Steve Bloom

Professor Steve Bloom serves as Professor of Medicine in the Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction at Imperial College London's Faculty of Medicine, where he concurrently holds the position of Head of Drug Development and Clinical Director of Pathology for North West London Pathology across six major acute hospitals. Leading a 30-member research team, his work focuses on regulatory peptide physiology in central and peripheral systems with significant translational impact.

His academic credentials include:

• MA from University of Cambridge (1968)
• MD from University of London (1979)
• DSc from University of London (1982)

Bloom's research spans five interconnected domains: endocrinology clinical research, gut hormone physiology/pathology, insulin release/resistance mechanisms, neuropeptide organ control, and CNS appetite regulation. His 1980s pioneering work established gut hormones' dual endocrine/neurotransmitter functions, directly enabling his current investigations into hypothalamic appetite control systems for obesity/diabetes therapeutics. This foundational research yielded the oxyntomodulin appetite discovery that spawned Thiakis Ltd (sold to Wyeth for £100M in 2008) and later Zihipp (acquired by Metsera Therapeutics in 2023).

With over 1000 peer-reviewed publications in premier journals (Nature, J Biol Chem, PNAS, JCI, NEJM) and an h-index of 157 (ranking 64th highest-cited academic globally), his work demonstrates extraordinary scholarly impact. His publication trends reveal sustained leadership in neuroendocrinology, metabolic disease mechanisms, and therapeutic development over four decades.

His distinguished honors include:

• Election as Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci)
• Election as Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2013
• Knighthood (Knight Bachelor)
• Warwick University Honorary Doctorate (2018)
• Brunel University Honorary Doctorate (2019)

Bloom has directed major research initiatives through leadership roles including Chairman of the Medical Research Society, Society for Endocrinology, and Diabetes UK Research Committee. His industry collaborations span advisory positions at AstraZeneca, Upjohn, and Novartis, culminating in his current Nestle Scientific Board membership and Senior Vice Presidency at Metsera Therapeutics. His research group maintains active partnerships with the Section of Endocrinology and Investigative Medicine, Centre for Translational Nutrition and Food Research, Membrane Receptor Network, and Pancreatic Islet Biology Consortium.

At Imperial's Hammersmith Campus, his 30-strong team operates within the Commonwealth Building laboratories, pursuing next-generation diabetes/obesity therapies through Zihipp's legacy pipeline now under Metsera Therapeutics. Current efforts focus on novel gut hormone analogs and neuropeptide modulators for metabolic disease treatment.