Dr Darren Sexton
| Job Title | Contact | Location |
|---|---|---|
| Lecturer |
D dot Sexton at uea dot ac dot uk
Tel: +44 (0)1603 59 3321 |
Career
- Post Doctoral Researcher 2004 - 2005 EBV Group, Dept. of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
- Post Doctoral Researcher 2001 - 2004 Dept. of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
- Research Assistant 1998 - 1998 Dept. of Medicine and Therapeutics, University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
Academic Background
- Ph.D. in Medicine. 1998 – 2001 University of Aberdeen, Scotland.
- M.Sc. (Distinction) in Biomedical Sciences 1996 – 1997
University Of Ulster, Coleraine, Northern Ireland - B.Sc. Hons Biotechnology 1992 – 1996
Dublin City University, Ireland.
Key Research Interests
My research focuses on airway inflammation resolution. I have an interest in the induction of apoptosis in granulocytes and their subsequent removal via phagocytosis by airway epithelial cells and alveolar macrophages. In trying to elucidate the mechanisms of recognition of apoptotic cells by phagocytes I have begun to focus on sugar changes on the apoptotic cell surface and how these are identified. Siglecs and ficolins are presently being studied to explicate their role in airway homeostasis and disease aetiology. The pro-active role of the epithelium in airway inflammation continues to burgeon and I continue to examine immunomodulatory activity following epithelial cell phagocytic activity and the introduction of drugs, such as Thalidomide.
I work closely with Dr Andrew Wilson, Senior Respiratory Consultant, at the NNUH and Lecturer in MED, who has engaged several pharmaceutical companies to perform clinical trials based here at UEA.
Research Group Members
Biomedicine
Teaching Interests
My teaching interests are in providing medical students with an understanding of the basic sciences and immunology.
Within my teaching remit I perform the following duties.
- MB/BS Unit 3 Academic Lead & part of MB/BS Year 2 Academic team.
- Member of the Curriculum Design and Development (CDD) team.
- MB/BS SSS Year 1 Biochemistry and Cellular Pathology Domain Lead.
- MB/BS PBL Tutor
- MB/BS OSCE assessor
- Interviewer and UCAS applications assessor for MB/BS course.
- Lecturer and seminar giver on MB/BS medical degree course (all years).
- Unit 4 (Research Funding) Lead on the newly instigated MSc in Health Research.
Article
Kerr, JS, Jacques, RO, Moyano Cardaba, C, Tse, T, Sexton, D and Mueller, A (2013) Differential regulation of chemotaxis: Role of Gβγ in chemokine receptor-induced cell migration. Cellular Signalling, 25 (4). pp. 729-735. ISSN 08986568
Smith, TO, Sexton, D, Mitchell, P and Hing, CB (2011) Opening- or closing-wedged high tibial osteotomy: A meta-analysis of clinical and radiological outcomes. The Knee, 18 (6). pp. 361-368. ISSN 09680160
Greatorex, JS, Page, RF, Curran, M, Digard, P, Enstone, JE, Wreghitt, T, Powell, PP, Sexton, DW, Vivancos, R and Hguyen-Van-Tam, JS (2010) Effectiveness of common household cleaning agents in reducing the viability of human Influenza A/H1N1. PLoS ONE, 5 (2). e8987.
Steverding, DJ, Wang, X and Sexton, DW (2009) The trypanocidal effect of NO-releasing agents is not due to inhibition of the major cysteine proteinase in Trypanosoma brucei. Parasitology Research, 105 (5). pp. 1333-1338.
Winpenny, JP, Marsey, LL and Sexton, DW (2009) The CLCA Gene Family: Putative Therapeutic Target for Respiratory Diseases. Inflammation and Allergy - Drug Targets, 8 (2). pp. 146-160.
Sexton, DW and Walsh, GM (2005) Airway inflammation resolution. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 35 (7). pp. 838-840.
Walsh, GM, Al-Rabia, MW, Blaylock, MG, Sexton, DW, Duncan, CJ and Lawrie, A (2005) Control of eosinophil toxicity in the lung. Current Drug Targets Inflamm Allergy, 4 (4). pp. 481-486.
