Research Centre for Optimal Health

Niglas, M., Whitcher, B., Amiras, D., Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Bell-Bradford, C., Thomas, E.L. and Bell, J.D. 2026. Detecting scoliosis at scale using automated cobb angle analysis in the UK biobank. European Spine Journal. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-026-10239-1

Thanaj, M., Whitcher, B., Raza, H,, Bell-Bradford, C., Niglas, M., Bell, J.D., Amiras, D. and Thomas, E.L. 2026. Gluteus Maximus Shape Reveals Sex-Specific Associations Between Morphology and Metabolic Dysfunction. JCSM Communications. 9 (2) e70046. https://doi.org/10.1002/rco2.70046

Whitcher, B., Basty, N., Thanaj, M., Bell-Bradford, C., Niglas, M., Bell, J.D. and Thomas, E.L. 2026. Heterogeneity, longitudinal decline, and metabolic risk in MRI-based quantification of 20 individual hip and thigh muscles. Scientific Reports. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-026-60437-6

Booker, A., Stone, G., Bell, J.D. and Heinrich, M. 2026. Exploring Microdosing Landscapes: A Pilot Study on Structured Integration Models. Journal of Psychedelic Studies. 416.

Nowak, M., Núñez, L., Pagliaro, T., Robson, M.D., Duncker, C., Kaplan, L.M., Heymsfield, S.B., Thomaides Brears, H., Bell, J.D. and Thomas, E.L. 2026. Weight-related changes in MRI-derived measures of body composition and liver steatosis: a large-scale analysis for obesity trial design. International Journal of Obesity. 50, pp. 1087-1096. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-026-02037-y

Tilman Todt, Inge van Bussel, Lydia Afman, Lorraine Brennan, Diana G. Ivanova, Yoana Kiselova-Kaneva, E. Louise Thomas and Ralph Rühl 2026. Transcriptome-driven Health-status Transversal-predictor Analysis for health, food, microbiome and disease markers for understanding of lifestyle diseases. Physiological Genomics. 58 (1), pp. 58-70. https://doi.org/10.1152/physiolgenomics.00026.2025

Kalli, I., Niglas, M., Naeini, M.K., Freidin, M.B., Thomas, E.L., Menni, C. and Williams, F. 2026. Paraspinal muscle quality in chronic low back pain: A systematic review and meta-analysis of muscle atrophy and fat infiltration. European Spine Journal. 35, pp. 2693-2711. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00586-025-09454-z

Nowak, M., Nunez, L., Hill, C.E., Pagliaro, T., McGonigle, J., Niglas, M., Bell-Bradford, C., Robson, M.D., Thomaides Brears, H., Thomas, E.L. and Bell, J.D. 2026. Automated volumetric MRI quantification of body fat and skeletal muscle in the UK Biobank: technical validation against expert manual segmentations and comparison with single-slice techniques. Abdominal Radiology. 51, pp. 2180-2191. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00261-025-05170-w

Ji, M.X., Thanaj, M., Nehale-Ezzine, L., Whitcher, B., Thomas, E.L. and Elliott, J. 2026. Deep learning predicts onset acceleration of 38 age-associated diseases from blood and body composition biomarkers in the UK Biobank. Geroscience. 48, pp. 1415-1482. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11357-025-01702-w

Basty, N., Sorokin, E., Thanaj, M., Whitcher, B., Liu, Y., Bell, J.D., Thomas, E.L. and Cule, M. 2026. Cardiovascular measures from abdominal MRI provide insights into abdominal vessel genetic architecture. Communications Medicine. 6 70. https://doi.org/10.1038/s43856-025-01242-6

Ahmed, A., Naz, A., Thanaj, M., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Bell, J.D., Thomas, E.L., Cule, M. and Yaghootkar, H. 2025. Genetic determinants of fatty acid composition in subcutaneous and visceral adipose tissue. Obesity. 33 (12), pp. 2406-2415. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.70045

Ahmed, A., Cule, M., Naz, A., Thanaj, M., Sorokin, E., Odoemelam, C.S., Whitcher, B., Sattar, N., Bell, J.D., Thomas, E.L. and Yaghootkar, H. 2025. Genetic Studies Reveal Specific Genetic Variants and Disease Risks Associated With Fat Distribution Across Anatomical Sites. Journal of Obesity. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1155/jobe/7792701

Parkinson, J.R.C., Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Whitcher, B., Thomas, E.L. and Bell, J.D. 2025. Fat fraction and iron concentration in lumbar vertebral bone marrow in the UK Biobank. Obesity Science & Practice. 11 (4) e70088. https://doi.org/10.1002/osp4.70088

Ahmed, A., Cule, M., Thanaj, M., Sorokin, E., Odoemelam, C., Whitcher, B., Sattar, N., Bell, J.D., Thomas, E.L. and Yaghootkar, H. 2025. MRI-Based genetic studies reveal specific genetic variants and disease risks associated with fat distribution across anatomical sites. Journal of Obesity. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1155/jobe/7792701

