Infection, Injury and Inflammation Research Group (3IRG)

3IRG focuses on understanding how humans respond biologically to severe injury and infection underpinning the development of new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to help people survive and recover from high risk surgery and critical care. The group takes a translational approach linking cutting edge biomedical laboratory research with clinical phenotyping and intervention studies. Current research themes includes novel approaches to the early diagnosis of healthcare-associated infection and sepsis, studies of the host response to infection, injury and inflammation, and therapeutic manipulation of these responses, including nutritional, haemodynamic and metabolic support, and enhanced recovery techniques.

3IRG has strong academic links with local partners including the Universities of Salford and Manchester and makes a significant contribution to the delivery of undergraduate and postgraduate education on the Trust site

Name	Job Title	Email
Huda Algriw	PhD Student	Email
Iain Anderson	Consultant Surgeon	Email
Ekta Bhardwaj	PhD Student	Email
Gordon Carlson	NHS Consultant Surgeon; Hon. Prof. of Surgery	Email
Paul Dark	NHS Consultant in Critical Care; Senior Lecturer	Email
Pam Davies	Senior Research Technician	Email
Stephanie Gibson	AstraZeneca PhD Student	Email
Norman Higgs	Senior Research Technician	Email
Nick Lees	Consultant Surgeon	Email
Hani Ozbak	PhD Student	Email
Celine Quinsac	PhD Student	Email
Dominic Slade	Consultant Surgeon	Email
Tony Thomas	Clinical Director in Intensive Care, Honoury Clinical Lecturer	Email
Geoff Warhurst	NHS Consultant Scientist; Honourary Professor of Biomedicine	Email Email
Leigh Willoughby	Consultant in Perioperative Medicine & Anaesthetics	Email

KEY PUBLICATIONS

Dark P, Dean P, Warhurst G. From bench-to-bedside: the promise of rapid infection diagnosis using PCR-based pathogen detection Critical Care (in press, 2009)

Hafez M, Hayes K, Goldrick M, Warhurst G, Grencis RK, Roberts IS. The K5 capsule of Escherichia coli strain Nissle 1917 is important in mediating interactions with intestinal epithelial cells. Infection and Immunity (E-pub ahead of print, 2009). Pubmed

Macutkiewicz, C, Carlson GL, Clark EC, Dobrindt U, Roberts IS, Warhurst G. Characterisation of commensal E. coli strains involved in transcytosis across gut epithelial cells exposed to metabolic and inflammatory stress. Microbes and Infection 10:424-31 (2008). Pubmed

Collett, A., Higgs, N.B. Zeef, L.A. Hayes, A. Salmo, E, Haboubi, N, Carlson, G.L., Warhurst G. Changes in mucosal expression of bacterial response and epithelial repair genes precede altered gut permeability during colitis development in mdr1a (-/-) mice. Inflammatory Bowel Diseases14: 620-31(2008). Pubmed

PT Connolly, A Teubner, ID Anderson, NP Lees, NA Scott, GL Carlson. Outcome of reconstructive surgery for intestinal fistula in the open abdomen. Ann. Surgery. 2008 247:440-4 (2008). Pubmed

J Hardman, GL Carlson Lost in translation? The current state of perioperative care. Br.J.Surg. 95:807-8 (2008). Pubmed

Clark , EC., C Hoare, J. Tanianis-Hughes, CJ Watson, GL. Carlson, G.Warhurst. Interferon-gamma induces translocation of commensal E. Coli across gut epithelial cells via a lipid raft-mediated process Gastroenterology 128: 1258-1267 (2005) Pubmed

Watson CJ, Hoare C, Garrod DR Carlson GL, G Warhurst Interferon-gamma selectively increases epithelial permeability to large molecules by activating different populations of paracellular pores. Journal of Cell Science 118: 5221-5230 (2005) Pubmed

Childs C, Vail A, Protheroe R, King AT, Dark PM. Differences between brain and rectal temperatures during routine critical care of patients with severe traumatic brain injury. Anaesthesia. 60(8):759-65 (2005). Pubmed

Dark PM, Singer M. The validity of trans-esophageal Doppler ultrasonography as a measure of cardiac output in critically ill adults. Intensive Care Med. 30(11):2060-6 (2004). Pubmed

FUNDING

3IRG research is supported by a variety of UK and overseas funders including the Department of Health, research councils, medical charities and industry. Recent awards include:

NIHR-Health Technology Assessment (HTA) “The clinical diagnostic validity of rapid detection of healthcare-associated blood stream infection in intensive care using multi-pathogen real-time polymerase chain reaction technology; Investigators: Warhurst, Dark, Carlson, Chadwick, Bentley £374,306 2009-2011.
NIHR “Cardiovascular management to improve surgical outcome (OPTIMISE) trial” Pearse, Dark, Boyd, Beale, Wilson, £490,000 2009-2012
PhD Scholarship (Government of Saudi Arabia) “Rapid diagnosis of bacterial infection in critical illness using Real-Time PCR”; Supervisors: Warhurst, Dark £67,000 2009-2012
Industrial Partnership Award (Astra-Zeneca-BBSRC) “The use of human gut tissues to predict oral drug absorption”; Warhurst, Carlson, McGown £115,2522008-2012
PhD Scholarship (Government of Libya) “Molecular diagnosis of ventilator-associated pneumonia”; Supervisors: Dark, Warhurst £66,000 2007-2010
Wellcome Trust – NHS R&D “Multiplex analysis of genes and proteins in human disease – platforms for real-time PCR and multiplex bead array platforms”; Warhurst, Hopkins, Mann £90,599 2006-2010
Royal College of Surgeons Research Fellowship “Role of the commensal intestinal bacteria in the pathogenesis of disease: molecular mechanisms of bacteria-enterocyte interactions in stress and inflammation” Carlson, Warhurst £39,029 2005-2007
Association of Anaesthetists of Great Britain and Ireland Research Fellowship “Is high-risk surgery leading to splanchnic ischaemia associated with the production of mesenteric lymph that is toxic to human vascular endothelium” Willoughby, Dark, Warhurst £96,106 2005-2007.
National Association of Crohn’s and Colitis “A novel role for P-glycoprotein in regulating the interaction between the colonic epithelium and commensal gut bacteria: implications for the pathogenesis of inflammatory bowel disease” Warhurst, Carlson £67,339, 2005-2007

Infection, Injury and Inflammation Research Group (3IRG)

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