Tissue inflammation and fibrosis

Group leader: Dr Chris Weston

Overview

Chris’s research group are investigating the mechanisms that drive the recruitment, retention and differentiation of inflammatory cells in liver disease, and how these changes impact on the development of fibrosis and liver cancer.

liver_cirrhosisOur research group

Group Members

Dr Emma Shepherd, Research Fellow

Dr Yung-Yi Chen, Research Fellow

Dr Clare Box

Dr Sarah Townsend

Ms Manjit Braitch, Technician

Ms Clare Thomas

Publications

Rantakari P, Patten DA, Valtonen J, Karikoski M, Gerke H, Dawes H, Laurila J, Ohlmeier S, Elima K, Hübscher SG, Weston CJ, Jalkanen S, Adams DH, Salmi M and Shetty S (2016) Stabilin-1 expression defines a subset of macrophages that mediate tissue homeostasis and prevent fibrosis in chronic liver injury. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 113(33):9298-303

Wilhelm A, Shepherd EL, Amatucci A, Munir M, Reynolds G, Humphreys E, Resheq Y, Adams DH, Hübscher S, Burkly LC, Weston CJ and Afford SC (2016) Interaction of TWEAK with Fn14 leads to the progression of fibrotic liver disease by directly modulating hepatic stellate cell proliferation. J Pathol 239(1):109-21

Weston CJ, Shepherd EL, Claridge LC, Rantakari P, Curbishley SM, Tomlinson JW, Hubscher SG, Reynolds GM, Aalto K, Anstee QM, Jalkanen S, Salmi M, Smith DJ, Day CP and Adams DH (2015) Vascular adhesion protein-1 promotes liver inflammation and drives hepatic fibrosis. J Clin Invest 125(2):501-20

Shetty S, Weston CJ, Adams DH and Lalor PF (2014) A flow adhesion assay to study leucocyte recruitment to human hepatic sinusoidal endothelium under conditions of shear stress. J Vis Exp (85)