Dr Craig Lygate

  • Reader in Myocardial Biology (Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health)

telephone: 01413303325
email: Craig.Lygate@glasgow.ac.uk
pronouns: He/him/his

Room 335, School of Cardiovascular & Metabolic Health, BHF GCRC, 126 University Place, Glasgow, G12 8TA

Import to contacts

ORCID iDhttps://orcid.org/0000-0001-6079-0284

Biography

Craig Lygate originally trained as a pharmacist at the University of Strathclyde and the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, before obtaining a Masters of Research at the University of Manchester and a PhD in cardiovascular physiology at the University of Glasgow. He moved to Oxford University in 2000 to study cardiac energetics in the laboratory of Prof. Stefan Neubauer, where he established new cardiac phenotyping facilities and developed extensive expertise in the assessment of in vivo cardiac function and experimental models of hypertrophy, ischaemia and heart failure. From 2014-2024, he was Associate Professor of Cardiovascular Physiology in the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Oxford, where he ran a research group funded by the British Heart Foundation to study the interaction between creatine and homoarginine metabolism. In summer 2024, Craig moved his laboratory to the University of Glasgow, where he has been appointed Reader in Myocardial Biology.

Research interests

  • My research aims to understand the contribution of cellular energy metabolism to cardiac function in health and disease. In particular, to explore the therapeutic potential of augmenting cardiac energetics in the setting of acute ischaemia and chronic heart failure. In this context, the creatine kinase (CK) system is of special interest, since it acts as an energy buffer and transport system in the heart. We have studied the importance of a fully-functioning CK system using knockout models, e.g. hearts without creatine or CK. These hearts have a reduced ability to increase their workload at times of high energy demand and show impaired recovery following acute myocardial ischaemia. The reverse is also true, whereby augmentation of the CK system, e.g. by genetic overexpression of CK or the creatine transporter (SLC6A8), enhances functional recovery and reduces tissue damage in the ischaemic heart. Understanding the biochemical regulation of the creatine transporter is therefore a key focus of our current research alongside the identification of small molecule modulators, which we are pursuing in collaboration with AstraZeneca under their 'Open Innovation' platform.  
  • Another key focus of my current research is the metabolite homoarginine, which shares a biosynthetic enzyme with creatine. There is no known biochemical requirement for homoarginine, yet low plasma homoarginine is associated with adverse outcomes in human populations. In preclinical studies, we have shown that low levels of homoarginine impairs the ability of the heart to contract and relax, while elevated levels help maintain contractile function in the setting of chronic heart failure. Understanding the mechanisms behind these observations are a major focus of my current research.
  • Most recently, I have been working with Dr Tanveer Tabish at the University of Oxford on a multi-disciplinary project to develop graphene-based nanoparticles for the therapeutic delivery of nitric oxide for use in cardiovascular applications. This has led to a UK patent application which describes a novel NO-generating coating for vascular stents to prevent restenosis and promote vascular healing.

