Dr Benjamin Hewitt BMedSc, PhD

Ben Hewitt

Department of Biomedical Sciences
Research Fellow

Contact details

Address
Robert Aitken Institute for Clinical Research
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT

Ben is a research fellow working in the Brain Health and Injury group within the Department of Biomedical Sciences. His work focuses on neurodegeneration in the brain and the eye, with research interests in sporadic adult-onset neurodegenerative disease, haemorrhagic stroke, glaucoma and neurodegeneration in military service personnel.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Dentistry (Cell and molecular biology), University of Birmingham, 2024
  • BMedSc Biomedical Materials Science (Hons), University of Birmingham, 2019

Biography

Ben is a research fellow working in the Brain Health and Injury group within the Department of Biomedical Sciences. His work focuses on neurodegeneration in the brain and the eye, with research interests in sporadic adult-onset neurodegenerative disease, haemorrhagic stroke, glaucoma and neurodegeneration in military service personnel. 

He is tightly involved with the West Midlands Initiative for Neurodegeneration (We-MIND), established by Dr William Scotton. We-MIND is developing a regional research platform to accelerate discovery science and clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease. As part of this, Ben is contributing to the development of novel biomarkers for these conditions to improve diagnosis, patient stratification and disease monitoring in civilian, active duty and veteran cohorts.

He is also experienced in developing and using a combination of in vivo and ex vivo models to understanding the mechanisms that drive secondary injury and neurodegeneration in both haemorrhagic stroke and glaucoma.

He has expertise in molecular biology, advanced imaging and image analysis and bioinformatics, utilising multi-omic approaches (transcriptomics, LC-MS/MS proteomics, immunostaining) to improve mechanistic understanding and trial novel treatments for these conditions. 

Teaching

  • BSc Biomedical Sciences: Fundamentals of Neuroscience
  • BmedSc Biomedical Materials Science

Research

  • Haemorrhagic stroke 
  • CSF dynamics
  • Organotypic culture 
  • Tissue equivalents 
  • Genetic modification and engineering
  • Nuclear hormone receptor signalling

Publications

Highlight publications

Hewitt, BJ, Garcia Bonilla, M, McAllister II, JP, Pahuja, S, Pellowe, GA, Newman, M, Roberts, L, Roberts, JA, Kitchen, P, Bill, RM, Hill, LJ & Botfield, HF 2026 'Cross-omics profiling reveals cortical neuronal dysfunction following neonatal intraventricular haemorrhage that is attenuated by decorin treatment' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.09.07.749813

Hewitt, BJ, Roberts, L, Roberts, JA, Fulton, D, Hill, LJ, Kitchen, P, Bill, RM & Botfield, HF 2026, 'Adult organotypic brain slice cultures recapitulate extracellular matrix remodeling in hemorrhagic stroke', Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience, vol. 19, 1722240. https://doi.org/10.3389/fncel.2025.1722240

Hewitt, BJ, Ali, M, Hubbard, J, Hill, LJ & Botfield, H 2025, 'A Systematic Review of the Differential Effects of TGF-β1 in Ischemic and Hemorrhagic Preclinical Stroke Models', Journal of the American Heart Association, vol. 14, no. 14, e037890. https://doi.org/10.1161/JAHA.124.037890

Hewitt, BJ, Batt, J, Shelton, R, Cooper, P, Landini, G, Lucas, R, Wiench, M & Milward, M 2022, 'A 3D printed device for in vitro generation of stratified epithelia at the air-liquid interface', Tissue Engineering Part C Methods, vol. 28, no. 11, pp. 599-609. https://doi.org/10.1089/ten.TEC.2022.0130

Recent publications

Article

Roberts, JA, Batie, M, Ponsford, AH, Poh, J, Hewitt, BJ, Botfield, HF, Hill, LJ, Sanderson, CM, Rocha, S & Sharma, P 2026, 'NRF2 upregulation by CDDO-Me protects AC16 human cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced toxicity', Biomedicine and Pharmacotherapy, vol. 194, 118878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biopha.2025.118878

