Dr Harvinder Virk is a NIHR clinical lecturer in the Respiratory Sciences department. His research interests centre around identifying and overcoming barriers to clinical translation of research, with an emphasis on improving the outcomes of patients with interstitial lung diseases. He co-leads the Only Good Antibodies team and their three linked projects: Better Antibodies, Better Science, and Better Patient Outcomes. These projects look to identify the most suitable research tools (antibodies) and empower them towards better characterisation of patient heterogeneity. The vision is validated diagnostics that help clinicians choose the best treatment, or clinical trial, more efficiently and robustly. 

He is a member of the Royal College of Physicians, and sits on the Supervisory Board of the UK Reproducibility Network.

He is a previous MRC Clinical Training Fellowship holder and current MRC New Investigator (Better Methods, Better Research).

Publications 2023-2024

Alshalfie, W., Biddle, M., Fotouhi, M., et al. (2024). The identification of high-performing antibodies for FUS (Uniprot ID: P35637) for use in western blot, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. F1000Research, 12, 376. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.133220.3

Aponte Santiago, N., et al. (2023). Tales of the unexpected. eLife, 12, e87444. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.87444

Ayoubi, R., et al. (2023). Scaling of an antibody validation procedure enables quantification of antibody performance in major research applications. eLife, 12, eRP91645. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.91645.2

Ayoubi, R., et al. (2024). A consensus platform for antibody characterization. Protocol Exchange. https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.pex-2607/v1

Biddle, M., et al. (2024). Improving the integrity and reproducibility of research that uses antibodies: a technical, data sharing, behavioral and policy challenge. mAbs, 16(1), 1-11. https://doi.org/10.1080/19420862.2024.2323706

Biddle, M., & Virk, H. S. (2023). YCharOS Open Antibody Characterisation Data: Lessons Learned and Progress Made. F1000Research, 12, 141719. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.141719.1

Biddle, M. S., Alende, C., Fotouhi, M., et al. (2024). A guide to selecting high-performing antibodies for Synaptotagmin-1 (Uniprot ID P21579) for use in western blot, immunoprecipitation, immunofluorescence and flow cytometry. F1000Research, 13, 817. https://doi.org/10.12688/f1000research.154034.1

Kahn, R. A., Virk, H. S., & McPherson, P. S. (2023). Heed a decade of calls for antibody validation. Nature, 620(7974), 492. https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-023-02566-w

Kahn, R. A., Virk, H., Laflamme, C., et al. (2024). Science Forum: Antibody characterization is critical to enhance reproducibility in biomedical research. eLife, 13, e100211. https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.100211

Leavy, O., et al. (2024). Genome-wide SNP-sex interaction analysis of susceptibility to idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis. medRxiv. https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.01.12.24301204

Tsaknis, G., & Virk, H. (2024). Assessment of solitary pulmonary nodule. BMJ Best Practice. (Online Resource)

Others

Harvey, A. G., Stinson, K., Whitaker, K. L., Moskovitz, D., & Virk, H. (2008). The subjective meaning of sleep quality: A comparison of individuals with and without insomnia. Sleep, 31(3), 383-393. https://doi.org/10.1093/sleep/31.3.383

Virk, H., Arthur, G., & Bradding, P. (2016). Mast cells and their activation in lung disease. Translational Research, 174, 60-76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trsl.2016.01.005 

Virk, H. S., Rekas, M. Z., Biddle, M. S., Wright, A. K. A., Sousa, J., Weston, C. A., Chachi, L., Roach, K. M., & Bradding, P. (2019). Validation of antibodies for the specific detection of human TRPA1. Scientific Reports, 9(1), 18500. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-55133-7 

Virk, H. S., Biddle, M. S., Smallwood, D. T., Weston, C. A., Castells, E., Bowman, V. W., McCarthy, J., Amrani, Y., Sm, D., Bradding, P., & others. (2021). TGFβ1 induces resistance of human lung myofibroblasts to cell death via downregulation of TRPA1 channels. British Journal of Pharmacology. https://doi.org/10.1111/bph.15467 

Merchant, F., Mavilakandy, A., Virk, H. S., Khan, S., Tsaknis, G., Naeem, M., Mallik, S., Datson, K., & Reddy, R. (2022). Lack of Benefit of High Flow Nasal Oxygen Therapy as Ceiling of Treatment for Severe COVID-19 Pneumonitis in Elderly Frail Patients: A Single Centre Observational Study. The Open Respiratory Medicine Journal, 15. 10.2174/18743064-v15-e2206271

I have PhD studentships (funded) available, please contact to discuss.

