Professor David Thickett DM FRCP

David Thickett

Department of Inflammation and Ageing
Professor in Respiratory Medicine

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 371 3231
Email
d.thickett@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Institute of Inflammation and Ageing
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
Centre for translational Inflammation Research
University of Birmingham Laboratories
Queen Elizabeth Hospital Birmingham
Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT

David Thickett trained in Oxford and London. He was a specialist registrar in the South West region before doing his DM thesis on ARDS in Bristol. He was initially appointed as a Senior Lecturer in 2001 and then became a Wellcome Intermediate Fellow in 2006. He was appointed as a reader in 2011 and promoted to Chair in Respiratory Medicine in 2014.

ORCID ID: 0000-0002-5456-6080

Qualifications

  • MA (Oxon) DM FRCP

Biography

General Professional training

  • 1992 House Officer Surgery, Princess Royal Hospital
  • 1992-1993 House Officer Medicine, Professorial Department of Endocrinology, North Staffordshire Royal Infirmary, Stoke on Trent
  • 1993-1994 Senior House Officer Cardiothoracic Medicine, Harefield Hospital
  • 1994 Senior House Officer Clinical Oncology / Gastroenterology, Mount Vernon, Hospital
  • 1994-1995 Senior House Officer General / Respiratory Medicine, RUH, Bath
  • 1995 Senior House Officer Neurology, Royal United Hospital, Bath

Specialist training

  • 1995-1996 Respiratory Registrar, Musgrove Park Hospital, Taunton
  • 1996-1998 Specialist Registrar Respiratory medicine, Southmead Hospital, Bristol
  • 1998-1999 Clinical Research Registrar, Lung Research Group, University of Bristol
  • 1999-2000 Specialist Registrar in Respiratory Medicine, Bristol Royal Infirmary
  • 2000-2001 Specialist Registrar, Gloucester Royal Hospital

Academic / Consultant Posts

  • 2001-2006 Senior Lecturer in Medical Sciences, University of Birmingham and Honorary Consultant Physician, UHB
  • 2006-2011 Wellcome Intermediate Fellowship
  • 2011-2014 Reader in Respiratory Medicine
  • 2014 Professor in Respiratory Medicine

Teaching

  • Mentor for 9 medical students
  • Regularly supervise BMEDSCI student projects (3rd year)
  • Lead for speciality respiratory medicine 4th year
  • Respiratory self select module in the second year

Postgraduate supervision

  • Previously had 4 MD students and 1 PhD student successfully complete
  • Currently has 1 MD student and 4 PhD students

Research

Dr Thickett’s research interests are predominantly in the areas of primary lung epithelial and macrophage biology, murine models of acute lung injury, epithelial mesenchymal transition and translational clinical trials to prevent and treat acute lung injury and idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. He has been and continues to be a co-investigator or principal investigator on a number of clinical trials successfully obtaining an MRC DCS grant for 2 clinical trials of vitamin D therapy to prevent lung injury following oesophagectomy.

Dr Thickett is currently involved in the following studies:

  • Translational science lead, chairman of clinical endpoints committee and steering group member for BALTI- PREVENTION
  • PI of a phase II trial of simvastatin in healthy elderly patients
  • PI of a phase II study of the pharmcogenetics of vitamin D replacement in tuberculosis
  • PI of a phase II open label dosing study of vitamin D following oesophagectomy
  • the PI of a phase II study vitamin D to prevent acute lung injury following oesophagectomy (VINDALOO)
  • PI of a phase II study of simvastatin to modify neutrophil function in older patients with septic pneumonia (SNOOPI)
  • TSC member of TIPAC-2 steering committee – a trial of septrin therapy in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Other activities

  • Associate Editor of Thorax (2011-2015)
  • Less than fulltime training committee representative for Respiratory Medicine West Midlands
  • Respiratory Trainee training committee member 2006-ongoing
  • Birmingham and the Black Country Respiratory research lead
  • Respresent respiratory Medicine for Birmingham upon the national Respiratory speciality group for the CLRN

Publications

Recent publications

Article

Mahida, RY, Yuan, Z, Kolluri, KK, Scott, A, Parekh, D, Hardy, RS, Matthay, MA, Perkins, GD, Janes, SM & Thickett, DR 2024, '11β hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 transgenic mesenchymal stem cells attenuate inflammation in models of sepsis', Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology, vol. 12, 1422761. https://doi.org/10.3389/fbioe.2024.1422761

Jasper, A, Faniyi, A, Davis, L, Grudzinska, F, Halston, R, Hazeldine, J, Parekh, D, Sapey, E, Thickett, D & Scott, A 2024, 'E-cigarette vapor renders neutrophils dysfunctional due to filamentous actin accumulation', Journal of Investigational Allergology and Clinical Immunology, vol. 153, no. 1, pp. 320-329.e8. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jaci.2023.08.025

Quarton, S, Livesey, A, Jeff, C, Hatton, C, Scott, A, Parekh, D, Thickett, D, McNally, A & Sapey, E 2024, 'Metagenomics in the Diagnosis of Pneumonia: Protocol for a Systematic Review', JMIR Research Protocols, vol. 13, e57334. https://doi.org/10.2196/57334

