WHAT WE DO

All photography provided by Sexton Research Group

Since 1998, we have undertaken research to understand inflammation; its initiation, resolution and modulation.

 

Our Mission

We have originally focussed on airway inflammation and its resolution through apoptosis induction in immune cells and their consequent removal through phagocytosis by macrophages and resident airway epithelial cells. We wish to further define this mechanism and to understand what contributes to, or perturbs, this process. We are presently investigating opsonisation of phagocytes and apoptotic targets by ficolins; the role of hydrogen sulfide and hypoxia in modulating phagocytosis, the effect of dietary isothiocyanates on manifesting apoptosis in granulocytes and augmentation of phagocytosis, and the effect of hydrogen sulfide and dietary isothiocyanates on perturbing T-cell proliferation and skewing their differentiation.

“The deviation of man from the state in which he was originally placed by nature seems to have proved to him a prolific source of disease. ”
— Edward Jenner

Publications

  1. Islam Y, Ehtezazi P, Cashmore A, Marinsalda E, Leach AG, Coxon CR, Fatokun AA, Sexton DW, Khan I, Zouganelis G, Downing J, Pluchino S, Sivakumaran M, Teixido M, Ehtezazi.  The Inclusion of a Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Responsive Sequence in Self-assembled Peptide-based Brain-Targeting Nanoparticles Improves the Efficiency of Nanoparticles Crossing the Blood-Brain Barrier at Elevated MMP-9 Levels. T.J Pharm Sci. 2021 Mar;110(3):1349-1364. doi: 10.1016/j.xphs.2020.12.004.

  2. Heaton, R, Heales, S, Rahman, K, Sexton DW, Hargreaves, I. The Effect of a Cellular Coenzyme Q10 Deficiency on Lysosomal Acidification. J Clin Med. 2020;9(6):E1923. (IF 5.688)

  3. Richardson A, Powell AK, Sexton DW, Parsons JL, Reynolds NJ, Ross K. microRNA-184 is induced by store-operated calcium entry and regulates early keratinocyte differentiation. J Cell Physiol. 2020. doi: 10.1002/jcp.29579. (IF 5.546)

  4. Osman NM, Sexton DW, Saleem IY. Toxicological assessment of nanoparticle interactions with the pulmonary system. Nanotoxicology. 2020;14(1):21-58. (IF 5.995)

  5. Bidula S, Sexton DW, Schelenz S. Ficolins and the Recognition of Pathogenic Microorganisms: An Overview of the Innate Immune Response and Contribution of Single Nucleotide Polymorphisms. J Immunol Res. 2019;2019:3205072. doi: 10.1155/2019/3205072. eCollection 2019. (IF 3.404)

  6. Richardson A, Muir L, Mousdell S, Sexton D, Jones S, Howl J, Ross K. Modulation of mitochondrial activity in HaCaT keratinocytes by the cell penetrating peptide Z-Gly-RGD(DPhe)-mitoparan. BMC Res Notes. 2018; 11(1):82. doi: 10.1186/s13104-018-3192-1. (IF 2.1)

  7. Hanson K, Robinson SR, Al-Yousuf K, Hendry AE, Sexton DW, Sherwood V, Wheeler GN. The anti-rheumatic drug, leflunomide, synergizes with MEK inhibition to suppress melanoma growth. Oncotarget. 2017;9(3):3815-3829. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.23378. (IF 4.66)

  8. Dubourg A, Xia D, Winpenny JP, Al Naimi S, Bouzid M, Sexton DW, Wastling JM, Hunter PR, Tyler KM. Giardia secretome highlights secreted tenascins as a key component of pathogenesis. Gigascience. 2018;7(3):1-13. doi: 10.1093/gigascience/giy003.

  9. Stepien KM, Heaton R, Rankin S, Murphy A, Bentley J, Sexton D, Hargreaves IP. (2017) Evidence of Oxidative Stress and Secondary Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Metabolic and Non-Metabolic Disorders. J Clin Med. 6(7). (IF 5.688)

  10. 10. Kotecha J, Shulgina L, Sexton DW, Atkins CP, Wilson AM.  Plasma Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor Concentration and Alveolar Nitric Oxide as Potential Predictors of Disease Progression and Mortality in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis. J Clin Med. 2016; 5(9). (IF 5.688)

  11. Steverding D, Tyler, KM & Sexton DW. (2016) Evaluation of marking of peer-marking in oral presentation. Perspect Med Educ. 2016; 5(2):103-7. (IF 2.568)

  12. Wang W, He Y, Yu G, Li B, Sexton DW, Wileman T, et al. (2015) Sulforaphane Protects the Liver against CdSe Quantum Dot-Induced Cytotoxicity. PLoS ONE 10(9): e0138771. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0138771 (IF3.234)

  13. Jacques RO, Mills SC, Cazzonatto Zerwes P, Fagade FO, Green JE, Downham S, Sexton DW, Mueller A. Dynamin function is important for chemokine receptor-induced cell migration Cell Biochem Funct. 2015 Sep 9. (IF 2.005)

  14. Bidula S, Sexton DW, Schelenz S. Serum opsonin ficolin-A enhances host-fungal interactions and modulates cytokine expression from human monocyte-derived macrophages and neutrophils following Aspergillus fumigatus challenge. Med Microbiol Immunol. 2015 Sep 4. (IF 3.038)

  15. Bidula, Stefan, Sexton, DW, Yates, M, Abdolrasouli, A, Shah, A, Wallis, R, Reed, A, Armstrong Jones, D, Schelenz, S.  H-ficolin binds Aspergillus fumigatus leading to activation of the lectin complement pathway and modulation of lung epithelial immune responses. Immunology. 2015 Manuscript ID: IMM-2015-3713.R1 (IF 3.735)

