John Isaacs

John Isaacs is Professor of Clinical Rheumatology at Newcastle University and consultant rheumatologist at the Freeman Hospital. He graduated from London University with a first class degree in Physiology and Medicine, followed by junior posts in London (Hammersmith Hospital) and Harvard (Beth Israel Hospital). He was subsequently registrar on the Hammersmith Renal Unit before moving to Cambridge with Medical Research Council funding, to read for his PhD in Immunology. Over the past 20 years his work has focussed on the potential of novel immunotherapies to treat rheumatoid arthritis, ranging from target identification to early and late stage clinical trials. He has performed several pioneering translational studies in patients with inflammatory disease, challenging existing dogma and informing the design of subsequent generations of therapeutic agents. In 1999 he received the British Society for Rheumatology Michael Mason Medal, awarded for excellence in clinical and/or scientific research.  In 2010 he presented the Heberden Round to the Society.

John Isaacs moved to Newcastle University in 2002, where he developed the translational and innovative Wilson Horne Immunotherapy Centre for early phase studies of novel immunotherapeutics. Nationally he chairs the Arthritis Research Campaign’s Clinical Study Group for Inflammatory Arthritis, developing an internationally competitive research strategy for the UK.  He is a member of the Committee for the Safety of Medicine’s Expert Advisory Group on Clinical Trials and is secretary to the Royal College of Physician’s Joint Specialty Committee for Rheumatology.  He sits on several scientific and clinical advisory boards and is a member of the European League Against Rheumatism’s Scientific Committee. In 2008 he was awarded a National Rheumatoid Arthritis Society’s Healthcare Champions award in a ceremony at the House of Commons.