Jagdeep Nanchahal
Professor of Hand, Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery
Jagdeep Nanchahal is a surgeon scientist focussing on defining the molecular mechanisms of common diseases and translating his findings through to early phase clinical trials.
He undertook his PhD, funded by the MRC, whilst a medical student in London and led a lab group funded by external grants throughout his surgical training. After completing fellowships in microsurgery and hand surgery in the USA and Australia he was appointed as a senior lecturer at Imperial College. His research interests complement his clinical practice and he first became associated with the Kennedy Institute through his research on patients with rheumatoid arthritis, where his group showed that cytokine inhibition would be effective for controlling tenosynovitis.
His research is now focussed on promoting tissue regeneration by targeting endogenous stem cells and reducing fibrosis. In 2013 his group identified TNF as therapeutic target for Dupuytren’s disease, a common fibrotic condition of the hand. He is currently leading a phase 2b clinical trial funded by the Wellcome Trust and Department of Health to assess the efficacy of local administration of anti-TNF in patients with early stage Dupuytren’s disease. In collaboration with the Structural Genomics Consortium his group are investigating the epigenetic regulation of myofibroblasts in Dupuytren’s disease. His group has also identified a novel mechanism for promoting repair and regeneration of multiple tissues by targeting endogenous stem cells.
He is a proponent of evidence-based medicine and was the only plastic surgery member of the NICE Guidance Development Groups on complex and non-complex fractures. He is co-applicant on a trial led by Prof Matt Costa, Kadoorie Centre, NDORMS, investigating the efficacy of negative pressure wound therapy on closed incisions following orthopaedic trauma.
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