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The Institute of Medical Sciences

Professor David J. Blackbourn

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Professor David J. Blackbourn
Professor David J. Blackbourn
Professor David J. Blackbourn

Interim Head of School, Professor of Virology

Accepting PhDs

About
Email Address
david.blackbourn@abdn.ac.uk
Office Address
Polwarth Building
Foresterhill Campus
Foresterhill
AB25 2ZD

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School/Department
School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
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Biography

David’s PhD (1990) is in molecular genetics and he has worked on different aspects of virology and immunology including in the USA, where he worked at the University of California (UC) for nine years on HIV and Kaposi’s sarcoma herpesvirus (KSHV), including six years with Dr Jay A. Levy. 

David’s research more recently has focused on viruses that are responsible for causing cancer.  In particular, he concentrates on how such viruses hide from the immune system.  By studying human viruses that have evolved with their host for at least 25 million years, David believes that unique insight into the workings of the immune system can be gained.  This knowledge can then be put to good use to treat immune system disorders.  Techniques include a combination of molecular virology and immunology.

He has either authored or co-authored over £8m in funded research grant awards and published over 75 manuscripts that have been cited over 5000 times (Google Scholar), with two papers cited over 600 times each and a further three papers cited over 200 times each.

David returned to the UK from the USA in 1999 to his first lectureship at the University of Glasgow.  In 2005 he moved to the University of Birmingham and received his Chair there in 2010.  He moved to the University of Surrey to be Head of the Department of Microbial Sciences in August 2013 and in December of that year was appointed Head of the School of Biosciences and Medicine, consisting of four departments, a clinical trials faciility and a clinical trials unit.  He held that position for eight years. 

David is proud to have been appointed Director of the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen, commencing January 2022, and from July 2024 Interim Head of the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition.

ORCID ID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6703-4497

External Memberships

David was one of three Founding Directors of Ducentis Biotherapeutics, established in 2015 to exploit his research fuinding s to create next generation anti-inflammatory and autoimmune medicines.  Ducentis raised c£4m investment, including from LifeArc, to develop its asset and in 2022 was acquired Arcutis Biotherapeutics.  This was the first exit for LifeArc in a deal worth up to $400m.

Likewise, David cofounded Dioka Therapeutics Ltd in 2022, together with Drs Guy Bewick and Robert Banks to reduce high blood pressure by taking advantage of the body’s main pressure regulation system.

David is a qualified Executive Coach, holding the Institute of Leadership and Management (ILM) Level 7 Certificate for Executive and Senior Leader Coaches and Mentors since Nov 2022.

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David is one of three Editors-in-Chief for FEMS Microbiology Reviews (https://academic.oup.com/femsre), which publishes invited comprehensive and authoritative reviews on all aspects of microbiology from leading authors.  FEMS Microbiology Reviews ranked 6th of 134 Microbiology journals in the 2020 Journal Citation Reports.

 

2024-  Chief Scientific Officer, Scotland, Advisory and Delivery Group (appointed)

2024-  NHS Grampian Board (appointed)

2024-  NHS Grampian Charity Committee (appointed)

2024-  NHS Grampian Clinical and Care Governance Committee (appointed)

2024-  Aberdeen City Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSP): Clinical and Care Governance Committee (appointed)

2024-  AHSCP: Aberdeen Integrative Board (appointed)

2022-2024  Opportunity North East (ONE) Life Sciences Board (appointed)

Latest Publications

View My Publications

Research

Research Overview

David is Professor of Virology and took up the role of interim Head of the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition at the University of Aberdeen in July 2024. 

David’s research interests have centred on understanding mechanisms of virus immune modulation and hence what these mechanisms can teach us about immune system regulation.  After over eight years in the US working on HIV and related viruses, his independent academic career began in Glasgow in 1999 and continued at the University of Birmingham.  In 2013 he was appointed Head of the School of Biosciences and Medicine, at the University of Surrey and in January 2022 he moved to the role of Director of the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. 

 

Research Areas

Accepting PhDs

I am currently accepting PhDs in Biomedical Sciences.

Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.

Email Me

Biomedical Sciences

Accepting PhDs
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Publications

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  • Human herpesvirus 8 in semen and prostate

    Blackbourn, D. J., Levy, J. A.
    AIDS, vol. 11, no. 2, pp. 249-250
    Contributions to Journals: Editorials

  • Superinfection with human immunodeficiency virus type 2 can reactivate virus production in baboons but is contained by a CD8 T cell antiviral response

    Locher, C. P., Blackbourn, D. J., Barnett, S. W., Murthy, K. K., Cobb, E. K., Rouse, S., Greco, G., Reyes-Terán, G., Brasky, K. M., Carey, K. D., Levy, J. A.
    Journal of Infectious Diseases, vol. 176, no. 4, pp. 948-959
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Suppression of HIV replication by lymphoid tissue CD8+ cells correlates with the clinical state of HIV-infected individuals

    Blackbourn, D. J., Mackewicz, C. E., Barker, E., Hunt, T. K., Herndier, B., Haase, A. T., Levy, J. A.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 93, no. 23, pp. 13125-13130
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Antibodies to human herpesvirus type 8 in the general population and in Kaposi's sarcoma patients

    Lennette, E. T., Blackbourn, D. J., Levy, J. A.
    Lancet, vol. 348, no. 9031, pp. 858-861
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Molecular cloning of the human immunodeficiency virus subtype 2 strain HIV-2(UC2)

    Barnett, S. W., Legg, H. S., Sun, Y., Klinger, J., Blackbourn, D. J., Locher, C. P., Levy, J. A.
    Virology, vol. 222, no. 1, pp. 257-261
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Susceptibility of peripheral blood mononuclear cells from gorillas, orangutans and baboons to diverse HIV isolates

    Locher, C. P., Blackbourn, D. J., Castro, B. A., Brasky, K. M., Levy, J. A.
    AIDS, vol. 10, no. 12, pp. 1438-1440
    Contributions to Journals: Letters

  • CD8+ T cells suppress human immunodeficiency virus replication by inhibiting viral transcription

    Mackewicz, C. E., Blackbourn, D. J., Levy, J. A.
    Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, vol. 92, no. 6, pp. 2308-2312
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Herpes-like sequences in HIV-infected and uninfected Kaposi's sarcoma patients

    Ambroziak, J. A., Blackbourn, D. J., Herndier, B. Q., Glogau, R. G., Gullett, J. H., McDonald, A. R., Lennette, E. T., Levy, J. A.
    Science, vol. 268, no. 5210, pp. 582-583
    Contributions to Journals: Comments and Debates

  • Suppression of HIV Replication by CD8+ Cell Clones Derived from HIV-Infected and Uninfected Individuals

    Hsueh, F. W., Walker, C. M., Blackbourn, D. J., Levy, J. A.
    Cellular Immunology, vol. 159, no. 2, pp. 271-279
    Contributions to Journals: Articles

  • Inhibition of simian immunodeficiency virus (SIV) replication by CD8 + cells of SIV‐infected rhesus macaques: Implications for immunopathogenesis

    Blackbourn, D. J., Chuang, L. F., Killam, K. F., Chuang, R. Y.
    Journal of Medical Primatology, vol. 23, no. 6, pp. 343-354
    Contributions to Journals: Articles
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