Dr Mark Fenwick

BSc (Hons), PhD, PGCertHE, SFHEA

Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health

Senior Lecturer in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine

m.a.fenwick@sheffield.ac.uk
+44 114 215 9664

Level 4, JW4 57, Jessop Wing

Full contact details

Dr Mark Fenwick
Clinical Medicine, School of Medicine and Population Health
Level 4, JW4 57
Jessop Wing
Tree Root Walk
Sheffield
S10 2SF

Profile

For enquiries, please contact – ClinMed-Operational@sheffield.ac.uk

I obtained my BSc (Hons) and PhD (2004) from the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand. Shortly after I undertook two Postdoctoral positions in London - firstly at the Royal Veterinary College looking at the effect of negative energy balance on reproduction in dairy cows (2005-2007), and then Imperial College London working on projects relating to early follicle development in the ovary (2007-2012). I joined the University of Sheffield in December 2012 as a Lecturer in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine and then Senior Lecturer in Jan 2020.

Current PhD Opportunities:

Effect of androgens on preantral follicle development

Research interests

The ovary is an incredibly dynamic organ that is constantly producing and responding to internal molecular ‘cues’. Both environmental and genetic factors can exert influences on these internal signals, leading to dysregulation or failure of oocytes to develop. We are interested in understanding how these cues (i) coordinate the development of oocytes for ovulation and (ii) produce steroid hormones for other reproductive processes. For this, we use molecular tools and microscopic imaging to investigate these details in ovarian cells and tissue cultures. Our research is motivated by its translational potential within the clinical context of infertility and disorders that affect follicle development such as endometriosis, premature ovarian insufficiency (POI) and polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS).

Current projects:

Molecular mechanisms regulating TGFβ signalling during early follicle development.
Mechanisms of primordial follicle maintenance and activation.
Effect of endometriosis on ovarian function and fertility.
Effects of nicotine and derivatives from e-cigarettes on the ovarian reserve.

