Waljit Dhillo

Waljit Dhillo
Scientific career
Fieldsendocrinology
InstitutionsImperial College London, National Institute for Health Research

Waljit Dhillo is an endocrinologist and a Professor of Endocrinology & Metabolism at the Imperial College London.[1] He is the Director of Research at the Division of Medicine & Integrated Care at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the Dean of the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Academy.[1][2][3] His research focuses on how the endocrine system controls body weight and reproductive functions.[4]

Early life and education[edit]

Dhillo studied at the St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, University of London. He received a BSc in biochemistry in 1991 and an MBBS in Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics in 1994. He acquired a PhD in neuroendocrinology at the Imperial College in 2002.[5]

Career and research[edit]

Dhillo works at the Imperial College London, the Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).[1] Since 2023 he is the Scientific Director for Research Capacity and Capabilities at the NIHR Board.[6]

He is a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA), the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP), and the Royal College of Pathologists (FRCPath).[5] He was awarded an NIHR Research Professorship in 2015[7] and appointed Senior Investigator in 2021.[8]

Dhillo's research focuses on how gut hormones regulate the feeling of hunger and the consequent amount of food intake. His research investigates the possible use of gut hormones as medicine that, when administered, would suppress appetite with less side effects than other drugs.[1][9] More recently he researched the use of kisspeptin treatment for infertile women undergoing in vitro fertilization,[10][11] and the role of neurokinin B in the hot flush symptoms of menopausal women.[12][13] His research paved the way for the development of fezolinetant, a drug for the treatment of hot flushes in menopause.[14] He also takes part in the development of the drug MVT-602, a potential treatment for reproductive problems in women.[15]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d "Home - Professor Waljit Dhillo". www.imperial.ac.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  2. ^ "Professor Waljit Dhillo named as new dean of NIHR Academy". Healthcare Leader. 2021-04-29. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  3. ^ "DHSC appoints Professor Waljit Dhillo to the role of Dean of the NIHR Academy". NIHR. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  4. ^ Legro, Richard S. (March 2019). "Waljit S. Dhillo, MD". Seminars in Reproductive Medicine. 37 (2): 043–044. doi:10.1055/s-0039-3400463. ISSN 1526-8004. PMID 31847022. S2CID 209407521.
  5. ^ a b "Professor Waljit Dhillo". www.imperial.nhs.uk. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  6. ^ "Four Scientific Directors to join new NIHR Board". National Institute for Health and Care Research. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  7. ^ "Current NIHR Research Professors". NIHR. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  8. ^ "Six Imperial researchers awarded leading health honours | Imperial News | Imperial College London". Imperial News. Retrieved 2022-02-11.
  9. ^ "Experts targeting obesity raise hope of drugs to stop us feeling hungry". the Guardian. 2011-09-10. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  10. ^ "Hormone 'to restart reproduction'". 2009-03-17. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  11. ^ "IVF: First baby born using 'safer' method". BBC News. 2013-06-18. Retrieved 2022-02-10.
  12. ^ Cully, Megan (June 2017). "Neurokinin 3 receptor antagonist revival heats up with Astellas acquisition". Nature Reviews Drug Discovery. 16 (6): 377. doi:10.1038/nrd.2017.102. ISSN 1474-1776. PMID 28559557. S2CID 3092017.
  13. ^ Devlin, Hannah (2023-05-20). "Drug for hot flushes will transform menopause treatment, doctors say". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2023-08-23.
  14. ^ Gregory, Andrew (2023-12-18). "'Gamechanging' drug to prevent hot flushes wins approval in UK". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  15. ^ "New drug can improve fertility in women with reproductive health problems | Imperial News | Imperial College London". Imperial News. 2020-11-16. Retrieved 2024-01-31.

External links[edit]