  16. Bidula S, Sexton DW, Abdolrasouli A, Shah A, Reed A, Armstrong-James D, Schelenz S. The Serum Opsonin L-ficolin Is Detected in Lungs of Human Transplant Recipients Following Fungal Infections and Modulates Inflammation and Killing of Aspergillus fumigatus. J Infect Dis. 2015 Jan 22. pii: jiv027. (IF 5.997)

  17. Ellis S, Sexton DW, Steverding D. Trypanotoxic activity of thiosemicarbazone iron chelators. Exp Parasitol. 2015 Mar;150:7-12. (IF 1.638)

  18. Campwala H, Sexton DW, Crossman DC, Fountain SJ. P2Y₆ receptor inhibition perturbs CCL2-evoked signalling in human monocytic and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. J Cell Sci. 2014 Nov 15;127(22):4964-73. (IF 5.432)

  19. Brockwell C, Ampikaipakan S, Sexton DW, Price D, Freeman D, Thomas M, Ali M, Wilson AM. Adjunctive treatment with oral AKL1, a botanical nutraceutical, in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Int J Chron Obstruct Pulmon Dis. 2014, 9:715-21. (IF 3.141)

  20. Wills QF, Livak KJ, Tipping AJ, Enver T, Goldson AJ; Sexton DW, Holmes CC. Single cell gene expression analysis reveals genetic associations masked in whole-tissue experiments. Nature Biotechnology 2013, 31(8):748-52. (PMID: 23873083) (IF 39.080).

  21. Bidula S, Kenawy H, Ali YM, Sexton DW,  Schwaeble WJ,  Schelenz S. The role of ficolin-A and lectin complement pathway in the innate defence against pathogenic Aspergillus species. Infection and Immunity 2013, 81(5):1730-40. (PMID 23478320) (IF 4.165)

  22. Steverding D, Sexton DW. Trypanocidal activity of salinomycin is due to sodium influx followed by cell swelling. Parasites and Vectors. 2013, 6:78 (IF 2.937)

  23. Kerr, JS, Jacques RO, Moyano-Cardaba C, Tse T, Sexton DW and Mueller A. Differential regulation of chemotaxis: role of G in chemokine receptor-induced cell migration during inflammation. Cellular Signalling 2013, 25(4):729-35. (PMID 23277202) (IF 4.058)

  24. Phillips EA, Sexton DW, Steverding D. Bitter melon extract inhibits proliferation of Trypanosoma brucei bloodstream forms in vitro. Exp Parasitol. 2012, 133(3):353-356. (PMID 23266484)(IF 2.122)

  25. Livak K, Wills QF, Tipping AJ, Datta K; Mittal R; Goldson AJ; Sexton DW, Holmes CC. Methods for qPCR gene expression profiling applied to 1440 lymphoblastoid single cells. Methods. 2013, 59(1):71-9. (IF 4.011)

  26. Schelenz S, Kirchhof N, Bidula S, Wallis R, Sexton DW: Opsonizing properties of rat ficolin-A in the defence against Cryptococcus neoformans, Immunobiology 2013, 218(4):477-83 (PMID 22789560) (IF 3.205)

  27. Steverding D, Sexton DW, Chrysochoidi N, Cao F. Trypanosoma brucei transferrin receptor can bind C-lobe and N-lobe fragments of transferrin. Mol Biochem Parasitol 2012, 185:99-105. (IF 2.551)

  28. Steverding D, Sexton DW, Wang X, Gehre SS, Wagner G and Caffrey C. Trypansoma brucei: chemical evidence that cathepsin L rather than cathepsin B is essential for survival and the relevant drug target. Int. J. Parasitol 2012, 42:481-488 (IF 3.393)

  29. Greatorex JS, Page RF, Curran MD, Digard P, Enstone JE, Wreghitt T, Powell PP, Sexton DW, Vivancos R, Nguyen-Van-Tam JS. Effectiveness of common household cleaning agents in reducing the viability of human Influenza A/H1N1. PLoS One. 2010; 5(2):e8987.(IF 4.092)

  30. Steverding D, Wang X, Sexton DW.  The trypanocidal effect of NO-releasing agents is not due to inhibition of the major cysteine proteinase in Trypanosoma brucei.. Parasitol Res. 2009; 105(5):1333-8.

  31. Wilson AM, Sexton DW, Wright T Germaschewski F, Jupp OJ Ampikaipakan S, Lloyd A, Ashman C, Cahn T, De Boever E.  Phospho-Stat-6 levels in nasal scrapings of asthmatic patients increases following nasal challenge with grass but not house dust mite allergen. Eur Respir J 2009; 34 (suppl):P891

  32. Winpenny, JP, Marsey, LL & Sexton, DW.  The CLCA Gene family: Putative Therapeutic Target for respiratory Diseases. Inflammation & Allergy – Drug Targets  2009; 8(2):146-60.

  33. Sexton DWTargeting airway inflammation: PMX464 and the epithelial bullseye. Brit J Pharmacol. 2008; 155(5):620-2.

Chapter 11.8 Eosinophil-Airway Epithelial Cell Interactions Darren W. Sexton and Garry M. Walsh 

Chapter 11.8 Eosinophil-Airway Epithelial Cell Interactions

Darren W. Sexton and Garry M. Walsh 

Chapter 15. Eosinophil apoptosis and fateDarren W. Sexton

Chapter 15. Eosinophil apoptosis and fate

Darren W. Sexton