Professor George Edward Rainger BSc, PhD

• PhD: Comparative Immunology (1992)
• BSc: in Marine Biology (1989)

Ed did his first degree, Marine Biology, at the University of Newcastle, using this a steppingstone into immunology when he did his PhD at the University of Wales (Swansea) on the comparative immunology of teleost fish, where he developed vaccines against bacterial diseases of economically important farmed species.

He moved to Birmingham directly after his PhD and conducted two cycles of post-doctoral research on the role of hypoxia and the role of platelets in regulating the inflammatory response. There followed two cycles (10 years) of personal fellowship, funded by the British Heart Foundation in which he was one of the first to develop complex in vitro ‘vessel on a chip’ assays for the study of cellular cross talk in the pathology of atherosclerosis. This work helped establish the concept that platelets were important in regulating vascular inflammation during the early formation of atherosclerotic plaque and were not simply associated with athero-thrombotic disease (heart attack and stroke) at the end of the disease process.

More generally, Ed has an interest in the regulation of resolving inflammation and believes that by understanding physiological responses required for fighting infection and for tissue repair, we can identify how inflammatory responses become dysregulated in chronic inflammatory and autoimmune diseases. Thus, by understanding the ‘normal’ processes that control the inflammatory response we can identify new means of intervening therapeutically in disease.

Ed holds a number of patents associated with his work and is working to translate new anti-inflammatory medicines which regulate pathways identified in his laboratories.

Biomedical Sciences Degree         

• Biology of Ageing
• Vascular Biology and Pathology
• Immunity and Inflammatory Disease

MBChB (Medical degree)

• Module lead for Cardiovascular Sciences
• Module lead for Cardiovascular Sciences Curriculum 2030

MRes Programme

• Cardiovascular Biology

MSc Immunotherapy

Ed is interested in supervising PhD students on projects with an element of inflammation biology/pathology. In particular, he is interested in the role of platelets in regulating vascular inflammation in atherosclerosis, but other aspects of the inflammatory response in the wider context of autoimmune and chronic inflammatory disease are also of interest.

In addition, PhD’s investigating the role of the immune regulatory peptide, PEPITEM (first identified in his laboratory), are also of interest in numerous autoimmune and chronic inflammatory diseases.

If you have a desire to conduct a PhD in the area of inflammation biology please contact Ed. If it falls outside of his direct interests, he can redirect you to appropriate colleagues at the University of Birmingham.

Current projects

The role of PEPITEM in resolving vascular inflammation

This project investigates the role of PEPITEM (Peptide Inhibitor of Trans-Endothelial Migration) in the regulation of vascular inflammation associated with the development of atherosclerosis. The ability of the peptide to alter the process of inflammatory cell recruitment to the artery wall is investigated in vitro and in vivo, with effects of leukocytes and endothelial cells being investigated.

The biochemistry of PEPITEM in the regulation of the inflammatory response 

Although it is now well documented that PEPITEM regulates physiological inflammation and loss of the peptide is associated with chronic inflammatory and autoimmune disease, the mechanistic basis of much of its biological activity remains to be defined. This project investigates the interactions of PEPITEM with key regulatory pathways in the cells involved in the inflammatory response.

The role of thrombo-inflammation in the excess risk of cardiovascular disease in the South Asian population

South Asians are at significantly higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease and dying from heart attack and stroke than their Caucasian peers. The biological basis of increased risk is unknown, but it cannot be ascribed to the common risk factors such as obesity, high blood pressure and dyslipidaemia. We are currently investigating whether exaggerated activity of thrombo-inflammatory processes contribute to excess risk in young South Asian volunteers before they develop cardiovascular disease.  

• Deputy Director of the Department of Cardiovascular Sciences (2019-)

• Director of Research for ICVS. (2019-)
• Director Graduate Studies, Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences (2015-2017) 
• Member of the British Heart Foundation Project Grants Committee (2014-2017)
• Postdoctoral / Early Researcher, Career Development and Training (PERCAT) Committee (2012-)
• Committee for the College Research Development Fund (2012-)
• Member, The Postgraduate Graduate Quality Assurance Committee of the College of Medicine and Dentistry (2010-2012)
• Member, Expert committee of the Agence d'Evaluation de la Recherche et des établissements d'Enseignement Supérieur (AERES). (2010-)
• Deputy Director of Graduate Studies, School of Clinical and Experimental Medicine (2009-2015)
• Member of the FP7-Expert Evaluator pool (2009-2013)   
• Chairman of the UK Adhesion Society (2007-2014)
• Medical Research Council Biomarkers Review Panel (2008; Convened once only for special call)
• Member of the Birmingham University Biomedical Ethical Review Sub-committee (2008-2016)