Background

Current Positions

Professor of Dermatology, Newcastle University and Honorary Consultant Dermatologist Newcastle Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (from 2001)

Director, Newcastle MRC/EPSRC Molecular Pathology Node (from 2016)

Roles and Responsibilities 

2018 - Board member European Dermatology Forum
2017- Board member International Eczema Council
2011 - Chair, Research Committee, British Association of Dermatologists Biologic Interventions Register (BADBIR)
2008 - 2015 Board Member,  European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR)
2013 - 2017 Chair, UK Translational Research Network in Dermatology (UK TREND)
2013-2014 - President, European Society for Dermatological Research (ESDR)

Qualifications

FRCP, Royal College of Physicians, London, 1999
MD University of London, 1995
MBBS University of London, 1983
BSc Hons (Intercalated) University of London, 1980

Previous Positions

• 2005-2008 Head of School, Clinical and Laboratory Sciences, Newcastle University
• 2001-2004 Wellcome Trust Research Leave Fellowship for Clinical Academics
• 1995-2001 Senior Lecturer, University of Newcastle upon Tyne and Consultant Dermatologist, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne 
• 1993-1994 Senior Registrar, Department of Dermatology, Royal Victoria Infirmary, Newcastle upon Tyne
• 1990-1992 Research Fellow and Lecturer, Department of Dermatology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA
• 1987-1990 Registrar, Department of Dermatology, Bristol Royal Infirmary, Avon

Google Scholar: Click here.

Research

Research Interests

• Translational and systems biology research in dermatology and skin biology
• Stratified medicine for psoriasis and atopic eczema; and mechanism of action of anti-psoriatic therapies: biologics (PSORT) and ultraviolet B (UVB, Rosetrees Inter-disciplinary award)
• Clinical trials, molecular genetics and disease models of atopic eczema.
• Keratinocyte cell signalling
• UV and wound healing signalling responses

My laboratory is interested translatonal research of inflammatory skin disease (specifically psoriasis and atopic eczema).  We have a particular interest in gaining insights into disease mechanisms and the pathways involved in clearing psoriasis.  We are part of a consortium led by the University of Manchester that has begun work to apply a stratified medicine approach to psoriasis and predict which biological therapy is best suited for an individual patient.

The Psoriasis Stratification to Optimise Relevant Therapy (PSORT) consortium is a unique partnership between five UK universities: Manchester, Newcastle, King’s College London, Queen Mary and Liverpool, 10 pharmaceutical and diagnostics companies and the Psoriasis Association and NHS partners representing patients.

We also study the mechanism of action of anti-psoriatic therapies including UVB (supported by the Rosetrees Trust and Newcastle's NIHR Biomedical Research Centre), as we think this may provide important insights into disease pathogenesis and lead to the identification of new therapeutic targets. We are interested in understanding the regulation of diverse cellular responses induced by UVR. These studies are supported by important collaborations with Professor Peter Farr and Dr Sophie Weatherhead, Dermatology RVI.

On-going studies focus on the induction of apoptosis by UVR in the clearance of psoriatic plaques, the interaction of calcineurin inhibitors (ciclosporin and tacrolimus) with the Ca2 /calcineurin/NFAT pathway in human keratinocytes, and the role of mitochondria in mediating the therapeutic action of dithranol in psoriasis.

We have conducted important investigator-led clinical trials in atopic eczema (e.g. REF 2014 impact case - graded at least 3* - internationally excellent) and have contributed to increased understanding of the molecular genetics of atopic eczema. We have set up a filaggrin-knockdown skin equivalent model of atopic eczema which we are using to investigate therapeutic targets (through a BBSRC Case studentship with Stiefel/GSK).

Another area of focus is keratinocyte cell signalling, particularly in response to environmental insults such as ultraviolet radiation, wounding (in collaboration with Prof Jeremy Lakey, through a EPSRC/BBSRC Innovate UK project).

Since 2016, I have been the Director of the Newcastle MRC Molecular Pathology Node, which is aiming to reinvigorate diagnostic research and development within the NHS, enhancing training and building capacity.  We are utilising the Proximity laboratory to develop tissue biomarkers of clinical response and image these multi-dimentionally (Vectra).   

Research Group Members:

• Carole Todd, Senior Research Technician
• Dr Pawan Gulati, Senior Research Associate
• Dr Graham Smith, PSORT post-doctoral systems biologist
• Dr Emma Burton, PSORT project manager
• Dr Tom Ewen, Research Technician
• Jack Thornton, Research Technician
• Dr Henry Graham, NIHR clinical academic fellow
• Dr Guarav Dhawan, BRC/Rosetrees Clinical Research Fellow
• Rachel Roberts, PhD student

Postgraduate Supervision

Funding

• MRC

• NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) 

• British Skin Foundation

• EPSRC/BBSRC Innovate UK

• Rosetrees Foundation

Teaching

We place a strong emphasis on undergraduate teaching and postgraduate training.  We run an active weekly programme both within ICM and dermatology (clinical and basic science journal clubs, research in progress meetings) and play a key role in the MRes in Medical and Molecular Biosciences. 

Many of our clinical trainees pursue higher research degrees funded through external nationally funded fellowships (Wellcome, MRC, Action Medical Research, British Skin foundation) and our PhD students have secured fellowships (European Commission) and post-doctoral positions  (eg Settembre lab, TIGEM, Pozzuoli, Italy; Khavari lab, Stanford; Buck Institute, San Francisco; NIH, Bethesda; University of Chicago). 

