Dr Neil Dufton

Profile

Neil Dufton graduated from the University of Bath with a BSc (Hon) Pharmacology in 2006. He went on to undertake a PhD at the William Harvey Research Institute at Queen Mary University of London with Professors Mauro Perretti and Rod Flower. The project focused on the interaction of the anti-inflammatory protein Annexin 1 with its receptor FPR2/ALX in regulating innate immunology and the resolution of inflammation. 

In 2010 he moved to Canada for two years to work with Professor John Wallace at the Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University investigating the role of hydrogen sulfide gas in regulating inflammation. This was followed by a second post-doctoral position at the National Heart and Lung Institute (NHLI) at Imperial College London between 2012-2019 with Prof. Anna Randi. Neil returned to QMUL in 2019 as a Lecturer in Inflammatory Sciences in the Centre for Microvascular Research.

Neil is a passionate science communicator and has developed a number of public engagement activities. He also produces science/microscopy inspired images which have been selected by national competitions including BHF Reflections in Research and Wellcome Trust Image awards as well as being published in Journal of Hepatology and National Geographic.

Research

Group members

Researcher/Staff: Ms Christina Gkantsinikoudi (PhD student)

Summary

The adaptability and plasticity of blood vessels, and particularly the cells that line them, termed endothelial cells (EC) are fundamental to both vascular and tissue development, homeostasis and disease pathogenesis. I focus on visualising pathways that result in disease-associated endothelial phenotypes, such as endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), in models of inflammation and fibrosis.

Publications

• Schafer CM, Martin-Almedina S, Kurylowicz K et al. (2023). Cytokine-Mediated Degradation of the Transcription Factor ERG Impacts the Pulmonary Vascular Response to Systemic Inflammatory Challenge.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1161/atvbaha.123.318926

  
  

  QMRO:
• Gkantsinikoudi C, Rot A, Alazawi W et al. (2023). OS-043 Atypical Chemokine receptors regulate the induction of ‘disease-associated’ LSEC by modulating Endothelial-to-Mesenchymal transition (EndMT) during liver fibrosis.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8278(23)00499-3

  
  

  QMRO:
• Ward EJ, Bert S, Fanti S et al. (2023). Placental Inflammation Leads to Abnormal Embryonic Heart Development.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1161/circulationaha.122.061934

  
  

  QMRO: https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/83242
• Gomez-Salinero JM, Itkin T, Houghton S et al. (2022). Cooperative ETS transcription factors enforce adult endothelial cell fate and cardiovascular homeostasis.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s44161-022-00128-3

  
  

  QMRO:
• Whiteford J, Arokiasamy S, Thompson CL et al. (2022). Novel application of live imaging to determine the functional cell biology of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) within a liver-on-a-chip platform.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/s44164-022-00034-9

  
  

  QMRO:
• Whiteford J, Arokiasamy S, Thompson C et al. (2022). FRI198 Investigating the function of Endothelial-To-Mesenchymal transition during liver fibrogenesis using a Liver-On-A-Chip platform.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/s0168-8278(22)01308-3

  
  

  QMRO:
• Dufton NP, Peghaire CR, Osuna-Almagro L et al. (2020). Author Correction: Dynamic regulation of canonical TGFβ signalling by endothelial transcription factor ERG protects from liver fibrogenesis (Nature Communications, (2017), 8, 1, (895), 10.1038/s41467-017-01169-0).

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-01169-0

  
  

  QMRO: https://uat2-qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/65258
• Peghaire C, Dufton NP, Lang M et al. . The transcription factor ERG regulates a low shear stress-induced anti-thrombotic pathway in the microvasculature.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-12897-w

  
  

  QMRO: https://uat2-qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/67650
• Issitt T, Bosseboeuf E, De Winter N et al. (2019). Neuropilin-1 Controls Endothelial Homeostasis by Regulating Mitochondrial Function and Iron-Dependent Oxidative Stress.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2018.12.005

  
  

  QMRO: https://uat2-qmro.qmul.ac.uk/xmlui/handle/123456789/56399
• Nowak-Sliwinska P, Alitalo K, Allen E et al. (2018). Consensus guidelines for the use and interpretation of angiogenesis assays.

  
  

  DOI: 10.1007/s10456-018-9613-x

  
  

  QMRO: