Dr Chris Weston BSc PhD

Chris Weston

Department of Immunology and Immunotherapy
Associate Professor in Experimental Hepatology

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 415 8784
Email
c.j.weston@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research
5th Floor, Institute for Biomedical Research
School of Infection, Inflammation and Immunology
College of Medicine and Health
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Associate Professor Chris Weston is a Senior Investigator in the Centre for Liver and Gastrointestinal Research and an Academic with roles as a tutor and module lead on courses within the College of Medicine and Health. His research focuses on the regulation of immune mediated injury and fibrosis in the human liver, and he supervises postgraduate students and fellows working in this area and related cross-disciplinary themes.

Qualifications

  • Fellow of the Higher Education Academy
  • Postgraduate Certificate in Higher Education (2022)
  • PhD Biochemistry, Birmingham (2002)
  • BSc Biochemistry with Biotechnology, Birmingham (1998)

Biography

Chris undertook his undergraduate studies in Biochemistry at the University of Birmingham. As part of his final year project, he studied the role of Transhydrogenase in Entamoeba histolytica in the laboratory of Professor Baz Jackson. This evolved into his PhD project, understanding the biophysical properties of the enzyme using molecular biology, stopped-flow kinetics and small angle X-ray scattering approaches.

He then moved to the laboratories of Dr. Oliver Smart and Prof. Ruedi Allemann in the School of Chemistry at the University of Birmingham, to undertake a post-doctoral project studying the kinetics and function of short, engineered peptides and photoactivatable linkers for the modulation of DNA binding proteins.

An opportunity then arose for Chris to work as a biochemist in the Medical School, University of Birmingham, in the laboratories of Professor David Adams and Professor Michael Wakelam. Here, Chris started his work on a member of the amine oxidase family of enzymes, Vascular Adhesion Protein-1 (VAP-1), exploring its role in inflammation and uncovering new roles for the protein in the development of fibrosis and utility as a biomarker of liver disease, culminating in a clinical trial of a new therapeutic antibody targeting VAP-1.

Chris has expanded on his early work in the Centre for Liver and Gastroenterology Research and studies the interplay between immune cells and the liver, exploring mechanisms of immune cell recruitment, retention and differentiation, and the impact on endothelium, fibroblasts and epithelial cell populations in acute and chronic liver disease, and cancer. He also carries out cross-disciplinary research to explore common mechanisms of disease across organs and the consequences and drivers of liver disease (e.g. cardiac, gut, renal), using cutting edge research methodology.

His team is composed of both scientific and clinical researchers, and he receives funding from UKRI, charities and projects with major pharmaceutical companies.

Teaching

  • Co-lead for BioMedical Science (BioMedSci) module Year 1 – Cellular Biochemistry and Biology, responsible for curriculum reviews, delivering teaching and designing and marking assessments.
  • Deputy lead for BioMedSci module Year 3 – Liver Function in Health and Disease with responsibility for delivering teaching and designing and marking assessments.
  • Co-lead for Intercalating Clinical Science module – Immunology and Liver Disease: Applications of Immunotherapy. Responsible for curriculum development, teaching and setting and marking assessments.
  • Supervisor and marker for BioMedSci Year 3 student research projects and dissertations. I also run research taster sessions for BioMedSci and MBChB students and summer research projects.
  • Additional lecturing/small group teaching includes MBChB (Immune Checkpoint), BioMedSci Year 1 (Foundations of Life Science, Glycolysis and TCA), MPharm (Liver disease lectures), and BioMedSci Year 3 (Immunity and Inflammatory Disease).
  • Personal tutor for BioMedSci students in years 1-3.

Postgraduate supervision

Chris has several current students on clinical, academic and industry-funded programmes, studying liver inflammation, fibrosis and cancer.

If you are interesting in studying any of these subject areas please contact Dr Chris Weston directly, or for any general doctoral research enquiries, please email mds-gradschool@contacts.bham.ac.uk.

For a full list of available Doctoral Research opportunities, please visit our Doctoral Research programme listings.

