Staff Profile

Tony Rostron is an academic in critical care medicine in the Translational and Clinical Research Institute. As a practising clinician, he is an honorary consultant in anaesthesia and intensive care medicine at Sunderland Royal Hospital, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust.

His research interest is understanding the innate immune response to critical illness. Tony qualified in medicine from the University of Cambridge. He initially embarked upon surgical training in the north east before training in Anaesthetics and Intensive Care Medicine.

Qualifications

• BA (Hons) - Upper second class in Cellular Pathology and Virology, University of Cambridge (1998)
• MB BChir - University of Cambridge (2000)
• MRCS - Royal College of Surgeons of England (2004)
• PhD - Newcastle University (2009)
• FRCA - Royal College of Anaesthetists (2012)
• FFICM - Faculty of Intensive Care Medicine, Royal College of Anaesthetists (2018)

Our group's work undertakes basic science and delivers studies of experimental medicine and randomised controlled clinical trials focusing on innate immunity and how this is disturbed in critical illness.

Tony was integral to the delivery of a Phase 2 RCT (GRiP) of GM-CSF vs placebo in critically ill patients with evidence of impaired neutrophil phagocytosis.

Tony has an active interest in studying the innate immune response in humans, and has established both a model of intravenous and inhaled LPS challenge.

• Articles

  • Powell J, Powell S, Mather MW, Beck L, Nelson A, Palmowski P, Porter A, Coxhead J, Hedley A, Scott J, Rostron AJ, Hellyer T, Zaidi F, Davey T, Garnett JP, Agbeko R, Ward C, Stewart CJ, Taggart CC, Brodlie M, Simpson AJ. Tracheostomy in children is associated with neutrophilic airway inflammation. Thorax 2023, 78(10), 1019-1027.
  • Musgrave KM, Scott J, Sendama W, Gardner AI, Dewar F, Lake CJ, Spronk HMH, van Oerle R, Visser M, ten Cate H, Kesteven P, Fuller A, McDonald D, Knill C, Hulme G, Filby A, Wright SE, Roy AI, Ruchaud-Sparagano M, Simpson AJ, Rostron AJ. Tissue factor expression in monocyte subsets during human immunothrombosis, endotoxemia and sepsis. Thrombosis Research 2023, 228, 10-20.
  • Elcioglu ZC, Errington L, Metes B, Sendama W, Powell J, Simpson AJ, Rostron AJ, Hellyer TP. Pooled prevalence of lymphopenia in all-cause hospitalisations and association with infection: a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC Infectious Diseases 2023, 23, 848.
  • Silversides JA, McMullan R, Emerson LM, Bradbury I, Bannard-Smith J, Szakmany T, Trinder J, Rostron AJ, Johnston P, Ferguson AJ, Boyle AJ, Blackwood B, Marshall JC, McAuley DF. Feasibility of conservative fluid administration and deresuscitation compared with usual care in critical illness: the Role of Active Deresuscitation After Resuscitation-2 (RADAR-2) randomised clinical trial. Intensive Care Medicine 2022, 48, 190-200.
  • Funston W, Ruchaud-Sparagano M-H, Scott J, Powell J, Cooles FAH, Shelmerdine L, McDowell C, O'Leary D, Booth KL, Clark SC, Ledingham SJ, Rostron AJ, Dark JH, Simpson AJ. A human model of bilateral pulmonary vein sampling to assess the effects of one-lung ventilation on neutrophil function. PLoS ONE 2022, 17(7), e0271958.
  • Scott J, Ruchaud-Sparagano M-H, Musgrave K, Roy AI, Wright SE, Perry JD, Morris AC, Rostron AJ, Simpson AJ. Phosphoinositide 3-kinase δ inhibition improves neutrophil bacterial killing in critically ill patients at high risk of infection. Journal of Immunology 2021, 207(7), 1776-1784.
  • Cimino I, Kim H, Tung YCL, Pedersen K, Rimmington D, Tadross JA, Kohnke SN, Neves-Costa A, Barros A, Joaquim S, Bennett D, Melvin A, Lockhart SM, Rostron AJ, Scott J, Liu H, Burling K, Barker P, Clatworthy MR, Lee E-C, Simpson AJ, Yeo GSH, Moita LF, Bence KK, Jorgensen SB, Coll AP, Breen DM, O'Rahilly S. Activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by exogenous and endogenous GDF15. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America 2021, 118(27), e2106868118.
  • Winter A, Jones WS, Allen AJ, Price DA, Rostron A, Filieri R, Graziadio S. The clinical need for new diagnostics in the identification and management of patients with suspected sepsis in UK NHS hospitals: A survey of healthcare professionals. Antibiotics 2020, 9(11), 737.
  • Hellyer TP, McAuley DF, Walsh TS, Anderson N, Conway Morris A, Singh S, Dark P, Roy AI, Perkins GD, McMullan R, Emerson LM, Blackwood B, Wright SE, Kefala K, O'Kane CM, Baudouin SV, Paterson RL, Rostron AJ, Agus A, Bannard-Smith J, Robin NM, Welters ID, Bassford C, Yates B, Spencer C, Laha SK, Hulme J, Bonner S, Linnett V, Sonksen J, Van Den Broeck T, Boschman G, Keenan DWJ, Scott J, Allen AJ, Phair G, Parker J, Bowett SA, Simpson AJ. Biomarker-guided antibiotic stewardship in suspected ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAPrapid2): a randomised controlled trial and process evaluation. The Lancet Respiratory Medicine 2020, 8(2), 182-191.