PhD studentship adverts:

Exploration of markers of fibrotic and inflammatory signalling, and associated clinical phenotypes, in patients with Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs)

About the Project
We invite applicants for a 4-year iCASE studentship to work in collaboration with our industrial partner Abcam Ltd

Second Supervisor: Prof Don Jones, Department of Genetics, Genomics and Cancer Sciences, University of Leicester

Additional Supervisors: Beatriz Guillen Guio, Population Health Sciences and Colleen Maxwell, Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) are a family of lung conditions associated with inflammation and/or fibrosis (scarring). Many ILDs can result in progressive fibrosis and rapid patient deterioration, associated with a large symptom burden and short life expectancy. The available treatments include drugs to reduce inflammation, or slow down progressive scarring (anti-fibrotics). The process for working out which treatment approach(es) a patient will benefit from is slow, expensive and rely on subjective judgements. Cheaper, faster and more robust tests to identify the most suitable treatment approach, or clinical trial, for each patient, are urgently needed.

The project will address this need by using bioinformatics, in-vitro models, and preliminary clinical approaches (blood test development), to identify key molecules that predict ILD progression and response to different treatments. This PhD project is part of an exciting collaboration with Abcam Ltd. (Cambridge) and the University of Nottingham, with the student spending up to 6 months with our collaborating partners. Abcam Ltd. will fund the costs of the placement, including travel and accommodation, and support research costs.

The vision is to enable better patient outcomes by improving utilisation of existing treatments, and better patient selection for clinical trials, by creating robustly validated commercial diagnostic tests.

Enquiries

Project Enquiries to Hsv6@leicester.ac.uk

Programme enquiries to aimphd@leicester.ac.uk

To apply please refer to

https://more.bham.ac.uk/mrc-aim/phd-opportunities/

Funding Notes
The competition funding provides students with: 4 years of stipend at UKRI rates. 4 years of tuition fees at UK fee rates (Plus one award of a full overseas fee waiver to an international applicant). RTSG. Budget to help with the cost of purchasing a laptop. The University of Leicester will provide full overseas fee waivers for the duration of their study to all international students accepted at Leicester. The funder, UKRI, allows us to appoint up to 30% overseas students.

Discovery of biomarkers and distinct pathways of fibrotic and inflammatory drivers of Interstitial Lung Diseases

Interstitial lung diseases are a diverse group of inflammatory and fibrotic disorders, some of which are progressive, that lead to disabling symptoms and have limited treatment options. The current treatments broadly fit into the categories of supportive care, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic. Selecting patients for appropriate treatments is very challenging, expensive and inefficient. Biomarkers that predict response to specific treatment strategy, and a better understanding of the specific pathways that differentiate inflammatory and fibrotic signalling are urgently needed.

In this project the student will use available proteomic data, cell culture and lung tissue models to define: signalling pathways that are activated by pro-inflammatory mediators and pro-fibrotic mediators. The results of this work will be empowered towards patient benefit by developing robust immunoassays, in collaboration with industry, to enable the measurement of these signalling pathways in patient samples. The student will then use quantitative mass spectroscopy to validate these assays in patient samples and begin to explore their potential use to inform treatment strategies in the Leicester Respiratory Cohort study. This is a clinical cohort study of patients with ILDs, and the student will be encouraged to contribute to this larger clinical study as appropriate.

Development of a robust, validated, non-animal derived toolbox to study the ageing immune system

Many developed and developing countries are experiencing a rapid demographic shift towards an ageing society. The immune system of older individuals is more susceptible to severe infections, poor vaccine responses, cancer, and inflammation. Understanding how the immune system ages is critical to overcoming these key challenges in our ageing populations. This project aims to develop a toolbox that enables the study of immune system changes as people age, and identifying ways of measuring the biological age of the immune system. These are called biomarkers of ageing – and the availability of reliable markers is a major barrier to discovery of interventions that can slow ageing. This project will address this challenge using a multidisciplinary approach with collaborators in bioinformatics, proteomics, molecular biology and industry. The assay systems developed will have scientific, commercial, and societal value. 

Midlands Integrative Biosciences Training Partnership - Antibody Validation Masterclass

PhD studentship adverts:

Exploration of markers of fibrotic and inflammatory signalling, and associated clinical phenotypes, in patients with Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs)

About the Project
We invite applicants for a 4-year iCASE studentship to work in collaboration with our industrial partner Abcam Ltd

Second Supervisor: Prof Don Jones, Department of Genetics, Genomics and Cancer Sciences, University of Leicester

Additional Supervisors: Beatriz Guillen Guio, Population Health Sciences and Colleen Maxwell, Cardiovascular Sciences, University of Leicester

Interstitial Lung Diseases (ILDs) are a family of lung conditions associated with inflammation and/or fibrosis (scarring). Many ILDs can result in progressive fibrosis and rapid patient deterioration, associated with a large symptom burden and short life expectancy. The available treatments include drugs to reduce inflammation, or slow down progressive scarring (anti-fibrotics). The process for working out which treatment approach(es) a patient will benefit from is slow, expensive and rely on subjective judgements. Cheaper, faster and more robust tests to identify the most suitable treatment approach, or clinical trial, for each patient, are urgently needed.

