Gill and Hyde Group: Gene Medicine Group
We are developing gene therapy for lung conditions, including the genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and neonatal lung conditions such as surfactant protein B (SPB) deficiency. We are also evaluating whether the lung can be used as a ‘protein factory’ to make therapeutic proteins such as antibodies.
Our aim is to exploit our expertise in gene transfer and gene editing technologies and design new disease treatments. Gene therapy aims to introduce a functional gene into affected cells, with the potential to correct the underlying cause(s) of a disease, rather than just treat the symptoms; it therefore has the potential to effect a ‘cure’. Gene editing is more precise and some way behind in practice, but both depend on efficient delivery to cells, therefore, selecting the right delivery vector, whether non-viral or viral-based, is crucial to successful translation to the clinic.
You can listen to one of our Research Assistants explaining our work on the Unfreeze your Science podcast, here.
Murine proximal airways transduced with F/HN pseudotyped Lentivirus expressing EGFP (green). Nuclei stained with DAPI (blue).
A single murine airway transduced with F/HN pseudotyped Lentivirus expressing EGFP (green). Nuclei stained with DAPI (blue). Ciliated cells stained by β tubulin (red)
Disease targets
We have mainly targeted diseases of the lungs, where conditions such as cancer, emphysema and surfactant deficiencies have the potential to be treated with gene therapy. In particular, we have focused on gene therapy for the recessive genetic disease Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and our group comprises one third of the The UK Respiratory Gene Therapy Consortium.
For treatment of CF, where lung disease is the major cause of morbidity and mortality, a functional copy of the CF gene needs to be delivered to the cells lining the airways. We have undertaken several clinical studies of a non-viral (plasmid/liposome) gene therapy formulation, culminating in a Phase 2b trial of repeated aerosol administration. Participants received a dose of gene therapy, or placebo, via a nebuliser once a month for 12 months resulting in a 3.7% benefit to lung function (Alton EW et al, 2015). We are also developing a new Lentiviral vector pseudotyped with the F and HN envelope proteins from Sendai Virus to increase airway cell targeting (Alton EW et al, 2017). This viral vector offers greater efficiency in delivery of genes to the lung.
Protein therapeutics
We are also evaluating whether the airways can be used as a ‘protein factory’. Protein-based therapeutics, once a rarely used subset of medical treatments, are now widely adopted. Over 130 different proteins, including monoclonal antibodies and hormone and enzyme replacement therapies, have been approved for clinical use with dramatic clinical impact in chronic diseases. However, these therapies can be associated with high treatment burdens (eg multiple daily injections) and extremely high treatment costs. We think that a single dose of an efficient gene transfer vector can generate a ‘protein factory’ capable of secreting therapeutic proteins into the luna lumen or systemic circulation to provide an increased quality of life and a decreased treatment cost for a range of diseases. (Paul-Smith et al, 2018)
Our team
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Deborah Gill
Professor of Gene Medicine
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Stephen Hyde
Professor of Molecular Therapy
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Stephanie Jones
Clinical coordinator, EA & Project manager
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Hamid Dolatshad
Senior Research Scientist/ Lab Manager
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Arlene Glasgow
Senior Postdoctoral Research Scientist
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Kamran Miah
Senior Post-Doctoral Research Scientist
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Jakob Haldrup Jensen
Postdoctoral Research Scientist in Gene Therapy
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Mariana de Almeida Viegas
Senior Research Assistant
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Emily Castells
Research Assistant
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Omar Habib
DPhil Student
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Eoin Mac Réamoinn
DPhil Student
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Dwiantari Satyapertiwi
DPhil Student
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Aimee Ruffle
DPhil Student
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Marina Cerezuela
DPhil Student
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Gavin Turnbull
DPhil Student
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Shahzaib Tariq
DPhil Student
Collaborations
The UK Respiratory Gene Therapy Consortium
- Imperial College (Prof Eric Alton, Prof Uta Griesenbach and Prof Jane Davies)
- University of Edinburgh (Dr Chris Boyd, Dr Gerry McLachlan)
Research Studies
Research studies (coming soon)
Lab Alumni
Name | Post | Start date | End date |
| Alexandra McStea | Research Assistant | 2022 | 2023 |
| Rebecca Dean | Research Assistant | 2018 | 2023 |
Rosie Munday | Post Doctoral Scientist | 2016 | 2023 |
Marina Cerezuela | Research Assistant | 2021 | 2022 |
Yue Du | Post Doctoral Scientist | 2019 | 2022 |
Toby Gamlen | Lab Manager & Post Doctoral Scientist | 2017 | 2022 |
Altar Munis | Post Doctoral Scientist | 2018 | 2022 |
Helena Meyer-Berg | DPhil | 2017 | 2021 |
Catriona Conway | Research Assistant | 2018 | 2021 |
Joost van Haasteren | DPhil | 2015 | 2019 |
Agata Antepowicz | DPhil | 2014 | 2018 |
Tiong K Tan | Post Doc | 2014 | 2018 |
Eoin MacReamoinn | Research Assistant | 2017 | 2018 |
Ian Pringle | Post Doc | 1999 | 2018 |
Rachel Ashworth | Research Assistant | 2016 | 2018 |
Veronika Hartleb | Research Assistant | 2017 | 2018 |
Barnabas Williams | DPhil Student | 2016 | 2017 |
Natasha Davie | DPhil Student | 2012 | 2017 |
Jean-Francois Gelinas | DPhil Student | 2012 | 2017 |
Kristen Pluchino | DPhil Student | 2011 | 2015 |
Cathy Oliveira | DPhil Student | 2011 | 2015 |