MissAlice Pollard

Dr Pollard's work focuses on the role of adipose tissue (fat)-resident stem cells (ADSCs) in health and disease. Her current projects encompass the role of adipose stem cells in the maintenance of healthy adipose tissue, their contribution to the development and progression of adipose tissue dysfunction in both lean and obese patients, and how our stem cells are affected by lifestyle, nutrition, age, sex and medical interventions, such as steroid use, cancer therapy and weight-loss agents. 

As part of this work, the lab aims to identify circulating biomarkers of adipose tissue fibrosis and adipose-derived stem cell dysfunction in patients using parallel tissue imaging, serum profiling and 3D organoid culture. The identification of these factors will aid in the design and implementation of combination therapies to target both obesity and adipose tissue dysfunction and an improvement in patient outcome.

Dr Pollard maintains close ties with Imperial NHS Trust clinicians and industrial partners to investigate the efficacy of small molecules for the treatment of metabolic diseases. Dr Pollard is a consultant with ICON (Imperial Consultants) and offers expertise in a range of laboratory techniques, experimental strategy and conceptualization. She is a regular collaborator on adipose studies, in vivo metabolic study design and imaging techniques.

Dr Pollard studied Veterinary Biosciences at the Royal Veterinary College, London, with a year in industry at GlaxoSmithKline, Stevenage. She was awarded a CASE Studentship PhD in biochemistry at Imperial College London sponsored by AstraZeneca and BBSRC, focussing on the role of AMP-activated Protein Kinase in whole organism energy expenditure and adipose tissue develoment, supervised by Professor David Carling. She then joined AstraZeneca as a postdoctoral research associate, studying the role of metabolism in adipose stem cell fate and function. In 2022 she was awarded a BBSRC Discovery Fellowship at Imperial College London to initiate independent work on the role of metabolism in adipose stem cell fate and function in human populations, generating new exciting models of patient adipose tissue, including 3D organoids, patient-derived cell lines and tissue culture microfluidics. 

For further information on collaborations, consultation or any postgraduate opportunities please email a.pollard13@imperial.ac.uk