Dr Stuart A Morgan

• PhD in Molecular Endocrinology, University of Birmingham, 2010
• BSc (Hons) in Biochemistry (with Molecular & Cell Biology), University of Birmingham, 2005

In 2006, Stuart undertook his doctoral training with Professor Jeremy Tomlinson at the University of Birmingham, in collaboration with AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals. Here, he investigated the mechanisms by which glucocorticoids, and pre-receptor glucocorticoid metabolism, regulate insulin sensitivity of skeletal muscle.

In 2010, he undertook postdoctoral training at the University of Birmingham with Professor Paul Stewart exploring the mechanisms by which circulating glucocorticoids mediate their tissue-specific metabolic effects. Taking a systems approach to the problem, he identified tissue intrinsic 11β-HSD1 activity to be the major determinant of the metabolic manifestations of circulating glucocorticoid excess. This finding challenged the idea that simple delivery of active glucocorticoids from the circulation represents the most important level of regulation of glucocorticoid action, and highlighted 11β-HSD1 as a novel target for therapeutic intervention in patients with Cushing’s syndrome.

In 2017, Stuart was awarded a Marie Curie Global Fellowship and relocated to Canada where he joined the research group of Prof Carolyn Cummins at the University of Toronto (UofT). Here, he combined his expertise in metabolism and signalling networks, with UofT’s world-leading expertise in whole-genome CRISPR-cas9 screening, to create several state-of-the-art screening platforms that permit high-throughput interrogation of key metabolic pathways in health and diseases.

In 2020, he returned to the University of Birmingham where he continues his research into metabolism using these advanced whole-genome screening approaches.

Stuart’s research tries to better understand the mechanisms by which hormones regulate metabolism using whole-genome CRISPR-cas9 screening strategies.

Currently, he is using these powerful tools to uncover novel genes regulating:

• Insulin-stimulated GLUT4 trafficking in skeletal myocytes
• Glucocorticoid action in hepatocytes
• Gluconeogenesis in hepatocytes

This cutting-edge approach to studying metabolism has potential to significantly advance our understanding of key pathways driving the development of major metabolic disease, including type 2 diabetes.