Professor David Hodson

David Hodson is a Senior Research Fellow at Green Templeton College and the Robert Turner Professor of Diabetic Medicine at the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism, Radcliffe Department of Medicine, University of Oxford.

Before taking up this role in 2022, he was Professor of Cellular Metabolism and Institute Deputy Director at the University of Birmingham. A veterinary surgeon by training, David undertook postdoctoral studies at the CNRS, Montpellier, before establishing his independent laboratory at Imperial College London.

The lab is focused on developing and using novel technologies to address challenging problems in cellular metabolism, with translational relevance for patients. It has particular interest in glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP1) and gastric inhibitory polypeptide (GIP) receptors, two related class B G protein-coupled receptors. Both receptors are involved in the regulation of glucose homeostasis, food intake and inflammation and as such have become major drug targets for the treatment of diabetes and obesity. The lab is currently seeking to understand: 1) where and how GLP1 and GIP receptors operate within complex tissues such as the brain, and 2) whether GLP1 and GIP receptors can be targeted during type 1 diabetes to protect and replace beta cells.

The lab is also interested in cellular heterogeneity, specifically how cell states in the pancreatic islet contribute to hormone secretion, and how this information can be leveraged to inform treatment of diabetes or regenerative medicine approaches.

Alongside research, David is Associate Editor of Diabetes, and has served on a number of national and international grant panels devoted to funding and supporting early- and mid-career scientists.