Research

Research interests

  • Acute and chronic liver disease
  • Cardiac and gastrointestinal links to liver disease
  • Inflammation
  • Fibrogenesis
  • Endothelial biology
  • Myofibroblast activation and function
  • Liver metabolism
  • Mechanobiology
  • Cancer

Other activities

  • Chris is a peer reviewer for major high impact journals and peer reviewer for funding applications.
  • Membership of the British Association for the Study of the Liver, British Society for Immunology and UK Neuroendocrine Tumour Society.
  • STEM ambassador to promote Science and Technology for children and young people. Chris has been involved in public engagement events for Think Tank and QEHB showcase days.
  • Plagiarism officer for Postgraduate research
  • Serves on the Postgraduate Research Committee and is academic chair for the departmental safety committee.

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Geng, A, Brenig, RG, Roux, J, Lütge, M, Cheng, H-W, Flint, EE, Lussier, POG, Meier, M-A, Pop, OT, Künzler-Heule, P, Matter, MS, Wendon, J, McPhail, MJW, Soysal, S, Semela, D, Heim, M, Weston, CJ, Ludewig, B & Bernsmeier, C 2025, 'Circulating monocytes upregulate CD52 and sustain innate immune function in cirrhosis unless acute decompensation emerges', J Hepatol. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhep.2024.12.031

Al-Shakhshir, S, Quraishi, MN, Mullish, B, Patel, A, Vince, A, Rowe, A, Homer, V, Jackson, N, Gyimah, D, Shabir, S, Manzoor, S, Cooney, R, Alrubaiy, L, Quince, C, van Schaik, W, Hares, MF, Beggs, AD, Efstathiou, E, Rimmer, P, Weston, C, Iqbal, T & Trivedi, PJ 2025, 'FAecal micRobiota transplantation in primary sclerosinG chOlangitis (FARGO): study protocol for a randomised, multicentre, phase IIa, placebo-controlled trial', BMJ open, vol. 15, no. 1, e095392. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2024-095392

Horn, P, Norlin, J, Almholt, K, Viuff, BM, Galsgaard, ED, Hald, A, Zosel, F, Demuth, H, Poulsen, S, Norby, PL, Rasch, MG, Vyberg, M, Fleckner, J, Werge, MP, Gluud, LL, Rink, MR, Shepherd, E, Northall, E, Lalor, PF, Weston, CJ, Fog-Tonnesen, M & Newsome, PN 2024, 'Evaluation of Gremlin-1 as a therapeutic target in metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis', eLife, vol. 13, RP95185. https://doi.org/10.7554/elife.95185

Davies, SP, Ronca, V, Wootton, GE, Krajewska, NM, Bozward, AG, Fiancette, R, Patten, DA, Yankouskaya, K, Reynolds, GM, Pat, S, Osei-Bordom, DC, Richardson, N, Grover, LM, Weston, CJ & Oo, YH 2024, 'Expression of E-cadherin by CD8+ T cells promotes their invasion into biliary epithelial cells', Nature Communications, vol. 15, no. 1, 853. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-024-44910-2

Matchett, KP, Wilson-Kanamori, JR, Portman, JR, Kapourani, CA, Fercoq, F, May, S, Zajdel, E, Beltran, M, Sutherland, EF, Mackey, JBG, Brice, M, Wilson, GC, Wallace, SJ, Kitto, L, Younger, NT, Dobie, R, Mole, DJ, Oniscu, GC, Wigmore, SJ, Ramachandran, P, Vallejos, CA, Carragher, NO, Saeidinejad, MM, Quaglia, A, Jalan, R, Simpson, KJ, Kendall, TJ, Rule, JA, Lee, WM, Hoare, M, Weston, CJ, Marioni, JC, Teichmann, SA, Bird, TG, Carlin, LM & Henderson, NC 2024, 'Multimodal decoding of human liver regeneration', Nature, vol. 630, no. 8015, pp. 158-165. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07376-2

Wilkinson, AL, Bannister, ME, O'Keeffe, A, Weston, CJ, Lalor, PF, Shetty, S & Patten, DA 2024, 'Protocol to study monocyte transmigration across primary human liver endothelial cells under physiological shear flow conditions in vitro', STAR Protocols, vol. 5, no. 4, 103431. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.xpro.2024.103431

