Staff Profile

Dr White is a cell and molecular biologists. His career first focussed on bringing benefit to health through advances in gene therapy, particularly focussing on cardiovascular gene therapy, followed by a shift to study cardiovascular biology in more detail. Dr White has in depth knowledge in endothelial biology and biomechanics as well as vascular biology and processes that promote atherosclerosis and progression to clinical sequalae such as heart attacks.

Previous posts: 

Reader in Cardiovascular Pathology, Manchester Metropolitan University. (1/10/2016-30/6/23)

BHF-funded Research Fellow (CH95/001), Bristol Heart Institute, University of Bristol. (1/1/2007 – 30/9/2016)

British Heart Foundation Intermediate Fellow, Bristol Heart Institute (1/1/2004-31/12/2006).

Postdoctoral Scientist, Bristol Heart Institute (1/12/1997-31/12/2003)

Education:          

University of Warwick. Class 2(i), B.Sc. (Hons) (1994) Microbiology and Virology.

University of Oxford. D.Phil., (1998). Ex-vivo keratinocyte gene therapy.

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I am a molecular cell biologist focussing on the mechanisms that cause heart attacks, predominantly endothelial erosion, which is the trigger of ~25% of heart attacks. I have a particular expertise in endothelial biology, biomechanics, endothelial dysfunction and physiological cell models to allow the study of endothelial responses overlying atherosclerotic plaques. Current projects include deciphering the molecular pathways involved in driving plaque erosion, multi-omic analysis of adhesome signalling, understanding the molecular drivers of disease from GWAS & EWAS studies, the creation of a CV risk detection platform E-Sense, and health data mining for novel digital patterns of CV risk, aided by a multidisciplinary team of friends and collaborators across the globe.

I contribute to teaching on a number of courses including training future NHS scientists through the STP programme through our MSC Clinical Science. I also contribute to teaching on our MSc in Cardiovascular Health and Disease and undergraduate lectures in Clinical Aging and Health.

• Articles

  • Drysdale A, Blanco-Lopez M, White SJ, Unsworth AJ, Jones S. Differential Proteoglycan Expression in Atherosclerosis Alters Platelet Adhesion and Activation. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2024, 25(2), 950.
  • Selvarajan I, Kiema M, Huang RT, Li J, Zhu J, Pölönen P, Örd T, Õunap K, Godiwala M, Golebiewski AK, Ravindran A, Mäklin K, Toropainen A, Stolze LK, Arce M, Magnusson PU, White S, Romanoski CE, Heinäniemi M, Laakkonen JP, Fang Y, Kaikkonen-Määttä M. Coronary Artery Disease Risk Variant Dampens the Expression of CALCRL by Reducing HSF Binding to Shear Stress Responsive Enhancer in Endothelial Cells In Vitro. Arteriosclerosis, Thrombosis, and Vascular Biology 2024, epub ahead of print.
  • Zhang X, Han L, Sobeih T, Han L, Dempsey N, Lechareas S, Tridente A, Chen H, White S, Zhang D. CXR-Net: A Multitask Deep Learning Network for Explainable and Accurate Diagnosis of COVID-19 Pneumonia From Chest X-Ray Images. IEEE Journal of Biomedical and Health Informatics 2023, 27(2), 980-991.
  • Satta S, Beal R, Smith R, Luo X, Ferris GR, Langford-Smith A, Teasdale J, Ajime TT, SerrCrossed D SignCopyright J, Hazell G, Newby GS, Johnson JL, Kurinna S, Humphries MJ, Gayan-Ramirez G, Libby P, Degens H, Yu B, Johnson T, Alexander Y, Jia H, Newby AC, White SJ. A Nrf2-OSGIN1&2-HSP70 axis mediates cigarette smoke-induced endothelial detachment: Implications for plaque erosion. Cardiovascular Research 2023, 119(9), 1869-1882.
  • Wang S, Hu S, Luo X, Bao X, Li J, Liu M, Lv Y, Zhao C, Zeng M, Chen X, Unsworth A, Jones S, Johnson TW, White SJ, Jia H, Yu B. Prevalence and prognostic significance of DNMT3A- and TET2- clonal haematopoiesis-driver mutations in patients presenting with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction. eBioMedicine 2022, 78, 103964.
  • Corbin LJ, White SJ, Taylor AE, Williams CM, Taylor K, Van Den Bosch MT, Teasdale JE, Jones M, Bond M, Harper MT, Falk L, Groom A, Hazell GGJ, Paternoster L, Munafo MR, Nordestgaard BoG, Tybjaerg-Hansen A, Bojesen SE, Relton C, Min JL, Davey Smith G, Mumford AD, Poole AW, Timpson NJ. Epigenetic Regulation of F2RL3 Associates with Myocardial Infarction and Platelet Function. Circulation Research 2022, 130(3), 384-400.
  • Qiu Y, Buffonge S, Ramnath R, Jenner S, Fawaz S, Arkill KP, Neal C, Verkade P, White SJ, Hezzell M, Salmon AHJ, Suleiman M-S, Welsh GI, Foster RR, Madeddu P, Satchell SC. Endothelial glycocalyx is damaged in diabetic cardiomyopathy: angiopoietin 1 restores glycocalyx and improves diastolic function in mice. Diabetologia 2022, 65(5), 879-894.
  • Luo X, Weng X, Bao X, Bai X, Lv Y, Zhang S, Chen Y, Zhao C, Zeng M, Huang J, Xu B, Johnson TW, White SJ, Li J, Jia H, Yu B. A novel anti-atherosclerotic mechanism of quercetin: Competitive binding to KEAP1 via Arg483 to inhibit macrophage pyroptosis. Redox Biology 2022, 57, 102511.
  • McElroy M, Kim Y, Niccoli G, Vergallo R, Langford-Smith A, Crea F, Gijsen F, Johnson T, Keshmiri A, White SJ. Identification of the haemodynamic environment permissive for plaque erosion. Scientific Reports 2021, 11, 7253.

• Review

  • Drysdale A, Unsworth AJ, White SJ, Jones S. The Contribution of Vascular Proteoglycans to Atherothrombosis: Clinical Implications. International Journal of Molecular Sciences 2023, 24(14), 11854.