Jayachandran Radhakrishnan

Former Clinical Research Fellow, DPhil awarded 2012

Functional Genomics of Sepsis

Sepsis is the systemic inflammatory response to infection. The pathophysiology of sepsis is complex and poorly understood. This is reflected in the limited treatment options available for sepsis and the poor clinical outcomes.

I studied the functional genomics of sepsis as part of the GAinS project (Genomic Advances in Sepsis). The GAinS study is a genome wide association study correlating genetic variation to outcomes in well defined sepsis phenotypes (Community-acquired pneumonia and Faecal Peritonitis). During my DPhil I investigated the functional effects of relevant genetic variations identified by the GAinS study, and other colloborating projects. A subset of the larger patient cohort of the GAinS project also provide serial samples of plasma and white blood cells; this allows the study of gene expression changes in patients over a period of time, and correlation of these changes to pertinent outcomes.

I have background in anaesthetics with a special interest in intensive care medicine; I am in training with the London Deanery and School of Anaesthesia.

Email: jchandrur@well.ox.ac.uk

Keywords: Sepsis, Genetics, Genomics, Gene expression, Genome-wide association, Community-acquired pneumonia, Faecal peritonitis, Endotoxin tolerance, Lipopolysaccharide

This project is sponsored by a fellowship grant from the Wellcome Trust and is supported by the UKCRN