  • Pinder EM, Rostron AJ, Hellyer TP, Ruchaud-Sparagano MH, Scott J, Macfarlane JG, Wiscombe S, Widdrington JD, Roy AI, Linnett VC, Baudouin SV, Wright SE, Chadwick T, Fouweather T, Juss JK, Chilvers ER, Bowett SA, Parker J, McAuley DF, Conway Morris A, Simpson AJ. Randomised controlled trial of GM-CSF in critically ill patients with impaired neutrophil phagocytosis. Thorax 2018, 73(10), 918-925.
  • Widdrington JD, Gomez-Duran A, Pyle A, Ruchaud-Sparagano M-H, Scott J, Baudouin SV, Rostron AJ, Lovat PE, Chinnery PF, Simpson AJ. Exposure of Monocytic Cells to Lipopolysaccharide Induces Coordinated Endotoxin Tolerance, Mitochondrial Biogenesis, Mitophagy, and Antioxidant Defenses. Frontiers in immunology 2018, 9, 2217.
  • Widdrington JD, Gomez-Duran A, Steyn JS, Pyle A, Ruchaud-Sparagano M-H, Scott J, Baudouin SV, Rostron AJ, Simpson J, Chinnery PF. Mitochondrial DNA depletion induces innate immune dysfunction rescued by IFN-γ. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2017, 140(5), 1461-1464.e8.
  • Scott J, Harris GJ, Pinder EM, Macfarlane JG, Hellyer TP, Rostron AJ, Morris AC, Thickett DR, Perkins GD, McAuley DF, Widdrington JD, Wiscombe S, Baudouin SV, Roy AI, Linnett VC, Wright SE, Ruchaud-Sparagano MH, Simpson AJ. Exchange protein directly activated by cyclic AMP (EPAC) activation reverses neutrophil dysfunction induced by beta(2)-agonists, corticosteroids, and critical illness. Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology 2016, 137(2), 535-544.
  • Rostron AJ, Cork DMW, Avlonitis VS, Fisher AJ, Dark JH, Kirby JA. Contribution of Toll-Like Receptor Activation to Lung Damage After Donor Brain Death. Transplantation 2010, 90(7), 732-739.
  • Lewis AJM, Rostron AJ, Cork DMW, Kirby JA, Dark JH. Norepinephrine and Arginine Vasopressin Increase Hepatic but Not Renal Inflammatory Activation During Hemodynamic Resuscitation in a Rodent Model of Brain-dead Donors. Experimental and Clinical Transplantation 2009, 7(2), 119-123.
  • Amanullah MM, Rostron AJ, Hamilton JRL, Chaudhari MR, Hasan A. Towards an anatomically correct repair for anomalous left coronary artery arising from the pulmonary trunk. CARDIOLOGY IN THE YOUNG 2008, 18(4), 372-378.
  • Rostron AJ, Avlonitis VS, Cork DMW, Grenade DS, Kirby JA, Dark JH. Hemodynamic Resuscitation With Arginine Vasopressin Reduces Lung Injury After Brain Death in the Transplant Donor. Transplantation 2008, 85(4), 597-606.
  • Brain JG, Rostron AJ, Dark JH, Kirby JA. Activation and modulation of cardiac poly-adenosine diphosphate ribose polymerase activity in a rat model of brain death. Transplantation 2008, 85(9), 1348-1350.
  • Rostron AJ, Avlonitis VS, Kirby JA, Dark JH. Hemodynamic resuscitation of the brain-dead organ donor and the potential role of vasopressin. Transplantation Reviews 2007, 21(1), 34-42.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Walden HR, Vallance AE, Knights DPH, Karamanou DM, Fox CR, Rostron AJ, Simpson J, Kirby JA, Dark JH, Fisher A. The Alarmin HMGB1 Is an Inflammatory Mediator in Brain Death Induced Lung Damage. In: Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation: 31st Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions on International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2011, San Diego, California, USA: Elsevier Inc.
  • Vallance AE, Walden HR, Karamanou DM, Fox CR, Rostron AJ, Kirby JA, Simpson AJ, Dark JH, Fisher AJ. Investigating HMGB1 as a potential inflammatory mediator in brain death induced lung damage. In: British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting. 2010, Westminster, UK: Thorax: BMJ Group.
  • Walden HR, Karamanou DM, Fox CR, Rostron AJ, Kirby JA, Simpson AJ, Dark JH, Fisher AJ. Evaluation of secretory leucoprotease inhibitor (SLPI) as an anti-inflammatroy therapy for donor lung inflammation. In: British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting. 2010, Westminster, UK: Thorax: BMJ Group.
  • Rostron AJ, Avlonitis VS, Cork DMW, Dark JH, Kirby JA. The contribution of toll-like receptors (TLR) to brain death-induced donor lung inflammation. In: 28th Annual Meeting of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2008, Boston, MA: Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation: Elsevier.
  • Rostron AJ, Avlonitis VS, Cork DMW, Grenade DS, Kirby JA, Dark JH. Resuscitation of the brain dead organ donor with arginine vasopressin (AVP) - An alternative vasoconstrictor. In: 27th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions of the International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2007, San Francisco, CA: Elsevier.
  • Avlonitis VS, Rostron AJ, Kirby JA, Dark JH. The donor lung improves with time and aprotinin treatment after brain death. In: Journal of Heart and Lung Transplantation: 26th Annual Meeting and Scientific Sessions International Society for Heart and Lung Transplantation. 2006, Madrid, Spain: Elsevier Inc.

