Dr Susan Currie
Reader
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Personal statement
Susan Currie obtained her PhD in Biochemistry (cellular signalling and molecular pharmacology) from the University of Glasgow in 1992 then spent two years at Lilly Research Laboratories, USA, where she studied the role of phospholipase A² in mast cell activation. She returned to the University of Glasgow in 1994 to join the then newly formed Clinical Research Initiative in heart disease and became a founder member of the school of cardiovascular studies in Glasgow. During this time she progressed from postdoctoral researcher to Principal Investigator examining the role of Calcium/calmodulin protein kinase ll (CaMKll) in cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure. She moved to the University of Strathclyde in 2005 as a Lecturer in Physiology & Pharmacology and established an independent cardiovascular signalling research group with principal interests in CaMKll modulation of cardiac calcium handling and cardiac inflammation. She is currently an Associate Professor/Reader within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences and CaMKll as a therapeutic target in cardiac disease remains a key focus of research. More recent research interests include cardiotoxicity in the context of safety pharmacology and devices as well as altered cardiovascular function in ageing and Heart Failure with Preserved Ejection Fraction (HFpEF).
Susan has been research group leader for the Cellular Basis of Disease research group within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences (2021-2023). Externally she was chair of the Scottish Cardiovascular Forum for 12 years (2011-2023) and a member of the committee for the British Society of Cardiovascular Research (2020-2024). She is an elected Fellow of the Physiological Society. Fellowship was awarded in 2017 in recognition of her contribution to cardiovascular research and the discipline of Physiology. More recently (2024), she was also elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, signifying her international standing in the field of Biological Sciences. She sits on the editorial boards for a range of scientific journals and regularly reviews research funding applications for a number of research councils and charities. She currently teaches on a wide range of classes across both the MPharm and Biomedical Sciences programmes at the University of Strathclyde and coordinates classes on the MPharm programme. She was awarded Fellowship of the Higher Education Academy in 2008.
Susan previously directed the collaborative MPharm programme between the University of Strathclyde and the International Medical University (IMU) in Kuala Lumpur (2012-2017), acting as MPharm representative on the internationalisation committee and was Deputy Director of the MPharm programme at the University of Strathclyde (2012-2018). She is currently Director of Equality, Diversity and Inclusion within Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy & Biomedical Sciences. Susan was awarded a Teaching Excellence Award for EDI in 2023 and more recently was honoured to receive a Strathclyde Medal (2025). This was awarded for leading transformative EDI strategy, people-focused leadership, innovative data use and collaborative influence.
Prize And Awards
- Strathclyde medal
- Recipient
- 2025
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology
- Recipient
- 2024
- Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology
- Recipient
- 2024
- Teaching Excellence Award
- Recipient
- 2023
- Elected to Committee of British Society for Cardiovascular Research
- Recipient
- 2020
- Fellow of Physiology
- Recipient
- 2017
Publications
- At the heart of toxicity : connexin-43 alterations in doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction
- Veerman Ben, Wahid Maheen, MacKenzie Graeme, Tinto Kirsty, Wu Jia, Hamilton Benjamin, Rattray Zahra, Macquaide Niall, Currie Susan, Cunningham Margaret Rose
- The Scottish Cardiovascular Forum (2026)
- Sex-dependent effects of acute cobalt treatment in Langendorff perfused adult rat hearts and human adult cardiac fibroblasts
- Cameron Ruiz Miren, Roberts Charlotte, Cunningham Eve, Pickard Benjamin, MacQuaide Niall, Currie Susan
- Scottish Cardiovascular Forum 2026 (2026)
- Acute cobalt exposure disrupts calcium handling in a sex-dependent manner in adult rat cardiac preparations
- Cameron Ruiz M, Pickard B, MacQuaide N, Currie S
- Scottish Cardiovascular Forum 2026 (2026)
- Insulin-mediated modulation of HMGB1 in ex vivo organ bath experiments with rat soleus muscle
- Wahid Maheen, Hannah Euan, Tinto Kirsty, MacKenzie Graeme, Gould Gwyn, Currie Susan, Cunningham Margaret Rose
