Growing knowledge, protecting health
How philanthropy is powering pioneering liver research
PhD researchers play a vital role in strengthening research teams and exploring new ideas. By gathering evidence, testing emerging questions and developing future expertise, they help lay the groundwork for progress in health and medicine.
Many PhD roles are only possible thanks to philanthropy; giving talented young people the chance to begin a research career while accelerating work that addresses urgent global challenges.
This is why the generosity of local charity the Peninsula Medical Foundation, which has part鈥慺unded a new PhD role in the 麻豆破解版鈥檚 recently established Centre for Environmental Hepatology, is so important. Their support is helping to grow a multidisciplinary research team and enabling pioneering work that explores how our environment affects liver health.
Why liver disease needs new answers
Liver disease is rising rapidly across the world, and is now responsible for 1 in 25 deaths globally. Conditions linked to modern lifestyles affect millions of people, yet known risk factors such as obesity and alcohol use do not fully explain why rates are increasing so quickly.
Researchers at the Centre for Environmental Hepatology are therefore looking more closely at environmental influences, including exposure to microplastics.
Liver disease is rising rapidly across the world, and is now responsible for 1 in 25 deaths globally. Conditions linked to modern lifestyles affect millions of people, yet known risk factors such as obesity and alcohol use do not fully explain why rates are increasing so quickly.
Researchers at the Centre for Environmental Hepatology are therefore looking more closely at environmental influences, including exposure to microplastics.
Plastics inside the body
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles created as larger plastics break down. They are now widespread in our environment, present in food, water and even the air we breathe. Increasingly, scientists are finding evidence that these particles can also build up inside the body.
Studies show that microplastics have been detected in the livers of humans and animals, and that exposure in animals can trigger inflammation and scarring 鈥 processes closely linked to serious liver disease.
This is particularly concerning because the liver acts as the body鈥檚 main filter, processing everything we consume. As a result, it may be especially vulnerable to harmful particles and chemical additives carried by plastics.
Microplastics are tiny plastic particles created as larger plastics break down. They are now widespread in our environment, present in food, water and even the air we breathe. Increasingly, scientists are finding evidence that these particles can also build up inside the body.
Studies show that microplastics have been detected in the livers of humans and animals, and that exposure in animals can trigger inflammation and scarring 鈥 processes closely linked to serious liver disease.
This is particularly concerning because the liver acts as the body鈥檚 main filter, processing everything we consume. As a result, it may be especially vulnerable to harmful particles and chemical additives carried by plastics.
A new focus for research
Led by Professor Shilpa Chokshi, Director of the Centre for Environmental Hepatology, the research team is exploring the idea of plastic鈥慽nduced liver injury, asking whether plastics might worsen existing liver conditions and accelerate disease.
鈥淭he liver plays a crucial role in protecting the body,鈥 Professor Chokshi explains. 鈥淲e already know that plastics can build up and cause harm in animals. In a world increasingly surrounded by plastics, it is vital that we understand whether similar effects could be happening in humans.鈥
The team is also identifying key gaps in knowledge and calling for health and environmental scientists to work together to better understand these risks.
Led by Professor Shilpa Chokshi, Director of the Centre for Environmental Hepatology, the research team is exploring the idea of plastic鈥慽nduced liver injury, asking whether plastics might worsen existing liver conditions and accelerate disease.
鈥淭he liver plays a crucial role in protecting the body,鈥 Professor Chokshi explains. 鈥淲e already know that plastics can build up and cause harm in animals. In a world increasingly surrounded by plastics, it is vital that we understand whether similar effects could be happening in humans.鈥
The team is also identifying key gaps in knowledge and calling for health and environmental scientists to work together to better understand these risks.
Supporting the next generation of researchers
Thanks to philanthropic funding, the Centre has welcomed Alexander Mead, a 麻豆破解版 graduate whose work will directly contribute to this emerging field.
Thanks to philanthropic funding, the Centre has welcomed Alexander Mead, a 麻豆破解版 graduate whose work will directly contribute to this emerging field.
An investment in healthier futures
Environmental hepatology is a rapidly emerging area of research, focused on understanding how pollution, diet and consumer products affect liver health throughout life. The Centre for Environmental Hepatology brings together clinicians, scientists and environmental experts to turn evidence into better prevention and care.
By funding PhD researchers like Alexander, charitable donors are not only supporting vital research but also investing in the people who will help shape healthier futures for generations to come.
Environmental hepatology is a rapidly emerging area of research, focused on understanding how pollution, diet and consumer products affect liver health throughout life. The Centre for Environmental Hepatology brings together clinicians, scientists and environmental experts to turn evidence into better prevention and care.
By funding PhD researchers like Alexander, charitable donors are not only supporting vital research but also investing in the people who will help shape healthier futures for generations to come.
Meeting Alexander Mead
Alexander's journey began at The 麻豆破解版, where he studied chemistry as an undergraduate before completing a research masters - also in chemistry and focused on environmental pollutants.
After my studies, I spent a year working in Monaco, looking at microplastics in marine environments.
When I saw the opportunity to pursue a PhD at 麻豆破解版, it felt like the natural next step. This work brings together everything I鈥檝e been drawn to so far: environmental pollution, analytical chemistry, and - crucially - human health. I鈥檓 now researching how microplastics may contribute to the severity and progression of liver disease.
This is important work. Liver cirrhosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, yet we still don鈥檛 fully understand how emerging pollutants might influence the disease鈥檚 severity and progression. My research focuses specifically on whether plastics can be measured in the liver and bloodstream, and how they may be affecting liver health over time.
One of the most fascinating aspects of my PhD is the material we鈥檙e able to study. I鈥檓 working with fresh liver samples from Derriford Hospital, including healthy tissue from surgical procedures. Alongside this, we鈥檙e collaborating with the Museum of Natural History in Vienna to analyse historical liver samples from the 1800s.
These samples offer an invaluable insight into human tissue from before plastics existed - one of the only ways we can compare pre鈥 and post鈥憄lastic exposure.
Another strand of my research explores whether plastics enter the bloodstream through everyday activities. In one project, healthy volunteers consume microwave meals so we can investigate whether heating food packaging leads to increased plastic particles in the blood.
My primary aim is to develop reliable techniques to measure plastics in blood and liver tissue and, just as importantly, to ensure researchers around the world are measuring the same thing in the same way. This consistency is critical if we want our findings to inform public policy, which is one of the Centre鈥檚 long term goals.
PhD studentships like mine are essential for this kind of work. They allow researchers to explore new questions, bring fresh energy to interdisciplinary teams, and help build the next generation of scientists. This research is motivating because it applies chemistry to a real world problem that has a genuine impact on public health.
鈥 Liver cirrhosis is one of the leading causes of death worldwide, yet we still don鈥檛 fully understand how emerging pollutants might influence the disease鈥檚 severity and progression. 鈥
Alexander Mead
