Professor Jacob George

Professor Jacob George is a Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine & Therapeutics and R&D Director for the East of Scotland.  He is one of four members of the NHS Research Scotland Strategy Board.  Professor George is Director of the Tayside Medical Sciences Centre (TASC – https://www.ahspartnership.org.uk/tasc)  comprising of the UKCRN registered Tayside Clinical Trials Unit, Clinical Research Centre, Tayside Biorepository, Clinical Research Imaging Facility, Research Governance, TASC Legal, Research Finance, Commercial and Non-Commercial Trial teams as well as the East of Scotland Research Ethics Service.  He is actively involved in Medicines Governance in Scotland, being both the Chair of the Medicines Advisory Group since 2009 and Tayside representative on the Scottish Medicines Consortium (SMC) since 2010. He also sits on the National Appeals Panel for drugs not approved by the SMC. Professor Jacob George was recently appointed by the Minister of Health, Malaysia as an International Expert Member of the Malaysian Scientific Review Panel for Phase I Clinical Trials.

Professionally, he is a Consultant Physician, qualified in Clinical Pharmacology and General Internal Medicine and is an accredited European Hypertension Specialist.  His clinical interest is in managing patients with high Cardiovascular risk. He is also Professor of Cardiovascular Medicine & Therapeutics at the University of Dundee Medical School.  His research interests are focused on three main areas: Understanding mechanisms how oxidative stress affects vascular biology and how it can be modified to improve clinical outcomes. Professor Jacob George is currently Chief Investigator for the ALLAY (Allopurinol in Resistant Hypertension), ALFIE (Allopurinol in Functional Impairment in the Elderly) and VESUVIUS (effect of e-cigarette versus traditional cigarettes on vascular function) trial. In addition to this he is Principal Investigator for numerous Commercially Sponsored clinical trials.  His research publications have been covered by more than 50 news organisations worldwide and he has conducted more than 80 media interviews including live television broadcasts to national and international media on the results of his research.

Lists of his various awards, local, national and international roles, grant funding and publications can be provided, upon request.

Dr Jacob George’s Publications

1. Goudie A, Elder DE, Deshmukh H, Szwejkowski BR, Lang CC, George J. Effect of warfarin on survival in patients with concomitant left ventricular systolic dysfunction and pulmonary hypertension: a population cohort study. Eur J Heart Failure 2015 Jan;17(1):90-7 – Senior Author
   • This study showed the beneficial impact of warfarin in patients with heart failure and increased blood pressures in the lung (Pulmonary hypertension)
2. George J, Majeed W, Mackenzie IS, MacDonald TM, Wei L. The Association of Cardiovascular Events with Sodium-Containing Effervescent, Dispersible and Soluble Medications; Nested Case-control Study. British Medical Journal (BMJ)- 2013 Nov 26;347:f6954. DOI: 10.1136/bmj.f6954 (Finalist- UK Research Paper of the Year)
   • This study was a landmark study that grabbed media attention worldwide in over 80 countries. It demonstrated the risk of taking soluble, dispersible and effervescent medications that contain high salt, for a long period of time. As a result of this study, the European Medicines Agency have mandated that all such medicines manufactured, sold and consumed in Europe must change their labelling to warn consumers about salt content.
3. Swejkowski B, Gandy SJ, Rekhraj S, Houston JG, Lang CC, Morris AD, George J, Struthers AD. Allopurinol reduces Left ventricular mass in Patients with type 2 Diabetes and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy. J Am Coll Cardiol (JACC) 2013 Dec 17;62(24):2284-93
   • This study was one in a series of studies we have been performing over the years to see how we could reduce heart muscle thickening as a consequence of hypertension. We demonstrated the beneficial effects of allopurinol, an old drug used for gout treatment, in this regard.
4. Anderson W, Lipworth BJ, Rekhraj S, Struthers AD, George J. Left Ventricular Hypertrophy in Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease without Hypoxaemia: The Elephant in the Room? Chest. 2013 Jan;143(1):91-7  –Senior Author
   • This study demonstrated for the first time that patients with chronic lung disease that were otherwise considered to be “well” (normal oxygen levels in their blood) actually have a significant cardiac risk factor in the form of heart muscle thickening Left ventricular hypertrophy)
5. George J, Carr EA, Davies JI, Belch JJF, Struthers AD. High Dose Allopurinol Improves Endothelial Function by Profoundly Reducing Oxidative Stress and Not By Lowering Uric Acid. Circulation 2006; 114: 2508-2516
   • This study was the first study to demonstrate that the reason allopurinol improves blood vessel function was because it reduced damaging free radical molecules rather than just lowering uric acid, which was what was previously thought. It also showed, for the first time, that high dose of allopurinol (600mg) which is seldom used in clinical practice, is significantly better for blood vessel function compared to regular dose (300mg)