Dr Jo Gamble  

Jo is a postdoctoral researcher with the Centre for Immunology and Allergy Research at The Westmead Institute for Medical Research. She completed her studies at the University of Liverpool, UK in pharmacology prior to receiving her MRes and PhD in the area of gut-brain signalling. She has over 10 years worth of research experience in the areas of neurobiology, pharmacology, and parasitology, making significant contributions in combating lymphatic filariasis in Africa as part of her collaboration with The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Jo is currently working with Professor David Brown and her current research interests are in neuroinflammation, with a particular focus on spinal cord injury and multiple sclerosis.

Jo is currently able to provide auxillary supervision for postgraduate students and encourages students who are interested in her field of research to get in touch. Keywords

Neuroscience, innate immunity, animal models, CNS injury

• Westmead Institute for Medical Research travel award
• British Society for Immunology travel bursary
• Equipment grant £30,000 from University of Liverpool Space and Facilities management team
• IMB-funded PhD studentship, University of Liverpool, 2009-2012

• Bayliss and Starling Society travel grant for attendance at the Winter Neuropeptide Conference, 2011
• IMB bursary to attend the James Black meeting. Physiological and Pharmacological Societies, 2009

• IMB-funded MRes studentship, University of Liverpool, 2008-2009

2009-2013: PhD, Institute of Translational Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK.
Targeted Expression of Plasminogen Activator Inhibitor (PAI)-1 to the Stomach Inhibits Gut-brain Signalling by the Satiety Hormone Cholecystokinin.
An Integrative Mammalian Biology (IMB)-funded project investigating a transgenic model of moderate obesity.  The project focused on the vagal aspect of gut-brain signalling in feeding and metabolism and how, specifically, PAI-1 can interact with satiety factors such as cholecystokinin.

2008-2009: Master of Research, Veterinary Preclinical Sciences, University of Liverpool, UK.
MRes in Biomedical Sciences. 
IMB-funded MRes involving transgenic mice investigating primary afferent signalling in hyperalgesia and allodynia in the first two rotations.  Preliminary research, which was a collaborative third rotation, into the PAI-1 transgenic mouse, and formed the basis of the PhD.

2005-2008: BSc (Hons) Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Liverpool, UK.
Honours research project (Supervisor Prof. Kevin Park).
Investigating mitochondrial depolarisation as a marker of apoptosis in cancer cell lines following treatment with a derivative of the herbal anti-malarial, Artemesinin.