David's clinical interests are transplant hepatology and autoimmune liver disease. Laboratory research interests are focused on mechanisms of immune-mediated liver disease. After initial training in hepatology in Birmingham he continued his immunology training with Dr Stephen Shaw at the Experimental Immunology Branch of the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, USA before being appointed to the Chair of hepatology in Birmingham in 1997. He is currently an associate editor of Liver Transplantation and the American Journal of Physiology and special section editor for the Journal of hepatology. He served on the scientific committee and governing board of the European Association for Study of the Liver between 2004-2007 and currently sits on its Ethics committee.  he was a councillor for the European Society for Organ Transplantation between 2004-2008. He was made a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2000. He has a long-standing interest in understanding how leukocyte-endothelial interactions regulate the recruitment of effector cells in chronic liver disease and his group have defined molecular mechanisms used by hepatic endothelium to control the entry of leukocytes from the blood. They have recently begun to use this information to develop cell therapy for liver disease by targeting pathways involved in the recruitment of damaging effector cells or by promoting the recruitment of therapeutic cells including dendritic cells, stem cells and regulatory T cells that may be used to manipulate immune responses in patients in vivo.

Teaching Programmes

• MBChB
• BMedSci

He has supervised more than 25 PhD and MD students in various areas of immunology including inflammatory liver disease, leucocyte trafficking and immune regulation.

RESEARCH THEMES

Tumour Immunology and Immune/Gene Therapy

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Laboratory research is focused on mechanisms of immune-mediated liver disease and leucocyte trafficking. Long-standing interest in understanding how leukocyte-endothelial interactions regulate the recruitment of effector cells in liver disease and how the local microenvironment within the liver modulates immune/inflammatory responses. Having defined molecular mechanisms that control the entry of leukocytes from the blood the group have started to use this information to develop cell and immunnotherapy for liver disease within the NIHR BRU Centre for Liver Disease. This includes not only blocking pathways involved in the recruitment of damaging effector cells but also promoting the recruitment of therapeutic cells including dendritic cells, stem cells and regulatory T cells that may be used to manipulate immune responses in patients in vivo.

Consultant Physician Liver Unit Queen Elizabeth Hospital

Editorial Boards

• Member of the Editorial Board of Gut since 1995
• Member of the Editorial Board of Transplantation 1996- 2005
• Associate Editor Liver 1997-2002
• Member of the Editorial Board of the American Journal of Physiology: Gastrointestinal and Liver Physiology section since 1997-2000
• Associate Editor Gut 1998-2004
• Associate Editor Clinical Science Reviews and Gastroenterology 1998-2010
• Member Editorial Board Hepatology 2004-2009
• Associate Editor Transplant International 2006-2010
• Faculty member Faculty 1000 Medicine 2004-
• Associate Editor Liver Transplantation 2009-
• Associate Editor American Journal of Physiology 2009-
• Special Section Editor Journal of Hepatology 2009-

National Committees

• Member British Association for Study of the Liver Scientific Committee 1996.
• Member British Digestive Foundation Research Awards Committee 1997-2001
• Member UK Adhesion Group 1999-2005
• Member research awards committee of the National Asthma Campaign 1999-2003
• Medical Advisory Board Medical Research Council 2002-2005
• Expert panel National Co-ordinating Centre for Research Capacity Development 2005-
• Fellowships Panel Medical Research Council 2009-2013
• Chair Academy of Medical Sciences Working Group on mentoring 2009-
• Core (Digestive Disorders Foundation) Research Committee 2009-
• Children’s Liver Disease Foundation Research Committee 2009-
• Scientific Advisory Board MRC Centre for Transplantation at Kings College London 2009-
• Council of the Academy of Medical Sciences 2011-2014
• Chair Academic Committee British Society of Gastroenterology 2011-

