Prof Luis Mur

PhD

Prof Luis Mur

Professor

Department of Life Sciences

Contact Details

In my Food Security Research I am interested in developing our understanding of the genetic & biochemical events associated with plant responses to stress & in identifying sources of tolerance/resistance. This work is based on the use of model plant species, Arabidopsis & Brachypodium distachyon & also crops, wheat (Triticum aestivum), oats (Avena sativa) tomato (Solanum esculentum) & barley (Hordeum vulgare).

My interests in clinical health focus on the respiratory tract & identifying drug leads from natural products. Lung cancer (LC) is the most prevalent cancer in the world with 1.3 million deaths recorded each year. Only 15% of patients live for five or more years after initial diagnosis, primarily due to late detection. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is characterised by an increase in mucus production due to hyperplasia of goblet cells, & hypertrophy of mucus glands COPD is a leading cause of death, arising from acute exacerbations (sudden worsening of symptoms) which may be triggered by infection or environmental pollutants. My research in this area is focusing on the detection of metabolite biomarkers for LC & COPD & investigating possible links with the lung microbiome.

My research in bioactive natural products focus on identifying anti-microbial metabolites against such human pathogens as MSRA & Pseudomonas aeruginosa from invasive plant species & extremophile microbial strains.

I employ cutting edge genomic & post-genomic approaches but will use classical physiological, genetic, biochemical or microbiological approaches- as appropriate. I have numerous national & international collaborations which are supported by funding from the BBSRC, the EU, NSF (USA), DEFRA, Royal Society, Welsh Assembly, & AU Research Fund.

  • One Health

Cultivar-specific nitrogen optimization coordinates yield-quality tradeoffs in water-saving drought-resistant rice under dry direct-seeded rainfed conditions. / Zhen, Fengxian; Xi, Qiuya; Chang, Xini et al.
In: Journal of Agriculture and Food Research, Vol. 28, 102993, 30.06.2026.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Differential Jasmonate Profiles in Oat Roots and Leaves Reveal a Role for 12-Oxo Phytodienoic Acid (OPDA) in Drought Tolerance by Modulating Root Growth. / Canales, Francisco J.; Montilla-Bascón, Gracia; Rispail, Nicolas et al.
In: Plants, Vol. 15, No. 9, 1312, 24.04.2026.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Extracellular vesicle–derived urinary metabolomes show distinctive changes with breast cancer. / Bambarandhage, Anuradha U K H; Zainurin, Nur Aimi Aliah; Laziri, Noura et al.
MedRxiv, 2026.

Research output: Working paperPreprint

Fingolimod overcomes cisplatin resistance in esophageal squamous cell carcinoma by targeting NUP54 to disrupt homologous recombination repair. / Cao, Duo; Liu, Jin; Chen, Guoliang et al.
In: Cell Communication and Signaling, 25.07.2026.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

KcHCT is involved in the adaptation of Karelinia caspia to high salinity via coordinating phenylpropanoid and α-linolenic acid metabolism. / Hou, Xincun; Li, Cui; Chen, Zhimin et al.
In: International Journal of Biological Macromolecules, Vol. 364, 152308, 31.05.2026.

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

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