Research groups

Publications

Prior publications

ORCiD

Lygate, C.A., (2024) Maintaining energy provision in the heart: the creatine kinase system in ischaemia–reperfusion injury and chronic heart failure Clinical Science (doi: 10.1042/CS20230616)(eid: 2-s2.0-85190875817)(issn: 14708736 01435221); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Tabish, T.A., Zhu, Y., Shukla, S., Kadian, S., Sangha, G.S., Lygate, C.A., Narayan, R.J., (2023) Graphene nanocomposites for real-time electrochemical sensing of nitric oxide in biological systems Applied Physics Reviews (doi: 10.1063/5.0162640)(eid: 2-s2.0-85178499151)(issn: 19319401); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Nitz, K., Lacy, M., Bianchini, M., Wichapong, K., Kücükgöze, I.A., Bonfiglio, C.A., Migheli, R., Wu, Y., Burger, C., Li, Y., Forné, I., Ammar, C., Janjic, A., Mohanta, S., Duchene, J., Heemskerk, J.W.M., Megens, R.T.A., Schwedhelm, E., Huveneers, S., Lygate, C.A., Santovito, D., Zimmer, R., Imhof, A., Weber, C., Lutgens, E., Atzler, D., (2022) The Amino Acid Homoarginine Inhibits Atherogenesis by Modulating T-Cell Function Circulation Research (doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.122.321094)(eid: 2-s2.0-85139379793)(issn: 15244571 00097330); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Zervou, S., McAndrew, D.J., Whittington, H.J., Lake, H.A., Park, K.C., Cha, K.M., Ostrowski, P.J., Eykyn, T.R., Schneider, J.E., Neubauer, S., Lygate, C.A., (2021) Subtle Role for Adenylate Kinase 1 in Maintaining Normal Basal Contractile Function and Metabolism in the Murine Heart Frontiers in Physiology (doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.623969)(eid: 2-s2.0-85104183481)(issn: 1664042X); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Lygate, C.A., (2021) The Pitfalls of in vivo Cardiac Physiology in Genetically Modified Mice – Lessons Learnt the Hard Way in the Creatine Kinase System Frontiers in Physiology (doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.685064)(eid: 2-s2.0-85107050287)(issn: 1664042X); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Chuaiphichai, S., Rashbrook, V.S., Hale, A.B., Trelfa, L., Patel, J., McNeill, E., Lygate, C.A., Channon, K.M., Douglas, G., (2018) Endothelial cell tetrahydrobiopterin modulates sensitivity to ang (angiotensin) II-induced vascular remodeling, blood pressure, and abdominal aortic aneurysm Hypertension (doi: 10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11144)(eid: 2-s2.0-85053761670)(issn: 15244563 0194911X); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Cao, F., Zervou, S., Lygate, C.A., (2018) The creatine kinase system as a therapeutic target for myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury Biochemical Society Transactions (doi: 10.1042/BST20170504)(eid: 2-s2.0-85055072772)(issn: 14708752 03005127); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Zervou, S., Whittington, H.J., Russell, A.J., Lygate, C.A., (2016) Augmentation of creatine in the heart Mini-Reviews in Medicinal Chemistry (doi: 10.2174/1389557515666150722102151)(eid: 2-s2.0-84955317283)(issn: 18755607 13895575); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Teh, I., McClymont, D., Burton, R.A.B., Maguire, M.L., Whittington, H.J., Lygate, C.A., Kohl, P., Schneider, J.E., (2016) Resolving fine cardiac structures in rats with high-resolution diffusion tensor imaging Scientific Reports (doi: 10.1038/srep30573)(eid: 2-s2.0-84980021598)(issn: 20452322); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Ruparelia, N., Godec, J., Lee, R., Chai, J.T., Dall'Armellina, E., McAndrew, D., Digby, J.E., Forfar, J.C., Prendergast, B.D., Kharbanda, R.K., Banning, A.P., Neubauer, S., Lygate, C.A., Channon, K.M., Haining, N.W., Choudhury, R.P., (2015) Acute myocardial infarction activates distinct inflammation and proliferation pathways in circulating monocytes, prior to recruitment, and identified through conserved transcriptional responses in mice and humans European Heart Journal (doi: 10.1093/eurheartj/ehv195)(eid: 2-s2.0-84939560620)(issn: 15229645 0195668X); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Lygate, C.A., Neubauer, S., (2014) Metabolic flux as a predictor of heart failure prognosis Circulation Research (doi: 10.1161/CIRCRESAHA.114.303551)(eid: 2-s2.0-84898844910); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Wech T, Medway D, Lygate CA, Neubauer S, Köstler H, Schneider JE, (2012) Accurate infarct-size measurements from accelerated, compressed sensing reconstructed cine-MRI images in mouse hearts. Journal of cardiovascular magnetic resonance : official journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Magnetic Resonance (pmc: PMC3305705)(doi: 10.1186/1532-429X-14-S1-P57); source: Europe PubMed Central

