Dr Garry Walsh

Biography

RESEARCH AREAS

• Biologic-based therapy for asthma
• Airway epithelial cell inflammatory phenotype and function
• Biomarkers in asthma and COPD
• Eosinophil/T cell interactions
• Side effects of antihistamines

Orcid ResearcherID: D-4869-2013

RANKING AND COLLABORATIONS

• I have conducted world-class translational research that significantly informs opinion in the study of the initiation and resolution of inflammation in respiratory and allergic disease.
• I have attracted competitive research funding in excess of £5 million.
• I have Published three books and over 65 peer-reviewed articles in international journals together with more than 100 invited editorials, reviews and book chapters.  To date these publications have been cited over 4,000 times; giving an h-index of 38 and rising (source ISI Web of Knowledge).
• Invited speaker and/or chairman at over fifty international meetings.

• I was a Visiting Professor of Immunity and Inflammation, Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland (2007 to 2010).

   

  • Editor-in-Chief of Therapeutics & Clinical Risk Management; an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal Impact Factor 2.76 (2005-present)

   

  Current or past Member of the Editorial Boards of more than fifteen scientific or medical international peer-reviewed Journals. 

European Commission; Multiple Funding Panels as Vice-Chair, Panel Member or Evaluation Expert (FP6, FP7, Horizon 2020 and Horizon Europe), Brussels, Belgium, 2002-present.

External Memberships

Internal and External Examiner

• External PhD examiner for University of Edinburgh, Keele University, University of East Anglia, University of Nottingham, the National University of Ireland and the National University of Singapore (2).
• Internal examiner for PhD (4), MSc (50) and BSc intercalated Med. Sci. (14) students.
• External appraiser for academic staff promotions, National University of Ireland.

Editorships

Editor-in-Chief of Therapeutics & Clinical Risk Management; an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal Impact Factor 2.76 (2005-present)

Editor-in-Chief of Core Evidence; an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal (2012-2020)

Editor-in Chief of Clinical Medicine: Therapeutics, a peer-reviewed, open access journal (2008-2019).

Editor-in Chief of Journal of Cell Death, an international, peer-reviewed, open access journal (2008-2019).

Ad Hoc Reviewing

Regular reviewer for the following UK Funding Bodies

Academy of Medical Sciences, Action Research, Arthritis Research Campaign, Asthma UK, Biotechnology & Biological Sciences Research Council, Chief Scientist’s Office (Edinburgh), Dr Hadwen Trust, Medical Research Scotland, Medical Research Council,  SPARKS, The Lister Institute of Preventive Medicine, Wellcome Trust.

Regular reviewer for the following International Funding Bodies

Asthma Foundation of Western Australia , Biomedical Research Council, Singapore, European Commission, National Institutes of Health, USA, Health Research Board Ireland, National Medical Research Council, Singapore, Research Grants Council of Hong Kong, The Royal Society of New Zealand, Singapore Immunology Network, Research Netherlands Asthma Foundation, South Moravian Centre for International Mobility, The National Centre for Research and Development, Poland.

Regular reviewer for the following International Scientific and Clinical Journals

Allergy; Allergy & Asthma Proceedings; Antimicrobial Agents, American J Respiratory & Crit Care Med; American J Resp Cell & Molecular Biol; Antimicrobial Agents & Chemotherapy; Asthma & Allergy Proceedings; Blood; British J Haematology; British Med J, British J  Pharmacol; Cell Death & Differentiation; Clinical Immunology; Clinical & Exp Allergy; Clinical Practice, COPD: Drug Discovery Today; J Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease; Current Drug Targets – Inflammation & Allergy; Current Medicinal Chemistry; Cytometry; Drugs; Drug Discovery Today; Drugs in R&D; European J Immunology; European Resp J; Experimental Lung Research; Expert Opinion Biological Therapy; Expert Opinion Pharmacotherapy; Expert Review of Clinical Immunology; Immunology; Inflammation Research; International Archives Allergy & Clinical Immunology; International J  Molecular Sciences; J Allergy & Clinical Immunology; J Cellular and Molecular Med; J Clinical Investigation; J Immunological Methods; J Immunology; J Inflammation; J Clinical Immunology; J Endocrinology; J Leukocyte Biology; Lancet; Life Sciences, Pediatric Drugs, Postgraduate Med J; PLOS-1; Recent Patents Inflammation & Allergy Drug Discovery; Respiratory Medicine; Thorax; Trends in Immunology; Trends in Pharmacological Sciences.

