Staff Profile

Qualifications 

• PhD in Biochemistry (Newcastle University, UK) 
• BSc (Hons) Biochemistry with Immunology (Newcastle University, UK)  

I am a Research Associate based within the Human Nutrition Research Centre (HNRC) at the Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University. I studied for my undergraduate thesis at the University of Tubingen, Germany, where I was exposed to the fields of immunogenetics and molecular biology. Upon my return to the UK I worked briefly for a haemostasis diagnostics industry.  

I returned to Newcastle University to complete a PhD in the fields of nutritional biochemistry, molecular biology, and veterinary medicine. The overall theme of the thesis was to molecularly characterise bio-mineral tissue development, and establish links between nutrition and the molecular development of skeletal physiology. The use of the pig as a model also allows for the findings to be applicable to the fields of human medicine. 

I have contributed to two Innovate UK-funded projects with Professor Tom Hill throughout my postdoctoral career, exploring the barriers associated with maximising the commercial potential of functional foods. Our work has established the scientific basis behind a leading UK brand, and we continue to work closely with our industrial colleagues to drive fundamental impact across multiple sectors. At the moment, we are investigating consumer acceptance and nutritional relevance of vertical farming. 

Interests 

• Bone Development 
• Vitamin A/D metabolism 
• Immunology and Nutrigenetics
• Consumer acceptance of functional foods 
  
• Nutritional profiles of functional foods 

Projects 

Supervision of BSc and MSc students (across Nutrition and Biomedical Science modules) towards submission of a thesis 

Previous experience in demonstrating for UGR laboratory sessions for Biomedical Sciences 

Marking final year nutrition theses 

One on one tutoring for students with special needs 

• Engle-Stone R, Miller JC, Fatima Dolly Reario M, Arnold CD, Stormer A, Lafuente E, Oxley A, Capanzana MV, Cabanilla CVD, Ford JL, Clark A, Velavan TP, Brown KH, Lietz G, Haskell MJ. Filipino Children with High Usual Vitamin A Intakes and Exposure to Multiple Sources of Vitamin A Have Elevated Total Body Stores of Vitamin A but Do Not Show Clear Evidence of Vitamin A Toxicity. Current Developments in Nutrition 2022, 6(8).
• Clark A, Kuznesof S, Davies S, Waller A, Richie A, Wilson S, Harbord L, Hill T. Egg enrichment with vitamin D: The Sunshine Eggs projects . Nutrition Bulletin 2021, 46(3), 332-338.
• Lietz G, Oxley A, Finney K, Clark A, Giles T, Foster N, Southam A, Jankevics A, Lloyd G, Winder C, Dunn W. Effects of Chronic Hypervitaminosis a on Global Plasma Metabolome Changes and Liver Gene Expression (OR05-06-19). Current Developments in Nutrition 2019, 3(Suppl. 1), OR05-06-19.
• Clark A, Kyriazakis I, Giles T, Foster N, Lietz G. The Influence of Vitamin A on Molecular Bio-mineral Tissue Development in Pigs. Current Developments in Nutrition 2019, 3(1).
• Clark A, Kyriazakis I, Giles T, Foster N, Lietz G. The Molecular Basis of Humpy-Back Disease in Pigs. In: 68th Annual Meeting of European Federation of Animal Science. 2017, Tallinn, Estonia.
• Hoang TV, Hoan NX, Clark A, Gerlach F, Toan NL, Song LH, Bock CT, Kremsner PG, Velavan TP. JAK/STAT pathway and susceptibility to hepatitis B virus infection and related liver diseases. In: International Liver Congress 2015 – 50th Annual meeting of the European Association for the Study of the Liver. 2015, Vienna: Elsevier BV.
• Clark A, Gerlach F, Tong HV, Hoan NX, Song LH, Toan NL, Bock CT, Kremsner PG, Velavan TP. A trivial role of STAT4 variant in chronic hepatitis B induced hepatocellular carcinoma. Infection, Genetics and Evolution 2013, 18.