Sorokin, E., Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Whitcher, B., Sattar, N., Thomas, E.L., Bell, J.D. and Yaghootkar, H. 2025. Genetic subtypes of type 2 diabetes are distinguished through the lens of abdominal MRI. Frontiers in Genetics. 16 1605721. https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2025.1605721

Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Cule, M., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Srinivasan, R., Bell, J.D. and Thomas, E.L. 2025. Changes in abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness associate with disease and anthropometric factors. International Journal of Obesity. 49, pp. 1810-1819. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41366-025-01829-y

Basty, N., Rainer, G., Thomas, E.L., Bell, J.D. and Whitcher, B. 2025. Towards Encoding 3D Abdominal MRI Acquisitions as Neural Fields. 2025 IEEE 22nd International Symposium on Biomedical Imaging (ISBI). Houston, TX, USA 14 - 17 Apr 2025 IEEE . https://doi.org/10.1109/ISBI60581.2025.10980772

Odoemelam, C.S., Naz, A., Thanaj, M., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Sattar, N., Bell, J.D., Thomas, E.L., Cule, M. and Yaghootkar, H. 2025. Identifying four obesity axes through integrative multi-omics and imaging analysis. Diabetes. 74 (7), pp. 1168-1183. https://doi.org/10.2337/db24-1103

Donado-Pestana, C.M., Rodrigues, L., Rundle, M., Thomas, E.L., Wopereis, S., Gundersen, T.E., Trezzi, J.P., Bunzel, D., Kiselova-Kaneva, Y., Sonntag, D., Kulling, S.E., Ivanova, D., Hiller, K., Drevon, C.A., Brennan, L., Bell, J.D., van Ommen, B., Frost, G., Daniel, H. and Fiamoncini, J. 2025. Plasma metabolomic profiles reveal sex-specific response to an oral glucose tolerance test in late middle-aged adults. Mechanisms of Ageing and Development. 226 112081. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mad.2025.112081

de Celis Alonso, B., Shumbayawonda, E., Beyer, C., Hidalgo-Tobon, S., Klunder-Klunder, M., Thomas, E.L., Bell, J.D. and So, P. 2024. Liver magnetic resonance imaging, non-alcoholic fatty liver disease and metabolic syndrome risk in pre-pubertal Mexican boys. Scientific Reports. 14 (1) 26104. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-77307-8

Kalampouka, I., Mould, R., Botchway, S., Mackenzie, A.M., Nunn, A., Thomas, E.L. and Bell, J.D. 2024. Selective induction of senescence in cancer cells through near-infrared light treatment via mitochondrial modulation. Journal of Biophotonics. 17 (8) e202400046. https://doi.org/10.1002/jbio.202400046

Marjola Thanaj, Nicolas Basty, Brandon Whitcher, Jimmy D. Bell and E. Louise Thomas 2024. MRI assessment of adipose tissue fatty acid composition in the UK Biobank and its association with diet and disease. Obesity (Silver Spring). 32 (9), pp. 1699-1708. https://doi.org/10.1002/oby.24108

Shahzadi, Z., Yousaf, Z., Anjum, I., Bilal, M., Yasin, H., Aftab, A., Booker, A., Ullah, R. and Bari, A. 2024. Network pharmacology and molecular docking: Combined computational approaches to explore the antihypertensive potential of Fabaceae species. Bioresources and Bioprocessing. 11 53. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40643-024-00764-6

Gancitano, G., Mucci, N., Stange, R., Ogal, M., Vimalanathan, S., Sreya, M., Booker, A., Hadj-Cherif, B., Albrich, W., Woelkart-Ardjomand, K., Kreft, S., Vanden Berghe, W., Hoexter, G., Schapowal, A. and Johnston, S.L. 2024. Echinacea Reduces Antibiotics by Preventing Respiratory Infections: A Meta-Analysis (ERA-PRIMA). Antibiotics. 13 (4) 364. https://doi.org/10.3390/antibiotics13040364

Cresswell, E., Basty, N., Atabaki-Pasdar, N., Karpe, F. and Pinnick, K.E. 2024. The value of neck adipose tissue as a predictor for metabolic risk in health and type 2 diabetes. Biochemical Pharmacology. 223 116171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bcp.2024.116171

Abraham, Angela, Cule, M., Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Hashemloo, M.A., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Burgess, S., Bell, J.D., Sattar, N., Thomas, E.L. and Yaghootkar, H. 2024. Genetic evidence for distinct biological mechanisms that link adiposity to type 2 diabetes: towards precision medicine. Diabetes. 73 (6), pp. 1012-1025. https://doi.org/10.2337/db23-1005

Smith, H.E., Mackenzie, A.M., Seddon, C., Mould, R., Kalampouka, I., Bateman, B., Needham, S.R., Beis, K., Bell, J.D., Nunn, A. and Botchway, S.W. 2024. The Use of NADH Anisotropy to Investigate Mitochondrial Cristae Alignment. Scientific Reports. 14 5980. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-024-55780-5

