Dr Bridget Bax

Research Interests

Dr Bridget Bax is a Senior Research Fellow in the Section of Child Health. Her research interests focus primarily on the novel use of the carrier erythrocyte as a delivery vehicle for therapeutic agents, and on the rheological properties of blood in different disease conditions.

The clinical application of carrier erythrocytes to enzyme replacement therapy has attracted long term funding from the Specialist Commissioning Authorities (NHS) for the treatment of an adult patient with adenosine deaminase deficiency. This therapeutic approach is currently under investigation for the treatment of other rare inherited metabolic disorders, and as a mechanism of targeting antigens directly to the antigen presenting cells (funded by the BBSRC).Other studies include the application of carrier erythrocytes and other mammalian cells as vectors for short-term gene therapy.

Haemorheological studies in patients with lysosomal storage disorders (in collaboration with the Lysosomal Storage Disorder Unit, Royal Free and University College Medical School) and in patients with cyanotic congenital heart disease are ongoing,

Other studies include: the effects of adenosine deaminase deficiency on the mitochondrial deoxyribonucleotide pool and mitochondrial DNA integrity (in collaboration with the Purine Research Group, Guy’s Hospital);pilot studies examining the relationship between HIV-1 sequence diversity and HLA alleles, and the impact on HIV-1 disease progression among mother-infant/child pairs (in collaboration with Dr Rana Chakraborty, Child Health).

Selected Publications

Moran, N.F., Bain, M.D., Muqit, M. and Bax, B.E. (2008) Carrier erythrocyte entrapped thymidine phosphorylase therapy MNGIE. Neurology.  In Press.

Bax B.E., Bain M.D., Fairbanks L.D., Webster A.D.B.,Ind P.W., Hershfield M.S., Chalmers R.A.(2007) A nine year evaluation of carrier erythrocyte encapsulated adenosine deaminase therapy in a patient with adult-type adenosine deaminase deficiency. European Journal of Haematology 79, 338-348.

Broberg C.S., Ujita M., Prasad S., Li W., Rubens M.,Bax B.E.,Davidson S.J.,Bouzas B., Gibbs J.S.R., Burman J., Gatzoulis M.A. (2007)Pulmonary Arterial Thrombosis in Eisenmenger Syndrome is Associated with Biventricular Dysfunction and Decreased Pulmonary Flow Velocity.Journal of American College of Cardiology 50, 634-642.

Bax C., Baggott G., Howey E., Pellet-Many C., Rayne R., Neonakia M., Bax B.E., Branford White, C. (2006) Evaluation of Formative Computer-based Assessment by Cell Biology Students with Differing Entry Qualifications and Ethnicity. Bioscience Education e-Journal.

Murray A..M., Pearson I.F.S., Chalmers R.A., Bain M.D., and Bax B.E . (2006) The immune response in mice towards carrier erythrocyte entrapped antigens. The mouse immune response to carrier erythrocyte entrapped antigens. Vaccine 24, 6129-6139.

Broberg C.S., Bax B.E., Rampling M.W., Okonko D.O., Bayne S., Harries C., Davidson S.J., Uebing A., Khan A.A., Thein S., Gibbs J.S.R., Burman J. and Gatzoulis M.A. (2006) Blood Viscosity and its Relation to Iron Deficiency, Symptoms, and Exercise Capacity in Adults with Cyanotic Congenital Heart Disease. Journal of the AmericanCollege of Cardiology, 48, 356-365.

Bax B.E. (2005) Alternatives to bone marrow transplantation. In: Caring for Patients with adenosine deaminase deficiency -a Guide for Patients, Parents and Professionals.pp 27-29.

Bax B.E. Richfield L. Bain M.D. Mehta A.B. Chalmers R.A. and Rampling M.W. (2005) Haemorheology in Gaucher disease. European Journal of Haematology 75, 252—258.

Bax B.E., Bain M.D., Fairbanks L.D., Webster A.D.B. and Chalmers R.A. (2000) In vitro and in vivo studies ofhuman carrier erythrocytes loaded with polyethylene glycol-conjugated and native adenosine deaminase. British Journal of Haematology, 109, 549 -554.

Bax B.E., Bain M. D., Fairbanks L. D., Simmonds H. A. Webster A.D.B, and. Chalmers R. A. (2000) Carrier erythrocyte entrapped adenosine deaminase therapy in adenosine deaminase deficiency. Advances in Experimental Medicine and Biology, 486, 47-50.