Dufton
Lab
Dr Dufton's research centres on the adaptability and plasticity of blood vessels, and particularly the cells that line them, termed endothelial cells are fundamental to both vascular and tissue development, homeostasis and disease pathogenesis. He aims to understand the molecular mechanisms that give rise to disease-associated endothelial phenotypes, such as endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT), in models of inflammation and fibrosis.
Neil has a keen interest communicating his research through art and public engagement projects. These include an interactive game about cell specialisation, I Cell, working with animator (Genetic Moo) to involve participants in Battle of Blister (part of a Wellcome Large arts grant) and knitting blood vessels (Blood Lines). Neil also produces Sciart and has had his images displayed in the National Geographic, the cover of the Journal of Histopathology and has two of his illustrations curated by the Wellcome Image Collection.
Research
Projects
Investigating the diagnostic and drug-screening potential of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition during liver fibrosis.
Proof-of-Concept Award Emulate-QM Organs-On-Chips Centre. January 2021.
Regulation of vascular patterning via endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) in the pathogenesis of cardiac fibrosis
BHF funded
Project with BHF Mres/PhD Studentship. September 2023-September 2026
Investigating the therapeutic potential of disease-associated endothelial cells in chronic liver disease
Funded by Bart's Charity
In collaboration with Dr William Alazawi (co-applicant), Reader & Consultant in Hepatology at the Blizard Institute, this project aims to assess the prevalence and role of endothelial-to-mesenchymal-transition (EndMT) in patients with non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We hypothesis that EndMT is an early, reversible, hallmark of switching from healthy to disease-associated EC that arise during the development of liver disease.
The Dufton group is still recruiting!
Members
Neil Dufton
Group Leader
Christina Gkantsinikoudi
PhD student
Joshua Dignam
Postdoctoral
Publications
Cytokine-Mediated Degradation of the Transcription Factor ERG Impacts the Pulmonary Vascular Response to Systemic Inflammatory Challenge.
ATVB
Christopher M. Schafer, Silvia Martin-Almedina, Katarzyna Kurylowicz, Neil Dufton, Lourdes Osuna-Almagro, Meng-Ling Wu, Charmain F. Johnson, Aarti V. Shah, Dorian O. Haskard, Andrianna Buxton, Erika Willis, Kate Wheeler, Sean Turner, Magdalena Chlebicz, Rizaldy P. Scott, Susan Kovats, Audrey Cleuren, Graeme M. Birdsey, Anna M. Randi, Courtney T. Griffin.
Placental Inflammation Leads to Abnormal Embryonic Heart Development.
Circulation
Eleanor Ward, Serena Bert, Silvia Fanti, Kerri M Malone, Robert T Maughan, Christina Gkantsinikoudi, Fabrice Prin, Lia Karina Volpato, Anna Paula Piovezan, Gerard J Graham, Neil Dufton, Mauro Perretti, Federica M Marelli-Berg, Suchita Nadkarni. (I Imaged and analysed cardiac vascular development during embryogenesis).
Novel application of live imaging to determine the functional cell biology of Endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) within a Liver-on-a-chip platform.
In Vitro Models
J Whiteford, S Arokiasamy, CL Thompson and NP Dufton*. *Corresponding Author
Cooperative ETS Transcription Factors Enforce Adult Endothelial Cell Physiology and Cardiovascular Homeostasis.
Nature CVR
Gomez-Salinero J, Itkin T, Badwe C, Lin Y, Houghton S, Kunar B, Birdsey G, Kalna V, Dufton N, Peghaire C, Yokoyama M, Wingo M, Li G, Xiang JZ, Hsu Y, Redmond D, Schreiner R, Randi AM, Rafii S.
The transcription factor ERG regulates a low shear stress-induced anti-thrombotic pathway in the microvasculature.
Nature Communications
Peghaire C, Dufton NP, Lang M, Salles-Crawley II, Ahnström J, Kalna V, Raimondi C, Pericleous C, Inuabasi L, Kiseleva R, Muzykantov VR, Mason JC, Birdsey GM and Randi AM.
The endothelial transcription factor ERG promotes vascular stability and growth through Wnt/β-catenin signaling.
Developmental Cell,
Birdsey GM, Shah AV, Dufton N, Reynolds LE, Osuna Almagro L, Yang Y, Aspalter IM, Khan ST, Mason JC, Dejana E, Göttgens B, Hodivala-Dilke K, Gerhardt H, Adams RH and Randi AM.