Research Overview

The focus of my research interests are highly translational and encompasses several spheres of enquiry:

• Airway epithelial cell inflammatory phenotype and function
• Biomarkers in asthma and COPD
• Eosinophil/T cell interactions
• Side effects of antihistamines

Current Research

• The effect of nanoparticles derived from vehicle emissions on bronchial AEC phenotype in adults and children with and without asthma. Dr Muhammad Farooq – Research assistant writing-up PhD
• Development of fully differentiated and ciliated AEC using air-liquid interface technology. PhD co-supervisor for Dr Chu Zhang with Dr Frank Ward.
• Expression and function of toll-like receptors in nasal and bronchial epithelial cells in subjects with and without asthma. PhD co-supervisor for Mr Basel Busaeed with Dr Simon Wong. Completed project
• Examination of the intracellular location and inflammatory effects of nanoparticles on asthmatic and control-subject nasal AEC as part of a wider examination on the potential biological effects of nanoparticle exposure to human health. In collaboration with Professors John Ayres, Kevin Chapman, Jamie Lead and colleagues at the University of Birmingham. GMW is leading for the University of Aberdeen. Ms Alison Scaife – Research assistant Completed project
• Examination of the secretion profile of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in airway or nasal AEC from children with atopic asthma, children who wheeze only with viral infection and healthy children with no history of wheeze. PhD co-supervisor for Dr Daniella Spiteri-Cornish with Dr Steve Turner. Completed project
• Effect of small molecule CCR3 antagonists on pro-inflammatory mediator production by nasal and bronchial epithelial cells form subjects with and without asthma. Principal Investigator in collaboration with Dr Kevin Bacon, Axiken Pharmaceuticals, California, USA. Completed project
• Associations between neonatal airway epithelial cell inflammatory phenotype and neonatal lung function with maternal diet and tobacco smoke exposure during pregnancy. PhD co-supervisor for Dr David Miller, Scottish Clinical Academic Training Fellow with Professor Graham Devereux. Completed project 

• Determine whether antigen-presentation by eosinophils activates particular T cell subsets (Th9, T regulatory cells); whether T cells enhance or suppress eosinophil function and to characterise co-stimulatory interactions between eosinophils and T cells. PhD co-supervisor for Ms Ruhaifah Farhan with Professor Rob Barker. Completed project 

• Inflammatory phenotype of nasal AEC from patients with asthma compared to patients with asthma and concomitant allergic rhinitis; effect of montelukast on inflammatory output. Principal Investigator; co-investigators Professor Graham Devereux and Dr Steve Turner. Completed project

Collaborations

• , key areas of my research have been supported through rolling programmes of funding with the following pharmaceutical companies in the UK, Belgium and the US:

• Merck, Sharp and Dohme
• Axiken
• UCB Pharma
• Wyeth (through the Scottish Translational Medical Research Initiative)

• My sabbatical as visiting Professor of Immunity and Inflammation, Department of Clinical Medicine, Trinity College, Dublin enabled me to develop significantly my partnership with Cellix Ltd.

• The Scottish Translational Medicine Research Initiative (TMRI) provided a novel opportunity for potential collaborative research throughout Scotland and enabled me to secure significant funding to extend my research into the area of COPD.

• I have extensive experience in negotiations with pharmaceutical companies in the UK, USA and Europe. These interactions have led to significant funding and also to the validation of new technology within my laboratory. I have also hosted numerous scientists from industry during their secondment to my group. 

Funding and Grants

July 2013 Chief Scientists Office, Edinburgh: £174,237;2.5 years’ funding The effect of nanoparticles on in-vitro airway epithelial cell function in children and adults with and without asthma.Principal Investigator

 March 2014 £9500 Tenovus Scotland; 3 years funding. A study of children’s bronchial airway epithelial responses to common environmental exposures.  Co-Applicant.