Publications

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Featured publications

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All publications

Journal articles

Idrees SM, Waite SL, Granados Aparici S & Fenwick MA (2024) Nicotine exposure is associated with targeted impairments in primordial follicle phenotype in cultured neonatal mouse ovaries. Ecotoxicology and Environmental Safety, 288, 117302-117302.
Kaune H, Montiel JF, Fenwick M & Williams SA (2022) Rapid ovarian transcript changes during the onset of premature ovarian insufficiency in a mouse model. Reproduction and Fertility, 3(3), 173-186.
Alshehre SM, Narice BF, Fenwick MA & Metwally M (2020) The impact of endometrioma on in vitro fertilisation/intra-cytoplasmic injection IVF/ICSI reproductive outcomes: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Archives of Gynecology and Obstetrics.
Granados-Aparici S, Hardy K, Franks S, Sharum IB, Waite SL & Fenwick MA (2019) SMAD3 directly regulates cell cycle genes to maintain arrest in granulosa cells of mouse primordial follicles. Scientific Reports, 9.
Hardy K, Mora JM, Dunlop C, Carzaniga R, Franks S & Fenwick MA (2018) Nuclear exclusion of SMAD2/3 in granulosa cells is associated with primordial follicle activation in the mouse ovary. Journal of Cell Science, 131(17).
Laird M, Thomson K, Fenwick M, Mora J, Franks S & Hardy K (2017) Androgen Stimulates Growth of Mouse Preantral Follicles In Vitro: Interaction With Follicle-Stimulating Hormone and With Growth Factors of the TGFβ Superfamily. Endocrinology, 158(4), 920-935.
Sharum IB, Granados-Aparici S, Warrander FC, Tournant FP & Fenwick MA (2017) Serine threonine kinase receptor associated protein regulates early follicle development in the mouse ovary.. Reproduction, 153(2), 221-231.
Hardy K, Fenwick M, Mora J, Laird M, Thomson K & Franks S (2017) Onset and Heterogeneity of Responsiveness to FSH in Mouse Preantral Follicles in Culture. Endocrinology, 158(1), 134-147.
Sharum I, Granados Aparici S & Fenwick M (2015) Serine/threonine kinase receptor associated protein (Strap) inhibits early follicle development in mouse ovaries.
Fenwick MA, Mora JM, Mansour YT, Baithun C, Franks S & Hardy K (2013) Investigations of TGF-β signaling in preantral follicles of female mice reveal differential roles for bone morphogenetic protein 15. Endocrinology, 154(9), 3423-3436.
Swangchan-Uthai T, Chen Q, Kirton SE, Fenwick MA, Cheng Z, Patton J, Fouladi-Nashta AA & Wathes DC (2013) Influence of energy balance on the antimicrobial peptides S100A8 and S100A9 in the endometrium of the post-partum dairy cow.. Reproduction, 145(5), 527-539. View this article in WRRO
Lavial F, Bessonnard S, Ohnishi Y, Tsumura A, Chandrashekran A, Fenwick MA, Tomaz RA, Hosokawa H, Nakayama T, Chambers I , Hiiragi T et al (2012) Bmi1 facilitates primitive endoderm formation by stabilizing Gata6 during early mouse development.. Genes Dev, 26(13), 1445-1458.
Mora JM, Fenwick MA, Castle L, Baithun M, Ryder TA, Mobberley M, Carzaniga R, Franks S & Hardy K (2012) Characterization and significance of adhesion and junction-related proteins in mouse ovarian follicles.. Biol Reprod, 86(5), 153-14.
Fenwick MA, Mansour YT, Franks S & Hardy K (2011) Identification and regulation of bone morphogenetic protein antagonists associated with preantral follicle development in the ovary.. Endocrinology, 152(9), 3515-3526.
Fenwick MA, Franks S & Hardy K (2011) Moderate Inhibition of Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) Signaling Induces Rapid Growth of Cultured Preantral Follicles.. Biology of Reproduction, 85(Suppl_1), 659-659.
Wathes DC, Cheng Z, Fenwick MA, Fitzpatrick R & Patton J (2011) Influence of energy balance on the somatotrophic axis and matrix metalloproteinase expression in the endometrium of the postpartum dairy cow.. Reproduction, 141(2), 269-281. View this article in WRRO
Fenwick MA, Mora JM, Franks S & Hardy K (2010) Expression and Regulation of Bone Morphogenetic Protein (BMP) Antagonists in Mouse Preantral Follicles.. Biology of Reproduction, 83(Suppl_1), 62-62.
Mani AM, Fenwick MA, Cheng Z, Sharma MK, Singh D & Wathes DC (2010) IGF1 induces up-regulation of steroidogenic and apoptotic regulatory genes via activation of phosphatidylinositol-dependent kinase/AKT in bovine granulosa cells.. Reproduction, 139(1), 139-151.
Wathes DC, Cheng Z, Chowdhury W, Fenwick MA, Fitzpatrick R, Morris DG, Patton J & Murphy JJ (2009) Negative energy balance alters global gene expression and immune responses in the uterus of postpartum dairy cows.. Physiol Genomics, 39(1), 1-13.
Skodras A, Giannarou S, Fenwick M, Franks S, Stark J & Hardy K (2009) Object recognition in the ovary: Quantification of oocytes from microscopic images. DSP 2009: 16th International Conference on Digital Signal Processing, Proceedings.
Fenwick MA, Fitzpatrick R, Kenny DA, Diskin MG, Patton J, Murphy JJ & Wathes DC (2008) Interrelationships between negative energy balance (NEB) and IGF regulation in liver of lactating dairy cows.. Domest Anim Endocrinol, 34(1), 31-44.
Fenwick MA, Llewellyn S, Fitzpatrick R, Kenny DA, Murphy JJ, Patton J & Wathes DC (2008) Negative energy balance in dairy cows is associated with specific changes in IGF-binding protein expression in the oviduct.. Reproduction, 135(1), 63-75.
Wathes DC, Fenwick M, Cheng Z, Bourne N, Llewellyn S, Morris DG, Kenny D, Murphy J & Fitzpatrick R (2007) Influence of negative energy balance on cyclicity and fertility in the high producing dairy cow.. Theriogenology, 68 Suppl 1, S232-S241.
Assinder S, Davis R, Fenwick M & Glover A (2007) Adult-only exposure of male rats to a diet of high phytoestrogen content increases apoptosis of meiotic and post-meiotic germ cells.. Reproduction, 133(1), 11-19.
Anderson GM, Beijer P, Bang AS, Fenwick MA, Bunn SJ & Grattan DR (2006) Suppression of prolactin-induced signal transducer and activator of transcription 5b signaling and induction of suppressors of cytokine signaling messenger ribonucleic acid in the hypothalamic arcuate nucleus of the rat during late pregnancy and lactation.. Endocrinology, 147(10), 4996-5005.
Hurst PR, Mora JM & Fenwick MA (2006) Caspase-3, TUNEL and ultrastructural studies of small follicles in adult human ovarian biopsies.. Hum Reprod, 21(8), 1974-1980.
Molteno ACB, Suter AJ, Fenwick M, Bevin TH & Dempster AG (2006) Otago glaucoma surgery outcome study: cytology and immunohistochemical staining of bleb capsules around Molteno implants.. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci, 47(5), 1975-1981.
Fenwick MA & Hurst PR (2002) Immunohistochemical localization of active caspase-3 in the mouse ovary: growth and atresia of small follicles.. Reproduction, 124(5), 659-665.

