Dr Nick Toms
Profiles

Dr Nick Toms

Associate Professor in Clinical Education & Pharmacology (Education)

Peninsula Medical School (Faculty of Health)

Biography

Biography

Acting Head of Peninsula Medical School
Director of Medical Science Learning & Educational Support 

Professional membership

Senior Fellow HEA

British Pharmacological Society

Teaching

Teaching

Teaching interests

My key areas of medical educational interest include:

  • Pharmacology & therapeutics
  • Physiology
  • Neuroscience
  • Medical biochemistry
  • Technology-enhanced learning
  • Small group learning (Team-Based Learning)
  • Optimising student academic support

Staff serving as external examiners

Cardiff University External Examiner (2012-2016)

Publications

Publications

Key publications

Key publications are highlighted

Journals
Articles
Burr S, Martin T, Edwards J, Ferguson C, Gilbert K, Gray C, Hill A, Hosking J, Johnstone K & Kisielewska J (2021) 'Standard setting anchor statements: a double cross-over trial of two different methods' MedEdPublish 10, (1:32) 1-13 Publisher Site , DOI Open access
Schoenborn P, Osborne R, Toms N, Johnstone K, Milsom C, Muneer R, Jarvis MA & Belshaw R (2019) 'OncoSim and OncoWiki: an authentic learning approach to teaching cancer genomics' BMC Medical Education 19, (1) , DOI Open access
Gray CP & Toms N (2018) 'A holistic remediation intervention for struggling undergraduate medical students affords sustained Progress Test performance recovery' MedEdPublish , DOI Open access
Plant KE, Anderson E, Simecek N, Brown R, Forster S, Spinks J, Toms N, Gibson GG, Lyon J & Plant N (2009) 'The neuroprotective action of the mood stabilizing drugs lithium chloride and sodium valproate is mediated through the up-regulation of the homeodomain protein Six1' Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 235, (1) 124-134 Author Site , DOI
Elphick LM, Hawat M, Toms NJ, Meinander A, Mikhailov A, Eriksson JE & Kass GEN (2008) 'Opposing roles for caspase and calpain death proteases in L-glutamate-induced oxidative neurotoxicity' Toxicol Appl Pharmacol 232, (2) 258-267 Author Site , DOI
Godfrey L, Bailey I, Toms NJ, Clarke GD, Kitchen I & Hourani SMO (2007) 'Paracetamol inhibits nitric oxide synthesis in murine spinal cord slices' Eur J Pharmacol 562, (1-2) 68-71 Author Site , DOI
Berry EV & Toms NJ (2006) 'Pyruvate and oxaloacetate limit zinc-induced oxidative HT-22 neuronal cell injury' Neurotoxicology 27, (6) 1043-1051 Author Site , DOI
Elphick LM, Meinander A, Mikhailov A, Richard M, Toms NJ, Eriksson JE & Kass GEN (2006) 'Live cell detection of caspase-3 activation by a Discosoma-red-fluorescent-protein-based fluorescence resonance energy transfer construct' Anal Biochem 349, (1) 148-155 Author Site , DOI
Kanumilli S, Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (2004) 'Novel metabotropic glutamate receptor negatively coupled to adenylyl cyclase in cultured rat cerebellar astrocytes' Glia 46, (1) 1-7 Author Site , DOI
Kelland EE, Kelly MD & Toms NJ (2004) 'Pyruvate limits zinc-induced rat oligodendrocyte progenitor cell death' Eur J Neurosci 19, (2) 287-294 Author Site , DOI
Kelland EE, Kelly MD & Toms NJ (2004) 'Pyruvate limits zinc-induced rat oligodendrocyte progenitor cell death' EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE 19, (2) 287-294 Author Site , DOI
Law W, Kelland EE, Sharp P & Toms NJ (2003) 'Characterisation of zinc uptake into rat cultured cerebrocortical oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' Neurosci Lett 352, (2) 113-116 Author Site , DOI
