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Aren't endothelial cells brilliant? Well Liz thinks so! These little beasties are responsible for keeping blood flowing within your blood vessels, for dilating and constricting blood vessels depending on how much blood is needed, to make new blood vessels when we grow, for controlling white blood cell transport out of blood vessels to deal with infection, and for initiating the clotting process so we don't all bleed to death after every minor injury. If they go worng they are also responsible for heart attacks, stroke and for helping tumours to grow. Amazing little things, and what is more, you can grow them in a dish to study all these different functions.

Liz's group conducts research into different aspects of endothelial function, with a focus on comparative aspects of equine endothelial cell biology.

Liz was awarded an HBLB equine post doctoral fellowship (2018-2022), investigating the role of exercise in the regulation of angiogenesis in the Thoroughbred racehorse. She is currently writing up the results of these studies.

Liz's PhD project was entitled, 'Does endothelial cell dysfunction underlie the predisposition to pasture associated equine laminitis?'. She has investigated methods of measuring endothelial function in vivo in the horse, the relationship between biomarkers of endothelial function and disease predisposition, and the effect of microvesicles on equine endothelial function in vitro.   

Liz has obtained external funding from the Horserace Betting Levy Board (HBLB), London Interdisciplinary Doctoral Programme (LIDo), Society of Biology, Association of Veterinary Teachers and Research Workers, Veterinary Cardiovascular Society and British Equine Veterinary Association (BEVA) Trust, as well as internal funding from the RVC and the RVC's charitable arm, the Animal Care Trust.

Liz has worked at both the RVC's Camden and Hawkshead campuses but has also developed collaborations with The Hatter Cardiovascular Institute, University College London; the William Harvey Research Institute, Queen Mary University of London; St George's University of London and Imperial College London with current collaborations with Professor Sean Davidson at UCL, Professor Tom Carter at St George’s and Dr Tom McKinnon at Imperial.

Liz has presented her work at meetings of the American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine, the Internation Conference on Equine Exercise Physiology, the British Equine Veterinary Association, the European Association of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics, the Veterinary Cardiovascular Society and the London Vascular Biology Forum.

Liz is on the grant review panel of Hong Kong Jockey Club Equine Welfare Research Foundation and is on the Editorial Boards of Veterinary Medicine and Science and Veterinary Regenerative Medicine. She regularly reviews for Equine Veterinary Journal, The Veterinary Journal, Veterinary Medicine and Science, Veterinary Record Open, Journal of Veterinary Science and Medical Diagnosis, Veterinary Record Case Reports, Journal of the American Association for Laboratory Animal Science, Equine Veterinary Education, UK-Vet Equine, Biomarkers in Medicine, Journal of Veterinary Science and Animal Husbandry.

Finding EJT, Faulkner A, Nash L, Wheeler-Jones CPD. Equine Endothelial Cells Show Pro-Angiogenic Behaviours in Response to Fibroblast Growth Factor 2 but Not Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A. Int J Mol Sci. 2024 May 30;25(11):6017. doi: 10.3390/ijms25116017. 

Finding, E.J.T., Elliott, J., Harris, P.A. and Menzies-Gow, N.J., 2022. Nitric oxide synthase inhibition reveals differences in the nitric oxide pathway in previously laminitic ponies. Research in Veterinary Science, 150, pp.79-82.

Finding, E J T; Lawson, C; Elliott, J; Harris, P A; Menzies-Gow, N J.
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VETERINARY IMMUNOLOGY AND IMMUNOPATHOLOGY,.
2018

C. Lawson, D. Kovacs, E. J. T. Finding, E. Ulfelder and V. Luis-Fuentes. 'Focus: Comparative Medicine: Extracellular Vesicles: Evolutionarily Conserved Mediators of Intercellular Communication.' The Yale journal of biology and medicine 90 (2017), 481.