Al-Rabia, MW, Blaylock, MG, Sexton, DW and Walsh, GM (2004) Membrane receptor-mediated apoptosis and caspase activation in the differentiated EoL-1 eosinophilic cell line. Journal of Leukocyte Biology, 75 (6). pp. 1045-1055.
Sexton, DW, Al-Rabia, MW, Blaylock, MG and Walsh, GM (2004) Phagocytosis of apoptotic eosinophils but not neutrophils by bronchial epithelial cells. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 34 (10). pp. 1514-1524.
Al-Rabia, MW, Blaylock, MG, Sexton, DW, Thomson, L and Walsh, GM (2003) Granule protein changes and membrane receptor phenotype in maturing human eosinophils cultured from CD34+ progenitors. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 33 (5). pp. 640-648.
Walsh, GM, Sexton, DW and Blaylock, MG (2003) Corticosteroids, eosinophils and bronchial epithelial cells: new insights into the resolution of inflammation in asthma. Journal of Endocrinology, 178 (1). pp. 37-43.
Sexton, DW and Walsh, GM (2002) Eosinophil-epithelial cell interactions: an important facet of asthmatic inflammation. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 32 (6). pp. 811-813.
Thomson, L, Blaylock, MG, Sexton, DW, Campbell, A and Walsh, GM (2002) Cetirizine and levocetirizine inhibit eotaxin-induced eosinophil transendothelial migration through human dermal or lung microvascular endothelial cells. Clinical and Experimental Allergy, 32 (8). pp. 1187-1192.
Sexton, DW, Blaylock, MG and Walsh, GM (2001) Human alveolar epithelial cells engulf apoptotic eosinophils by means of integrin- and phosphatidylserine receptor-dependent mechanisms: a process upregulated by dexamethasone. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 108 (6). pp. 962-969.
Conference or Workshop Item
Sexton, DW (2004) Phagocytosis of apoptotic granulocytes by bronchial epithelium and monocyte derived macrophages. In: 2nd European Respiratory Society Lung Science Conference, Taormina, Sicily, Italy.
Sexton, DW (2004) Caspase Activation in Peripheral Blood Eosinophils Following Antibody-Dependant Ligation of CD45 and CD69. In: Joint 12th International Congress of the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies, Montreal, Canada.
Sexton, DW (2004) Modulation of Sigel-8 and CD36 Expression on Peripheral Blood Eosinophils during Apoptosis. In: Joint 12th International Congressof the Federation of Clinical Immunology Societies, Montreal, Canada.
Sexton, DW (2003) Comparsion of phagocytosis of apoptotic granulocytes by airway epithelial cell and monocyte-derived macrophages. In: 13th Annual Congress of the European Respiratory Society (ERS), Vienna, Austria.
Sexton, DW (2001) Induction of Apoptosis in Eosinophils via co-culture with Airway Epithelium. In: European Academy for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Berlin, Germany.
Sexton, DW and Garcia, J (2001) Aveolar epithelial cells recognise and ingest apoptotic eosinophils in an integrin and phosphatidylserine-dependant manner, a process enhanced by dexamethasone. In: European Academy for Allergology and Clinical Immunology (EAACI), Berlin, Germany.
External Activities and Indicators of Esteem
- Published two invited editorials for the Journal of Clinical and Experimental Allergy
- Reviewer/Referee for Journal of Clinical and Experimental Allergy
- Reviewer/Referee for British Journal of Pharmacology
- Reviewer/Referee for Cell Death and Differentiation
- Reviewer/Referee for Current Drug Targets - Inflammation and Allergy
- Grant Referee for BBSRC
Administrative Posts/Responsibilities
- MB/BS Unit 3 Academic Lead & part of MB/BS Year 2 Academic team
- Member of the Curriculum Design and Development (CDD) team
- MB/BS SSS Year 1 Biochemistry and Cellular Pathology Domain Lead
- MB/BS PBL Tutor
- MB/BS OSCE assessor
- Interviewer and UCAS applications assessor for MB/BS course
- Academic representative on the School of Medicine’s Health and Safety Committee
- Lecturer and seminar giver on MB/BS course (all years)
- Unit 4 (Research Funding) Lead on the newly MSc in Health Research
