Summary
Duncan Bassett is a Professor of Endocrinology at Imperial College and is a Consultant Physician at the Academic Health Sciences Centre specialising in Metabolic Bone Disease. He obtained a BA in Pathology from Cambridge University and a BM BCh from Oxford University. He undertook his research training at the Medical Research Council Clinical Sciences Centre, initially as an MRC Clinical Training Fellow and subsequently as MRC Clinician Scientist. He completed his PhD at Imperial College in 2000, was appointed Professor in 2013 and a Wellcome Trust Investigator in 2016.
Professor Bassett is a Principal Investigator in the Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory in the Department of Medicine at the Hammersmith Hospital. His current research is focused on understanding the fundamental cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie skeletal development, maintenance and repair and their dysregulation in chronic degenerative diseases such as osteoporosis and osteoarthritis.
His investigation of the molecular basis of bone and cartilage disease have resulted in the identification of new genetic determinants of bone mass and strength and resulted in Wellcome Trust Strategic Award funding.
Professor Bassett also has longstanding interest in thyroid hormone action and particularly its role in the developing and adult skeleton. His studies have clarified the complex relationship between central and peripheral thyroid status and identified a critical role for local thyroid hormone metabolism in bone and cartilage. These studies have been the result of longstanding and productive collaborations with many of the worlds leading thyroid hormone researchers and have recently resulted in Horizon 2020 funding and a Wellcome Trust Investigator Award.
The Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory is an international leader in skeletal phenotyping and thyroid hormone action and Professor Bassett frequently receives invitations to speak at international scientific conferences in Europe, America and Japan. Members of the Molecular Endocrinology Group have been awarded 8 research prizes in the last 5 years.
He is currently a member of the Executive Committee of the European Thyroid Association and the Bone Research Society. He is the clinical chair of the Society for Endocrinology Bone and Calcium Network and sits on the Society’s Science and Programme committees. His is on the editorial board of Endocrinology and is a senior editor for the Journal of Endocrinology and Journal of Molecular Endocrinology
Origins of Bone and Cartilage Disease Web Site
Molecular Endocrinology Laboratory ENDO-TV Film
Selected Publications
- JHD Bassett, GR Williams (2016) Role of thyroid hormones in skeletal development and bone maintenance. Endocrine Reviews 37:135-187 (PMID: 26862888)
- H Kang, A Kerloc’h, M Rotival, X Xu, Q Zhang, Z D’Souza, M Kim, JC Scholz, J-H Ko, PK Srivastava, JR Genzen, W Cui, TJ Aitman, L Game, JE Melvin, A Hanidu, J Dimock, J Zheng, D Souza, A Behera, G Nabozny, HT Cook, JHD Bassett, GR Williams, J Li, A Vignery, E Petretto, J Behmoaras (2014) Kcnn4 is a new regulator of macrophage multinucleation in bone homeostasis and inflammatory disease. Cell Reports 8:1210-24. (PMID: 25131209)
- JHD Bassett, A Boyde, T Zikmund, H Evans, PI Croucher, X Zhu, JW Park, S-y Cheng, GR. Williams. (2014) TRα mutation causes a severe and thyroxine-resistant skeletal dysplasia. Endocrinology 155:3699-712 (PMID: 24914936)
- JHD Bassett, A Gogakos, JK White, H Evans, RM Jacques, A van der Spek, , R Ramirez-Solis, E Ryder, D Sunter, A Boyde, MJ Campbell, PI Croucher, GR Williams (2012) Rapid-throughput skeletal phenotyping of 100 knockout mice identifies 9 new genes that determine bone strength. PLoS Genetics 8(8) e1002858 (PMID:22876197)
- JHD Bassett, A. Boyde, PGT Howell, RH Bassett, TM Galliford, M Archanco, H Evans, MA Lawson, P Croucher, D St.Germain, VA Galton, GR Williams (2010) Optimal bone mineralization and strength requires the type 2 iodothyronine deiodinase in osteoblasts. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 107:7604-7609 (PMID: 20368437)
Publications
Journals
Loisay L, Komla-Ebri D, Morice A, et al., 2023, Hypochondroplasia gain-of-function mutation in FGFR3 causes defective bone mineralization in mice, Jci Insight, Vol:8, ISSN:2379-3708, Pages:1-21
Kooblall KG, Stevenson M, Stewart M, et al., 2023, A mouse model with a frameshift mutation in the nuclear factor I/X (NFIX) gene has phenotypic features of Marshall-Smith syndrome, Jbmr Plus, Vol:7, ISSN:2473-4039
Behmoaras J, 2023, Multinucleation resets human macrophages for specialized functions at the expense of their identity, Embo Reports, Vol:24, ISSN:1469-221X, Pages:1-19
Conference
Loisay L, Ebri DK, Kaci N, et al., 2022, Fgfr3 gain-of-function mutation impacts bone homeostasis in hypochondroplasia mouse model., Annual Meeting of the American-Society-for-Bone-and-Mineral-Research (ASBMR), WILEY, Pages:29-30, ISSN:0884-0431
Loisay L, Ebri DK, Kaci N, et al., 2022, Fgfr3 gain-of-function mutation impacts bone homeostasis in hypochondroplasia mouse model., Annual Meeting of the American-Society-for-Bone-and-Mineral-Research (ASBMR), WILEY, Pages:250-250, ISSN:0884-0431