Ruth Andrew

Ruth Andrew (BSc, PhD, MRPharmS)

Personal Chair of Pharmaceutical Endocrinology

Centre for Cardiovascular Science

Tel: 0131 242 6763
Email: Ruth.Andrew@ed.ac.uk

Street: The Queen's Medical Research Institute,
Edinburgh BioQuarter,
47 Little France Crescent
City: Edinburgh
Post code: EH16 4TJ

Biography

Background

Ruth Andrew graduated as a pharmacist from the University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, UK in 1989 and carried out her PhD in pharmaceutical analysis using GC-MS to study synthesis and metabolism of adrenal medullary hormones in hypertensive subjects. She gained a lectureship in the University of Edinburgh in 1994 and was awarded a Chair in Pharmaceutical Endocrinology in 2015. She specialises in understanding regulation of glucocorticoid action in metabolic and inflammatory diseases and has developed innovative tools to study steroid metabolism and flux in vivo, most recently by mass spectrometry imaging. She also is the Director of the Mass Spectrometry Core of the Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility; this laboratory supports a broad spectrum support for clinical researchers requiring small molecule analysis in their research programmes, including studies of toxicology, drug discovery, experimental physiology and pathology. She plays an active role in undergraduate and post-graduate teaching in Endocrine Pharmacology.

Qualifications

BSc Hons First Class Pharmacy (specialisation Pharmaceutical Chemistry)

PhD Pharmaceutical Chemistry

MRPharmS

Post-graduate Certificate in Higher Education

Responsibilities & affiliations

Director, Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility, Mass Spectrometry Core

Society for Endocrinology Trustee, Council Member and Finance Committee Member

Scottish Metabolomics Network, Treasurer

European Oxysterol Research Network Scientific Board

British Journal of Pharmacology Editor

Frontiers in Endocrinology, Specialty Chief Editor, Systems Endocrinology

Chair Seminar Committee, Centre for Cardiovascular Science.

Teaching & PhD supervision

Undergraduate teaching

Endocrine Physiology and Pharmacology, Honours Biomedical Sciences, Deputy Course Organiser

Contributing Lecturer, Y3 BSc Clinical Biochemistry and Endocrinology

Postgraduate teaching

Centre for Cardiovascular Science Post-graduate Committee Member

University Post-graduate Appeals Committee Member

Contributing Lecturer, MSc Cardiovascular Biology

External Lecturer,MSc Pharmaceutical Analysis, University of Strathclyde

Open to PhD supervision enquiries?

Yes

Research

Research summary

My research interests are in steroid biochemistry and applied mass spectrometry. I study glucocorticoids and their actions on fuel metabolism and inflammation. I have a particular interest in the enzyme 5alpha-reductase, which activates androgens and modulates glucocorticoid action. Inhibitors of the enzyme used in prostate disease alter steroid hormone action and my group has shown that inhibition of this enzyme increases susceptibility to insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes. I am also interested in studying 5alpha-reduced glucocorticoids as potential dissociated glucocorticoid receptor modulators. Lastly I apply mass spectrometry to enable tracking of steroid metabolism, using stable-isotope tracers and also advanced methods of MS detection e.g. imaging.

Current research interests

Pharmacoepidemiology of adverse effects of 5alpha-reductase inhibitors on devlopment of type 2 diabetes. The role of 5alpha-reductases in modulating fuel homeostaisis. Application of advanced mass spectrometry to visualise and track steroid hormoness in biological systems.

