Mr Conor Clarkson (MSci)

  • Edinburgh BioQuarter

Contact details

Address

Street

The Queen's Medical Research Institute,
Edinburgh BioQuarter,
47 Little France Crescent

City
Edinburgh
Post code
EH16 4TJ

Biography

Background

I obtained an MSci in Chemistry with Medicinal Chemistry from the University of Glasgow in 2025. During my degree, I worked as a researcher at the Institute for Molecular Bioscience (IMB), University of Queensland (2023–2024), and at the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine (2024). My research focused on the chemical biology of venom-derived proteins from box jellyfish.

I am currently pursuing a PhD at the Centre for Cardiovascular Science, under the co-supervision of Dr Ahmad Al-Mrabeh and Professor David Clarke, where I research the mechanisms underlying pancreatic lipotoxicity in Type 2 Diabetes (T2D). My project aims to identify lipid species associated with β-cell dysfunction and acinar cell atrophy, map the spatial distribution of bioactive lipids within the pancreas, validate identified lipotoxic targets using in vitro cellular models, and elucidate the key mechanistic pathways involved in lipotoxicity to protect the pancreas from metabolic stress in T2D.

 

Research summary

T2D Diabetes.

Lipidomics

Protein Biochemistry

Mass Spectrometry Imaging

Pancreas Endocrinology

Proteomics 

Current research interests

T2D Diabetes. Lipidomics Protein Biochemistry Mass Spectrometry Imaging Pancreas Endocrinology

Past research interests

Venom Biochemistry Peptide Chemistry Asymmetric Synthesis Cubozoa

Project activity

High-resolution molecular profiling of lipids to understand the mechanisms of pancreas lipotoxicity in T2D.

Current project grants

East-Bio

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