The project will address this need by using bioinformatics, in-vitro models, and preliminary clinical approaches (blood test development), to identify key molecules that predict ILD progression and response to different treatments. This PhD project is part of an exciting collaboration with Abcam Ltd. (Cambridge) and the University of Nottingham, with the student spending up to 6 months with our collaborating partners. Abcam Ltd. will fund the costs of the placement, including travel and accommodation, and support research costs.

The vision is to enable better patient outcomes by improving utilisation of existing treatments, and better patient selection for clinical trials, by creating robustly validated commercial diagnostic tests.

Enquiries

Project Enquiries to Hsv6@leicester.ac.uk

Programme enquiries to aimphd@leicester.ac.uk

To apply please refer to

https://more.bham.ac.uk/mrc-aim/phd-opportunities/

Funding Notes
The competition funding provides students with: 4 years of stipend at UKRI rates. 4 years of tuition fees at UK fee rates (Plus one award of a full overseas fee waiver to an international applicant). RTSG. Budget to help with the cost of purchasing a laptop. The University of Leicester will provide full overseas fee waivers for the duration of their study to all international students accepted at Leicester. The funder, UKRI, allows us to appoint up to 30% overseas students.

Discovery of biomarkers and distinct pathways of fibrotic and inflammatory drivers of Interstitial Lung Diseases

Interstitial lung diseases are a diverse group of inflammatory and fibrotic disorders, some of which are progressive, that lead to disabling symptoms and have limited treatment options. The current treatments broadly fit into the categories of supportive care, anti-inflammatory and anti-fibrotic. Selecting patients for appropriate treatments is very challenging, expensive and inefficient. Biomarkers that predict response to specific treatment strategy, and a better understanding of the specific pathways that differentiate inflammatory and fibrotic signalling are urgently needed.

In this project the student will use available proteomic data, cell culture and lung tissue models to define: signalling pathways that are activated by pro-inflammatory mediators and pro-fibrotic mediators. The results of this work will be empowered towards patient benefit by developing robust immunoassays, in collaboration with industry, to enable the measurement of these signalling pathways in patient samples. The student will then use quantitative mass spectroscopy to validate these assays in patient samples and begin to explore their potential use to inform treatment strategies in the Leicester Respiratory Cohort study. This is a clinical cohort study of patients with ILDs, and the student will be encouraged to contribute to this larger clinical study as appropriate.

Development of a robust, validated, non-animal derived toolbox to study the ageing immune system

Many developed and developing countries are experiencing a rapid demographic shift towards an ageing society. The immune system of older individuals is more susceptible to severe infections, poor vaccine responses, cancer, and inflammation. Understanding how the immune system ages is critical to overcoming these key challenges in our ageing populations. This project aims to develop a toolbox that enables the study of immune system changes as people age, and identifying ways of measuring the biological age of the immune system. These are called biomarkers of ageing – and the availability of reliable markers is a major barrier to discovery of interventions that can slow ageing. This project will address this challenge using a multidisciplinary approach with collaborators in bioinformatics, proteomics, molecular biology and industry. The assay systems developed will have scientific, commercial, and societal value. 

Current projects/ funding:-

MRC Better Methods, Better Research New Investigator Grant (PI)- ICF Improving the integrity, reproducibility, and usability of biomedical research that utilises commercial antibodies

NIHR INSPIRE Network INDEX (Interstitial Lung Disease Exacerbation) Study - National observational study to understand heterogeneity in care, management and outcomes of acute exacerbations of ILD

Biomarker discovery and target validation utilising the YCharOS antibody characterisation pipeline. Medical Research Council (Leicester) 2024-02 to 2024-11 | Locally awarded MRC Impact Accelerator with support from Leicester Drug Discovery and Diagnostics (PI)

The Only Good Antibodies Community Stakeholder Engagement Meeting. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Swindon). 2023-06 to 2024-03 | Locally awarded BBSRC Impact Accelerator, Event (PI)

Knowledge and skills exchange to lay the foundations for the international expansion of YCharOS: an Open Science, third party antibody characterisation public good company. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council IAA (Swindon). 2023-06 to 2024-03 | Locally awarded BBSRC Impact Accelerator, Exchange (PI)

Using fluorescent biosensors to understand mechanisms of lung ageing. Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (Swindon).(Co-PI) 2023-06 to 2024-03 | Locally awarded BBSRC Impact Accelerator, Proof of concept

https://leicesterbrc.nihr.ac.uk/hdv/

F1000 Open Thinking

eLife Digest

Nature Feature