Professor Mark Vickers

Biography

I graduated from Oxford Medical School in 1983, having completed a Biochemistry Part II at Cambridge. After general medical jobs in London, I worked with Doug Higgs on genes surrounding the alpha-globin gene cluster. I then trained in clinical Haematology at the Hammersmith, Reading and John Radcliffe Hospitals (1990–1996). I moved to Aberdeen in 1996 and was promoted to Professor in the section of Applied Medicine in 2008. I took over directorship of the Academic Transfusion Medicine Unit in 2010.

External Memberships

Member of Royal College of Physicians

Fellow of Royal College of Pathologists

British Society for Haematology

Research Overview

My main current interest is in how cells are recognised as being damaged by phagocytes, using red blood cells as the main model system. Our work has implicated unusual glycosylation motifs as being key to the process and are of particular relevance to the mechanism of haemolysis in sickle cell disease and malaria. The mechanism gives insight into splenic function, notably susceptibility to pneumococcal infection. I have interests in cellular immunotherapy, including the use of blood donor derived cytotoxic lymphocytes to treat post-transplant lympoproliferative disease and COVID-19. I am supervising PhD students developing innate immunotherapeutic reagents to treat cancers. I am also involved in collection and use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19.My main current interest is in how cells are recognised as being damaged by phagocytes, using red blood cells as the main model system. Our work has implicated unusual glycosylation motifs as being key to the process and are of particular relevance to the mechanism of haemolysis in sickle cell disease and malaria.  The mechanism gives insight into splenic function, notably susceptibility to pneumococcal infection.  I have interests in cellular immunotherapy, including the use of blood donor derived cytotoxic lymphocytes to treat post-transplant lympoproliferative disease and COVID-19.  I am supervising PhD students developing innate immunotherapeutic reagents to treat cancers.  I am also involved in collection and use of convalescent plasma for COVID-19.

Knowledge Exchange

I have given talks about the use of convalescent plasma and T cells to treat COVID-19.

Collaborations

Prof. Alex Rowe, Edinburgh University.

Prof. Stuart Haslam, Imperial College London.

Prof. David Rees, King's College London.

Teaching Responsibilities

I organise, and deliver much of, the haematology training in the medical school.  I remain an enthusiastic bedside teacher.  I co-ordinated the third year medical degree 1997-2010.