Background

Roles

• Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellow, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University
• Honorary Consultant in Infectious Diseases, Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust 

Previous Positions

• Faculty Fellowship, Institute of Cellular Medicine, Newcastle University, 2017-2018
• NIHR Academic Clinical Lecturer in Infectious Diseases, Newcastle University, 2014-2016
• Specialty Registrar in Infectious Diseases and G(I)M, Northern Deanery, 2013-2017
• Welcome Trust Research Training Fellowship for Clinicians, University of Oxford 2010-2013
• Phizackerley Senior Scholarship, Balliol College Oxford 2012-2013
• Clinical Research Fellow, University of Oxford, 2009-2010
• Specialty Registrar in Infectious Diseases and G(I)M, West of Scotland Deanery, 2007-2013

Qualifications

• BMed Sci (1st Class Hons.) University of Aberdeen, 2001
• MB ChB (Distinction) University of Aberdeen, 2003 (awarded Strachan Bursary prize and Dyce Davidson medal)
• MRCP (ID) Royal College of Physicians, 2006
• DPhil University of Oxford, 2014

Professional Responsibilities

• Review editor, viral immunology section, Frontiers in Immunology
• Sample access committee, Newcastle Academic Health Partners Bioresource
• Joint Research Scientific Executive Committee
• Member, Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership (GeCIP)
• Member: BIA, BSI, ESID
• Peer reviewer (NEJM, BMJ, JID etc.)

Clinical interests

I am a practicing clinician, and do regular clinics in adult infectious diseases and a joint clinic with colleagues in Immunology. My specialist interests include viral disease, primary immune disorders, infection in the immunocompromised host, and sterile fever.

Research

Research Interests

How cells detect and respond to viral pathogens is reasonably well understood, however much less is known about how the potent innate immune pathways downstream of viral detection contribute to  clinically relevant outcomes of viral disease. My research aims to define both protective and deleterious mechanisms of innate antiviral signalling, in the anticipation that this knowledge may reveal new  opportunities for therapeutic intervention. In this respect, inborn errors of immunity continue to provide a rich resource, teaching us critical lessons about the normal action and regulation of antiviral immune signalling pathways in humans and how their perturbation leads to disease.

The type I interferon system is an exemplar of the importance of balance in the antiviral response. We have shown that interferon signalling is essential to human antiviral immunity, however failure to turn off interferon signalling can also be exceptionally damaging. Building on a longstanding interest in antiviral responses in macrophages, my present focus are microglia, the resident macrophages of the brain parenchyma, and the role these cells play in coordinating the brain's interferon network.

We employ cutting-edge techniques of disease modelling, combining CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing in human stem cell systems with studies in model organisms.

I work closely with Professor Sophie Hambleton's Primary Immunodeficiency Group: http://www.ncl.ac.uk/icm/people/profile/sophie.hambleton 

Funding

• Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship (2018-2021)
• British Infection Association, Research Fellowship (2017-2018)
• MRC Confidence in Concept (2017-2019)
• Academy of Medical Sciences, Starter Grant for Clinical Lecturers (2014-2016)
• British Infection Association, Project Grant (2014-2016)

Teaching

Undergraduate

BMS3021: Immunology lecturer and seminar leader

Postgraduate

I coordinate Infectious Diseases teaching for the Physician Associate PG Diploma. 

I supervise MRes and PhD students, and welcome enquiries. 

Available PhD Position:

We have a fully-funded PhD studentship for 3 years available to start in October 2019.

Closing date 17th July 2019.

