About

My role is as a Professor of Biomedical Science and University Theme lead for Biomedical and Clinical Science Research. In this role, I am responsible for leading and developing research centres across the College of Science and Engineering and the College of Health, Psychology and Social Care.

The theme vision is to promote a research culture that works across boundaries, establishing interdisciplinary teams to focus on delivering translational research, which informs curriculum and student experience. I also lead an active research team, where our research focus is on 'Redox Biochemistry, Aging, Neurodegeneration and Biomarker development'.

My previous posts were at the University of Brighton and the University of the West of England (from lecturer through to Professor in Biomedical Science). In these roles, I led research teams for 18 years in research areas that focussed on redox signalling in Alzheimer’s disease and Breast Cancer. I had the pleasure of supervising over 100 student research projects at the undergraduate and MSc levels.

I am passionate about teaching with over 18 years of experience in the fields of Biochemistry, Nutrition and Clinical Biochemistry.  I recently obtained my Senior Fellowship in Teaching and Learning, which reflected my interest in creating the optimal learning environment across space and place, together with curriculum and programme design.

These posts were underpinned by my five year Research Fellowship at Wake Forest University Medical Centre, NC, USA.  Here, I had the pleasure of working with the most inspiring biochemists in a vibrant research environment, which fostered collaboration and blue skies research ambition.

Prior to my Research Fellowship in the US, I graduated with a PhD in Clinical Biochemistry from the University of Galway Ireland, where I obtained a first-class honours degree in Biochemistry (Minor Microbiology). I also have a Diploma in Food Science and Biotechnology from the Munster Technological University (Cork), Ireland.

Research interests

My research aims to understand how changes in the redox environment can influence the structure/function relationships of proteins under both normal and pathophysiological conditions, in particular proteins with reactive thiol groups.  Currently, I have several active research areas:

• Investigating the role of the branched-chain aminotransferase (BCAT) proteins in regulating autophagy, a key contributor to the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD)
• Understanding the link between diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease
• The role of the BCAT protein in the pathology of breast cancer
• Development of metabolic maps to ascertain key redox partners that regulate brain glutamate metabolism and protein folding and how this can change with age and age-related conditions
• Development of biomarker profiles, which are designed to distinguish between patients with Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and AD, a much-needed tool in this research area

Qualifications

• PhD in Clinical Biochemistry (1998, National University of Ireland (NUI), Galway, Ireland): Thesis title: Pyridinoline crosslinks, biochemical markers of bone resorption
• BSc (Hons) First-class honours degree in Biochemistry (1993, NUI, Galway, Ireland)
• National Diploma in Food Science and Biotechnology (1991, Munster Technological University, Cork, Ireland).
• Senior Fellowship HEA (2021, The University of the West of England, Bristol, UK)
• PG Certificate in Teaching (2004, University of Brighton, UK)

Recent publications

• Hillier J, Allcott GJ, Guest LA, Heaselgrave W, Tonks A, Conway ME, Cherry AL, Coles SJ. (2022) The BCAT1 CXXC Motif Provides Protection against ROS in Acute Myeloid Leukaemia Cells. Antioxidants. 11(4):683. https://doi: 10.3390/antiox11040683
• Shafei, M. A., Flemban, A., Daly, C., Kendrick, P., White, P., Dean, S., Qualtrough, D., & Conway, M. E. (2020). Differential expression of the BCAT isoforms between breast cancer subtypes. Breast cancer (Tokyo, Japan), 10.1007/s12282-020-01197-7. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12282-020-01197-7
• Conway M. E. (2020). Emerging Moonlighting Functions of the Branched-Chain Aminotransferase Proteins. Antioxidants & redox signaling, 10.1089/ars.2020.8118. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1089/ars.2020.8118
• Shafei, M. A., Forshaw, T., Davis, J., Flemban, A., Qualtrough, D., Dean, S., Perks, C., Dong, M., Newman, R., & Conway, M. E. (2020). BCATc modulates crosstalk between the PI3K/Akt and the Ras/ERK pathway regulating proliferation in triple negative breast cancer. Oncotarget, 11(21), 1971–1987. https://doi.org/10.18632/oncotarget.27607
• Anaieva, E., and Conway, M.E. (2021) Branched-Chain Amino Acid Metabolism. Reference Module in Life Sciences, Elsevier. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/B9780128096338214362
• Harris, M., El Hindy, M., Usmari-Moraes, M., Hudd, F., Shafei, M., Dong, M., Hezwani, M., Clark, P., House, M., Forshaw, T., Kehoe, P., & Conway, M. E. (2020). BCAT-induced autophagy regulates Aβ load through an interdependence of redox state and PKC phosphorylation-implications in Alzheimer's disease. Free radical biology & medicine, 152, 755–766. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2020.01.019
• Herbert, D., Gibbs, S., Riddick, A., Conway, M., & Dong, M. (2020). Crystal structure of an oxidized mutant of human mitochondrial branched-chain aminotransferase. Acta crystallographica. Section F, Structural biology communications, 76(Pt 1), 14–19. https://doi.org/10.1107/S2053230X19016480
• Conway M. E. (2020). Alzheimer's disease: targeting the glutamatergic system. Biogerontology, 21(3), 257–274. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-020-09860-4
• Manso, M., Drake, M. J., Fry, C. H., Conway, M., Hancock, J. T., & Vahabi, B. (2019). Expression and localization of aquaporin water channels in adult pig urinary bladder. Journal of cellular and molecular medicine, 23(5), 3772–3775. https://doi.org/10.1111/jcmm.14256
• Forshaw, T. E., & Conway, M. E. (2019). Detection of S-Nitrosation and S-Glutathionylation of the Human Branched-Chain Aminotransferase Proteins. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1990, 71–84. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9463-2_6
• Hindy, M., & Conway, M. E. (2019). Redox-Regulated, Targeted Affinity Isolation of NADH-Dependent Protein Interactions with the Branched Chain Aminotransferase Proteins. Methods in molecular biology (Clifton, N.J.), 1990, 151–163. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4939-9463-2_13
• Hudd, F., Shiel, A., Harris, M., Bowdler, P., McCann, B., Tsivos, D., Wearn, A., Knight, M., Kauppinen, R., Coulthard, E., White, P., & Conway, M. E. (2019). Novel Blood Biomarkers that Correlate with Cognitive Performance and Hippocampal Volumetry: Potential for Early Diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease. Journal of Alzheimer's disease : JAD, 67(3), 931–947. https://doi.org/10.3233/JAD-180879