Professor Steve P. Watson

Professor Steve P. Watson

Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
BHF Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences and Cellular Pharmacology
Director of the British Heart Foundation Accelerator Grant

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0) 121 414 6514
Email
s.p.watson@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
IBR Building
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Steve Watson is a British Heart Foundation Professor in Cardiovascular Sciences and Cellular Pharmacology.

Steve is head of the Birmingham Platelet Group. The group undertakes a multidisciplinary approach to the investigation of platelet function in health and disease with a special focus on platelet receptors and their signalling pathways. The work includes translational studies in patients with platelet function disorders.

4835_UoN_COMPARE_Logo_Colour_V6Steve is the Co-Director of The Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE), a unique collaboration between the Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham that brings together leading researchers to develop novel methods for visualising single membrane proteins and to use these to identify new approaches for prevention and treatment of cancer and cardiovascular disease. 

Steve is head of the Vascular Inflammation, Thrombosis and Angiogenesis (VITA) grouping in the Section of Cardiovascular Sciences.

Steve was the 2006 winner of the Nature/Nesta mid-career award for creative mentoring.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences 2002
  • PhD Pharmacology 1983
  • BSc Pharmacology (1st) 1980

Steve trained in the Universities of Leeds and Cambridge before undertaking postdoctoral studies in Burroughs Wellcome, North Carolina. He moved to the Pharmacology Department in the University of Oxford in 1985 where he was supported by series of competitive fellowships, including a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. He moved to a British Heart Foundation Professorship in Birmingham in 2004.

Steve was elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in 2002.  He was awarded an Investigator Recognition Award in 2007 by the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis for contributions to Haemostasis.

Steve Watson and Steve Hill (Nottingham) are the co-Directors of the Signature Institute, The Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors (COMPARE) which was awarded following external review and is supported by pump-priming grant of £10m.

Steve is currently Editor-in-Chief of Platelets and member of Council of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis.

Biography

Steve originally trained in the Universities of Leeds and Cambridge before undertaking postdoctoral studies in Burroughs Wellcome, North Carolina. He moved to the Pharmacology Department in the University of Oxford in 1985 where he was supported by series of competitive fellowships, including a Royal Society University Research Fellowship. He moved to a British Heart Foundation Professorship in Birmingham in 2004.

Steve is currently an editor / senior editor on 9 journals including Trends in Pharmacological Sciences, Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Thrombosis and Haemostasis, Journal of Biological Chemistry and Biochemical Journal. Steve was a member of panel 1: Cardiovascular Sciences in the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise and is a former member of the British Heart Foundation Project Grants Committee.

Steve was awarded an Investigator Recognition Award in 2007 by the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis for contributions to Haemostasis.

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Steve currently has openings for self-funded PhD students in the areas of:

(i) platelet surface receptors and their signalling pathways and
(ii) the role of platelets in inflammatory processes.

Please e-mail Professor Watson directly.

Research

Steve is investigating platelet receptors and their signalling pathways, and the underlying aetiology of platelet-based bleeding disorders.

Steve is using advanced microscopy to develop new ways to target the immunoglobulin receptor GPVI and C-type-lectin like receptor CLEC-2 in thrombosis and thromboinflammation

Other activities

Publications

Ilkan Z, Watson S, Watson SP, Mahaut-Smith MP.
P2X1 Receptors Amplify FcγRIIa-Induced Ca2+ Increases and Functional Responses in Human Platelets. Thromb Haemost. 2018 Feb;118(2):369-380. doi: 10.1160/TH17-07-0530. Epub 2018 Jan

Hill SJ, Watson SP.
Fluorescence Approaches Unravel Spatial and Temporal Aspects of GPCR Organisation, Location, and Intracellular Signalling. Trends Pharmacol Sci. 2018 Feb;39(2):91-92.

Ghuman H, Shepherd-Roberts A, Watson S, Zuidscherwoude M, Watson SP and Voelz K 
Mucor circinelloides induces platelet aggregation through integrin αIIbβ3 and FcgRIIA. Platelets in press. (2018) doi: 10.1080/09537104.2017.1420152.

Montague SJ, Deilerneux C, Lecut C, Layios N, Dinsdale RJ, Lee C, Poulter N, Andrews RK, Hampson P, Wearn CM, Maes N, Bishop J, Bamford A, Gardiner C, Lee ML, Iqbal T, Moiemen N, Watson SP, Oury C, Harrison P, Gardiner E.
Soluble GPVI is elevated in injured patients: shedding is mediated by fibrin activation of GPVI.  (2018) Blood Advances 2:240-251

Rayes J., Jadoui S, Lax S, Gros A, Wichaiyo S, Ollivier V, Denis CV, Ware J, Nieswandt B, Jandrot-Perrus M, Watson SP and Ho-Tin-Noé B
 The contribution of platelet glycoprotein receptors to inflammatory bleeding prevention is stimulus and organ dependent.  Haematologica in press. (2018) doi: 10.3324/haematol.2017.182162.

Hardy AT, Palma-Barqueros V, Watson SK, Malcor J-D, Eble J, Gardiner E, Blanco JE, Guijarro-Campillo R, Delgrado JL, Lozano ML, Teruel-Montoya R, Vicence V, Watson SP, Rivera J and Ferrer-Marin
Significant hypo-responsiveness to GPVI and CLEC-2 agonists in pre-term and full term neonatal platelets and following immune thrombocytopenia. Thromb. Haemost. in press. (2018)

Chan MV, Leadbeater P, Watson SP and Warner TD
Not all light transmission aggregation assays are created equal: Qualitative differences between light transmission and 96-well plate aggregometry. Platelets in press. (2018)

Borgognone A, Shantsila E, Worrall SM, Prompunt E, Loka T, Loudon BL, Chimen M, Rainger GE, Lord JM, Turner A, Nightingale P, Feelisch M, Kirchhof P, Lip GYH, Watson SP, Frenneaux MP, Madhani M.
Nitrite circumvents platelet resistance to nitric oxide in patients with heart failure preserved ejection fraction and chronic atrial fibrillation. Cardiovasc Res. 2018 Apr 12. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvy087

Sheriff L, Alanazi A, Ward LSC, Ward C, Munir H, Rayes J, Alassiri M, Watson SP, Newsome PN, Rainger GE, Kalia N, Frampton J, McGettrick HM, Nash GB.
Origin-Specific Adhesive Interactions of Mesenchymal Stem Cells with Platelets Influence Their Behavior After Infusion. Stem Cells. 2018 Feb 28. doi: 10.1002/stem.2811.

Mangin PH, Onselaer MB, Receveur N, Le Lay N, Hardy AT, Wilson C, Sanchez X, Loyau S, Dupuis A, Babar AK, Miller JL, Philippou H, Hughes CE, Herr AB, Ariëns RA, Mezzano D, Jandrot-Perrus M, Gachet C, Watson SP.
Immobilized fibrinogen activates human platelets through GPVI. Haematologica. 2018 Feb 22. doi: 10.3324/haematol.2017.182972.

Please view a full list of Professor Watson's publications. 

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Platelet activation in health and disease; platelet surface receptors and their signalling pathways, tyrosine kinase linked receptors; the platelet cytoskeleton; patients with platelet-bleeding disorders; taking antiplatelet drugs