Dr Natasha Hadgraft BSc Hons, PGCert, PhD, FHEA

My prior research has focussed on the role of inflammatory mediators - the proinflammatory cytokines Tumour Necrosis Factor- alpha and Interleukin 1-beta - alter calcium handling and contractility in ventricular cardiac myocytes. My more recent work aims to study the effect of known uraemic toxins on oxidative stress, calcium handling and contractility in cardiomyocytes, to improve understanding of cardiac dysfunction in Chronic Kidney Disease.

I teach on a number of units including Foundational Human Physiology & Microbiology (L3), Research & Employability Skills (L4), Physiological Systems (L4), Cellular Physiology (L5), Current issues in Physiology (L6) and Cardiovascular Science (L6), as part of the Human Physiology, Human Bioscience and Biomedical Science BSc (Hons) Programmes. During my leadership of the Cardiovascular Science unit, myself and colleagues have introduced exciting clinical skills-based activities to facilitate students subject understanding and provide them with additional skills to boost employability.

I provide academic supervision for MSc Clinical Science (Cardiac Science) students and lead an annual Poster Presentation Assessment event, open to other students interested in the Scientist Training Programme.

I also supervise several Level 6 laboratory-based and literature review-based project students, with a research focus of identifying the roles of uraemic toxins - elevated in Chronic Kidney Disease - on cardiac dysfunction.

Published articles

Scotcher, J, Prysyazhna O, Boguslavskyi A, Kistamas K, Hadgraft N, Martin ED, Worthington J, Rudyk O, Rodriguez Cutillas P, Cuello F, Shattock MJ, Marber MS, Conte MR, Greenstein A, Greensmith DJ, Venetucci L, Timms JF & Eaton P. (2016). Disulfide-activated protein kinase G Iα regulates cardiac diastolic relaxation and fine-tunes the Frank–Starling response. Nature Communications 7, 13187.

Published abstracts

Hadgraft, N., and Greensmith, D. (2019) The effects of TNF-α and IL-1β on intracellular calcium handling and contractility in sheep ventricular myocytes. Physiology 2019 (Aberdeen, UK). Proc Physiol Soc 43 (2019) PC028

Hadgraft, N., and Greensmith, D. (2018) The effects of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1-beta on cardiac intracellular calcium handling. Europhysiology 2018 (London, UK). Proc Physiol Soc 41 (2018) PCA025

Hadgraft, N., and Greensmith, D. (2018) 138 The effects of tumour necrosis factor-alpha and interleukin-1 beta on cardiac intracellular calcium handling. Heart 2018;104:A100-A102.

Hadgraft, N., Greensmith, D., and Galli, G. (2017) 175 The effects of tbq on cardiac intracellular atp levels; role of oxidative phosphorylation and oxidative stress. Heart 2017;103:A122.

Prysyazhna, O., Scotcher, J., Boguslavskyi, A., Kistamás, K., Hadgraft, N., Martin, E. D., Worthington, J., Rudyk, O., Cutillas, P. R., Cuello, F., Shattock, M., Marber, M S., Conte, M., Greenstein, A., Greensmith, D., Venetucci, L., Timms, J., and Eaton, P. (2016). Redox Control of Protein Kinase G Iα Fine-Tunes the Frank-Starling Law of the Heart in Vivo by Regulating Diastolic Relaxation. Free Radical Biology and Medicine. 100. S148. 10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2016.10.389.

My video endorsing Physiological Society Membership (2019):

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C342R-v_MPU