Hepatology Research Group
Dedicated to improving the understanding and treatment of liver disease
The hepatology research group (HRG) is an integral part of the Institute of Health and Care Research: infection, immunity and inflammation.
We utilise state of the art laboratory facilities based in the Derriford Research Facility, and the world class clinical research strengths of the Faculty of Health and University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
We work in unison with the South West Liver Unit, at University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust, providing a full range and secondary, tertiary and community Hepatology services to the South West region, including assessment for liver transplantation, TIPS and liver cancer therapy.
The research team run several commercially sponsored clinical trials in hepatitis C therapy, non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), primary biliary cholangiopathy (PBC), alcoholic liver disease and liver failure amongst others, through the clinical research facilities of The Lind Research Centre at Derriford Hospital.
Hepatology Research Group Annual Reports
The broad themes of the hepatology research group are:
- Protection from hepatitis C virus infection – (principal investigator) PI Professor Matthew Cramp
- Lipid metabolism and the pathogenesis and treatment of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis – PI Dr David Sheridan
- Alcoholic hepatitis – PI Ashwin Dhanda
- Molecular virology of hepatitis C and other hepatitis viruses – PI Dr Dan Felmlee
Hepatology research areas
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Hepatitis C resistance
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Non-alcoholic fatty liver disease
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Alcohol-related hepatitis
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Liver cancer (hepatocellular carcinoma)
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Environment and liver disease
Publications
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2023 'Assessment of immune function and prediction of survival and infection in patients with severe alcoholic hepatitis: An exploratory study' JGH Open , DOI
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2023 'Deaths from alcohol-related liver disease in the UK: an escalating tragedy' The Lancet 401, (10375) 418-420 , DOI
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2023 'Satellite liver transplant centres significantly improve transplant assessment outcomes for patients with chronic liver disease but not hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective cohort study' Frontline Gastroenterology , DOI
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2022 'Infection with the hepatitis C virus causes viral genotype-specific differences in cholesterol metabolism and hepatic steatosis' Scientific Reports 12, (1) , DOI Open access
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2022 'A phase II, randomized, open-label, 52-week study of seladelpar in patients with primary biliary cholangitis' Journal of Hepatology , DOI Open access
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2022 'Patients with moderate to severe COVID-19 have an impaired cytokine response with an exhausted and senescent immune phenotype' Immunobiology 227, (2) , DOI Open access
Environment and liver disease
Developing research work to study the impact of environmental issues on human health will become an important part of our research portfolio.
This is a key topic for our group with rising concern about the links between environmental degradation / pollution and climate change with poor health. Discussions between Matthew Cramp and Richard Thompson, Director of the Marine Institute at University of Plymouth, have resulted in a new collaboration that will use the skills and facilities of both groups to look at micro- and nano-plastics and their potential impact on gut and liver health. Dr Ashwin Dhanda has been successful at getting internal funding support for our joint PhD student, Namrata Pandey , who joined us in January.
Clinical trials
Therapeutic intervention trials and national registry studies for liver disease research and service delivery. Find out more about our clinical trials
Innovations in Liver Services
Minimising Mortality from Alcoholic Hepatitis
Plymouth is now an active recruitment site part of the national MRC funded consortium aiming to minimise death from alcoholic hepatitis (MICAH). Led by Dr Ashwin Dhanda the group is validating a novel bioassay to measure response to glucocorticoid (steroid) therapy.
Interview – Matthew Cramp talks about reducing mortality from Hepatitis C virus
Hepatitis C is a global health crisis impacting the lives of an estimated 180 million people. A major contributor to liver disease, in the UK alone, around 180,000 people are infected by hepatitis C at any one time.
Meet the team
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![Professor Matthew Cramp Chair in Hepatology]( "Professor Matthew Cramp")
Professor Matthew Cramp
Chair in Hepatology
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![Dr David Sheridan Associate Professor & Honorary Consultant in Hepatology]( "Dr David Sheridan")
Dr David Sheridan
Associate Professor & Honorary Consultant in Hepatology
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![Dr Ashwin Dhanda Honorary Associate Professor in Hepatology]( "Dr Ashwin Dhanda")
Dr Ashwin Dhanda
Honorary Associate Professor in Hepatology
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![Dr Daniel Felmlee Lecturer in Hepatology]( "Dr Daniel Felmlee")
Dr Daniel Felmlee
Lecturer in Hepatology
Hepatology research team
Meet the Hepatology research team:
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Dr Huey Tan – PhD Student -
Dr Paula Boeira – Research Assistant -
Justyna Lopatecka – PhD Student -
Hannah Windmill – PhD Student -
Namrata Pandey – PhD Student
NIHR Academic Clinical Fellows:
- Dr Kris Bennett
- Dr Keith Pohl
- Dr Prebashan Moodley
Bath placement students:
- Gediminas Vielius
- Jaiveer Arora
Hepatology Research Group on Twitter
Derriford Research Facility
State-of-the-art headquarters of the Plymouth Institute of Health and Care Research.
This facility allows greater collaboration between medical, dental and biomedical researchers at the university, as well as with research clinicians from University Hospitals Plymouth NHS Trust.
