the MR signal. Journal of Magnetic Resonance 2006, 183(2), 315-323.
• Thelwall PE, Shepherd TM, Stanisz GJ, Blackband SJ. Effects of temperature and aldehyde fixation on tissue water diffusion properties, studied in an erythrocyte ghost tissue model. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2006, 56(2), 282-289.
• Thelwall PE, Yemin AY, Gillian TL, Simpson NE, Kasibhatla MS, Rabbani ZN, MacDonald JM, Blackband SJ, Gamcsik MP. Noninvasive In vivo Detection of Glutathione Metabolism in Tumors. Cancer Research 2005, 65(22), 10149-10153.
• Shepherd TM, Thelwall PE, Blackband SJ, Pike BR, Hayes RL, Wirth ED III. Diffusion magnetic resonance imaging study of a rat hippocampal slice model for acute brain injury. Journal of Cerebral Blood Flow & Metabolism 2003, 23(12), 1461-1470.
• Shepherd TM, Wirth ED, Thelwall PE, Chen HX, Roper SN, Blackband SJ. Water Diffusion Measurements in Perfused Human Hippocampal Slices Undergoing Tonicity Changes. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2003, 49(5), 856-863.
• Thelwall PE, Grant SC, Stanisz GJ, Blackband SJ. Human Erythrocyte Ghosts: Exploring the Origins of Multiexponential Water Diffusion in a Model Biological Tissue With Magnetic Resonance. Magnetic Resonance in Medicine 2002, 48(4), 649-657.
• Beck B, Plant DH, Grant SC, Thelwall PE, Silver X, Mareci TH, Benveniste H, Smith M, Collins C, Crozier S, Blackband SJ. Progress in high field MRI at the University of Florida. Magnetic Resonance Materials in Physics, Biology and Medicine 2001, 13(3), 152-157.
• Thelwall PE, Neves AA, Brindle KM. Measurement of bioreactor perfusion using dynamic contrast agent-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging. Biotechnology and Bioengineering 2001, 75(6), 682-690.
• Thelwall PE, Brindle KM. Analysis of CHO-K1 cell growth in a fixed bed bioreactor using magnetic resonance spectroscopy and imaging. Cytotechnology 1999, 30(1/3), 121-132.
• Beauregard DA, Thelwall PE, Chaplin DJ, Hill SA, Adams GE, Brindle KM. Magnetic resonance imaging and spectroscopy of combretastatin A4 prodrug-induced disruption of tumour perfusion and energetic status. British Journal of Cancer 1998, 77(11), 1761-7.