• Letters

  • Thompson JH, Reddy K, Matthay MA, McAuley DF, Simpson AJ, Rostron AJ. Use of modified Berlin criteria in identifying patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome: a single-centre retrospective cohort study. British Journal of Anaesthesia 2024, 133(3), 700-703.
  • Avlonitis VS, Wigfield CH, Golledge HDR, Rostron AJ, Kirby JA, Dark JH. Brain stem auditory evoked response for confirmation of brain death in the rat. Transplantation 2008, 86(5), 745-746.

• Note

  • Mirchandani AS, Jenkins SJ, Bain CC, Sanchez-Garcia MA, Lawson H, Coelho P, Murphy F, Griffith DM, Zhang A, Morrison T, Ly T, Arienti S, Sadiku P, Watts ER, Dickinson RS, Reyes L, Cooper G, Clark S, Lewis D, Kelly V, Spanos C, Musgrave KM, Delaney L, Harper I, Scott J, Parkinson NJ, Rostron AJ, Baillie JK, Clohisey S, Pridans C, Campana L, Lewis PS, Simpson AJ, Dockrell DH, Schwarze J, Hirani N, Ratcliffe PJ, Pugh CW, Kranc K, Forbes SJ, Whyte MKB, Walmsley SR. Author Correction: Hypoxia shapes the immune landscape in lung injury and promotes the persistence of inflammation (Nature Immunology, (2022), 23, 6, (927-939), 10.1038/s41590-022-01216-z). Nature Immunology 2022, 23, 1394.

• Review

  • Brooks D, Barr LC, Wiscombe S, McAuley DF, Simpson AJ, Rostron AJ. Human lipopolysaccharide models provide mechanistic and therapeutic insights into systemic and pulmonary inflammation. The European Respiratory Journal 2020, 56(1), 1901298.