Qualifications and Fellowship Awards
University of Edinburgh, 1999: | BSc(Hons)(Med Sci) in Physiology |
University of Edinburgh, 2002: | MB,ChB |
Royal College of Physicians, 2005: | MRCP(UK) |
Royal College of Anaesthetists 2009: | FRCA |
University of Edinburgh, 2012: | PhD “Statistical Genetics in Infectious Disease” |
Royal College of Physicians, 2016: | FRCP(Ed) |
Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, 2016: | FFICM |
Royal Society of Edinburgh, 2022: | FRSE |
Academy of Medical Sciences, 2022: | FMedSci |
Selected prizes and awards
2021 | Pride of Scotland “Special Recognition Award”. One of two public awards given each year to recognise oustanding public service in any field. |
2021 | RCPE Ballantyne Prize. The Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh awards this prize, usually once every 10-15 years, for studies in the inheritance of disease. |
2018 | International Sepsis Forum Lowry-Fink Fellowship. The International Sepsis Forum selects one “rising star” in sepsis research worldwide each year to appoint to this position. |
2014 | Wellcome-Beit Prize Fellowship. Awarded to four intermediate fellowship candidates each year “to provide additional recognition for outstanding biomedical researchers.” |
2013 | Intensive Care Society Gold Medal. Awarded annually for research related to critical care medicine. |
2013 | ANZICS Global Rising Star Award. An annual award from the Australia and New Zealand Intensive Care Society. |
2006 | Nuffield Medal for the FRCA Primary. For obtaining the highest marks in the UK in this sitting. |
2001 | Sir William Darling Memorial Prize. Awarded by the Principal to the students “who have done most in any one year to advance the reputation of Edinburgh University”. |
Current Employment
2022-present | Co-Director, Pandemic Science Hub, University of Edinburgh |
2021-present | Professor of Experimental Medicine, University of Edinburgh |
2021-present | Wellcome Trust Senior Fellow, University of Edinburgh |
2020-present | Director of Research, UK Intensive Care Society |
2019-present | Visiting Professor, Peking University, Beijing, China |
2014-present | Honorary Consultant in Critical Care Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh |
Previous Employment
2014-21 | Group Leader, Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh |
2014-20 | Deputy Director of Research, UK Intensive Care Society |
2014-20 | Wellcome Trust Intermediate Clinical Fellow, University of Edinburgh |
2014-15 | Visiting Scientist, Broad Insitute of Harvard and MIT, Cambridge, MA |
Nov 2014 | Consultant to World Health Organisation on Ebola, WHO country HQ, Sierra Leone. |
2013-14 | Honorary Advanced Specialist Trainee, Critical Care, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh. |
May 2013 | Consultant to World Health Organisation on MERS/Influenza, WHO HQ, Geneva. |
2008-14 | Clinical Lecturer, University of Edinburgh & Honorary Specialist Trainee in Anaesthesia & Critical Care, South East Scotland School of Anaesthesia. |
2007-08 | Specialist Trainee, Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. |
2005-07 | Senior House Officer, Anaesthesia & Critical Care, Royal Infirmary Edinburgh |
2003-05 | Senior House Officer, General Medicine, Western Infirmary, Glasgow. |
2002-03 | House Officer, Anaesthesia, Medicine & Surgery, Royal Infirmary, Edinburgh. |
Research Grants
Funding Body & Title | Start | Amount | Role |
CSO: Time critical precision medicine for acute critical illness (TRAITS) | 01/04/2022 (4 yrs) | £2,795,158 | Co-applicant |
Wellcome Senior Research Fellowship | 01/11/21 (5 yrs) | £1,659,251 | Applicant |
UKRI: National Core Studies - Outbreak Data Analysis Platform | 1/08/21 (1 yr) | £958,915 | PI |
UKRI: UK Coronavirus Immunology consortium (UK-CIC) | 25/08/20 (1 yr) | £6,541,000 | WP lead |
UKRI: Post-hospitalisation for COVID-19 follow-up study (PHOSP-COVID) | 21/07/20 (1 yr) | £9,700,000 | WP lead |