Schneider, J.E., Lanz, T., Barnes, H., Stork, L.A., Bohl, S., Lygate, C.A., Ordidge, R.J., Neubauer, S., (2011) Accelerated cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in the mouse using an eight-channel array at 9.4 Tesla. Magnetic resonance in medicine : official journal of the Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine / Society of Magnetic Resonance in Medicine (eid: 2-s2.0-79954444172); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Ashrafian, H., Docherty, L., Leo, V., Towlson, C., Neilan, M., Steeples, V., Lygate, C.A., Hough, T., Townsend, S., Williams, D., Wells, S., Norris, D., Glyn-Jones, S., Land, J., Barbaric, I., Lalanne, Z., Denny, P., Szumska, D., Bhattacharya, S., Griffin, J.L., Hargreaves, I., Fernandez-Fuentes, N., Cheeseman, M., Watkins, H., Dear, T.N., (2010) A mutation in the mitochondrial fission gene Dnm1l leads to cardiomyopathy PLoS Genetics (doi: 10.1371/journal.pgen.1001000)(eid: 2-s2.0-77954169092)(issn: 15537390 15537404); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Aksentijević, D., Lygate, C.A., Makinen, K., Zervou, S., Sebag-Montefiore, L., Medway, D., Barnes, H., Schneider, J.E., Neubauer, S., (2010) High-energy phosphotransfer in the failing mouse heart: Role of adenylate kinase and glycolytic enzymes European Journal of Heart Failure (doi: 10.1093/eurjhf/hfq174)(eid: 2-s2.0-78649654105); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Lygate, C., (2006) Pharmacists should be more vocal on the benefits of animal research Pharmaceutical Journal (eid: 2-s2.0-33645468019); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Ten Hove, M., Lygate, C.A., Fischer, A., Schneider, J.E., Sang, A.E., Hulbert, K., Sebag-Montefiore, L., Watkins, H., Clarke, K., Isbrandt, D., Wallis, J., Neubauer, S., (2005) Reduced inotropic reserve and increased susceptibility to cardiac ischemia/reperfusion injury in phosphocreatine-deficient guanidinoacetate-N- methyltransferase-knockout mice Circulation (doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000165147.99592.01)(eid: 2-s2.0-21044454037); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Wallis, J., Lygate, C.A., Fischer, A., Ten Hove, M., Schneider, J.E., Sebag-Montefiore, L., Dawson, D., Hulbert, K., Zhang, W., Mei, H.Z., Watkins, H., Clarke, K., Neubauer, S., (2005) Supranormal myocardial creatine and phosphocreatine concentrations lead to cardiac hypertrophy and heart failure: Insights from creatine transporter-overexpressing transgenic mice Circulation (doi: 10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.105.572990)(eid: 2-s2.0-30944442640); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Dawson, D., Lygate, C.A., Saunders, J., Schneider, J.E., Ye, X., Hulbert, K., Noble, J.A., Neubauer, S., (2004) Quantitative 3-dimensional echocardiography for accurate and rapid cardiac phenotype characterization in mice Circulation (doi: 10.1161/01.CIR.0000142049.14227.AD)(eid: 2-s2.0-4644232569); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Schäfer, A., Alp, N.J., Cai, S., Lygate, C.A., Neubauer, S., Eigenthaler, M., Bauersachs, J., Channon, K.M., (2004) Reduced vascular NO bioavailability in diabetes increases platelet activation in vivo Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology (doi: 10.1161/01.ATV.0000138072.76902.dd)(eid: 2-s2.0-4444329629); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Sears, C.E., Bryant, S.M., Ashley, E.A., Lygate, C.A., Rakovic, S., Wallis, H.L., Neubauer, S., Terrar, D.A., Casadei, B., (2003) Cardiac neuronal nitric oxide synthase isoform regulates myocardial contraction and calcium handling. Circulation research (eid: 2-s2.0-0037459638); source: Scopus - Elsevier

Professional activities & recognition

Grant committees & research advisory boards

  • 2019 - 2023: British Heart Foundation, Project grants committee
  • 2019 - present: The Physiological Society, In vivo policy taskforce

Professional & learned societies

  • 2005 - present: Member, British Society for Cardiovascular Research
  • 2012 - present: Member, The Physiological Society

Selected international presentations

  • 2024: Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism (St. Louis, USA)
  • 2016: International Congress of Medical Sciences (Sofia, Bulgaria)
  • 2015: Creatine in Health, Sport & Medicine (Laufen, Germany)
  • 2014: Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism (Tromso, Norway)
  • 2013: Universitatsklinikum Hamburg-Eppendorf (Hamburg, Germany)
  • 2010: Society for Heart and Vascular Metabolism (Kananaskis, Canada)
  • 2005: American Heart Association (Dallas, USA)

Craig Lygate