Ellie (Eleanor) Barnes
BSc. MBBS. PhD, FRCP. FMedSci.
Professor of Hepatology and Experimental Medicine
Tackling Cancer and Complex Pathogens Through Vaccine Innovation and Early Cancer Detection
The Barnes group is an established research group with a focus on vaccines for complex viral pathogens and cancer, applied immunology, and cancer detection. We seek to translate laboratory and clinical findings through to human experimental medicine studies.
We focus on the development, optimisation, and evaluation of novel vaccines, targeting some of the most challenging infectious diseases and cancers, using mRNA/LNPs and viral vectors. The development of vaccines against both cancer and complex pathogens face shared challenges including antigenic diversity, within-host variation, and immune evasion.
We have designed and developed vaccines for oncogenic Hepatitis B and C viruses, taking candidates from concept through to human trials, sometimes co-administered with check-point blockade in humans. We utilise immune responses during natural infection and or pre-cancer, to inform rational vaccine design. We are developing T cell–based pan-coronavirus vaccines and analyse responses to vaccines in patients with chronic diseases. We play a leading role in preventative cancer vaccine research at Oxford including the Oxford–GSK Immuno-Prevention Programme and the Lynch-Vax cancer vaccine program. The group integrates T cell and B cell immunology, mRNA and viral vector vaccine platforms, and advanced molecular and computational immunology to address the challenges in vaccine development.
Key questions of current focus within the group are: (i) Which antigens are most conserved and relevant across hosts? (ii) How do antigen expression and localisation influence immune recognition? (iii) Can we engineer vaccine constructs to overcome immune evasion? (iv) How does disease state affect immune recognition of vaccine antigens.
The lab uses state-of-the-art immunological and molecular techniques, including multi-parametric flow cytometry and ELISpot, Intracellular cytokine staining, scRNA-seq and transcriptomic analysis of antigen specific T cells, B cell isolation, BCR sequencing, and monoclonal antibody production, alongside vaccine design and generation and the assessment of antigen expression and immunogenicity in small animal models and humans.
With investigators at the Ludwig and the Cancer Centre, we take an inter-disciplinary approach to develop new technologies for liver cancer early detection, funded by CRUK. For this we use spatial proteomics and transcriptiomics alongside novel imaging and molecular technologies for cancer diagnosis and risk. In Autumn 2025 we are moving to the Centre for Immuno-Oncology in the NDMRB, Old Road Campus site.
Leadership roles include: member of Joint Committee for Vaccines and Immunisation (JCVI), co-lead Oxford NIHR BRC Life Saving vaccine theme, lead for the Oxford Liver Cancer Centre of Excellence (CELESTE), CI for the CRUK program in liver cancer (HCC) early detection (DeLIVER programme developing novel detection methodologies for the identification of HCC), co-director of the Oxford-GSK Go-Precise Alliance, lead for the NDM Career Development Fellowship scheme and NIHR Senior Investigator. Ellie continues to care for patients with advanced liver disease at OUH NHS Hospital Trust. She is accredited as a hospital consultant in hepatology and general medicine.
Recent publications
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Risk factors of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in a cohort of patients with chronic hepatitis B.
Journal article
Kalafateli M. et al, (2025), Clinical gastroenterology and hepatology : the official clinical practice journal of the American Gastroenterological Association
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Treatment options to support the elimination of hepatitis C: an open-label, factorial, randomised controlled non-inferiority trial
Journal article
Cooke GS. et al, (2025), The Lancet, 405, 1769 - 1780
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Genetically distinct within-host subpopulations of hepatitis C virus persist after Direct-Acting Antiviral treatment failure
Journal article
Zhao L. et al, (2025), PLOS Pathogens, 21, e1012959 - e1012959
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Complement-mediated enhancement of SARS-CoV-2 antibody neutralisation potency in vaccinated individuals.
Journal article
Mellors J. et al, (2025), Nature communications, 16
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Whole genome sequencing of hepatitis B virus using tiled amplicon (HEPTILE) and probe based enrichment on Illumina and Nanopore platforms
Journal article
Lumley SF. et al, (2025), Scientific Reports, 15
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Reply to: “Understanding virologic heterogeneity in chronic hepatitis B treatment”
Journal article
Matthews PC. et al, (2025), JHEP Reports, 7, 101280 - 101280
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Adaptive clinical trial of AZD7442 and SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in immunosuppressed patients highly vulnerable to infection with SARS-CoV-2 virus (RAPID-PROTECTION): protocol for a multicentre, interventional open-label, randomised controlled trial.
Journal article
Varley M. et al, (2025), BMJ open, 15
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Impact of SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with vascular liver diseases: Observations from a VALDIG multicenter study
Journal article
Perez-Campuzano V. et al, (2024), JHEP Reports, 6
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The Differential Complement, Fc and Chemokine Receptor Expression of B Cells in IgG4-Related Pancreatobiliary Disease and Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis and Its Relevance for Targeting B Cell Pathways in Disease.
Journal article
Cargill T. et al, (2024), Biomedicines, 12
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Distinct Requirements for CD4<sup>+</sup> T Cell Help for Immune Responses Induced by mRNA and Adenovirus-Vector SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines.
Journal article
Yong L. et al, (2024), European journal of immunology
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Greater preservation of SARS-CoV-2 neutralising antibody responses following the ChAdOx1-S (AZD1222) vaccine compared with mRNA vaccines in haematopoietic cell transplant recipients.
Journal article
Colton H. et al, (2024), British journal of haematology
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Prospective cohort for early detection of liver cancer (Pearl): a study protocol
Journal article
Khanna K. et al, (2024), BMJ Open, 14, e085541 - e085541
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Corrigendum to ‘Impact of COVID-19 on immunocompromised populations during the Omicron era: insights from the observational population-based INFORM study’ [The Lancet Regional Health – Europe 35 (2023) 100747] (The Lancet Regional Health - Europe (2023) 35, (S2666776223001667), (10.1016/j.lanepe.2023.100747))
Journal article
Evans RA. et al, (2024), The Lancet Regional Health - Europe, 44
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Cost-Effectiveness of Hepatocellular Carcinoma Surveillance Strategies in Patients With Compensated Liver Cirrhosis in the United Kingdom.
Journal article
Garay OU. et al, (2024), Value in health : the journal of the International Society for Pharmacoeconomics and Outcomes Research
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Immunogenicity of COVID-19 vaccines in patients with follicular lymphoma receiving frontline chemoimmunotherapy.
Journal article
Lim YJ. et al, (2024), British journal of haematology, 205, 440 - 451
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Safety, tolerability, viral kinetics, and immune correlates of protection in healthy, seropositive UK adults inoculated with SARS-CoV-2: a single-centre, open-label, phase 1 controlled human infection study
Journal article
Jackson S. et al, (2024), The Lancet Microbe, 5, 655 - 668
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Effect of Prior ChAdOx1 COVID-19 Immunisation on T-Cell Responses to ChAdOx1-HBV.
Journal article
Davis C. et al, (2024), Vaccines, 12
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Immunogenicity of third dose COVID-19 vaccine strategies in patients who are immunocompromised with suboptimal immunity following two doses (OCTAVE-DUO): an open-label, multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 3 trial.
Journal article
Goodyear CS. et al, (2024), The Lancet. Rheumatology, 6, e339 - e351
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Vascular adhesion protein-1 blockade in primary sclerosing cholangitis: Open-label, multicenter, single-arm, phase II trial.
Journal article
Hirschfield GM. et al, (2024), Hepatology communications, 8
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Impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on routine surveillance for adults with chronic hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection in the UK
Preprint
Campbell C. et al, (2024)