Dr Murphy Wan
Biography
Dr. Wan completed her PhD at the University of Hong Kong before joining Lund University, Sweden, as a Postdoctoral Fellow, where she investigated the transcriptional regulation of disease severity in bacterial kidney infections.
She is currently a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical Sciences at the University of Portsmouth. Since establishing her research lab in 2021, her work has focused on developing novel therapeutics for cancer and neurodegenerative diseases, leveraging cutting-edge precision medicine approaches. Her lab integrates multi-omics technologies—including genomics, transcriptomics, proteomics, and metabolomics—to uncover the molecular mechanisms underlying complex diseases.
Dr. Wan has published in high-impact journals, including Nature Biotechnology, Nature Communications, ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science, Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, and Scientific Reports. She is frequently invited to review manuscripts for leading journals and present her research at international conferences. Additionally, she serves as an active member and Network Coordinator of the ARUK South Coast Network.
Research interests
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Natural Compounds in Cancer Therapy – Investigating the therapeutic potential of bioactive molecules in colorectal cancer, supported by funding from the Academy of Finland.
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Targeting Cancer Signaling Pathways – Identifying and developing novel small-molecule compounds through computational biology, advanced bioinformatics, and cancer cell biology.
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Neuroinflammation and Alzheimer’s Disease – Exploring the role of bacterial infections and systemic inflammation in Alzheimer’s disease. Supported by the ARUK South Coast pump-priming grant, this research investigates amyloid-beta in the gut-brain-microbiota axis, examining how bacterial infection and inflammation contribute to disease development and identifying novel therapeutic targets.
More information can be found at https://www.mwanlab.com/
Dr Murphy Wan welcomes MRes and PhD students. Please email murphy.wan@port.ac.uk to discuss further.
Research outputs
2025
From bugs to brain: unravelling the GABA signalling networks in the brain-gut-microbiome axis
Belelli, D., Lambert, J. J., Monteiro, R., Nutt, D. J., Swinny, J., Wan, M.
11 Mar 2025, In: Brain
Deoxynivalenol modulated mucin expression and proinflammatory cytokine production, affecting susceptibility to enteroinvasive Escherichia coli infection in intestinal epithelial cells
Co, V. A., El-Nezami, H., Shah, N. P., Turner, P. C., Wan, M.
20 Feb 2025, In: Journal of Food Science. 90, 2, 17p., e70079
Bioavailability and interactions of schisandrin B with 5-fluorouracil in a xenograft mouse model of colorectal cancer
Co, V. A., El-Nezami, H., Lee, P., Wan, M. L. Y., Yang, Y., Zhao, D.
1 Jan 2025, In: Food Chemistry. 463, 9p., 141371
2024
Schisandrin B suppresses colon cancer growth by inducing cell cycle arrest and apoptosis: molecular mechanism and therapeutic potential
Agbodjan-Dossou, R., Co, V. A., Cox, P. A., Dey, P., Draheim, R., El-Nezami, H., Joseph, S., Liu, Y., Sabzichi, M., Twum, B., Wan, M. L. Y.
8 Mar 2024, In: ACS Pharmacology & Translational Science. 7, 3, p. 863-877
BAMLET administration via drinking water inhibits intestinal tumor development and promotes long-term health
Ahmadi, S., Ambite, I., Carneiro, A. N. B. M., Cavalera, M., Chaudhuri, A., Esmaeili, P., Grossi, M., Háček, J., Svanborg, C., Tran, T. H., Wan, M.
15 Feb 2024, In: Scientific Reports. 14, 21p., 3838