 May 2012 £2.1 million; Natural Environment Research Council/Medical Research Council: 4.5 years funding From Airborne exposures to BiologicaL Effects (FABLE): the impact of nano-particles on health. GMW PI and sole applicant (Collaborative project with University of Birmingham; £250,000 to UoA).

 November 2011Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia: £120,000; 4 years’ funding The role of airway epithelial cell toll-like receptors in asthmatic and healthy subjects. PhD studentship;Co-Applicant.

October 2010 Aberdeen Royal Children’s Hospital Endowments: £75,000; 3 years funding (PhD project). Isan intrinsic abnormality of airway epithelial cells present in children with asthma and those with virally-induced wheeze?Co-Applicant.

 September 2010Government of Kuwait: £90,000; 3.5 years’ funding

Relationship between eosinophils and T cell Subsets in asthma.  PhD studentship; Co-applicant.

 October 2009 Axiken Pharmaceuticals, San Diego, U.S.A.: £36,000; 4.5 years funding

CCR3 antagonism of inflammatory cell function.  Sole applicant.

August 2010 Chief Scientists Office, Edinburgh: £210,000;3 years’ funding Scottish Clinical Academic Training Fellowship for Dr David Miller. Antenatal influences on, and inter-relationships between, airway epithelial cell responses and lung function in neonates. Co-Applicant.

 March 2010 Merck, Sharp & Dohme: £55,000; 1 year’s funding The effect of montelukast on inflammatory responses of nasal epithelial cells cultured from patients with asthma, with and without concomitant allergic rhinitis.Principal Investigator.

 April 2010Grampian University Hospitals Trust Endowments:  £5000 1 year’s funding

Paediatric Nasal Epithelial Cells as Surrogates for Bronchial Epithelial Cells in Airway Inflammation Studies. Co-applicant.

 May 2008: Translational Medicine Research Collaboration (TMRC) funded through TMRI Ltd".   £150,000 The inflammatory phenotype of airway epithelial cells from patients with COPD. Principal Investigator.

 March 2007 Grampian University Hospitals Trust Endowments and Tenovus Scotland £20,000 in consumables funding

Elucidation of eosinophil adhesion and fate in eosinophils from adults with asthma.  Principal Investigator.

 May 2006: European Union Marie Curie Host Fellowship: Euro 280,000; 3 years’ funding

Transfer of Knowledge Industry-Academia Partnership Scheme.  Microfluidic Biochips for transendothelial migration of eosinophils for the study of asthma.  In partnership with Cellix Ltd, Trinity College, Dublin, Ireland.  Principal Investigator.

 January-March 2005 Grampian University Hospitals Trust Endowments, UCB Pharma and Tenovus Scotland £22,000 in consumable funding. Elucidation of epithelial cell inflammatory phenotype in children and adults with asthma.  Co-applicant.

September 2004 MRC Clinical Training Fellowship: £164,000; 3 years’ funding. Airway epithelial cell inflammatory phenotype in children – variation with age, wheezing illness and drug treatment.  MRC Clinical Training Fellow: DrCatherine McDougal; GMW Sponsor and Supervisor.

 August  2003 UCB Pharma Brussels, Belgium: £ 105,500; 2.5 year’s funding

The effect of UCB compounds on eosinophil adhesion under conditions of flow.  Sole applicant.

 November 2003Merck, Sharp & Dohme: £40,000; 1 year’s funding

The anti-inflammatory effects of montelukast - apoptosis induction in eosinophils.  Sole applicant.

 May 2002Scottish Hospitals Endowment Research Trust: £99,870; 3 years’ funding

The role of glucocorticoid receptors and caspase activation in the induction of eosinophil apoptosis in glucocorticoid-sensitive and glucocorticoid-resistant asthma.  Training Fellowship for Dr M. Blaylock.  Supervisor and Principal Investigator: GMW; co-applicant: Dr Graham Douglas, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

 August 2001Chief Scientist’s Office (Scottish Office): £152,670; 3 years’ funding

The engulfment of human apoptotic eosinophils by bronchial epithelial cells; receptor-mediated mechanisms and effects on epithelial cytokine and chemokine secretion.  Sole applicant.

 April 2002 Tenovus Scotland: £18000; 2 years funding

Elucidation of the role of the caspase signalling molecules controlling apoptosis induction in peripheral blood eosinophils and in eosinophils cultured from human CD34+ progenitor cells.  Sole applicant.