Hirschfield, G, Arndtz, K, Kirkham, A, Chen, Y-Y, Fox, R, Rowe, A, Douglas-Pugh, J, Thorburn, D, Barnes, E, Aithal, GP, Hull, D, Bhandal, K, Olsen, K, Woodward, P, Lax, S, Newsome, P, Smith, D, Kallio, A, Adams, D, Homer, V & Weston, C 2024, 'Vascular adhesion protein-1 blockade in primary sclerosing cholangitis: open-label, multi-centre, single arm, phase II trial', Hepatology Communications, vol. 8, no. 5, e0426. https://doi.org/10.1097/HC9.0000000000000426

Pop, O-T, Geng, A, Flint, E, Singanayagam, A, Ercan, C, Possamai, L, Patel, VC, Kuenzler, P, Meier, M-A, Soysal, S, Hruz, P, Kollmar, O, Tatham, KC, Ward, JK, Müllhaupt, B, Weber, A, Wendon, J, Niess, JH, Heim, M, Semela, D, Weston, C, Antoniades, CG, Terracciano, LM, Triantafyllou, E, Brenig, RG & Bernsmeier, C 2023, 'AXL expression on homeostatic resident liver macrophages is reduced in cirrhosis following GAS6 production by hepatic stellate cells', Cellular and molecular gastroenterology and hepatology. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jcmgh.2023.03.007

Greenman, R, Segal-Salto, M, Barashi, N, Hay, O, Katav, A, Levi, O, Vaknin, I, Aricha, R, Aharoni, S, Snir, T, Mishalian, I, Olam, D, Amer, J, Salhab, A, Safadi, R, Maor, Y, Trivedi, P, Weston, CJ, Saffioti, F, Hall, A, Pinzani, M, Thorburn, D, Peled, A & Mor, A 2023, 'CCL24 regulates biliary inflammation and fibrosis in primary sclerosing cholangitis', JCI Insight, vol. 8, no. 12, e162270. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.162270

Hall, C, Law, JP, Reyat, JS, Cumberland, MJ, Hang, S, Vo, NTN, Raniga, K, Weston, CJ, O’Shea, C, Townend, JN, Gehmlich, K, Ferro, CJ, Denning, C & Pavlovic, D 2023, 'Chronic activation of human cardiac fibroblasts in vitro attenuates the reversibility of the myofibroblast phenotype', Scientific Reports, vol. 13, no. 1, 12137. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-023-39369-y

Arndtz, K, Chen, YY, Rowe, A, Homer, V, Kirkham, A, Douglas-Pugh, J, Slade, D, Thorburn, D, Barnes, E, Aithal, G, Newsome, P, Smith, D, Adams, D, Weston, C & Hirschfield, G 2022, 'Monoclonal antibody BTT1023 targeting vascular adhesion protein 1 for treating primary sclerosing cholangitis: BUTEO single-arm Phase II trial', Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation, vol. 9, no. 1. https://doi.org/10.3310/ZPNF4670

El-awaisi, J, Kavanagh, D, Rink, M, Weston, C, Drury, N & Kalia, N 2022, 'Targeting IL-36 improves age-related coronary microcirculatory dysfunction and attenuates myocardial ischemia/ reperfusion injury in mice: ageing and the coronary microcirculation ', JCI Insight, vol. 7, no. 5, e155236. https://doi.org/10.1172/jci.insight.155236

Abstract

El-awaisi, J, Kavanagh, D, Rink, M, Weston, C, Drury, N & Kalia, N 2022, 'Intravital & laser speckle investigations of the role of interleukin-36 in myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury – a new therapeutic target for the aged heart', Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology, vol. 173, no. supplement, pp. 7. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.yjmcc.2022.08.017

El-awaisi, J, Kavanagh, D, Rink, M, Weston, C, Drury, N & Kalia, N 2022, 'Intravital & laser speckle investigations of the role of interleukin36 in myocardial ischaemia reperfusion injury; a new therapeutic target for the aged heart', Cardiovascular Research, vol. 118, no. Supplement_1, cvac066.051. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvac066.051

Review article

Greenman, R & Weston, CJ 2025, 'CCL24 and Fibrosis: A Narrative Review of Existing Evidence and Mechanisms', Cells, vol. 14, no. 2, 105. https://doi.org/10.3390/cells14020105

View all publications in research portal

Expertise

Immune mediated injury and fibrosis in the human liver