James Richards

Summary of Academic Interests

Research

My primary research interests are:

• Immunology (adaptive immune responses, innate lymphocytes, sterile inflammation)
• Hepatic inflammation (Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury, Paracetamol-Induced Liver Injury, Concanavalin A hepatitis)
• Therapeutic targeting of Immune pathways

Teaching

I also have a significant interest in the delivery, assessment and organisation of both undergraduate and postgraduate medical education, which has been recognised by a number of awards. This experience has been gathered at various medical schools [Edinburgh, Birmingham, Glasgow, Queensland], as well as in the postgraduate setting across several postgraduate deaneries.

Winner of:

• Clinical Tutor Associate of the Year (inaugural award) 2013, South East Scotland Faculty of Clinical Educators.
• Teacher of the Year for 3 consecutive years 2009-10, 2010-11 & 2011-12.
• Teacher of the Month on more than 20 occasions.
• Clinical Surgery nominated for Edinburgh University Student Association Teaching Awards 2012.

Appointments and Activities

• Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Fellow
• Specialty Registrar in General Surgery
• Year 5 Surgery Coordinator
• Clinical Tutor Associate
• British Society of Immunology (BSI) Forum Member

Qualifications

• Bachelor of Medicine and Bachelor of Surgery (MBChB), University of Birmingham, 2003
• Member of Royal College of Surgeons (MRCS), Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, 2006.

Project Title

Studies on the role of lymphocytes in hepatic Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury

Funding

This PhD project is funded by the following:

• Wellcome Trust Research Training Fellowship
• Maurice Wohl Fellowship, Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh
• Small Research Grant, Royal College of Surgeons
• Small Research Grant, Tenovus Scotland
• Small Research Grant, Peel Medical Trust

Other funding:

• Wellcome Trust Biomedical Vacation Scholarship (Chiara Ventre)
• Royal College of Surgeons Undergraduate Vacation Bursary (Chiara Ventre)

Supervisors

This project is supervised by:

• Professor Stephen Anderton
• Professor Sarah Howie
• Professor Stephen Wigmore

Project summary

Liver failure is increasing exponentially in the UK and organ transplantation is the only available treatment for end-stage liver failure, providing recipients with an average 22 years of additional life. Unfortunately due to limited access to suitable donor organs, about 120 people per year in the UK die waiting for a suitable donor. Liver transplantation requires a liver to be taken from a donor, transported on ice and implanted into the recipient. During this process the liver is subjected to ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI), which can cause the transplanted organ to fail.

IRI occurs in two phases. Initially liver cells are injured by a lack of oxygen (ischemia) then subsequent immune system activation causes the reperfusion injury.

In this work, I am investigating the role lymphocytes (a type of white blood cell) play in the immune-mediated reperfusion phase of injury; the aim of this work is to identify therapeutic targets, which can be used to minimise the observed secondary/immune liver injury.

With collaborators in the Centre for Inflammation Research, I am correlating my findings in hepatic IRI with other diseases within the liver (including paracetamol induced liver disease, liver fibrosis/cirrhosis, autoimmune hepatitis) and similar processes (sterile injuries) within other organs/tissues.