Patel, A, Caruana, EJ, Hodson, J, Morrison, R, Khor, B, Gysling, S, Trevis, J, Mangel, T, Benson, R, Zakeri, R, Manders, J, Vaja, R, Rogers, L, Baker, P, Pournaras, DJ, Thickett, D, Hewison, M, Naidu, B & Lim, E 2024, 'Role of vitamin D supplementation in modifying outcomes after surgery: a systematic review of randomised controlled trials', BMJ open, vol. 14, no. 1, e073431. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2023-073431

Quarton, S, McGee, K, Cumley, N, Behruznia, M, Jeff, C, Belchamber, K, Cox, M, Thickett, D, Scott, A, Parekh, D, McNally, A & Sapey, E 2024, 'Towards personalised anti-microbial and immune approaches to infections in acute care. Can real-time genomic-informed diagnosis of pathogens, and immune-focused therapies improve outcomes for patients? An observational, experimental study protocol', PLoS ONE, vol. 19, no. 3, e0298425. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0298425

Chadda, KR, Roberts, SA, Lugg, ST, Faniyi, AA, Faustini, SE, Webster, C, Duffy, JE, Hewison, M, Shields, A, Richter, AG, Parekh, D, Scott, A & Thickett, DR 2024, 'Vitamin D deficiency and duration of COVID-19 symptoms in UK healthcare workers', Frontiers in Medicine, vol. 11, 1494129. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmed.2024.1494129

Mahida, RY, Lax, S, Bassford, CR, Scott, A, Parekh, D, Hardy, RS, Naidu, B, Matthay, MA, Stewart, PM, Cooper, MC, Perkins, GD & Thickett, DR 2023, 'Impaired alveolar macrophage 11β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 reductase activity contributes to increased pulmonary inflammation and mortality in sepsis-related ARDS', Frontiers in immunology, vol. 14, 1159831. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1159831

Grudzinska, FS, Faniyi, AA, Scott, A, Sapey, E & Thickett, DR 2023, 'Observational cohort study protocol: neutrophil function and energetics in adults with pneumonia and sepsis: Pneumonia Metabolism in Ageing (PUMA)', BMJ Open Respiratory Research, vol. 10, no. 1, e001806. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjresp-2023-001806

Thein, OS, Ali, NA, Mahida, RY, Dancer, RCA, Ostermann, M, Amrein, K, Martucci, G, Scott, A, Thickett, DR & Parekh, D 2023, 'Raised FGF23 Correlates to Increased Mortality in Critical Illness, Independent of Vitamin D', Biology, vol. 12, no. 2, 309. https://doi.org/10.3390/biology12020309

Grudzinska, F, Jasper, A, Sapey, E, Thickett, D, Mauro, C, Scott, A & Barlow, J 2023, 'Real-time assessment of neutrophil metabolism and oxidative burst using extracellular flux analysis', Frontiers in immunology, vol. 14, 1083072. https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2023.1083072

PHOSP-COVID study collaborative group 2023, 'Residual Lung Abnormalities after COVID-19 Hospitalization Interim Analysis of the UKILD Post-COVID-19 Study', American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, vol. 207, no. 6, pp. 693-703. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202203-0564OC

Ahmad, S, Wrennall, JA, Goriounova, AS, Sekhri, M, Iskarpatyoti, JA, Ghosh, A, Abdelwahab, SH, Voeller, A, Rai, M, Mahida, RY, Krajewski, K, Ignar, DM, Greenbaum, A, Moran, TP, Tilley, SL, Thickett, DR, Sassano, MF & Tarran, R 2023, 'Specific Inhibition of Orai1-mediated Calcium Signalling Resolves Inflammation and Clears Bacteria in an ARDS Model', American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine. https://doi.org/10.1164/rccm.202308-1393OC

Abstract

Roberts, SA, Lugg, ST, Faniyi, AA, Faustini, SE, Faniyi, C, Duffy, J, Hewison, M, Shields, A, Richter, AG, Parekh, D, Scott, A & Thickett, DR 2023, 'P165 Association between vitamin D deficiency and extended duration of COVID-19 symptoms', Thorax, vol. 77, no. Suppl 1, pp. A170-A171. https://doi.org/10.1136/thorax-2022-BTSabstracts.299

Letter

PHOSP-COVID Collaborative Group, ISARIC investigators, Jackson, T, Broome, M, McArdle, P, Moss, P, Thickett, D, Upthegrove, R, Wraith, D, Aldera, EL, Green, C & McGee, K 2024, 'Large-scale phenotyping of patients with long COVID post-hospitalization reveals mechanistic subtypes of disease', Nature Immunology, vol. 25, no. 4, pp. 607-621. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41590-024-01778-0

Student Audit and Research in Surgery (STARSurg) Collaborative & European Surgical (EuroSurg) Collaborative 2022, 'CArdiovaSCulAr outcomes after major abDominal surgEry: study protocol for a multicentre, observational, prospective, international audit of postoperative cardiac complications after major abdominal surgery', British Journal of Anaesthesia, vol. 128, no. 5, pp. e324-e327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bja.2022.02.012

View all publications in research portal