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 Dr. Kanchan Phadwal

Post-doctoral fellow

Harnessing Cellular Recycling to Build Resilient Fish

 

My research looks at why farmed Atlantic salmon become less healthy as they grow, especially during the later stages of production. I study how the fish handle fats, produce energy, and clear away damaged cell parts through a natural recycling process called autophagy. When these systems stop working well, salmon can build up excess fat, struggle to make energy, and become less able to fight disease. By understanding these changes, I hope to find practical ways to improve fish health, welfare, and survival, while also helping the salmon industry become more sustainable and produce healthier food.

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current Role

Biography & Previous Work

I am a postdoctoral research fellow at the Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, where I study how autophagy, lipid metabolism and metabolic ageing influence Atlantic salmon health. My research brings together cell biology, lipidomics and translational aquaculture to investigate how disrupted cellular recycling contributes to lipotoxicity, inflammation and disease susceptibility in farmed salmon, with the goal of developing practical nutritional and biomarker-based approaches to improve fish welfare, resilience and sustainability. Before moving into aquaculture, my work focused on autophagy in human and rodent models across immunology, neurodegeneration and vascular disease. I have led and contributed to competitively funded research, established international collaborations across academia and industry, and remain committed to training early-career researchers, public engagement, and fostering an inclusive research culture.

OUTSIDE OF WORK

Outside my research, I enjoy nature walks, watching television with my cat, Moose, and going out for dinner with my son.

key publications

Covering the last 5 years:

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  1. (Preprint) Spermidine enhances metabolic flexibility and attenuates inflammation associated with ageing in farmed Atlantic salmon. Phadwal K, Kurian D, Haggarty J, Migaud H, Nicheva V, Dick J, Salamat MKF, Whitfield PD, Matthew C, Wade NM, Betancor MB, Macqueen DJ. bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.03.13.711610

  2. Rapamycin induced autophagy enhances lipid breakdown and ameliorates lipotoxicity in Atlantic salmon cells.Phadwal K, Haggarty J, Kurian D, Martí JA, Sun J, Houston RD, Betancor MB, MacRae VE, Whitfield PD, Macqueen DJ.Biochim Biophys Acta Mol Cell Biol Lipids. 2025 Jun;1870(5):159636. doi: 10.1016/j.bbalip.2025.159636. Epub 2025 May 17.​

  3. Nutrient restriction protects against valve interstitial cell calcification by upregulating ubiquitin mediated proteolysis. Phadwal K, Tang Q, Kurian D, Tan X, Cawthorn WP, MacRae VE. Front Cardiovasc Med. 2025 Jul 21;12:1586775. doi: 10.3389/fcvm.2025.1586775. eCollection 2025.​

  4. Metformin ameliorates valve interstitial cell calcification by promoting autophagic flux.Phadwal K, Tan X, Koo E, Zhu D, MacRae VE.Sci Rep. 2023 Dec 5;13(1):21435. doi: 10.1038/s41598-023-47774-6.​​

  5. p53 Regulates Mitochondrial Dynamics in Vascular Smooth Muscle Cell Calcification. Phadwal K, Tang QY, Luijten I, Zhao JF, Corcoran B, Semple RK, Ganley IG, MacRae VE. Int J Mol Sci. 2023 Jan 13;24(2):1643. doi: 10.3390/ijms24021643.​

  6. Metformin protects against vascular calcification through the selective degradation of Runx2 by the p62 autophagy receptor. Phadwal K, Koo E, Jones RA, Forsythe RO, Tang K, Tang Q, Corcoran BM, Caporali A, MacRae VE. J Cell Physiol. 2022 Nov;237(11):4303-4316. doi: 10.1002/jcp.30887.

  7. Mitochondrial Dysfunction: Cause or Consequence of Vascular Calcification? Phadwal K, Vrahnas C, Ganley IG, MacRae VE. Front Cell Dev Biol. 2021 Mar 16;9:611922. doi: 10.3389/fcell.2021.611922. eCollection 2021.

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awards & key grants

  1. Easter Bush Researcher of the Year Award 2025.

  2. 18 month, £151,651, UK Seafood Innovation Fund grant (2022-2024, Principal Investigator)

  3. 12 months salary bridging award (£65,484.75) from the Edinburgh Career Development Scheme (CMVM; May 2026–April 2027)

  4. 2024-2025: Spermidine, a novel metabolic marker in farmed salmonids.  Roslin Institute ISP Early Career Grant. PI (£4859.60)

  5. 2024-2025: Immune and metabolic impacts of ablating chaperone mediated autophagy by gene editing LAMP-2A paralogues in rainbow trout. Roslin Institute ISP pump Priming award. CO-PI (£23,081)

  6. 2023-2024UK Sea Food Innovation Fund- ‘Enhancing lipophagy, a novel lipid catabolic pathway, for healthy and sustainable Atlantic salmon aquaculture’. PI (£151,032.69 + £15,500 in kind of funding from MOWI and Sustainable Aquaculture Innovation Centre). 18 months

  7. 2022-2023: Roslin Institute Strategic Program Early Career Researcher grant - ‘Lipophagy enhances free fatty acid mobilisation to mitochondria – Key to healthy Atlantic salmon farming’. PI (£2,470).

  8. 2021-2023: Roslin Institute Strategic Program grant ECR ‘Lipidome modelling to understand lipophagy and improve health in Atlantic salmon’. PI (£2,950).

  9. 2020-2022: Early Career Researcher Development Fund, SULSA ‘Selective clearance of lipid droplets by lipophagy reduces inflammation and mortality in farmed Atlantic salmon’. PI (£4,000).

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