Professor Selim Cellek

Selim is a Professor of Health and Biomedicine and Lead of the Drug Discovery Group, part of ARU's Medical Technology Research Centre (MTRC). His research specialises in discovery and development of novel medicines using phenotypic assays.

[email protected]

Background

After obtaining his medical degree in Turkey in 1993, Selim completed his PhD in pharmacology at Wellcome Research Laboratories and University College London in 1997 under the supervision of Sir Professor Salvador Moncada.

He worked as a postdoctoral research assistant, then as a team leader at University College London until 2004 when he joined GlaxoSmithKline. At GSK, Selim was involved in early pre-clinical and clinical research with a focus on translational medicine. He returned to University College London in 2009, then worked at Cranfield University as a Reader in Translational Medicine before joining Anglia Ruskin University in April 2015.

Research interests

• Phenotypic assays for drug discovery and development
• Fibroproliferative diseases
• Erectile function and dysfunction
• Lower urinary tract symptoms and benign prostatic hyperplasia
• Peyronie’s disease
• Nitrergic neurotransmission and nitric oxide in the urogenital tract
• Diabetic autonomic neuropathy

Areas of research supervision

• Development of novel phenotypic assays
• Discovery and development of novel medicines using phenotypic assays
• Pathophysiology of fibroproliferative diseases
• Physiology of urogenital function
• Pathophysiology of erectile dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms
• Physiology of nitrergic neurotransmission
• Pathophysiology of diabetic autonomic neuropathy

Qualifications

• MD, Hacettepe University
• PhD Pharmacology, University of London

Memberships, editorial boards

• Fellowship: British Pharmacological Society
• European Society for Sexual Medicine

Research grants, consultancy, knowledge exchange

Consultant to the pharmaceutical sector, providing expert advice on discovery and development of novel medicines in urogenital, gastrointestinal and diabetic autonomic neuropathy therapeutic areas.

Selected recent publications

Stebbeds, W.J., Mateus, M., Bright A.F. Ameyaw, B.A.F., Raheem, A., Spilotros, M., Giulio Garaffa, G., Muneer, A., Christopher, N., Cellek, S. and Ralph, D.J., 2015. Development of a high-throughput, cell-based assay for anti-myofibroblast activity in Peyronie’s disease. J Sex Med, 12(S3), pp.188-271.

Cellek S., Stebbeds W. and Ralph D.J., 2014. Solving a bottleneck in animal models of Peyronie's disease. Asian J Androl, 16, p639.

Cellek, S. and Ralph, D.J., 2014. Histone deacetylase inhibition: a new target for Peyronie's disease? BJU Int, 114, p796.

Corazza, O., Martinotti, G., Santacroce, R., Chillemi, E., Di Giannantonio, M., Cellek, S. and Schifano, F., 2014. Sexual enhancement products for sale online: raising awareness of the psychoactive effects of Yohimbine, Maca, Horny Goat Weed and Ginkgo Biloba. BioMed Res Int, 2014, p841798.

Loreto C., La Rocca G., Anzalone R., Caltabiano R., Vespasiani G., Castorina S., Ralph D.J., Cellek S., Musumeci G., Giunta S., Djinovic R., Basic D. and Sansalone S., 2014. The role of intrinsic pathway in apoptosis activation and progression in Peyronie's disease. Biomed Res Int, 2014, p616149.

Cellek, S., Cameron, N.E., Cotter, M.A., Fry, C.H. & Ilo, D. (2014) Microvascular dysfunction and efficacy of PDE5 inhibitors in BPH-LUTS. Nat. Rev. Urol. 11, 231-241.

Cellek, S., Cameron, N.E., Cotter, M.A. & Muneer, A. (2013) Pathophysiology of diabetic erectile dysfunction: potential contribution of vasa nervorum and advanced glycation endproducts. Int J Impot Res. 25, 1-6.

Beetson, K.A., Smith, S.F., Muneer, A., Cameron, N.E., Cotter, M.A. & Cellek, S. (2013) Vasa nervorum in rat major pelvic ganglion are innervated by nitrergic nerve fibres. J Sex Med. 10, 2967-2974.

Cellek, S. & Giraldi, A.M. (2012) Challenges in sexual medicine. Nat. Rev. Urol. 9, 537-542.

Cellek, S., Bivalacqua, T.J., Burnett, A.L., Chitaley, K. & Lin, C.S. (2012) Common pitfalls in some of the experimental studies in erectile function and dysfunction: a consensus article. J. Sex. Med. 9, 2770-2784.

Cellek, S., Smith, S., Cameron, N.E., Cotter, M.A. & Muneer, A. (2011) Nitrergic innervation of vasa nervorum supplying the major pelvic ganglion. J. Sex. Med. 8, 407.

Schemann, M., Kober, O.I., Hafsi, N., Michel, K., Wollmann, J., Qin, L., Zeller, F. & Cellek, S. (2010) The beta3-adrenoceptor agonist GW427353 (solabegron) decreases excitability of human enteric neurons via release of somatostatin. Gastroenterology. 138, 266-274.

Sanger, G.J., Westaway, S.M., Barnes, A.A., Macpherson, D.T., Muir, A.I., Jarvis, E.M., Bolton, V.N., Cellek, S., Näslund, E., Hellström, P.M., Borman, R.A., Unsworth, W.P., Matthews, K.L. and Lee, K. (2009) GSK962040: a small molecule, selective motilin receptor agonist, effective as a stimulant of human and rabbit gastrointestinal motility. Neurogastro. Motility. 21, 657-664.

Mitchell, N., Pepperell, E.P., Brown, J.D., Ociepka, S., Witherington, J., Tuladhar, B.R., Sanger, G.J., Lee, K. and Cellek, S. (2009) 5-hydroxyindalpine, the putative 5-HT1P receptor agonist, accelerates peristalsis in mouse isolated colon, but has no effect on the activity of known 5-HT receptors. Neurogastro. Motility. 21, 760-768.

Cellek, S., Thangiah, R., Jarvie, E.M., Vivekanandan, S., Lalude, O. and Sanger, G.J. (2008) Synergy between 5-HT4 receptor activation and acetylcholinesterase inhibition in human colon and rat forestomach. Neurogastroenterol Motility 20, 539-545.

Muneer, A., Cellek, S., Ralph, D.J. and Minhas, S. (2008) The investigation of putative agents, using an in vitro model, to prevent cavernosal smooth muscle dysfunction during low-flow priapism. BJU Int 102, 988-992.

Jarvie, E.M., Cellek, S., Sanger, G.J. (2008) Potentiation by cholinesterase inhibitors of cholinergic activity in rat isolated stomach and colon. Pharmacol Res 58, 297-301.

Cellek, S., Thangiah, A., Bassil, A.K., Campbell, C.A., Gray, K.M., Stretton, J.L., Lalude, O., Vivekanandan, S., Wheeldon, A., Winchester, W.J., Sanger, G.J., Schemann, M. and Lee, K. (2007) Demonstration of functional neuronal β3-adrenoceptors within the enteric nervous system. Gastroenterology 133, 175-183.

Cellek, S., Anderson, P.N. and Foxwell, N.A. (2005) Nitrergic neurodegeneration in cerebral arteries of streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: a new insight into diabetic stroke. Diabetes 54, 212-219.

Cellek, S. (2004) Point of NO return for nitrergic nerves in diabetes: A new insight into diabetic complications. Current Pharmaceutical Design 10, 3683-3695.

Cellek, S., Foxwell, N.A. and Moncada, S. (2003) Two phases of nitrergic neuropathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Diabetes 52, 2353-2362.