Professor David Thomas

Professor David Thomas is a renowned expert in renal medicine at the University of Cambridge and a consultant at Cambridge University Hospitals. He completed the Cambridge MB/PhD programme, and his clinical focus is on the care of patients with renal transplants or autoimmune diseases. His laboratory research aims to explore the role of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in immunity. Before assuming his current position, he led a research group at Imperial College and worked as a consultant at the Hammersmith Hospital.

Professor Thomas collaborated with Professor Ken Smith and Professor Gordon Dougan to identify the novel protein EROS, revealing its function as a highly selective chaperone protein crucial for ROS generation and host immunity. Their work also established that EROS deficiency causes a new inborn error of immunity in humans and elucidated the molecular mechanisms by which EROS operates. Furthermore, EROS regulates the levels of several other proteins, including P2X7, which plays key roles in both innate and adaptive immunity. This research was supported by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship and the Beit Prize.

In addition to his work on reactive oxygen species, Professor Thomas has contributed significantly to COVID-19 research, particularly in understanding disease pathogenesis in patients with end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). He served as co-principal investigator for the OCTAVE and OCTAVE-DUO trials, which focus on vaccine responses in immunosuppressed patients. Collaborating with Imperial College researchers, he also explored multiomics to predict the severity of ESKD, demonstrating that serum levels of the alternative SARS-CoV-2 receptor, LRRC15, are the best predictors of disease outcome. This work was funded by the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Professor David Thomas specialises in the diagnosis and management of various renal conditions, including abnormal kidney function, acute kidney injury, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). He has extensive expertise in the treatment of autoimmune disorders that affect the kidneys, with a particular focus on conditions like lupus. His clinical work is centered on providing comprehensive care for patients with complex kidney diseases, especially those requiring renal transplants or dealing with autoimmune-related kidney damage.