Odyniec, ML, Bell, DJ, Gallant, BM, Firdaus, R, Ball, G, Hughes, L, Oxtoby, R, Hewitt, BJ, Williams, CM, Muguruza, AR, Overton, TW, Tsai, H-J, Chiu, Y-L, Kubicki, DJ, Walmsley, AD, Kuehne, SA & Pikramenou, Z 2026, 'Ultrasound-Responsive Nanoparticles Enable Hydrophobic Antibiotic Release and Deep Penetration for Biofilm Treatment', JACS Au, vol. 6, no. 3, pp. 1847–1859. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacsau.5c01711

Solera Sales, L, Hewitt, B, Muchová, M, Lourenção Brighenti, F, Kuehne, SA, Grant, MM & Milward, MR 2025, 'Anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial evaluation of morin', Archives of Oral Biology, vol. 178, 106343. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.archoralbio.2025.106343

Balacco, D, Hewitt, BJ, Bardhan, A, Shriane, LM, Hunjan, M, Hickerson, R, Heagerty, AHM & Chapple, IL 2025, 'Unlocking the potential: m6A-RNA methylation in severe Epidermolysis Bullosa Simplex', Bioscience Reports, vol. 45, BSR20253141. https://doi.org/10.1042/BSR20253141

Abstract

Balacco, DL, Hewitt, B, Bardhan, A, Khanna, D, Shriane, LM, Hunjan, M, Hickerson, R, Heagerty, A & Chapple, I 2025, '0538 Exploring the role of m6A-RNA methylation in severe epidermolysis bullosa simplex', Journal of Investigative Dermatology, vol. 145, no. 8, pp. S93-S93. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jid.2025.06.545

Hewitt, B & Botfield, H 2025, 'An in vitro model of post-haemorrhagic hydrocephalus', Brain and Neuroscience Advances, vol. 9, 23982128251339055, pp. 2-3. https://doi.org/10.1177/23982128251339055

Roberts, L, Hewitt, BJ, Kitchen, P, Bill, R & Botfield, H 2025, 'Distribution and localisation of the water channel, AQP4, in organotypic brain slice cultures', Brain and Neuroscience Advances, vol. 9, 23982128251339055, pp. 2-2. https://doi.org/10.1177/23982128251339055

Doctoral Thesis

Hewitt, BJ 2025, 'The effect of nuclear hormone receptor stimulation in oral epithelia', ???thesis.qualification.phd???, The University of Birmingham. <http://etheses.bham.ac.uk//id/eprint/14866/>

Preprint

Hewitt, BJ, Roberts, L, Roberts, JA, Fulton, D, Hill, L, Kitchen, P, Bill, RM & Botfield, H 2025 'Adult organotypic brain slice cultures recapitulate extracellular matrix remodelling in haemorrhagic stroke' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.07.15.665021

Roberts, JA, Batie, M, Ponsford, AH, Poh, J, Hewitt, BJ, Botfield, HF, Hill, LJ, Sanderson, CM, Rocha, S & Sharma, P 2025 'NRF2 upregulation by CDDO-Me protects AC16 human cardiomyocytes against doxorubicin-induced toxicity.' bioRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.09.10.675420

Hewitt, BJ, Ali, M, Hubbard, J, Hill, LJ & Botfield, H 2024 'The double-edged sword of transforming growth factor β 1: a systematic review of pre-clinical stroke models' Research Square. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-4687466/v1

Pelepenko, LE, Hewitt, B, Janini, ACP, Moraes, BF, Pereira, JS, Leutz, ACN & Marciano, MA 2023 'Protocol for subcutaneous implantation of polyethylene tubes containing endodontic reparative materials in 12-week-old Wistar rats' Protocol Exchange. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.pex-2482/v1

Review article

Pelepenko, LE, Hewitt, B, Bueno de Oliveira, R, Fornazaro Moraes, B, C. Coraça-Huber, D, Janini, ACP & Angélica Marciano, M 2025, 'Bismuth release from endodontic materials: proposed mechanisms for systemic circulation and organ accumulation', Journal of Hazardous Materials, vol. 494, 138580. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhazmat.2025.138580

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