Dr David Bulmer

Dr David Bulmer

BSc PhD

  • Position Bye Fellow
  • School Biological Sciences Department of Pharmacology
  • Email dcb53@cam.ac.uk
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David Bulmer is a pharmacologist and neuroscientist with a longstanding interest in Gastrointestinal Pharmacology. David's research is focused on understanding the causes of pain in Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) and Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS), and the development of novel treatments.

Dr David Bulmer

David Bulmer has a BSc in pharmacology from the University of Manchester and a PhD in autonomic neuroscience from University College London. He is an Associate Professor and Part II Course Organiser in the Department of Pharmacology. David is also a Visiting Lecturer in Neuroscience at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL).
David has nearly 20 years experience researching in gastrointestinal pharmacology within both academia and industry, working to develop new drug treatments for IBS and IBD at GlaxoSmithKline before leaving on an MRC Skills Gap Fellowship to establish his own translation neuroscience lab focused on the use of human tissue to study visceral pain at QMUL. David left QMUL in 2017 to join the Department of Pharmacology, University of Cambridge.
David continues to enjoy strong links with industry, having research collaborations with Astra Zeneca, Sosei-Heptares and GlaxoSmithKline looking at novel pain treatments, and funding from leading charities such as Crohn's and Colitis UK, devoted to improving the lives of people with IBD.

David's research interest are the mediators and mechanisms which give rise to pain by activating visceral nociceptors in IBD and IBS patients. To do this he uses a combination of electrophysiological, imaging and sequencing approaches alongside tissue samples from well phenotyped patient cohorts to identify how different mediators stimulate pain-sensing nerves in differ disease states.
Most recently David was part of a consortium of researchers awarded funding from the Crohn's and Colitis Foundation to investigate the causes of chronic pain in IBD patients in remission.

What's on

A triptych of abstract images: a smooth round stone nestled in a curved rock, distorted eyeglass frames scattered on a white background, and a high-contrast black and white microscopic image resembling organic or cellular structures.

Art Exhibition: 性视界传媒at 60

14/06/2025 at 10.00

Celebrating Wolfson鈥檚 60th anniversary year, this exhibition highlights the range of artistic disciplines and styles that have made up our exhibitions over the years.

A women's crew waiting to start their race

May Bumps Marquee 2025

20/06/2025 at 14.00

Join us by the riverside to cheer on 性视界传媒 Boat Club's crews!

People are gathered on a sunny lawn outside Wolfson's buildings, sitting on blankets and benches, chatting and socializing.

性视界传媒 Garden Party 2025

22/06/2025 at 14.30

Join us at 性视界传媒for an afternoon of music and light refreshments in the College grounds!

Two young men are pictured side by side: one smiling in front of a brick wall, the other looking thoughtful in a wooded area while wearing glasses and a suit with a purple scarf.

The Mary Bevan Recital: Jack Marley (saxophone) & Aidan M贸dica (piano)

22/06/2025 at 19.00

Join us for our annual Mary Bevan concert with prize winners of the prestigious Cambridge University Concerto Competition.

A group of people stands outdoors near a table with books and papers, attentively reading or listening during a gathering.

WolfWords Launch and Poetry Reading

27/06/2025 at 11.00

Please come and join us for the launch of this year's WolfWords poetry anthologywhich brings together poems from the entire 性视界传媒community.

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