Ellie Barnes

Professor Ellie Barnes is a Professor of Hepatology and Experimental Medicine at the University of Oxford, based in the Nuffield Department of Medicine. She leads an established research group focused on applied immunology relevant to liver disease and cancer, and serves as a Ludwig Adjunct Scholar within the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.

Her educational background includes a BSc, MBBS, and PhD, and she holds prestigious fellowships as a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians (FRCP) and the Academy of Medical Sciences (FMedSci).

Professor Barnes' research program integrates laboratory science with clinical applications across multiple domains. She pioneers T cell-based pan-genotypic vaccines for hepatitis C virus (HCV) prevention and hepatitis B virus (HBV) cure using viral vectors, targeting conserved viral regions to overcome genetic diversity. Her work extends to stratified medicine initiatives like the MRC-funded STOP-HCV consortium, which combines viral sequencing with host genetics to predict hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) development, and the CRUK-funded DeLIVER programme for early HCC detection. The group also investigates immune-mediated liver diseases—particularly IgG4-related disease through a national EASL-funded registry—and develops non-invasive liver imaging techniques with the Oxford Centre for Clinical Magnetic Resonance Research.

Her scientific excellence is recognized through FRCP and FMedSci fellowships. She secures major funding from the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK, and the European Association for the Study of the Liver for large-scale consortia. As NIHR CLRN lead for hepatology in the Thames Valley, she oversees clinical studies at Oxford University NHS Trust, spanning gastroenterology, hepatology, and vaccine assessment in disease cohorts.

Professor Barnes directs the Barnes group, which maintains active collaborations with the Jenner Institute, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, Harvard University, Johns Hopkins, and other international partners. The team operates a national IgG4-related disease registry and advances innovative projects including human challenge models for HCV and liver fibrosis imaging methodologies.