Dr James Whiteford

Reader in Extracellular Matrix Biology, Director of Graduate Studies
Centre: Microvascular Research
Email: j.whiteford@qmul.ac.uk Telephone: +44(0) 20 7882 3909Website: https://www.centre-for-microvascular-research.com/whiteford-labTwitter: @LabWhiteford
Profile
James Whiteford graduated in Applied Biology from King’s College London in 1994 and obtained his PhD from King’s College London in 1998. Following post-doctoral research at Imperial College London and Copenhagen University (Denmark) he joined the Centre for Microvascular Research and was awarded an Arthritis Research UK career development fellowship in 2009. He obtained his Lectureship at the William Harvey Research Institute in 2014, and obtained his Senior Lectureship in 2016.
Memberships and Awards
- Chairman London Matrix Biology Group
- BSMB Organising Committee Member
- Editor British Journal of Pharmacology
- Editor Pharmacology Research and Perspectives
- Editor Frontiers in Immunology
Research
Summary
Our teams’ research focuses on angiogenesis, which is the process by which new blood vessels are formed from existing ones. Angiogenesis is a critical process in numerous diseases including cancer, diseases of the eye and inflammatory disorders such as Rheumatoid Arthritis. For some years we have been studying the role of the syndecan family of cell surface receptors in new blood vessel formation and inflammation with the aim of discovering therapeutic innovations which can modify this process to improve disease outcomes. We are currently developing a novel therapy for Wet-Age Related macular Degeneration and are also investigating the potential of our reagents as therapies for both arthritis and cancer.
Group members
Dr Faheem Shaik, Dr Samantha Arokiasamy, Miss Michaela Balderstone and Miss Nikayla Patel.
Publications
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Arokiasamy S, Balderstone MJM, Shaik F et al. (2025). QM107, a novel CD148 (RTP Type J) activating peptide therapy for treating neovascular ageārelated macular degeneration. nameOfConference
DOI: 10.1111/bph.17362
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mohamed M, WHITEFORD J, fan S (2024). WCN24-1216 CHARACTERISATION AND MODULATION OF GUT MICROBIOTA IN A MULTIETHNIC DIALYSIS COHORT USING THE BARTS DIABETIC KIDNEY CENTRE BIOBANK: A FEASIBILITY AND PILOT STUDY. nameOfConference
QMRO: qmroHref -
Moss BJ, McKenna N, Ochsner S et al. (2023). Regulation of Senescence and Mitochondrial Function by CD148 in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis Alveolar Epithelial Cells. A107. AGING AND LUNG DISEASES COMING TO AGE
QMRO: qmroHref -
Mauro D, Manou-Stathopoulou S, Rivellese F et al. (2023). UBE2L3 regulates TLR7-induced B cell autoreactivity in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus. nameOfConference
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Weeraman D, Jones DA, Hussain M et al. (2023). Proangiogenic Growth Factor Therapy for the Treatment of Refractory Angina: A Meta-analysis. nameOfConference
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Joulia R, Guerrero-Fonseca IM, Girbl T et al. (publicationYear). Neutrophil breaching of the blood vessel pericyte layer during diapedesis requires mast cell-derived IL-17A. nameOfConference
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Whiteford J, Arokiasamy S, Thompson CL et al. (2022). Novel application of live imaging to determine the functional cell biology of endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndMT) within a liver-on-a-chip platform. nameOfConference
QMRO: qmroHref -
Whiteford J, Arokiasamy S, Thompson C et al. (2022). FRI198 Investigating the function of Endothelial-To-Mesenchymal transition during liver fibrogenesis using a Liver-On-A-Chip platform. nameOfConference
QMRO: qmroHref -
Moss BJ, Ebrahimpour A, Coarfa C et al. (2022). CD148 Loss-of-Function Promotes Cellular Senescence and the Development of Experimental Fibrosis. C29. SENESCENCE, SENOLYTICS, AND AGING IN LUNG BIOLOGY
QMRO: qmroHref -
Thorup A-S, Wilson J, Strachan D et al. (2022). BLOCKING ROR2 IMPROVES CARTILAGE INTEGRITY AND PROVIDES PAIN RELIEF IN OSTEOARTHRITIS, IN PART BY MODULATING YAP SIGNALLING. nameOfConference
Collaborators
- Dr Tero Järvinen (University of Tampere, Finland)
- Prof James Bainbridge (UCL, UK)
Teaching
- Module Lead on BMD211 Pharmacology and IT BSc Degree Programme
- BMD175 ‘Research Skills for Pharmacologists’