 May 2001Royal Embassy of Saudi Arabia: £75,000; 3 years’ funding

The role of caspase signalling molecules in the control of apoptosis in eosinophils cultured from human CD34+ progenitor cells.  PhD studentship; Principal Investigator: GMW.

 April 2001The Leverhulme Trust: £96,201; 3 years’ funding

Programmed cell death in tick salivary glands.  Co-applicant with Drs Bowman (PI) and Billingsley, Department of Zoology.

 July 2000UCB Pharma, Brussels, Belgium: £70,000; 2 years and 3 months’ funding

The effects of the second generation antihistamine cetirizine and cetirizine analogues on human eosinophil transmigration through pulmonary and dermal microvascular endothelial cells.  Sole applicant.

 April 2000Chief Scientist’s Office (Scottish Office):£85,000; 2 years’ funding

Analysis of the diagnostic and functional consequences of enhanced CD45, CD45RA, CD45RB and CD45RO expression by eosinophils from asthmatic subjects.

Principal Investigator: GMW: co-applicant: Dr Graham Douglas, Consultant Chest Physician

 May 1999 Tenovus (Scotland): £10,000; 1 year’s funding

The role of the bronchial epithelium in recognition and engulfment of apoptotic eosinophils. Sole applicant.

 August 1995Wellcome Trust Research Career Development Fellowship:£300,000 4 years

The role of CD69 and other membrane receptors in the induction of apoptosis in eosinophils.  Personal award .

 October 1992Medical Research Council project grant: £136,000; 3 years’ funding

Eosinophil adhesion to extracellular matrix proteins.  Principal applicant with Dr Andy Wardlaw.

 May 1992Searle (UK) Ltd:£40,000; 1 year’s funding Mechanisms of eosinophil adhesion. Sole applicant.

Teaching Responsibilities

Undergraduate and Postgraduate Teaching and Course Management

• Programme co-ordinator for the MSc in Molecular and Cellular Immunology in the School of Medicine and Dentistry (2006-2013).   
• Course Co-ordinator for Biologic Therapies for the MSC in Biotechnology & Bio business in the School of Medicine and Dentistry (2012-15).
• My teaching commitments include significant contributions to the following programmes:

• MSc Molecular and Cellular Immunology
• Intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences
• MSc Biotechnology & Bio business
• BSc Immunology

• The ethos of my teaching lies in the transfer of my research knowledge to the classroom and focuses on underpinning the teaching curriculum with the current leading-edge evidence base.
• My principal teaching responsibilities include: organising, writing and delivering a significant proportion of the lectures; taking small-group tutorials; formulating examination papers; invigilating examinations; and marking examination scripts.

• Student feedback with respect to my teaching is excellent. 

The management and implementation of the teaching programmes to which I contribute require:

• As programme co-ordinator, I exercised academic leadership and oversee the design and development of the MSc in Molecular and Cellular Immunology, including the development and clarification of academic standards. 
• Contribute to collaborative decision-making with colleagues on academic content and the assessment of students’ work for the MBChB programme, BSc courses in Immunology and the intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences.
• Determine academic standards within my personal areas of responsibility and contribute to the determination of the academic standards framework across the university.
• Develop the quality assurance framework within the university’s overall framework e.g. for the validation and revalidation of courses and student admission and assessment.
• Ensure that content, methods of delivery and learning materials for MSc in Molecular and Cellular Immunology will enable students to meet the defined learning objectives. 
• Encourage the development of innovative approaches to course delivery and ensure that teaching delivery achieves the educational standards of the University.
• Select appropriate assessment instruments and criteria, assesses the work and progress of MSc students by reference to the criteria.
• Apply appropriate approaches to teaching on the MB ChB programme, BSc courses in Immunology and the intercalated BSc in Medical Sciences.
• Supervise the work of undergraduate and postgraduate students, provides advice on study skills and assists with learning problems. 
• Make myself available to provide constructive feedback to students on issues relating to learning, coursework and progress.
• Give first-line support to students.  Refer students as appropriate to services providing further help.
• Ensure that an appropriate framework is developed and used for pastoral care issues.