Eriksen, Rebeca, White, Margaret C., Dawed, Adem Y., Perez, Isabel Garcia, Posma, Joram M., Haid, Mark, Sharma, Sapna, Prehn, Cornelia, Thomas, E. Louise, Koivula, Robert W., Bizzotto, Roberto, Mari, Andrea, Giordano, Giuseppe N., Pavo, Imre, Schwenk, Jochen M., De Masi, Federico, Tsirigos, Konstantinos D., Brunak, Søren, Viñuela, Ana, Mahajan, Anubha, McDonald, Timothy J., Kokkola, Tarja, Rutters, Femke, Beulens, Joline, Muilwijk, Mirthe, Blom, Marieke, Elders, Petra, Hansen, Tue H., Fernandez-Tajes, Juan, Jones, Angus, Jennison, Chris, Walker, Mark, McCarthy, Mark I., Pedersen, Oluf, Ruetten, Hartmut, Forgie, Ian, Holst, Jens J., Thomsen, Henrik S., Ridderstråle, Martin, Bell, Jimmy D., Adamski, Jerzy, Franks, Paul W., Hansen, Torben, Holmes, Elaine, Frost, Gary and Pearson, Ewan R. 2024. The Association of Cardiometabolic, Diet and Lifestyle Parameters With Plasma Glucagon-like Peptide-1: An IMI DIRECT Study. The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism. 109 (9), pp. e1697-e1707. https://doi.org/10.1210/clinem/dgae119

O'Donovan, S., Rundle, M., Thomas, E.L., Bell, J.D., Frost, G., Jacobs, D.M., Wanders, A., de Vries, R., Mariman, E.C.M., va Baak, M.A., Sterkman, L., Nieuwdorp, M., Groem, A.K., Arts, I.C.W., van Riel, N. and Afman, L.A. 2024. Quantifying the effect of nutritional interventions on metabolic resilience using personalised computational models. iScience. 27 (4) 109362. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.isci.2024.109362

Mould, R., Mackenzie, A.M., Kalampouka, I., Nunn, A., Thomas, E.L., Bell, J.D. and Botchway, S.W. 2024. Ultra Weak Photon Emission - A Brief Review. Frontiers in Physiology - Biophysics. 15 1348915. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1348915

Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Whitcher, B., Sorokin, E., Liu, Y., Srinivasan, R., Cule, M., Thomas, E.L. and Bell, J.D. 2024. Precision MRI phenotyping of muscle volume and quality at a population scale. Frontiers in Physiology. 15 1288657. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2024.1288657

Mackenzie, A.M., Smith, H.E., Mould, R., Bell, J.D., Nunn, A. and Botchway, S.W. 2024. Rooting out ultraweak photon emission a-mung bean sprouts. Journal of Photochemistry and Photobiology. 19 100224. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpap.2023.100224

Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Cule, M., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Bell, J.D. and Thomas, E.L. 2024. Liver Shape Analysis using Statistical Parametric Maps at Population Scale. BMC Medical Imaging. 24 15. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12880-023-01149-5

Ichim, M.C., Scotti, F. and Booker, A. 2024. Quality evaluation of commercial herbal products using chemical methods. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition. 64 (12), pp. 4219-4239. https://doi.org/10.1080/10408398.2022.2140120

Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Cule, M., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Srinivasan, R., Lennon, R., Bell, J.D. and Thomas, E.L. 2023. Kidney Shape Statistical Analysis: Associations with Disease and Anthropometric Factors. BMC Nephrology. 24 362. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12882-023-03407-8

Heymsfield, S., Bell, J.D. and Heber, D. 2023. Chapter 7: Phenotyping, Body Composition, and Precision Nutrition. in: Heber, D., Li, Z. and Ordovas, J. (ed.) Precision Nutrition: The Science and Promise of Personalized Nutrition and Health Academic Press. pp. 143-151

Mould, R., Kalampouka, I., Thomas, E.L., Guy, G., Nunn, A. and Bell, J.D. 2023. Non-chemical Signalling Between Mitochondria. Frontiers in Physiology. 14 1268075. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2023.1268075

Rundle, M., Fiamoncini, J., Thomas, E.L., Wopereis, S., Afman, L.A., Brennan, L., Drevon, C.A., Gundersen, T.E., Daniel, H,, Garcia Perez, I., Posma, J.M., Ivanova, D.G., Bell, J.D., van Ommen, B. and Frost, G. 2023. Diet-induced weight loss and phenotypic flexibility among healthy overweight adults: a randomized trial . American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 118 (3), pp. 591-604. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ajcnut.2023.07.002

Thanaj, M., Basty, N., Cule, M., Sorokin, E., Whitcher, B., Srinivasan, R., Lennon, R., Bell, J.D. and Thomas, E.L. 2023. Preprint: Kidney Shape Statistical Analysis: Associations with Disease and Anthropometric Factors. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2023.06.26.23291901

Dar, N.J., Bhat, S.A., Rehman, M.U. and Booker, A. 2023. Editorial: Investigating the molecular targets and therapeutic potential of Withania somnifera (Ashwagandha) in various pathophysiological conditions. Frontiers in Pharmacology. 14 1187334. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1187334