International Committees

• Council member European Society for Organ Transplantation 2004-2008
• Member Scientific Committee and Governing Board European Association Study of Liver 2004-2007
• Review panel European Commission Framework VI Networks of Excellence/Integrated Projects 2005
• Expert panel evaluator Programme National de Recherches en Hépato-gastroentérologie INSERM 2006
• Overseas evaluator for “Pathophysiology of Human diseases” program ANR (France) 2006, 2007. 
• Scientific Expert and Panel member the Academy of Finland 2003-2005.
• Scientific advisory board Academy of Finland, National Centre of Excellence in Research at the Universities of Helsinki and Turku 2009-
• Basic science Committee International Liver Transplantation Society 2009-
• Scientific Advisory Board the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft Centre for Liver Inflammation, Infection and Immunoregulation at the University of Hamburg 2010-
• Member Evaluation Committee Agence Nationale de la Recherche (ANR) France 2010-2011.
• EASL Ethics committee 2011-

SELECTED PUBLICATIONS since 2006 (total publications 211 H index 51).

Eksteen B, Miles A, Curbishley SM, Tselepsis C, Grant AJ, Walker LS, & Adams DH. 2006. Epithelial inflammation is associated with CCL28 production & the recruitment of regulatory T-cells expressing CCR10. Journal of Immunology 2006; 177: 593-603.

Heydtmann M, Hardie D, Shields PL, Faint J, Buckley CD, Campbell JJ, Salmon M & DH Adams. Detailed analysis of intrahepatic CD8 T cells in the normal & hepatitis C infected liver reveals differences in specific populations of memory cells with distinct homing phenotypes. Journal of Immunology 2006; 177: 728-738.

Mora JR, Eksteen B, Iwata M, Song S-Y, Junt T, Senman B, Otipoby KL, Yokota A, Takeuchi H, Ricciardi-Castagnoli P, Rajewski K, Adams DH, Von Andrian UH. Generation of gut-homing IgA-secreting B cells by intestinal dendritic cells. Science 2006; 314(5802):1157-60. 

Lalor PF, Jun Sun P, Weston CJ, Martin-Santos A, Wakelam MJO & DH Adams. Activation of vascular adhesion protein-1 on liver endothelium results in an NFkB-dependent increase in lymphocyte adhesion.  Hepatology 2007: 45:465-474. 

Holt AP, Haughton EL, Lalor PF, Filer A, Buckley CD & DH Adams.  Liver myofibroblasts regulate the infiltration & positioning of lymphocytes in the human liver.  Gastroenterology; 2009; 136:705-14.

Eksteen B, Mora JR, Haughton EL, Henderson NC, Lee-Turner L, Villablanca EJ, Curbishley SM, Aspinall AI, von Andrian UH, Adams DH.  Gut homing receptors on CD8 T-cells are retinoic acid dependent & not maintained by Liver dendritic or stellate cells.  Gastroenterology 2009; 137:320-9.

Oo YH, Weston CJ, Lalor PF, Curbishley SM, Withers DR, Reynolds GM, Shetty S,  Harki J, Shaw JC, Eksteen B, Hubscher SG, Walker LS, & DH Adams. Distinct roles for CCR4 & CXCR3 in the recruitment & positioning of regulatory T cells in the inflamed human liver.  Journal of Immunology 2010; 184: 2886-98.

Aspinall AI, Curbishley SM, Lalor PF, Weston CJ, Blahova M, Liaskou E, Adams RM, Holt AP & DH Adams. CX3CR1 & VAP-1 dependent recruitment of CD16+ monocytes across human liver endothelium.  Hepatology 2010; 51: 2023-2039.

Liaskou, E. Karikoski, M Reynolds GM, Lalor PF, Weston CJ, Pullen N, Salmi M, Jalkanen S & DH Adams. Regulation of MAdCAM-1 expression In humans & mice by amine oxidase activity. Hepatology 2011; 53: 661-72.

Shetty S, Weston CJ, Oo YH, Westerlund N,  Stamataki Z,  Youster J, Hubscher SG, Salmi M, Jalkanen SJ,  Lalor PF & DH Adams. CLEVER-1 mediates Treg transmigration across liver endothelium.  Journal of Immunology 2011; 186: 4147-55.