Prof Rohan Lewis
PhD
Professor of Placental and Integrative Physiology
Profile page(s)
Rohan Lewis is Professor in Placental and Integrative Physiology in the Faculty of Medicine at the University of Southampton. He previously undertook postdoctoral work at the University of Cambridge and his PhD at the University of Auckland.
Professor Lewis leads the Placental Research Laboratory in Southampton. His team take an interdisciplinary approach to understanding how the placenta supports the growth of a healthy fetus and how placental dysfunction may impact health across the life course.
Landmark publications:
1. Lewis RM, Baskaran, H, Green J, Tashev S, Lofthouse E, Cleal, J Page A, Chatelet D, Goggin P, Sengers, B (2022) 3D Visualisation of trans-syncytial nanopores provides a pathway for paracellular diffusion across the human placental syncytiotrophoblast. iScience, In press.
2. Ashley B, Simner C, Manousopoulou A, Jenkinson C, Hey F, Frost JM, Rezwan FI, White CH, Lofthouse EM, Hyde E, Cooke LDF, Barton S, Mahon P, Curtis EM, Moon RJ, Crozier SR, Inskip HM, Godfrey KM, Holloway JW, Cooper C, Jones KS, Lewis RM, Hewison M, Garbis SDD, Branco MR, Harvey NC, Cleal JK. (2022) “Placental uptake and metabolism of 25(OH)Vitamin D determines its activity within the fetoplacental unit” eLife 2022;11:e71094. DOI: https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.71094
3. Stirrat LI, Sengers BG, Norman JE, Homer NZM, Andrew R, Lewis RM*, Reynolds R* (2018). Transfer and Metabolism of Cortisol by the Isolated Perfused Human Placenta. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2018;103(2):640-8. (* equal contribution)
4. Perazzolo S, Hirschmugul B, Wadsack C, Desoye G, RM Lewis*, Bram G Sengers* (2017) "The influence of placental metabolism on fatty acid transfer to the fetus" Journal of Lipid Research 58(2): 443-454.
5. Cleal JK, Glazier J, Ntani G, Crozier SR, Day PE, Harvey NC, Robinson SM, Cooper C, Godfrey KM, Hanson MA, Lewis RM (2011) Facilitated transporters mediate net efflux of amino acids to the fetus across the basal membrane of the placental syncytiotrophoblast. Journal of Physiology 589(4):987-9.
Major grants:
2019-2023 Lead applicant on a Leverhulme Trust Project grant “Comparative placentology using nanoscale and three-dimensional imaging” £177000
2019-2022Applicant on a Wellbeing for Womenproject grant “Using 3D imaging and single-cell gene expression to identify molecular markers of a uterus that is receptive to implantation” £200000
2017-2021Applicant on BBSRC BB/R002762/1, ‘Computational modelling to evaluate, understand and predict the placental transfer of xenobiotics as an integrated system’ £520000
2016-2019: applicant on MRC MR/N011538/1 ‘Blood flow (dys)regulation and transfer function in the human placenta: an integrated in silico and ex vivo approach to fetal growth restriction’ £795000 Manchester
2014-2017: Lead applicant on BBSRC BB/L020823/1 ‘Coupling of organic anion transport to the glutamate gradient by OATs and OATPs’ £460000
2011-2017: Applicant on European Union FP7“Long term effects of early nutrition on later health” €11000000.
2011-2014: Lead applicant on BBSRC BB/I011315/1 “Placental amino acid transport: an experimental and modelling investigation” £790000
2008-2011: Applicant on BBSRC BB/F007450/1 (with Professor Fleming) ‘How do pre-implantation embryos sense and respond to maternal nutrition affecting fetal development and adult health?’, £855000