James Smith

James Smith is an Associate Professor and scientific group leader at Norwich Medical School, University of East Anglia, UK, where he leads research in pluripotent stem cells and cardiovascular disease. He is a member of the Metabolic Health and Cardiovascular and Metabolic Health research groups.

Education:

• PhD in Mesenchymal Stem Cells and Extracellular Matrix, University of Birmingham
• Post-doctoral training in automated manufacture of human pluripotent stem cells, University of Nottingham

His research focuses on using CRISPR gene editing and human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) to model and investigate cardiovascular diseases. Key areas include the role of snoRNAs in heart development and disease, cardiomyocyte maturation, and inflammatory responses following cardiac interventions. He established his independent research group at UEA in 2019.

The recent publications reflect a strong trend in molecular and cellular cardiology, particularly in non-coding RNA biology, extracellular matrix interactions, and stem cell-based disease modeling. His work bridges basic science with clinical implications, especially in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy and post-intervention inflammation.

Scientific Funding & Projects:

• Identifying novel SNORD116 targets and signalling pathways – Foundation for Prader-Willi Research (2025–2026)
• Do snoRNAs govern genotype-phenotype interactions in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy? – British Heart Foundation (2023–2027)
• Dupuytren’s Disease: Genetic variants and cellular phenotype – Action Arthritis (2026–2029)
• Investigating cardiomyocyte communication in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy – Academy of Medical Sciences (2020–2022)

He advises graduate students and early-career researchers in his lab, though specific names are not listed. He has secured competitive grants from major funding bodies and maintains an active laboratory focused on translational cardiovascular research. His work contributes to the UN Sustainable Development Goal 3: Good Health and Well-being.

He is based at the Bob Champion Research & Education Building and maintains a lab website at https://www.smithlabuea.com/.