Alan J. Stewart

Dr Alan J. Stewart is a Reader at the School of Medicine within the University of St Andrews, affiliated with the Sir James Mackenzie Institute for Early Diagnosis, Biomedical Sciences Research Complex, and Institute of Behavioural and Neural Sciences. His interdisciplinary research bridges basic sciences and medicine, focusing on metal ion handling (zinc, calcium, magnesium) in physiological processes and disease states.

• BSc(Hons) and PhD in Biochemistry from the University of Edinburgh

Research Interests:

• Zinc in Diabetes: Investigates how non-esterified fatty acids disrupt zinc binding to albumin in type 2 diabetes, enhancing thrombotic risk via altered fibrin clot structure and platelet function (funded by British Heart Foundation).
• Magnesium in Type 1 Diabetes: Explores magnesium deficiency’s role in hypofibrinolysis and potential supplementation strategies to reduce cardiovascular risk (funded by Diabetes UK).
• Proteomics & Speciomics: Develops SWATH-MS and 'speciomic' approaches to quantify plasma proteins and metal-protein interactions in macular degeneration, cancer diagnostics, and metabolic diseases.

Recent work includes collaborations on hydroxyapatite-binding proteins in AMD, Co²⁺-albumin interactions, and FXR activation in obesity. His lab’s publications span metallomics, thrombosis, and molecular diagnostics.

Scientific Awards:

• Elected Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (2020) and Royal Society of Chemistry (2022).
• Received the School of Medicine Public Engagement Award (2018) and held an Honorary Guest Professor role in China (2017).

As a Principal Investigator, he has led projects on albumin-metal interactions, speciomic tool development, and mass spectrometry infrastructure, with over 100 research outputs and 103 activities including keynote lectures in India.