Dr Andrew Coney PhD

• Fellow of the Physiological Society, 2019
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy, 2016
• Distinguished Fellow of the Teaching Academy, University of Birmingham, 2016
• PhD Cardiovascular Physiology, University of Birmingham, 1997
• BSc (Hons) Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Southampton, 1993

Andrew gained a BSc (2:1) in Physiology and Pharmacology, from the University of Southampton in 1993. He went on to study for a PhD funded by the British Heart Foundation in the Department of Physiology, University of Birmingham, researching into the mechanisms controlling cerebral blood flow during both acute and chronic hypoxia. As a Research Fellow, still funded by the British Heart Foundation, Andrew continued his research at the University of Birmingham into cardiovascular control mechanisms and the role of the sympathetic nervous system before taking an interest in developmental programming. During this time, Andrew also started to develop an interest in learning and teaching as he took on these responsibilities.

Andrew increased his teaching role over the years and also took on more education development and management responsibilities. In 2016, Andrew became a Senior Fellow of the HEA and was also invited to join the University of Birmingham Teaching Academy as a Distinguished Fellow.

Andrew’s current physiology research is centred around the control of the cardiovascular and respiratory systems at different points in the life course in response to stimuli such as gestational hypoxia or chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) and the co-morbidity links with diabetes.

Andrew is interested in the development of teaching activities to enhance the student learning experience and actively engage them into understanding their subjects more deeply. Using evidence-based approaches to education, Andrew has Module Lead responsibilities and also delivers a variety of teaching session types across most of the College’s degree programmes including:

• Biomedical Materials Science BMedSc
• Biomedical Science BSc
• Dental Surgery BDS
• Medicine and Surgery MBChB: Foundations in Medical Science and Practice 2 (Introduction to Respiratory Medicine) & 3 (Cardiovascular System).
• Pharmacy MPharm

Andrew is also a Personal Tutor for students on the BSc Biomedical Science programme and usually offers laboratory-based research projects to these final year students as well as to Masters students.

Andrew currently supervises several PhD students investigating different aspects of cardiorespiratory physiology.

• Effects of chronic intermittent hypoxia at different ages on carotid body function
• Detection of dysfunctional breathing using structured light plethysmography
• Angiotensin II signalling in the carotid body in physiology and pathology
• Early markers of hypertension in young adults with a family history of hypertension
• Ethnicity and cardiovascular disease – modulatory effects of respiratory training.

 Previous PhD students have investigated areas such as:

• Developmental programming by chronic hypoxia in utero on muscle sympathetic nerve activity in the adult offspring.
• Effects of ageing on the control of cerebral blood flow

Additionally, Andrew has supervised Masters students conducting their research projects. These have included projects such as:

• Investigation into the murine electrophysiological cardiac responses to acute hypoxia and reoxygenation
• The contribution of the carotid bodies and counter-regulatory hormones in glycaemic control: interaction during diabetes and intermittent hypoxia?
• The interaction between chronic intermittent hypoxia and Western diet on cardio-respiratory function
• Adaptations to chronic hypoxia important in muscle performance and fatigability
• Effects of graded exercise on sympathetic vasoconstriction in normoxic and chronically hypoxic rats: a role for NO?
• Adrenaline increases ventilation via a b-receptor and carotid body-mediated mechanism: a role in the hyperventilation of hypoglycaemia?

Andrew has a longstanding research interest in how the cardiovascular system responds and adapts to changes in oxygen levels and his research takes an integrative systems physiology approach. This interest has opened up several avenues of research.

A major area of interest has centred on the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease (DOHaD) and investigations into how cardiovascular and respiratory responses in the adult are programmed by low oxygen levels before birth. Previous work has centred on vascular control investigating endothelial dilator function and sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity and function. A current area of interest is the role of the placenta in signalling these effects to the developing fetus whilst future areas of interest will include programming of peripheral chemoreceptor function and its consequences.

In addition to the effects of developmental programming, Andrew also has a background into functional assessment of sympathetic vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle and how it is modulated by hypoxia in control animals – a balance to maintain tissue oxygen delivery and peripheral resistance. This has developed more recently into considering the pathological mechanisms involved in the responses to the chronic intermittent hypoxia (CIH) seen in obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) patients. These patients also often suffer from diabetes and Andrew is also interested in the role of the peripheral chemoreceptors in mediating the whole body response to hypoglycaemia. Additionally, Andrew has also been collaborating on the potential effects of CIH in increasing the risk of atrial fibrillation.

Andrew is a group leader of the Birmingham Arterial Chemoreceptor and Hypoxia Group. The research group focuses on defining the role of the carotid body chemoreceptors, in cardiovascular, respiratory and neuroendocrine physiology and pathology.  

Another strand of research has been collaboration with clinical colleagues. In one collaboration with respiratory colleagues at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, we are using a new method of measuring breathing that is totally passive and does not require forced manoeuvres – something that some patients find extremely difficult to carry out. In another collaboration with colleagues from Birmingham Women’s Hospital, we developed an animal model of necrotising enterocolitis (NEC). NEC is a major cause of death in premature babies and our model is giving insights into the disease mechanism.

• Fellow of The Physiological Society
• Member of The Physiological Society
• Representative of the Physiological Society (https://www.physoc.org)
• Member of the Developmental Origins of Health and Disease Society
• Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
• Distinguished Fellow of the Teaching Academy, University of Birmingham
• Volunteer speaker for Understanding Animal Research