In 2006/2007, we were one of only three units in England and Wales to be awarded academic clinical fellowships in dermatology through a national competition and a Walport/NIHR Lectureship was recently established.

Since 2008, three of our clinical trainees have gone on to secure prestigious Wellcome Intermediate Fellowships, one in Dundee and two in Newcastle.  Two of these investigators were recently awarded Senior Wellcome Fellowships in Clinical Science (one in Dundee and one in Newcastle).

Postgraduate Student Supervision - Current

• Rachel Roberts (PhD)
• Dr Guarav Dhawan (MD)

Postgraduate Student Supervision - Completed

• Martina Elias (PhD), 2017*

• Emma Woodward PhD, 2017*

• Keith Wu (PhD), 2015*

• Laura Hudson PhD, 2014*

• Aparna Sinha MD, 2014*

• Darren Johnson PhD, 2013*

• Nicola Fullard PhD, 2013

• Alison Forrester PhD, 2012*

• Sophie Weatherhead PhD, 2011*

• Shanji Anthony MPhil, 2009*

• Sarah Milner PhD, 2009*

• Baba Taal PhD, 2009*

• Sara Brown MD with commendation, 2008

• Muzz Haniffa PhD, 2008

• Ross Flockhart PhD, 2007*

• Simon Meggitt MD with distinction, 2006*

• Philip Hampton PhD, 2006*

• Sandy McBride MD with commendation, 2002*

• Wael Al-Daraji MD, 2002*

• Paula Fearon PhD, 2002*

*Primary supervisor 

NIHR Clinical Academic Training - Current

• Henry Grantham, Clinical Academic Fellow

RECENT INVITED LECTURES AT NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCES

2017

Immune Mediated Inflammatory Diseases (IMID) Summit: "Using real world evidence to inform best-practice: psoriasis"

Euroderm: "Psoriasis, navigating the treatment armamentarium"

European Association for Dermato-Venereology (EADV) annual meeting: "Atopic eczema clinical features and treatments"

2016

RCP Advanced Medicine Course, Abu Dhabi: Translation of Clinical Research into
Personalised Medicine

British Society for Rheumatology, Glasgow: “Newer therapeutic agents for psoriasis: a dermatological perspective

Psoriasis Association AGM, Northampton: “Psoriasis Stratification to Optimise Relevant Therapy (PSORT)”.

European Association for Dermato-Venereology (EADV) Fostering Course, Rotterdam, The Netherlands: “How to run a clinical trial”.

British Association of Dermatologists (BAD) Annual meeting, Birmingham Derm School: Translational Dermatology

2015

BSID, Southampton, UK: UK TREND  - an opportunity for research

World Congress of Dermatology, Vancouver, Canada: A systems biology approach to understanding the mechanism of action of UVB phototherapy in psoriasis

World Congress of Dermatology, Vancouver, Canada: Systems dermatology: insights into epidermal remodeling in psoriasis

BAD Annual Meeting, Manchester, UK: Research across the academic industrial interface

BAD Annual Meeting, Manchester, UK: Engaging with UK Translational Research Network in Dermatology

European Dermatoepidemiology Network, ESDR, Rotterdam, Netherlands: Personalised Medicine for Skin Diseases

EADV Annual Meeting, Copenhagen, Denmark: A critical appraisal of biologics for psoriasis

Real World Evidence Conference (Janssen), London, UK:  BADBIR and PSORT: a pharmacovigilance registry leading onto a stratified medicine initiative

‘Allergy & the Skin’ Study Day, London, UK How should we manage patients with difficult atopic eczema

2014

EADV Annual Meeting, Amsterdam, The Netherlands: “Personalised medicine for inflammatory skin disease”

BAD Annual Meeting, Glasgow, UK: “Physiology and importance of IL-17 in the pathogenesis of psoriasis”

ESDR/EADV Summer Research School, Helsinki, Finland: “Cutaneous transcriptomics”

RCP of Edinburgh Symposium on Dermatology: “How should we manage patients with difficult eczema?”

KSID, Seoul, South Korea: “Mechanistic insight into epidermal remodelling in psoriasis: a systems biology approach”

2013

Leo Research Foundation Prize Award Ceremony, Copenhagen, Denmark: “The dynamic platform of translational research: from bench to bedside and back again”

ESDR Future Leaders Academy, Florence, Italy, A journey through Translation

Medicine and me symposium, RSM, London: “Key advances in psoriasis research” http://www.rsmvideos.com/videoPlayer/?vid=436&class=videoThumb

EADV meeting, Istanbul: “Keratinocyte apoptosis in remodeling and clearance of psoriatic plaques” and “Efficacy of phototherapy in childhood and adult atopic eczema”

BAD Annual Meeting, Liverpool: “Future psoriasis therapy beyond TNF-a blockade” and “Systemic treatment for severe adult atopic dermatitis”

Psoriasis International Network Congress, Paris: “Resistant palmoplantar pustulosis” and “The impact and management of psoriasis in pregnancy”

Irish Association of Dermatologists Meeting, Belfast

RSM Michael Fuell Memorial Lecture, London: “Systems biology in dermatology: mechanistic insight into epidermal remodelling in psoriasis”

Publications