Dr Darren Johnson
Faculties, departments and locations
- Faculty of Health, Science, Social Care and Education
- Department of Biomolecular Sciences
- School of Life Sciences, Pharmacy and Chemistry
- Penrhyn Road
Senior Lecturer in Clinical Biochemistry
- Email:
- [email protected]
About
I completed my PhD in Regenerative Medicine at Newcastle University where I investigated large scale tissue regeneration and developed methods in tissue engineering. I then worked with the North East Cancer Institute (Newcastle University) and the Great North Children's hospital, leading onto a collaboration with the Brain Repair and Intracranial Neurotherapeutics (BRAIN) unit in Cardiff, Wales.
I joined Kingston University in 2020 as a Senior Lecturer specialising in Clinical Chemistry and Neurotoxicity, and I'm currently appointed as the University's Animal Research Liaison Officer.
My current research interests focus on identifying and repairing damage to dopaminergic networks caused by disease or toxicity relevant to Parkinson's Disease, addiction, and reward behaviours. I also investigate aggressive stem cell cancers such as neuroblastoma.
Qualifications
- Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
- PhD - Regenerative Medicine (Newcastle University)
- MRes - Medical and Molecular Biosciences (Newcastle University)
- BSc (Hons) - Neuroscience with Psychology (University of Aberdeen)
Domains
I contribute to these modules:
- LS7002 - Immunology and the Pathobiology of Disease (Module Leader)
- LS7005 - Anaemia, Haemostasis and Blood Transfusion
- LS7008 - Cellular and Molecular Biology of Cancer
- LS6007 - Clinical Applications of Biomedical Sciences
- LS6005 - Clinical Chemistry and Haematology
- LS6024 - Drugs, Brain and Behaviour
- LS6002 - Current Concepts in Biomolecular Science
I also supervise PhD, MRes, MSc and BSc research projects.
Courses taught
Shuwara, T., Malik, J., Kaur, M., Saint Amand, T., Johnson, D., Wehida, N., … Elbediwy, A. (2025). Do Teaching Methods Affect Student’s Attention Span, Engagement and Attainment?. New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences, (20).
Karagil S, Haddad N, Stolinski M, Hill N, Johnson D, Wehida N, Elbediwy A. The Regulation of the Hippo Signalling Pathway Effector YAP Through a Novel Lipid-Dependent Extracellular Matrix Complex. Cells. 2025 Oct 30;14(21):1701. doi: 10.3390/cells14211701. PMID: 41227346; PMCID: PMC12607357.
James, J., Bellaouane, L., Ottley, C., Shearman, G., Whiting, K., Elbediwy, A., & Johnson, D. (2024). The Identification of Student Carers and the Burden of their Caring Responsibilities on Academic engagement and Student Life. New Directions in the Teaching of Natural Sciences, (19).
Forgham H, Johnson D, Carter N, Veuger S, Carr-Wilkinson J. Stem Cell Markers in Neuroblastoma-An Emerging Role for LGR5. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2015 Dec 2;3:77. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2015.00077. PMID: 26697427; PMCID: PMC4667032.
D. Johnson, C. Jahoda and N. Reynolds. Lysophosphatidic acid-mediated signalling during human epidermal keratinocyte migration, 2014, British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 170, Issue 4, Pages e6–e40.
Jans, R., Mottram, L., Johnson, D., Brown, A., Sikkink, S., Ross, K., & Reynolds, N. (2013). Lysophosphatidic Acid Promotes Cell Migration through STIM1- and Orai1-Mediated Ca 2+ i Mobilization and NFAT2 Activation. The Journal of Investigative Dermatology, Nature Publishing Group, 133(3), 793-802.