- British Journal of Pharmacology Vol 183, pp. 168 (2026)
- STEM with inclusion in mind - Student perspectives on inclusive assessment
- Tinto Kirsty, Wahid Maheen, Coubrough Katie, Gibson Lorraine, Currie Susan, Plevin Robin, Cunningham Margaret Rose
- Pharmacology 2025 - Annual Meeting of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) (2025)
- STEM with inclusion in mind - Student perspectives on inclusive assessment
- Tinto Kirsty, Wahid Maheen, Coubrough Katie, Gibson Lorraine, Currie Susan, Plevin Robin, Cunningham Margaret Rose
- Pharmacology 2025 - Annual Meeting of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS) (2025)
Professional Activities
- The Sustainable Attainment Project: Bridging the Staff-Student Gap in Biomedical Science ESD Curriculum Mapping
- Contributor
- 16/4/2026
- Sustainability Curriculum Mapping – Check-in and Interim Findings
- Organiser
- 13/1/2026
- Students as Partners in Curriculum Innovation: Co-Designing a Nutrition & Ageing Module
- Contributor
- 17/12/2025
- Sustaining Student-Staff Partnerships through Co-Design: Insights from the CULTURE-GAPs in STEM Project
- Contributor
- 1/12/2025
- Mind and Machine: Student Perspectives on GenAI
- Member of programme committee
- 22/11/2025
- Sustainability Curriculum Mapping Training
- Organiser
- 15/10/2025
Projects
- Investigating the cardiotoxic effects of cobalt on adult human female cardiac fibroblasts
- Currie, Susan (Principal Investigator)
- Cardiotoxicity is a leading cause of drug and device withdrawal from the market and is a major area of focus for safety screening in the pharmaceutical industry as well as in the clinic. Improved technologies for assessing cardiotoxicity using human cells that mimic the heart microenvironment are therefore needed. Within our laboratory we are investigating the impact that circulating cobalt ions (released from metal-on-metal implants in patients with hip replacements) may have on cardiac function. Previous work in our laboratory has examined the impact of cobalt in vivo in an animal model and has shown evidence for cardiac remodelling and diastolic dysfunction. The underlying cardiotoxic mechanism of action of cobalt at a cellular level remains unknown.
This Vacation project will focus on characterisation and physiological responses of human ventricular cardiac fibroblasts (CFs) to cobalt. The project will examine the effects of cobalt on CF phenotype, collagen production and proliferation in both male and female cells derived from healthy human subjects. Key aims will include investigating whether cobalt may cause (i) phenotypic switching of CFs towards a muscle-like phenotype and (ii) evidence of fibrotic, apoptotic or inflammatory signalling. The project will encompass a range of techniques including primary cell culture, imaging, immunocytochemistry and immunoblotting. Should time permit, we may also monitor changes in intracellular calcium responses following cobalt application. Awarded £2,646 - 06-Jan-2025 - 16-Jan-2025
- CULTURE-GAPS in STEM – Collaborative University Learning for Targeting Under-representation in Research and Education – Addressing Attainment GAPS in STEM
- Cunningham, Margaret Rose (Principal Investigator) Gibson, Lorraine (CoPI) Wahid, Maheen (CoPI) Tinto, Kirsty (CoPI) Currie, Susan (CoPI)
- Wellcome Trust – Internal Funding Call Award as part of the Collaborative Cultures Funding Call 1
- 01-Jan-2025 - 31-Jan-2025
- Testing the feasibility of using killifish as a sustainable replacement model for multimorbidity research at Strathclyde
- Cunningham, Margaret Rose (Principal Investigator) Wahid, Maheen (CoPI) Tinto, Kirsty (CoPI) Murray, James (Co-investigator) Currie, Susan (Co-investigator) Boyd, Marie (Co-investigator) Perrie, Yvonne (Co-investigator) Gould, Gwyn (Co-investigator)
- AWERB 3Rs Prize 2024 - Strathclyde 3R's: Reduction, Refinement and Replacement Prize
- 01-Jan-2025
- Investigating cobalt cardiotoxicity in contractile and non-contractile cells of the heart
- Currie, Susan (Principal Investigator) MacQuaide, Niall (Research Co-investigator)
- 08-Jan-2024 - 07-Jan-2027
- Investigating Cobalt Cardio toxicity in Contractile and non contractile cells of the heart
- Currie, Susan (Principal Investigator)
- 08-Jan-2024 - 07-Jan-2027
- Cardiovascular effects of combination therapy with VEGF inhibitors and immune checkpoint inhibitors in cancer treatment
- Neves, Karla (Principal Investigator) Currie, Susan (Co-investigator) Whelan, Grace (Post Grad Student)
- PhD studentship - Appointment: Ms. Grace Whelan
- 01-Jan-2023 - 30-Jan-2026
Contact
Dr
Susan
Currie
Reader
Strathclyde Institute of Pharmacy and Biomedical Sciences
Email: susan.currie@strath.ac.uk
Tel: 548 2405