Dr Rachel Lennon BMedSci, BMBS, PhD, MRCP, MRCPCH
Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow
- Email: Rachel.Lennon@manchester.ac.uk
- Telephone: +44 (0)161 276 7914
Role
Dr Rachel Lennon is a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow at the University of Manchester and an Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Nephrology at the Royal Manchester Children's Hospital
Memberships of Committees and Professional Bodies
- Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health
- British Association of Paediatric Nephrology
- Renal Association
- Academic Paediatrics Association GBI
- Paediatric Research Society
Research
Rachel's research is focussed on understanding mechanisms of proteinuria. Persistent proteinuria leads to kidney failure carrying an annual worldwide cost of over £50 billion. There is limited understanding of the basic mechanisms of disease and there are no disease targeted treatment options. Rachel is using glomerular podocytes to test the hypothesis that podocyte adhesion within the glomerulus is critical to health and that this is compromised in proteinuric kidney disease. In collaboration with Martin Humphries' lab in the Wellcome Trust Centre for Cell-Matrix Research, Rachel is examining adhesion receptor signalling networks in health and disease models. Her aims are to improve understanding of mechanisms of disease which will be the first step towards developing disease targeted treatment for children and adults with proteinuric kidney disease.
Biography
Rachel graduated from Nottingam University Medical School in 1994. She trained in clinical paediatrics in Nottingham, London and the South Western Deanery and she completed subspecialty training in Paediatric Nephrology in Bristol. She was awarded a Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship in 2004 and completed her PhD studying circulating mediators of podocyte injury in proteinuric states in 2007. She was appointed to a Walport/NIHR clinical lecturership 2007. In 2009 Rachel was awarded a Stepping Stones Fellowship from the University of Manchester and a Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellowship to continue her research focussed on understanding mechanisms of proteinuria.
Qualifications
- BMedSci 1992
- BMBS 1994
- MRCP/MRCPCH 1997
- PhD 2008
- CCT Paediatrics/Paediatric Nephrology 2008
Publications
2011
- Sarrab, R., Lennon, R., Ni, L., Wherlock, M., Welsh, G. & Saleem, M (2011). Establishment of conditionally immortalised human glomerular mesangial cells in culture, with unique migratory properties. Am J Physiol Renal Physiol, eScholarID:134267 | PMID:21653636 | DOI:10.1152/ajprenal.00589.2010
2010
- Lennon R, Watson L, Webb NJ. (2010). Nephrotic Syndrome in Children. Paediatrics and Child Health, 20(1), 36-43. eScholarID:85454 | DOI:10.1016/j.paed.2009.10.001
- Shenoy M, Plant ND, Lewis MA, Bradbury MG, Lennon R, Webb NJ. (2010). Intravenous methylprednisolone in idiopathic childhood nephrotic syndrome. Pediatric Nephrology, 25(5), 899-903. eScholarID:85449 | DOI:10.1007/s00467-009-1417-1
2009
- Lennon R, Pons D, Sabin MA, Wei C, Shield JP, Coward RJ, Tavare JM, Mathieson PW, Saleem MA, Welsh GI. (In-press). Saturated fatty acids induce insulin resistance in human podocytes: implications for diabetic nephropathy. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, eScholarID:39420 | DOI:10.1093/ndt/gfp302
- lennon R, Welsh GI, Singh A, Satchell SC, Coward RJ, Tavare JM, Mathieson PW, Saleem MA. (2009). Rosiglitazone enhances glucose uptake in glomerular podocytes using the glucose transporter GLUT1. Diabetologia, 52(9), 1944-1952. eScholarID:39382 | DOI:10.1007/s00125-009-1423-7
2008
- Connor K, Lennon R, McGraw ME, Coward RJ. (2008). A fair reason for failing to thrive. Arch Dis Child Educ Pract Ed, 93(2), 50-57. eScholarID:39635 | DOI:10.1136/adc.2007.123943
- Lennon R, Singh A, Welsh GI, Coward RJ, Satchell S, Ni L, Mathieson PW, Bakker WW, Saleem MA. (2008). Hemopexin induces nephrin-dependent reorganization of the actin cytoskeleton in podocytes. Journal- American Society of Nephrology, 19(11), 2140-2149. eScholarID:39313 | DOI:10.1681/ASN.2007080940
- Saleem MA, Zavadil J, Bailly M, McGee K, Witherden IR, Pavenstadt H, Hsu H, Sanday J, Satchell SC, Lennon R, Ni L, Bottinger EP, Mundel P, Mathieson PW. (2008). The molecular and functional phenotype of glomerular podocytes reveals key features of contractile smooth muscle cells. 295(4), F959-F970. eScholarID:39463 | DOI:10.1152/ajprenal.00559.2007
2007
- Coward RJ, Welsh GI, Koziell A, Hussain S, Lennon R, Ni L, Tavaré JM, Mathieson PW, Saleem MA. (2007). Nephrin is critical for the action of insulin on human glomerular podocytes. Diabetes -New York-, 56(4), 1127-1135. eScholarID:39487
2005
- Coward RJ, Foster RR, Patton D, Ni L, Lennon R, Bates DO, Harper SJ, Mathieson PW, Saleem MA. (2005). Nephrotic plasma alters slit diaphragm-dependent signaling and translocates nephrin, Podocin, and CD2 associated protein in cultured human podocytes. J Am Soc Nephrol, 16(3), 629-637. eScholarID:39581
- Coward RJ, Welsh GI, Yang J, Tasman C, Lennon R, Koziell A, Satchell S, Holman GD, Kerjaschki D, Tavaré JM, Mathieson PW, Saleem MA. (2005). The human glomerular podocyte is a novel target for insulin action. Diabetes -New York-, 54(11), 3095-3102. eScholarID:39535
2004
- Cansick JC, Lennon R, Cummins CL, Howie AJ, McGraw ME, Saleem MA, Tizard EJ, Hulton SA, Milford DV, Taylor CM. (2004). Prognosis, treatment and outcome of childhood mesangiocapillary (membranoproliferative) glomerulonephritis. Nephrology Dialysis Transplantation, 19(11), 2769-2777. eScholarID:39668