Law W (2003) 'Characterisation of zinc uptake into rat cultured cerebrocortical oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' Neuroscience Letters , DOI
Geeson J, Larsson K, Hourani SMO & Toms NJ (2002) 'Sodium nitroprusside-induced rat fundus relaxation is ryanodine-sensitive and involves L-type Ca2+ channel and small conductance Ca(2+)-sensitive K+ channel components' Auton Autacoid Pharmacol 22, (5-6) 297-301 Author Site , DOI
Kanumilli S, Toms NJ, Venkateswarlu K, Mellor H & Roberts PJ (2002) 'Functional coupling of rat metabotropic glutamate 1a receptors to phospholipase D in CHO cells: involvement of extracellular Ca2+, protein kinase C, tyrosine kinase and Rho-A' Neuropharmacology 42, (1) 1-8 Author Site , DOI
Bailey A, Kelland EE, Thomas A, Biggs J, Crawford D, Kitchen I & Toms NJ (2001) 'Regional mapping of low-affinity kainate receptors in mouse brain using [(3)H](2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate autoradiography' Eur J Pharmacol 431, (3) 305-310 Author Site , DOI
Kelland EE & Toms NJ (2001) 'Group I metabotropic glutamate receptors limit AMPA receptor-mediated oligodendrocyte progenitor cell death' Eur J Pharmacol 424, (3) R3-R4 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1999) 'Group 1 mGlu receptors elevate [Ca2+]i in rat cultured cortical type 2 astrocytes: [Ca2+]i synergy with adenosine A1 receptors' Neuropharmacology 38, (10) 1511-1517 Author Site , DOI
Reid ME, Toms NJ, Bedingfield JS & Roberts PJ (1999) 'Group I mGlu receptors potentiate synaptosomal [3H]glutamate release independently of exogenously applied arachidonic acid' Neuropharmacology 38, (4) 477-485 Author Site , DOI
Gunn-Moore FJ, Williams AG, Toms NJ & Tavaré JM (1997) 'Activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase and p70S6 kinase is not correlated with cerebellar granule cell survival' Biochem J 324 ( Pt 2), (Pt 2) 365-369 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ, Hawkins LM & Roberts PJ (1997) 'Inhibition of AMPA receptor-stimulated 57Co2+ influx by D- and L-2-amino-4-phosphonobutanoic acid (D- and L-AP4) and L-serine-O-phosphate (L-SOP) in cultured cerebellar granule cells' Neuropharmacology 36, (3) 335-343 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ, Reid ME, Phillips W, Kemp MC & Roberts PJ (1997) 'A novel kainate receptor ligand [3H]-(2S,4R)-4-methylglutamate: pharmacological characterization in rabbit brain membranes' Neuropharmacology 36, (11-12) 1483-1488 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ, Roberts PJ, Salt TE & Staton PC (1996) 'Latest eruptions in metabotropic glutamate receptors' Trends Pharmacol Sci 17, (12) 429-435 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ, Jane DE, Kemp MC, Bedingfield JS & Roberts PJ (1996) 'The effects of (RS)-alpha-cyclopropyl-4-phosphonophenylglycine ((RS)-CPPG), a potent and selective metabotropic glutamate receptor antagonist' Br J Pharmacol 119, (5) 851-854 Author Site , DOI
Bedingfield JS, Jane DE, Kemp MC, Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1996) 'Novel potent selective phenylglycine antagonists of metabotropic glutamate receptors' Eur J Pharmacol 309, (1) 71-78 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ, Jane DE, Tse HW & Roberts PJ (1995) 'Characterization of metabotropic glutamate receptor-stimulated phosphoinositide hydrolysis in rat cultured cerebellar granule cells' Br J Pharmacol 116, (7) 2824-2827 Author Site , DOI
Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1994) 'NMDA receptor-mediated stimulation of rat cerebellar nitric oxide formation is modulated by cyclic AMP' Eur J Pharmacol 266, (1) 63-66 Author Site , DOI
