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Inflammation and the associated immune response are central to the host defense against infection. They are also implicated in diverse states ranging from atherosclerosis to cancer, and an increasingly common and important target for therapeutic modulation. Inter-individual variance in response to noxious challenges (e.g. pathogens and trauma) and frequently employed drugs, likely contributes to disease states such as sepsis and the immune dysfunction following major surgery. Despite this, we are yet to fully characterize and integrate patient's immunophenotypes into their care, or monitor immune competence in the clinical setting.
Using experimental models in healthy volunteers and samples taken from patients undergoing surgery, we are exploring the molecular and biochemical pathways that underlie immune variance and dysfunction. We are additionally seeking to develop new techniques, methods and tools to quantify leukocyte functionality. We hope this will lead to personalized medicine strategies that improve outcomes in the critically ill and perioperative populations amongst others.
People involved:
Dr James Fullerton
Joao Oliveira
Professor Richard Day
About Dr James Fullerton:
James is an NIHR Lecturer in Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics at UCL and Honorary Specialist Registrar at UCLH. He has previously studied Experimental Psychology at Oxford University (1st Class Hons) and Medicine at the University of Birmingham (Gold Medal winner) before completing a PhD at UCL, exploring the contribution of inflammation-induced eicosanoids to innate immune suppression. His work focuses on using experimental models in man to enable early phase drug development and explore the molecular and biochemical pathways that underlie immune dysfunction, targeting its therapeutic modulation. Clinically, he is interested in the detection and management of the 'deteriorating patient', seeking to develop personalised medicine strategies that will improve outcomes in the critically ill and perioperative populations, principally based on immunophenotyping and the avoidance of hospital-acquired infection. He is currently co-located at GlaxoSmithKline on an MRC knowledge exchange fellowship.