The University of Sheffield
Department of Infection and Immunity

Dr Roger Thompson MB ChB BSc MRCP

Roger Thompson

Academic Unit of Respiratory Medicine
Department of Infection and Immunity
L Floor
The University of Sheffield Medical School
Beech Hill Road
Sheffield
S10 2RX
United Kingdom

Tel: +44 (0)114 226 8988
Fax: +44 (0)114 226 8898
Email:r.thompson@sheffield.ac.uk

Biography

I moved to Sheffield in 2006 to take up an NIHR Academic Clinical Fellowship in Respiratory Medicine having completed my undergraduate training and medical rotation in Edinburgh. I am currently an MRC training fellow under the supervision of Professor Moira Whyte and Dr Sarah Walmsley.

Research Interests

Hypoxia has been the general theme of my research interests. In 2001 and 2003 I organised two successful high altitude research expeditions to Bolivia, focussing on the maladaptive response to hypoxia that can result in altitude illness (www.altitude.org). Now I hope to translate this interest in altitude hypoxia into understanding how the body responds to hypoxia in the context of respiratory disease at sea level. I have broadened my interests into the field of cellular biology and specifically the question of how hypoxia modulates neutrophilic inflammation.

Current Projects

MRC Clinical Research Training Fellowship – The role of HIF-2alpha in neutrophilic inflammation

Key Publications

  1. Bates MGD, Thompson AAR, Baillie JK, Sutherland AI, Irving JB, Hirani N and Webb DJ. Sildenafil citrate for the prevention of high altitude hypoxic pulmonary hypertension: double blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial. High Altitude Medicine and Biology 2011; 12: 207-14.
  2. Walmsley SR, Chilvers ER, Thompson AAR, Vaughan K, Marriott HM, Parker LC, Shaw G, Parmar S, Schneider M, Sabroe I, Dockrell DH, Milo M, Taylor CT, Johnson RS, Pugh CW, Ratcliffe PJ, Maxwell PH, Carmeliet P and Whyte MKB. Prolyl hydroxylase PHD3 is essential for hypoxic regulation of neutrophilic inflammation in humans and mice. Journal of Clinical Investigation 2011; 121:1053-63.
  3. McGovern NN, Cowburn AS, Porter L, Walmsley SR, Summers C, Thompson AAR, Anwar S, Willcocks LC, Whyte MKB, Condliffe AM and Chilvers ER. Hypoxia selectively inhibits respiratory burst activity and killing of staphylococcus aureus in human neutrophils. Journal of Immunology 2011; 186:453–63.
  4. Thompson AAR, Raistrick CS, Pirzada OM and Anderson PB. An unusual complication of peroral bronchoscopy. European Respiratory Journal 2010; 35:221-2.
  5. Thompson AAR, Baillie JK, Bates MGD, Schnopp MF, Simpson A, Partridge RW, Drummond GB and Mason NP. The citric acid cough threshold and the ventilatory response to carbon dioxide on ascent to high altitude. Respiratory Medicine 2009; 103:1182-8.
  6. Baillie JK, Bates MGD, Thompson AAR, Waring WS, Partridge RW, Schnopp MF, Simpson A, Gulliver-Sloan F, Maxwell SRJ and Webb DJ. Endogenous urate production augments plasma antioxidant capacity in healthy lowland subjects exposed to high altitude. Chest 2007; 131:1473-1478.
  7. Thompson AAR, Baillie JK, Toshner M, Maxwell SRJ, Webb DJ and Irving JB. Pericardial effusions occur in healthy lowlanders following acute ascent to high altitude. Heart 2006; 92:539-540.