Conference Papers
Gilbert KG, Chatterjee A & Toms N (2016) 'Team-based learning as a formative assessment tool for consolidation week at Plymouth Peninsula School of Medicine' Ottawa 2016 Perth Western Australia 3-/-0/20163-/-0/2016Open access
Hawat M, Kaksonen E, Elphick LM, Toms NJ, Eriksson JE & Kass GEN (2007) 'Opposing roles for caspase and calpain death proteases in l-glutamate-induced oxidative neurotoxicity' Elsevier BV 182-183 , DOI
Plant K, Brown R, Anderson E, Toms N, Simecek N, Lyon J & Plant N (2006) 'Modulation of Six1 expression by the anti-mania agents lithium chloride and sodium valproate' 70-71 , DOI
Macanas-Pirard P, Lee PC, Hinton RH, Toms NJ & Kass GEN (2003) 'Caspases mediate the execution of apoptosis by paracetamol (acetaminophen) in human HUH7 hepatoblastoma cells'
Berry EV, Darvill NL & Toms NJ (2003) 'Pyruvate affords protection from zinc toxic insults in the murine HT-22 hippocampal neuronal cell line'
Elphick LM, Eriksson JE, Kass GEN & Toms NJ (2003) 'Staurosporine and anti-FAS (CD95) antibody induce caspase activation in the HT-22 murine hippocampal cell line'
Kelland EE & Toms NJ (2003) 'Pyruvate rescues oligodendrocyte progenitor cells from zinc toxic insults' U102-U102
Kelland EE & Toms NJ (2002) 'Attenuation of excitotoxic oligodendrocyte progenitor cell degeneration by the caspase inhibitor, Z-VAD-fmk'
Kelland EE & Toms NJ (2001) 'AMPA receptor-mediated excitotoxic cell death in rat cultured oligodendrocyte progenitor cells' U73-U73
Kanumilli S, Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1999) 'Coupling of group 1 mGluRs to phospholipase D in cultured CHO-mGluR1 alpha cells and cortical type 1 astrocytes' A22-A22
Kanumilli S, Toms NJ, Philpotts J & Roberts PJ (1999) 'Novel glutamate-mediated inhibition of forskolin-stimulated cyclic AMP accumulation in rat cultured cerebellar astrocytes'
Ge J, Kilpatrick IC, Long S, Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1998) 'Activation of group I mGluRs increases extracellular glycine levels in the nucleus accumbens and caudate-putamen of freely-moving rats' R138-R138
Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1998) 'Adenosine A(1) receptor activation potentiates group I metabotropic glutamate receptor-stimulated [Ca2+](i) in cultured cortical glia' R137-R137
Ge J, Kilpatrick IC, Long S, Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1998) 'The group I, II and III mGluR modulating glutamate release in nucleus accumben and caudate putamen of freely-moving rats in vivo' R138-R138
Reid ME, Toms NJ & Roberts PJ (1997) 'mGlu(1 alpha) receptor undergoes rapid, PKC-independent desensitization when expressed in CHO cells' U104-U104
Ge J, Toms NJ, Roberts PJ, Long SK & Kilpatrick IC (1997) 'Effects of the mGlu receptor agonist (1S,3S)-ACPD on glutamate, aspartate and glycine release in the nucleus accumbens and striatum of the rat' P158-P158
TOMS NJ, JANE DE, TSE HW & ROBERTS PJ (1995) 'CHARACTERIZATION OF METABOTROPIC GLUTAMATE-RECEPTOR COUPLED PHOSPHOINOSITIDE HYDROLYSIS IN CULTURED RAT CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS' P109-P109
TOMS NJ & ROBERTS PJ (1995) 'LACK OF EVIDENCE FOR CYCLIC-AMP-DEPENDENT REGULATION OF NMDA RECEPTOR-STIMULATED NITRIC-OXIDE SYNTHESIS IN CULTURED RAT CEREBELLAR GRANULE CELLS' P277-P277
ROBERTS PJ & TOMS NJ (1994) 'CYCLIC-AMP ENHANCES NMDA RECEPTOR-MEDIATED STIMULATION OF RAT CEREBELLAR NITRIC-OXIDE FORMATION' P57-P57
Presentations and posters
Chatterjee A, Mirza M, Seymour E & Toms N Chatterjee A, Mirza M, Seymour E & Toms N 'Student Perceptions towards Responseware in a Team Based Learning setting'