Dr Despoina Aslanoglou
Summary
Dr Despoina Aslanoglou is a Lecturer in Pharmacology at the 兔子先生. Her research focuses on molecular pharmacology and GPCR signalling, with particular emphasis on catecholaminergic (dopaminergic and adrenergic) pathways in metabolic disease and neuropsychopharmacology. She investigates how complex signalling networks between receptor systems regulate pancreatic islet function and hormone secretion, and how drugs function to modulate these pathways. Using human islet models and advanced receptor signalling approaches (optical, live-cell based methods such as NanoBRET, BRET, complementation nanoluciferase approach etc) her work aims to define the mechanisms underlying drug-induced metabolic dysfunction and support the development of safer therapeutic strategies.
She completed her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at the University of Glasgow, where she trained in GPCR pharmacology. She subsequently undertook postdoctoral research at the University of Pittsburgh, focusing on the role of receptor signalling in regulating pancreatic hormone secretion, and at Queen Mary University of London, where she expanded her work to include dopaminergic and adrenergic signalling in neuronal systems and their relevance to neuropsychiatric disorders.