Chapters

Fenwick MA (2022) The Ovary: A General Overview of Follicle Formation and Development, Manual of Oocyte Retrieval and Preparation in Human Assisted Reproduction (pp. 1-9). Cambridge University Press

Conference proceedings papers

Syeed R, Waite S & Fenwick M (2021) Is early follicle development a model of epithelial-mesenchymal transition?. BJOG-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF OBSTETRICS AND GYNAECOLOGY, Vol. 128 (pp 237-237)
Idrees S & Fenwick M (2020) Examining the effect of nicotine on a mouse model of the ovarian reserve. HUMAN REPRODUCTION, Vol. 35 (pp 1437-1438)
Idrees S, Fenwick M & Pacey A (2019) Examining the effect of nicotine on a mouse model of the ovarian reserve. HUMAN REPRODUCTION, Vol. 34 (pp 457-457)
Skodras AN, Giannarou S, Fenwick M, Franks S, Stark J & Hardy K (2009) Object recognition in the ovary: Quantification of oocytes from microscopic images.. DPS (pp 1-6)

Research group

I have supervised >30 postgraduate (MSc and PhD) students.

Current PhD students:

Amelia Parkin-Green - Molecular mechanisms governing maintenance of the ovarian reserve.
Aida Luna Perez - Understanding breast tissue structure to tackle cancer.

Teaching interests

I have been the Course Director for the MSc in Reproductive and Developmental Medicine since its inception in 2013. Within this course I lead and provide teaching on the Gonads to Gametes: Fundamentals of Reproduction module (MED6111). I also co-lead the Research project module on this course (MED6116/MED6117) and provide ongoing training to BSc, MBChB (SSC), MSc and PhD research students.

I am also the Departmental Director of Recruitment and work collaboratively to support the portfolio of postgraduate programmes in the department.

Professional activities and memberships

Section Editor (Experimental Reproductive Biology) for the journal Reproductive Biomedicine Online (2020 - present), Editorial Board Member for Scientific Reports (2018-2019).
Member of Council Society for Reproduction and Fertility (SRF) and Programmes Committee member (2019-2023).
External reviewer for a number of international journals in reproductive biology.
External reviewer for funding bodies (e.g. BBSRC, MRC etc).
External examiner for several reproductive science programmes at undergraduate and postgraduate level over the past 10 years (currently University of Leeds, MSc Clinical Embryology & ART - 2023-2026).