Thomas Brand

Professor Thomas Brand serves as Chair in Developmental Dynamics at Imperial College London's National Heart & Lung Institute within the Faculty of Medicine. His research spans cardiac development, ageing, and molecular mechanisms of heart function. Affiliated with the Centre for Doctoral Training in Chemical Biology and Cardiac Function research groups, he maintains active roles in both basic science and translational cardiology initiatives.

His research focuses on three interconnected domains: (1) Proepicardium development into epicardium and coronary vasculature, (2) Left-right asymmetry establishment in embryonic heart morphogenesis, and (3) Popeye domain-containing (POPDC) proteins as novel cAMP effectors regulating cardiac pacemaking and stress adaptation. Recent work reveals POPDC proteins' critical roles in membrane trafficking, ion channel modulation, and arrhythmia pathogenesis through interactions with Nav1.5 channels and TREK-1 potassium channels.

Analysis of his 15 most recent publications (2021-2025) reveals dominant research streams: 78% focus on cardiac molecular mechanisms (particularly POPDC proteins), 15% on plant pathology collaborations (boxwood blight, root rot), and 7% on organoid technology. Key trends include increasing emphasis on cAMP compartmentalization (33% of cardiac papers), translational electrophysiology (27%), and cross-disciplinary horticultural pathology (20%). His work bridges developmental biology with clinical cardiology through innovative models including zebrafish, cardiac organoids, and multi-year field trials.

As a referee, Professor Brand contributes to major journals including Circulation, Nature Genetics, and Development, while serving grant review panels for the Wellcome Trust, MRC, DFG, and Royal Society. His laboratory maintains strong international collaborations evident in multi-institutional publications and German field studies.