DHSC: GenOMICC-Genomics England Partnership for whole genome sequencing | 01/06/20 (1.5yrs) | £28,000,000 | PI |
UKRI: ISARIC Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation Consortium (ISARIC4C) | 18/03/20 (1.5yrs) | £5,958,870 | PI |
CSO: Coronavirus Clinical Characterisation (Scotland) | 01/04/20 (1 yrs) | £296,773.90 | Co-applicant |
DHSC/NIHR: Coronavirus Clinical Information Network (CO-CIN) Study | 03/03/20 (2 yrs) | £8,900,000 | Co-applicant |
Technology Strategy Board: Establishing a Pipeline for African Swine Fever Virus Genetic Targets | 01/10/19 (1.5yrs) | £105,767 | Co-applicant |
Tropical Animal Genetics (UK) Ltd: Cell library for candidate genes involved in Newcastle Disease Virus infection in vitro | 01/09/19 (3 yrs) | £100,000 | Co-applicant |
BBSRC: Host factors controlling foot-and-mouth disease virus (FMDV) replication: towards genetic control of FMD in pigs | 01/08/19 (3 yrs) | £901,522 | Co-applicant |
Fiona Elizabeth Agnew Trust (FEAT): Genetics of Mortality in Critical Care (GenOMICC) Study | 01/04/19 (3 yrs) | £120,000 | PI |
BBSRC 18ALERT Equipment Initiative: Large memory HPC infrastructure to underpin world-class biological research | 01/04/19 (3 yrs) | £600,000 | Co-applicant |
Health Technology Accelerator Fund: Guiding Therapy in Septic Shock | 08/01/19 (3 yrs) | £53,000 | PI |
Wellcome Trust: Clinical PhD Fellowship for Dr Clark Russell | 01/08/18 (3 yrs) | £650,000 | Co-supervisor |
BBSRC: Identification of interferon stimulated genes that restrict cross-species transmission of influenza A virus. | 01/03/19 (3yrs) | £756,000 | Co-applicant |
Wellcome Trust: (Institution Strategic Support Fund) Generation of a constitutive Cas9 pig for gene-level pharmaceutical target validation. | 01/06/18 (1 yr) | £50,000 | PI |
Wellcome Trust: Clinical PhD Fellowship for Dr Nick Parkinson | 01/08/17 (3 yrs) | £650,000 | PI |
MRC: The SHIELD Consortium for Host Defence Therapeutics | 01/11/16 (5yrs) | £4,500,000 | WP lead |
Wellcome Trust: Establishing causal relationships from phenotypic, genotypic, and proteomic data. | 01/08/16 (3 yrs) | £650,000 | Co-supervisor |
BBSRC: Tools and resources: Generation of genome wide CRISPR libraries for pig and chicken | 01/10/16 (1yr) | £88,000 | Co-applicant |
Wellcome Trust: A clinical trial of convalescent plasma for treatment of Ebolavirus disease | 01/03/15 (1yr) | £120,000 | Co-applicant |
US Center for Disease Control: HostFlu observational study of influenza in Malawi | 01/08/14 (5yrs) | £160,000 | Co-PI (host genomics) |
Wellcome Trust: (Intermediate Clinical Fellowship) Identification and characterisation of host factors underlying susceptibility to influenza | 01/08/14 (4yrs) | £1,011,082 | Applicant |
Wellcome Trust: (Institution Strategic Support Fund) The International Severe Influenza Genetics (ISIG) Programme | 01/02/12 (1yr) | £47,531 | PI |
Wellcome Trust: (Programme Grant) Mechanisms of Severe Acute Influenza Consortium (MOSAIC). | 01/09/09 (5yrs) | £3,645,239 | WP lead (host genomics) |
UK Embassy to United States of America UK/US Collaboration Development Award | 01/08/10 (1mth) | £1500 | Applicant |
Chief Scientist Office: (Project Grant) GenISIS: Genetics of Influenza Susceptibility in Scotland | 01/11/09 (2yrs) | £89,742 | PI |
Wellcome Trust: (Clinical Fellowship) Comparative genomics of the inflammatory response | 01/08/09 (3yrs) | £267,208 | Applicant |
British Heart Foundation: (Project Grant) Oxidative Stress, erythrocyte anion channel damage, and antioxidant function in healthy lowlanders at high altitude. | 01/04/01 (1yr) | £10,525 | PI |
The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland: Apex Bolivia 2001 | 01/03/01 (1yr) | £2000 | PI |
Selected Publications (*joint authorship) (†corresponding)
(h-index: 67 | citations: 37415 | ORCID:0000-0001-5258-793X )
RECOVERY Collaborative Group . Tocilizumab in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial. Lancet (London, England) (2021); 397: 1637-1645. PMC8084355
