Fiona Britton

Fiona Britton is Chair and Professor of Biomedical Sciences in the School of Dental Medicine at the University of Nevada, Las Vegas (UNLV). Holding a B.Sc. and Ph.D. from Ulster University, Northern Ireland, she has built an internationally recognized research program focused on ion-channel physiology, smooth-muscle excitability, and cardiovascular regulation.

Education

• Ph.D., Ulster University, Northern Ireland
• B.Sc., Ulster University, Northern Ireland

Research Focus

Professor Britton’s work centers on the molecular and functional characterisation of calcium-activated chloride channels (CaCCs), bestrophins, anoctamins/TMEM16, TRPV channels, and voltage-gated calcium channels. Using patch-clamp electrophysiology, molecular biology, and transgenic models, her group investigates how these channels control arterial tone, cardiac pacemaking, gastrointestinal motility, and uterine blood flow. A recurring theme is the integration of ion-channel activity with intracellular Ca²⁺ handling, offering insights into hypertension, heart failure, and pregnancy-related vascular adaptation.

Across more than 40 peer-reviewed publications spanning 1997-2021, her studies trace an arc from cloning and expression of cardiac chloride channels (ClC-2, ClC-3, bestrophins) to demonstrating their physiological impact in smooth-muscle organs. Recent work has illuminated β-adrenoceptor subtype pharmacology in cremaster arterioles and TRPV3-mediated vasodilation in uterine vasculature, underscoring translational relevance to reproductive and cardiovascular medicine.

Contact

• Email: fiona.britton@unlv.edu
• Phone: 702-774-8680
• Mail Code: 7412, University of Nevada, Las Vegas