Knowledge exchange

Consultant for Actinogen Medical

Publications

11β-HSD1 inhibition does not affect murine tumour angiogenesis but may exert a selective effect on tumour growth by modulating inflammation and fibrosis 2023 In: PLoS ONE, vol. 18, pp. e0255709
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0255709
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
The ATP-binding cassette proteins ABCB1 and ABCC1 as modulators of glucocorticoid action 11 Oct 2022 In: Nature reviews endocrinology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41574-022-00745-9
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Non-invasive in vivo assessment of 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity by 19 F-magnetic resonance spectroscopy 29 Sep 2022 In: Scientific Reports
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-18740-5
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Marked oestrous cycle-dependent regulation of rat arterial KV7.4 channels driven by GPER1 9 Sep 2022 In: British Journal of Pharmacology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.15947
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Mapping Endocrine Networks by Stable Isotope Tracing 19 Jul 2022 In: Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coemr.2022.100381
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (E-pub ahead of print)
Comparison of mechanisms of angiostasis caused by the anti-inflammatory steroid 5α-tetrahydrocorticosterone versus conventional glucocorticoids 20 Jun 2022 In: European Journal of Pharmacology, pp. 175111
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejphar.2022.175111
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Increased adipose tissue indices of androgen catabolism and aromatization in women with metabolic dysfunction 3 May 2022 In: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgac261
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
ABCC1 modulates negative feedback control of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in vivo in humans 1 Mar 2022 In: Metabolism, vol. 128
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.metabol.2021.155118
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Derivatization with 2-Hydrazino-1-methylpyridine Enhances Sensitivity of Analysis of 5α-Dihydrotestosterone in Human Plasma by Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass Spectrometry 23 Jan 2021 In: Journal of Chromatography A
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chroma.2021.461933
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Effects of Obesity And Insulin on Tissue-Specific Recycling Between Cortisol And Cortisone in Men 3 Dec 2020 In: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM)
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgaa896
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Mass spectrometry: future opportunities for profiling and imaging steroids and steroid metabolites 18 Nov 2020 In: Current Opinion in Endocrine and Metabolic Research
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.coemr.2020.11.005
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Insights from the Menstrual Cycle in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension 4 Sep 2020 In: Annals of the American Thoracic Society
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1513/AnnalsATS.202006-671OC
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Sexual dimorphism in cortisol metabolism throughout pubertal development: a longitudinal study 7 Jun 2020 In: Endocrine connections
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/EC-20-0123
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Exploring the Temporal Relation between Body Mass Index and Corticosteroid Metabolite Excretion in Childhood 23 May 2020 In: Nutrients, vol. 12, pp. 1525
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12051525
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Estrogen Signaling and Portopulmonary Hypertension: The Pulmonary Vascular Complications of Liver Disease Study (PVCLD2) 14 May 2020 In: Hepatology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/hep.31314
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Diet-induced weight loss alters hepatic glucocorticoid metabolism in type 2 diabetes mellitus 1 Apr 2020 In: European Journal of Endocrinology, vol. 182, pp. 447-457
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1530/EJE-19-0901
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print)
Long-term stability of cortisol production and metabolism throughout adolescence: longitudinal twin study 25 Mar 2020 In: Twin Research and Human Genetics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/thg.2020.6
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
Highlights into the pharmacology of nutraceuticals 4 Mar 2020 In: British Journal of Pharmacology, vol. 177, pp. 1209-1211
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.15006
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Editorial (Published)
Maternal glucocorticoid metabolism across pregnancy: a potential mechanism underlying fetal glucocorticoid exposure 1 Mar 2020 In: The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism (JCEM), vol. 105
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgz313
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)
EXPRESS: Estrogen metabolites in a small cohort of patients with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension 13 Feb 2020 In: Pulmonary circulation, pp. 204589402090878
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/2045894020908783
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published)

View all 174 publications on Research Explorer

Conferences

Organiser

Programme Organising Committee Member as follows

Society for Endocrinology Career Development Workshop Co-organiser 2007-2014

Metabolomics Society, Glasgow 2013

Scoiety for Endocrinology, UK Meetings, 2013-2018

Scottish Metabolomics Network, Edinburgh 2015

Androgens, Edinbrugh 2018

European Oxysterol Research Network, Edinburgh 2019

This article was published on 2 Jun, 2023