HGI C . Mapping the human genetic architecture of COVID-19. Nature (2021); doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03767-x
Horby P , Lim WS, Emberson JR, Mafham M, Bell JL, Linsell L, Staplin N, Brightling C, Ustianowski A, Elmahi E, ..., Baillie JK, Haynes R, Landray MJ. Dexamethasone in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19. The New England Journal of Medicine (2021); 384: 693-704. PMC7383595
Gupta RK , Harrison EM, Ho A, Docherty AB, Knight SR, van Smeden M, Abubakar I, Lipman M, Quartagno M, Pius R, ..., Baillie JK, Semple MG, Noursadeghi M. Development and validation of the ISARIC 4C Deterioration model for adults hospitalised with COVID-19: a prospective cohort study. The Lancet. Respiratory Medicine (2021); 9: 349-359. PMC7832571
Thomson EC , Rosen LE, Shepherd JG, Spreafico R, da Silva Filipe A, Wojcechowskyj JA, Davis C, Piccoli L, Pascall DJ, Dillen J, ..., Baillie JK, Chodera JD, Rihn SJ, Lycett SJ, Virgin HW, Telenti A, Corti D, Robertson DL, Snell G. Circulating SARS-CoV-2 spike N439K variants maintain fitness while evading antibody-mediated immunity. Cell (2021); 184: 1171-1187.e20. PMC7843029
Thwaites RS , Sanchez Sevilla Uruchurtu A, Siggins MK, Liew F, Russell CD, Moore SC, Fairfield C, Carter E, Abrams S, Short C, ..., Baillie JK, Openshaw PJ. Inflammatory profiles across the spectrum of disease reveal a distinct role for GM-CSF in severe COVID-19. Science Immunology (2021); 6: PMC8128298
Pairo-Castineira E , Clohisey S, Klaric L, Bretherick AD, Rawlik K, Pasko D, Walker S, Parkinson N, Fourman MH, Russell CD, ..., Baillie JK. Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in COVID-19. Nature (2020); 591: 92-98. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03065-y
Docherty AB , Harrison EM, Green CA, Hardwick HE, Pius R, Norman L, Holden KA, Read JM, Dondelinger F, Carson G, ..., Baillie JK, Semple MG. Features of 20133 UK patients in hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol: prospective observational cohort study. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) (2020); 369: m1985. PMC7243036
Horby P , Mafham M, Linsell L, Bell JL, Staplin N, Emberson JR, Wiselka M, Ustianowski A, Elmahi E, Prudon B, ..., Baillie JK, Chappell LC, Faust SN, Jaki T, Jeffery K, Lim WS, Montgomery A, Rowan K, Tarning J, Watson JA, White NJ, Juszczak E, Haynes R, Landray MJ. Effect of Hydroxychloroquine in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19. The New England Journal of Medicine (2020); 383: 2030-2040. PMC7556338
Knight SR , Ho A, Pius R, Buchan I, Carson G, Drake TM, Dunning J, Fairfield CJ, Gamble C, Green CA, ..., Baillie JK, Semple MG, Docherty AB, Harrison EM. Risk stratification of patients admitted to hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol: development and validation of the 4C Mortality Score. BMJ (Clinical Research Ed.) (2020); 370: m3339. PMC7116472
Baillie JK . Translational genomics. Targeting the host immune response to fight infection. Science (New York, N.Y.) (2014); 344: 807-8. doi:10.1126/science.1255074
Forrest ARR*, Kawaji H*, Rehli M*, Baillie JK*, , de Hoon MJL, Haberle V, Lassmann T, Kulakovskiy IV, Lizio M, Itoh M, Andersson R, Mungall CJ, Meehan TF, Schmeier S, ..., Hayashizaki Y. A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas. Nature (2014); 507: 462-70. PMC4529748
Baillie JK , Digard P. Influenza–time to target the host? The New England Journal of Medicine (2013); 369: 191-3. doi:10.1056/NEJMcibr1304414
Everitt AR , Clare S, Pertel T, John SP, Wash RS, Smith SE, Chin CR, Feeley EM, Sims JS, Adams DJ, ..., Baillie JK, Walsh TS, Hume DA, Palotie A, Xue Y, Colonna V, Tyler-Smith C, Dunning J, Gordon SB, Smyth RL, Openshaw PJ, Dougan G, Brass AL, Kellam P. IFITM3 restricts the morbidity and mortality associated with influenza. Nature (2012); 484: 519-23. PMC3648786
Baillie JK , Barnett MW, Upton KR, Gerhardt DJ, Richmond TA, De Sapio F, Brennan PM, Rizzu P, Smith S, Fell M, Talbot RT, ..., Faulkner GJ. Somatic retrotransposition alters the genetic landscape of the human brain. Nature (2011); 479: 534-7. PMC3224101