Informal enquiries welcome: christopher.duncan@ncl.ac.uk

Publications

• Duncan CJA, Mohamad SMB, Young DF, Skelton AJ, Leahy TR, Munday DC, Butler KM, Morfopoulou S, Brown JR, Hubank M, Connell J, Gavin PJ, McMahon C, Dempsey E, Lynch NE, Jacques TS, Valappil M, Cant AJ, Breuer J, Engelhardt KR, Randall RE, Hambleton S. Human IFNAR2 deficiency: lessons for antiviral immunity. Science Translational Medicine 2015, 7(307), 307ra154.
• Duncan CJA, Dinnigan E, Theobald R, Grainger A, Skelton AJ, Hussain R, Willet JDP, Swan DJ, Coxhead J, Thomas MF, Thomas J, Zamvar V, Slatter MA, Cant AJ, Engelhardt KR, Hambleton S. Early-onset autoimmune disease due to a heterozygous loss-of-function mutation in TNFAIP3 (A20). Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases 2018, 77(5), 783-786.
• Ryan L, Heed A, Foster J, Valappil M, Schmid ML, Duncan CJA. Acute kidney injury (AKI) associated with intravenous aciclovir in adults: incidence and risk factors in clinical practice. International Journal of Infectious Disease 2018, 74, 97-99.
• Duncan CJA, Hambleton S. Varicella zoster virus immunity: A primer. Journal of Infection 2015, 71(Suppl. 1), S47-S53.
• Duncan CJA, Charlton F, Bower M, Price DA. The unholy trinity of human herpesvirus 8-associated malignancy in a person living with HIV-1. AIDS 2018, 32(3), 404–406.
• Baxter AE, Russell RA, Duncan CJ, Moore MD, Willberg CB, Pablos JL, Finzi A, Kaufmann DE, Ochsenbauer C, Kappes JC, Groot F, Sattentau QJ. Macrophage Infection via Selective Capture of HIV-1-Infected CD4⁺ T Cells. Cell Host and Microbe 2014, 16(6), 711-721.
• Duncan CJ, Williams JP, Schiffner T, Gartner K, Ochsenbauer C, Kappes J, Russell RA, Frater J, Sattentau QJ. High-multiplicity HIV-1 infection and neutralizing antibody evasion mediated by the macrophage-T cell virological synapse. Journal of Virology 2014, 88(4), 2025-2034.
• Duncan CJA, Schmid ML, Schwab U, Price DA, Ong E. Futility of CD4+ monitoring in HIV-1 patients with CD4+ cell count above 350 cells/[mu]l on suppressive antiretroviral therapy. AIDS 2014, 28(17), 2638-2639.
• Bliss CM, Drammeh A, Bowyer G, Sanou GS, Jagne YJ, Ouedraogo O, Edwards NJ, Tarama C, Ouedraogo N, Ouedraogo M, NjieJobe J, Diarra A, Afolabi MO, Tiono AB, Yaro JB, Adetifa UJ, Hodgson SH, Anagnostou NA, Roberts R, Duncan CJ, Cortese R, Viebig NK, Leroy O, Lawrie AM, Flanagan KL, Kampmann B, Imoukhuede EB, Sirima SB, Bojang K, Hill AV, Nebie I, Ewer KJ. Viral Vector Malaria Vaccines Induce High-Level T Cell and Antibody Responses in West African Children and Infants. Molecular Therapy 2017, 25(2), 547-559.
• Afolabi MO, Tiono AB, Adetifa UJ, Yaro JB, Drammeh A, Nebie I, Bliss C, Hodgson SH, Anagnostou NA, Sanou GS, Jagne YJ, Ouedraogo O, Tamara C, Ouedraogo N, Ouedraogo M, Njie-Jobe J, Diarra A, Duncan CJ, Cortese R, Nicosia A, Roberts R, Viebig NK, Leroy O, Lawrie AM, Flanagan KL, Kampman B, Bejon P, Imoukhuede EB, Ewer KJ, Hill AV, Bojang K, Sirima S. Safety and Immunogenicity of ChAd63 and MVA ME-TRAP in West African Children and Infants. Molecular Therapy 2016, 24(8), 1470–1477.
• Duncan CJA, Hambleton S. Host genetic factors in susceptibility to mycobacterial disease. Clinical Medicine 2014, 14(Suppl. 6), s17-s21.
• Dixon J, Duncan CJA. Importance of antimicrobial stewardship to the English National Health Service. Infection and Drug Resistance 2014, 7, 145-152.
• Elias SC, Choudhary P, deCassan SC, Biswas S, Collins KA, Halstead FD, Bliss CM, Ewer KJ, Hodgson SH, Duncan CJ, Hill AV, Draper SJ. Analysis of human B-cell responses following ChAd63-MVA MSP1 and AMA1 immunization and controlled malaria infection. Immunology 2014, 141(4), 628-644.
• Walker KM, Okitsu S, Porter DW, Duncan C, Amacker M, Pluschke G, Cavanagh DR, Hill AV, Todryk SM. Antibody and T-cell responses associated with experimental human malaria infection or vaccination show limited relationships. Immunology 2014, 145(1), 71-81.
• Widdrington JD, Emmerson I, Cullinan M, Narayanan M, Klejnow E, Watson A, Ong ELC, Schmid ML, Price DA, Schwab U, Duncan CJA. Pyogenic Spondylodiscitis: Risk Factors for Adverse Clinical Outcome in Routine Clinical Practice. Medical Sciences 2018, 6(4), 96.
• Biswas S, Choudhary P, Elias SC, Miura K, Milne KH, deCassan SC, Collins KA, Halstead FD, Bliss CM, Ewer KJ, Osier FH, Hodgson SH, Duncan CJ, O'Hara GA, Long CA, Hill AV, Draper SJ. Assessment of humoral immune responses to blood-stage malaria antigens following ChAd63-MVA immunization, controlled human malaria infection and natural exposure. PLoS One 2014, 9(9), e107903.
• Kimani D, Jagne YJ, Cox M, Kimani E, Bliss CM, Gitau E, Ogwang C, Afolabi MO, Bowyer G, Collins KA, Edwards N, Hodgson SH, Duncan CJ, Spencer AJ, Knight MG, Drammeh A, Anagnostou NA, Berrie E, Moyle S, Gilbert SC, Soipei P, Okebe J, Colloca S, Cortese R, Viebig NK, Roberts R, Lawrie AM, Nicosia A, Imoukhuede EB, Bejon P, Chilengi R, Bojang K, Flanagan KL, Hill AV, Urban BC, Ewer KJ. Translating the immunogenicity of prime-boost immunization with ChAd63 and MVA ME-TRAP from malaria naive to malaria-endemic populations. Molecular Therapy 2014, 22(11), 1992-2003.
• Duncan C, Mohamad S, Young D, Skelton A, Leahy R, Munday D, Butler K, Morfopoulou S, Brown J, Hubank M, Connell J, Gavin P, McMahon C, Dempsey E, Lynch N, Jacques T, Valappil M, Cant A, Engelhardt K, Breuer J, Randall R, Hambleton S. Human IFNAR2 Deficiency: Lessons For Antiviral Immunity. In: UKPIN 2015 Meeting. 2015, Belfast, Northern Ireland: Wiley-Blackwell Publishing Ltd.