OLSEN, E., DUNKEL, B., BARKER, W. H. J., FINDING, E. J. T., PERKINS, J. D., WITTE, T. H., YATES, L. J., ANDERSEN, P. H., BAIKER, K. &  PIERCY, R. J. (2014) Rater Agreement on Gait Assessment during Neurologic Examination of Horses. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 28, 630-638

JOHNS, I. C., FINDING, E. J. T., CIASCA, T., ERLES, K., SMITH, K. &  WELLER, R. (2014) Intracranial botryomycosis in a mature horse. Equine Veterinary Education 26, 294-298

FINDING, E. J. T., CIASCA, T., PINILLA, M. J., DRIVER, C. J., JOHNS, I. C., WELLER, R. &  VOLK, H. A. (2014) Diagnosis, treatment and outcome of spinal lymphoma in a pony. Equine Veterinary Education 26, 303-305

FINDING, E. J. T., JONES, I. D., FUENTES, V. L. &  MENZIES-GOW, N. J. (2012) Evaluation of a technique for measurement of flow-mediated vasodilation in healthy ponies. American Journal of Veterinary Research 73, 755-761

FINDING, E. J. T., FLETCHER, N., AVELLA, C., NAYLOR, R. J., VOLK, H. A., WELLER, R., DUNKEL, B. &  PIERCY, R. J. (2012) Standing CT and clinical progression of equine cholesterol granulomata. Veterinary Record 170, 289

FINDING, E. J. T. &  MCSLOY, A. (2011) Neonatal isoerythrolysis and other immunological diseases of foals. Companion Animal 16, 10-12

FINDING, E. J. T., ELIASHAR, E., JOHNS, I. C. &  DUNKEL, B. (2011) Autologous blood transfusion following an allogenic transfusion reaction in a case of acute anaemia due to intra-abdominal bleeding. Equine Veterinary Education 23, 339-342

RUTHERFORD, D. J. &  FINDING, E. J. T. (2009) Laparoscopic castration in a cryptorchid pygmy goat. Veterinary Record 165, 27-28

Published abstracts

FINDING, E. J. T., MENZIES-GOW, N. J., HARRIS, P. A. &  ELLIOTT, J. (2015) Effect of nitric oxide synthase inhibition on blood pressure and nitric oxide concentrations in control and previously laminitic ponies. Journal of Veterinary Pharmacology and Therapeutics 38, 16-17

CORNELISSEN, S., FINDING, E. J. T., BOWEN, I. M., BULLARD, C. &  HALLOWELL, G. D. (2015) Factors Affecting Complication Rates with Subpalpebral Lavage Catheter Use in Horses. Equine Veterinary Journal 47, 21-21

FINDING, E. J. T., MENZIES-GOW, N. J., HARRIS, P. A. &  ELLIOTT, J. (2014) Assessment of non-invasive methods for measurement of endothelial function in the horse. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 28, 1123

FINDING, E. J. T., GHOSH, S. M., MENZIES-GOW, N. J., HARRIS, P. A. &  ELLIOTT, J. (2014) Seasonal variation in blood nitrite concentration in previously laminitic and non-laminitic ponies. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 28, 1111

OLSEN, E., DUNKEL, B., WITTE, T., PERKINS, J., FINDING, E. J. T., BARKER, W., ANDERSEN, P. H. &  PIERCY, R. J. (2013) Interrater Reliability of the Equine Neurologic Examination. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 27, 652-653

FINDING, E. J. T., JONES, I. D., FUENTES, V. L. &  MENZIES-GOW, N. J. (2011) Flow-Mediated Vasodilation in Healthy Ponies. Journal of Veterinary Internal Medicine 25, 669-669

Liz currently teaches preclinical BVetMed and BSc students with her main focus being cardiovascular and respiratory physiology. In 2017 she was awarded the Jim Bee Award for Outstanding Tutor. She obtained Fellowship of the Higher Education Authority (FHEA) in 2019.

Liz's specific interests are in cardiology, coagulation and in any diseases where the endothelium may have a role!

Liz hosted a stand at the popular 'RVC Lates: the Heart of the RVC' event, attended by over 100 members of the general public. Liz has regularly been involved in 'Afternoon anatomy' school visits.