Research groups at this Centre study liver injury and repair, and innate immunity in renal transplantation. The Centre for Inflammation Research opened in June 2005 in the new, purpose built Queen's Medical Research Institute. This is a superb environment for undertaking exciting and novel laboratory research with a major interest in the macrophage as a key component of the inflammatory response in many organ systems. Centre for Inflammation Research website Wigmore Group: Liver injury and repair Professor Stephen Wigmore leads a research group which is interested in liver injury, repair and regeneration in the context of surgery and transplant related models. We collaborate with Professor Stuart Forbes and Professor John Iredale, forming a focus for liver-centred research within the Queen’s Medical Research Institute. Research focus Our work involves basic cell biology and transgenic animal models looking at the role of heme oxygenase-1 and Kupffer cells in co-ordination of liver injury and repair. In addition we perform human translational studies in collaboration with colleagues in Maastricht and Vienna looking at the impact of liver surgery on liver function and innate immunity. Professor Stephen Wigmore's profile Marson Group: Renal transplantation This research group interested in the role of innate immunity in renal transplantation is led by Professor Lorna Marson, Professor of Transplant Surgery and Honorary Consultant Transplant Surgeon. She works alongside two other principal investigators, Dr Jeremy Hughes and Dr David Kluth, academic nephrologists, with an interest in macrophage biology in renal diseases and in cell therapy. Professor Lorna Marson's profile Research focus Our previous studies have explored the role of macrophages in endothelial cell cytotoxicity in chronic renal transplant dysfunction, demonstrating a role for macrophages. The current main focus of interest is lymphangiogenesis in renal transplant rejection, its causes and effects. Our PhD students have presented data in national and international meetings, and this work has been published or submitted for publication. Mole Group: Inflammation, Resolution and Metabolism Sterile initiators of systemic inflammation can lead to multiple organ failure. A paradigm of this is multiple organ failure during severe acute pancreatitis. There is a lasting deleterious effect of organ failure on long term survival for which the details are at present unknown. Metabolic pathways including the kynurenine pathway of tryptophan metabolism are key contributors to these pathological mechanisms. Through basic laboratory and translational clinical research we are gaining a greater understanding of how these pathways relate to tissue injury and resolution inflammation. We place special emphasis on collaboration with industrial partners to develop new treatments for patients. Professor Damian Mole's Profile This article was published on 2024-02-06
