Academic Lead(s):
Dr Nick Powell
Research into inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is a major strength in gastroenterology research at GSTT, and will form the main research opportunity for the Academic Clinical Fellow (ACF) or Academic Clinical Lecturer (ACL). As a theme it brings together several independently successful research groups in Immunology, genetics/pharmacogenetics, molecular microbiology and gastroenterology. Longstanding productive collaborations between these groups already exist and are being harnessed to develop a strategic theme of Personalised IBD Medicine. Together these groups are developing precision medicine approaches to improve patient care.
Comprehensive training opportunities exist across all aspects of luminal gastroenterology, including endoscopy, IBD, coeliac disease, oesophageal disease/physiology, hepatobiliary disease, nutrition and general gastroenterology. Our IBD service is one of the biggest in the UK and ACFs will receive advanced training in IBD management. ACFs will also be actively involved in clinical trials. Our centre is among the top recruiting units in the UK.
The major strengths of the unit include mucosal immunology and genetics of IBD. This is woven into the fabric of the clinical service, which has one of the largest IBD practices in the UK. Research is embedded in all of our clinics and endoscopy sessions. A key objective of our group is close integration of all of the relevant scientific disciplines at the interface with our patient group. Increasingly we are generating projects combining skills in genetics, mucosal biology, intestinal microbiota and epithelial biology. We have an excellent track record in training clinical fellows and currently have mentored two PhD students to successfully win prestigious clinical research training fellowships from the Wellcome Trust.