Dr Tom Davies
Research Manager
Tom joined Cultech Limited from Cardiff University where he obtained his bachelor’s degree in Genetics with an intercalated training year at Pfizer screening antimicrobial compounds against respiratory pathogens. He also carried out research projects at Cardiff investigating the roles of genes involved in the fetal development of healthy lungs and antimicrobial surfactants and the role of fish oils in controlling inflammation and neurodegeneration in brain tissue. He moved on to a Ph.D. at Cardiff University specialising in ionic sensing in vascular and pulmonary tissue using gene-knockout technology and continued with postdoctoral research into the transcriptional regulation of atherosclerosis and vascular inflammation using both in vitro and in vivo model systems.
Tom’s research focus at Cultech applies a more holistic approach to the assessment of nutraceutical formulations, again, using in vitro and in vivo systems to characterise the potential impact of nutritional supplements, particularly probiotics, on metabolism, immunity, and infection prevention. He also has a great interest in the interplay between the microbiome and the host immune system, and the role that probiotics can play in this setting, and is developing dynamic, flow-through tissue culture systems to provide a more meaningful in vitro modeling system. He has achieved numerous publications in peer-reviewed journals in collaboration with Cardiff University, Imperial College London, and the University of California, San Francisco. Tom has also presented research at conferences in Los Angeles, Boston, Amsterdam, Vienna, and London. Tom is currently investigating the immunological potential of probiotic bacteria to impact metabolism and neurodegeneration.
