Dr Chris Boyd Promoted to Reader
We are pleased to congratulate Dr Chris Boyd (CGEM Medical Genetics) on his promotion to Reader: April 2016
We are pleased to congratulate CGEM’s Dr Chris Boyd (Medical Genetics) on his promotion to Reader (effective August 1st, 2016). Chris leads the Cystic Fibrosis Gene Therapy group whose long-standing R&D programme has been at the forefront of translational research in CGEM since 1999. This promotion is in recognition of his management of the CF group to achieve cutting-edge research and his success in attracting major grant funding to support this important work.
The highlight of the group's work to date was its contribution to the UK CF Gene Therapy Consortium's Phase 2b clinical trial of nonviral gene therapy in 2012-2014. Almost half of the participants were from Scotland and were treated at the Western General Hospital's WTCRF facility. The results of the trial, which showed a stabilisation of lung function in participants receiving gene therapy, were published last year and gained favourable world-wide publicity (Alton et al (2015) Lancet Respir Med 3:684-691).
Building on this groundbreaking translational work, Chris and his team are now looking at novel gene therapy strategies for CF that promise more efficient and longer lasting therapy, and how this know-how might be directed towards treating other diseases of the lung and circulation.