04.04.2005
Medical School inaugural lecture – 18 April 2005
Continuing in the series of Brighton and Sussex Medical School inaugural lectures, Chair of Medicine, Professor Kevin Davies, will present his research into lupus disease.
Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE or ‘lupus’) is a condition which can affect many different organs, including the joints, skin, kidneys and nervous system. It is an ‘autoimmune’ disease – that is, one which is caused by the activity of the body’s immune system against its own tissues.
Professor Davies has for many years been researching the underlying mechanisms which cause this abnormal regulation of the immune system to develop, and he will present some of his main findings in this lecture, focussing specifically on defects in the clearance of antigen-antibody (‘immune’) complexes.
Having joined the medical school in September 2002, Professor Davies is one of the founding members of the medical school and plays a pivotal role in curriculum development and in forging links with partners at the local hospitals. He was formerly Reader in the Division of Medicine at Imperial College, Hammersmith Hospital and was also Clinical Director of Medicine at both Hammersmith and Charing Cross hospitals.
While at Hammersmith Hospital Professor Davies developed a specialist interest in the care of patients with lupus (SLE) and other complex multi-system rheumatic diseases.
Supported by a research fellowship from ARC (Arthritis Research Campaign), he became one of the first clinical researchers to develop models to test his hypotheses that the autoimmune, inflammatory condition, Lupus (SLE) was associated with abnormal immune complex processing mechanisms and, with Professor Mike Peters, recently appointed Chair in Applied Physiology at BSMS, devised a novel way of actually imaging immune processing mechanisms in human subjects in real time. At BSMS, Professors Davies and Peters hope to develop this technique further.
Professor Davies also played a major role establishing the importance of anti-C1q antibodies in SLE and a diagnostic test was developed which is still used at Hammersmith Hospital and in an increasing number of other centres worldwide to this day, helping to establish the nature and severity of the disease.
Over the past fifteen years he has published widely on this work and presented his findings at the British Society of Rheumatology, American and European Rheumatology meetings and other specialist events, most recently as an invited speaker at the European Lupus Meeting in March this year.
Work in this field continues to evolve and more recently Professor Davies has concentrated on the genetic basis of lupus and some of the consequences of its treatment.
Professor Davies is keen to campaign for his work saying,
“The clinical importance of SLE should not be underestimated and in its severe forms the disease can be devastating. I hope that developing a deeper understanding of how the immune system works, and what goes wrong in lupus, will ultimately help us to develop more effective treatments for the condition.”
The lecture will take place at the Westlain House on the University of Brighton campus in Falmer on Monday 18 April 2005, starting at 6.30pm. Please inform the university if you wish to attend: lectures@bsms.ac.uk.
- Individual interviews with Professor Davies can be arranged. Please contact Laura Paliotta at BSMS in the first instance on 01273 877844.
- BSMS inaugural lectures will take place once per term and feature research presentations by each professor. The next in the series is scheduled for 17 May 2005 and is entitled ‘Is size important? New paradigms in cancer imaging’ by Professor Ken Miles, Professor of Imaging.
- The Brighton and Sussex Medical School is an equal partnership between the University of Brighton and the University of Sussex, working together with the NHS throughout the south-east region. It is the first undergraduate medical school in the south-east outside of London.
- It is funded by the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) and the Department of Health.
- The first intake of 135 students enrolled for the five-year programme in October 2003. Since then applications have grown each year, confirming the school’s status as a key player amongst medical schools in the UK.
- BSMS works hard to create committed and compassionate practitioners with high quality interpersonal skills, as well as ethical standards for professional practice, grounded in multi-professional, team-focused work.
Find out more
For more information contact Laura Paliotta, Communications Manager, on 01273 877844. www.bsms.ac.uk
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