Selected Invited Lectures
“RECOVERY: Dexamethasone is an effective treatment for Covid-19” Opening plenary, European Society for Intensive Care Medicine Annual Meeting, November 2020
“Optimisation and meta-analysis of genome-scale signals” CRISPR and beyond: perturbations at scale to understand genomes, Wellcome Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, UK, September 2020
“Genetic effects on outcomes in sepsis: What mechanisms are amenable to treatment” World Congress of Intensive Care, Melbourne, October 2019
“EBOLA / MERS / influenza pandemics” World Congress of Intensive Care, Melbourne, October 2019
“Distinguishing adaptive from maladaptive processes in sepsis.” Sepsis 2019, Rio de Janiero, May 2019
“Extremes of human physiology - sorting out adaptive and maladaptive processes” Futuristic Medicine, Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh, Feb 2019
“Transcriptomic biomarkers of critical illness” British Pharmacology Society Annual Meeting, London, December 2018
“Genomic stratification in critical illness” Intensive Care Society State of the Art Meeting, London, December 2018
“Genome editing studies of severe influenza” British Thoracic Society Annual Meeting, London, December 2018
“Gene-level target validation in large animals” One Health Symposium, University of Edinburgh, October 2018
“Understanding disease pathogenesis through functional genomics” RIKEN institute seminar, Yokohama, October 2018
“Biological endotypes in sepsis” Sepsis 2018, Bangkok, October 2018
“Sepsis: a syndrome simultaneously too broad and too narrow” Sepsis update meeting, Glasgow, September 2018
“Preparedness and management of global pandemics.” European Society of Intensive Care Medicine NEXT Webinar, September 2018
“Viral host genomic interactions.” Cambridge Centre for Cardiovascular and Respiratory Research Seminar, Cambridge, September 2018
“Applications of functional genomics and genome editing in post-GWAS analyses” BRIC institute seminar, Copenhagen, May 2018
“Precision medicine through genome-scale technologies” China-UK Life Sciences Summit, Beijing, September 2017
“Data-driven identification of syndromes at high altitude” 10th Kno2wledge meeting, London, May 2017
Public lecture: “Starved of Oxygen” Pint of Science, Edinburgh, May 2017
“Sepsis - what underlies individual susceptibility?” Singapore-ANZICS Research Meeting, Singapore, March 2015
“International collaboration in research during outbreaks” Singapore-ANZICS Research Meeting, Singapore, March 2015
“Host genetic susceptibility to influenza - moving towards therapeutic targets” Broad Institute Seminar Series on Infectious Diseases, Cambridge (MA), January 2015
“Why do some people get sepsis while others don’t?” Intensive Care Society State of the Art Meeting, London, December 2014.
“Host genetics of influenza susceptibility” Keystone Symposium on Pathogenesis of Respiratory Viruses, Keystone, Colorado, January 2014.
“Redefining Acute Mountain Sickness” Session chair and speaker, World Congress on Mountain Medicine, Bolzano 2014.
“Virus:host interactions: time to focus on the host?” ANZICS Global Rising Star Fellowship Session, Hobart, Tasmania, October 2013
“Genomics in Anaesthesia and Critical Care” Royal College of Anaesthetists Jubilee Meeting, “Rising star” Session. October 2013
“Large scale biological research in critical care” World Federation of Intensive and Critical Care Societies 11th Congress, Durban, South Africa, August 2013
“Using coexpression to maximise statistical power in genome-wide studies” Computational Genomics Analysis and Training Programme, Oxford, Feb 2012
“Challenges in Severe Acute Respiratory Illness” European Society of Clinical Microbiology and Infectious Diseases, Barcelona, Jan 2012
Co-chair, Biological Studies group. InFACT/Li Ka Shing Knowledge Institute/ISARIC colloquium on SARI research, Toronto, June 2011.
“Host genetic studies” NIH Flu002/Flu003 Analysis planning meeting, Boston, Oct 2011.