University of Birmingham
Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism
School of Clinical & Experimental Medicine

Institute of Biomedical Research, Rm 225, Wolfson Drive
Birmingham B15 2TT
United Kingdom

 www.medicine.bham.ac.uk

Project Leader

Prof. Wiebke Arlt Phone: 0044-(0)121-415-8716  Fax: 0044-(0)121-415-8712

Project Staff

Prof. Cedric Shackleton Senior research fellow

Dr. Nils Krone Wellcome Trust Clinician Scientist and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Endocrinologist

Dr Jan Idkowiak ESPE Research Fellow

Dr Silvia Parajes Marie Curie research fellow

Dr Marie Lebbe UEMS research fellow

Dr Edson Nogueira Postdoctoral research fellow

Dr. Nicole Reisch Marie Curie research fellow

Ms. Donna O'Neil Research technician

Ms Pushpa Patel Research technician

Ms. Beverly Hughes Research technician

Institute Presentation

The University of Birmingham is one of the top UK Universities. Its College of Medical and Dental Sciences comprises 5 Schools and the Centre for Endocrinology, Diabetes & Metabolism (CEDAM) is part of the School of Clinical & Experimental Medicine. CEDAM offices and lab facilities are located within the Institute of Biomedical Research (IBR), a top spec research facility with state-of-the-art equipment including a steroid core facility featuring gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, genomics and proteomics, confocal microscopy and flow cytometry. The IBR is located in immediate proximity of the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, one of only 5 in the UK, and the newly built University Hospital Birmingham, the largest hospital in Europe.

Ongoing research at CEDAM comprises basic science, translational and clinical research studies focussing on steroid endocrinology, endocrine cancer, pathogenesis of endocrine autoimmunity and diabetes. Academic Endocrinology is closely linked with the clinical activities at University Hospital Birmingham (General Endocrine Clinic, Pituitary Clinic, Thyroid Clinic, Thyroid Cancer Clinic, Bone Clinic, Adrenal Tumour Service, Young Adult Clinic, Endocrine Genetics Clinic, General and Specialist Diabetes Clinics), Birmingham Women’s Hospital (Reproductive Endocrinology Clinic, Inborn gonadal and adrenal disorders clinic) and Birmingham Children’s Hospital (General Endocrine Clinic, Diabetes Clinics, Bone Clinics, Disorders of Sexual Differentiation Clinic). These hospitals draw from a large, ethnically diverse population (6 million, i.e. equivalent to 10% of the UK population).

Research within the Sex Steroid Research group (PI Prof Wiebke Arlt) is supported by the European Commission (FP7 and Marie Curie programmes), the Medical Research Council UK, the Wellcome Trust, the European Society for Paediatric Endocrinology (ESPE) and the Birmingham Children’s Hospital Research Foundation. Our main interest is research into the pathogenesis of adrenal and gonadal disorders manifesting with androgen excess and deficiency, including adrenal insufficiency, polycystic ovary syndrome, congenital adrenal hyperplasia and disorders of sexual differentiation. We use a broad array of in vitro and ex vivo techniques, including bacterial and yeast expression assays, cell culture and primary organ culture. We offer sequencing for all steroidogenic enzymes and co-factors, e.g. CYP17A1, CYP21A2, HSD3B2, CYP11B1 and POR, on a research test basis. Steroid profiling by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS) is at the core of our research activities and has been successfully used by us for the discovery of novel steroidogenic disorders including P450 oxidoreductase (POR) deficiency. In addition to our activities within EuroDSD we also serve as the steroid core lab for the  European Network for the Study of Adrenal Tumours (ENS@T).