Kenneth Baillie


Professor
J. Kenneth Baillie
FRSE FMedSci FRCA FRCPE
Known forGenetic prediction of baricitinib as an effective therapy for Covid-19
AwardsPrix Galien[1], Pride of Scotland[2]
Academic background
EducationUniversity of Edinburgh
Academic work
DisciplineGenomics, Computational Biology, Critical care
InstitutionsUniversity of Edinburgh
Websitewww.research.ed.ac.uk/en/persons/kenneth-baillie

Kenneth Baillie FRSE FMedSci, is a British clinician-scientist and Professor of Experimental Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, working in genomics in critical care medicine. He practices as a consultant in critical care medicine at the Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh. Baillie has been a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society of Edinburgh for his pioneering work discovering effective drug targets using human genetics.[3]

Career

Baillie studied medicine at the University of Edinburgh (BSc (Hons) in Physiology, 1999; MB ChB, 2002) and completed specialist training in anaesthesia and critical care. He was awarded a PhD from Edinburgh in 2012 for work in statistical genetics in infectious disease, and held Wellcome Trust clinical fellowships before appointment to his current chair in 2021.[4]

Research

Host Genomics and therapeutics

Baillie's research has been built on the prediction that the host genome can reveal therapeutically-actionable mechanisms of disease.[5] He discovered multiple human genes important in critical illness caused by influenza [6] and COVID-19.[7][8] He started the GenISIS study in 2009, and the GenOMICC study in 2015, to examine genetic predisposition to severe infections.[9][10] GenOMICC has now recruited over 44,000 criticall-ill patients, and claims to be the largest consented research study in the history of critical care medicine worldwide.[11]

In 2020 Baillie found host genetic associations, including pathways involving TYK2, that revealed how the human immune system damages patients' lungs in severe Covid-19.[12] Baillie predicted that a TYK2-inhibiting drug, baricitinib, would be an effective treatment.[13] As a direct result of this,[14] baricitinib was tested in the RECOVERY trial, and found to be effective.[15][16]

High altitude research

In 2001, as an undergraduate, Baillie founded Apex (Altitude Physiology Expeditions), a high-altitude research charity, and led its first expedition to a high-altitude laboratory in Bolivia.[17][18] The organisation continues to run research expeditions every few years and supported early-career clinicians entering academic medicine.[19] Baillie's work on clinical subgrouping in acute mountain sickness contributed to a revised international consensus definition of the condition.[20][21]

Clinical Characterisation Protocol

Baillie led a global consensus group and created the ISARIC/WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol (CCP) in 2011 to eliminate delays in research set-up during disease outbreaks by sharing open-source infrastructure for outbreak research.[22][23] The CCP has in use in many countries worldwide, and was used to the first characterisation report of novel coronavirus from Wuhan[24].

During the COVID-19 pandemic the protocol was activated across all UK hospitals under Baillie's joint leadership of ISARIC4C, the largest observational research study of hospitalised Covid-19 patients anywhere in the world.[25] The UK protocol was later activated for the 2022 outbreak of unexplained acute hepatitis in children. In that outbreak, Baillie co-chaired the UK public health response group and co-led work identifying an infectious and genetic cause of the illness.[26]

Computational biology

Baillie was a key contributor to the FANTOM5 international consortium, in which he used machine learning to partition co-expression signals at promoter resolution from 5′ RNA sequencing data, inferring the function of genes implicated in the host response to influenza.[27] FANTOM5 remains foundational to the field of AI genomic language models as the most comprehensive and highest-resolution source of transcription initiation sites in the human genome.

While a visiting scientist at the Broad Institute in 2014–15, Baillie developed meta-analysis by information content (MAIC), a method that weights heterogeneous functional genomics datasets by quality and relevance to a biological process.[28][29] MAIC has been applied to therapeutic target prioritisation in critical illness and other settings, and formed part of Baillie's synthesis of COVID-19 pathophysiology.[30] It remains the most powerful gene list-integration method for real data from biological experiments.[31]

Guidelines and policy

Baillie has worked with the World Health Organization on influenza, MERS, Ebola and COVID-19.[32] During the COVID-19 pandemic he advised the UK government through SAGE and related groups on clinical management of the outbreak.[33]

Awards and honours

Baillie is a fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences (2023)[34] and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2022).[35] He received the University of Edinburgh Chancellor's Award for Research (2023),[36] honorary membership of the Intensive Care Society (2025),[37] the Herald Heroes of the Year award (2020),[38] and a Pride of Scotland special recognition award (2021).[39] He has been listed among Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers.[40]

Selected publications

  • Baillie, J. K. (2014). "Translational genomics. Targeting the host immune response to fight infection". Science. 344 (6186): 807–808. doi:10.1126/science.1255074. PMID 24855243.
  • Forrest, A. R. R.; Kawaji, H.; Rehle, M.; Baillie, J. K.; et al. (2014). "A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas". Nature. 507: 462–470. doi:10.1038/nature13182. PMC 4529748.
  • Pairo-Castineira, E.; Rawlik, K.; et al. (2023). "GWAS and meta-analysis identifies 49 genetic variants underlying critical COVID-19". Nature. 617: 764–768. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-06034-3.

References

  1. ↑ "University of Liverpool's COVID-19 'Response Trio' wins Prix Galien UK award". University of Liverpool. 12 June 2026. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  2. ↑ "Special Recognition - Pride of Scotland Awards". Pride of Scotland. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  3. ↑ "Kenneth Baillie". Academy of Medical Sciences. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  4. ↑ "Kenneth Baillie". University of Edinburgh Research Explorer. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  5. ↑ Baillie, J. K. (2014). "Translational genomics. Targeting the host immune response to fight infection". Science. 344 (6186): 807–808. doi:10.1126/science.1255074. PMID 24855243.
  6. ↑ "Study reveals gene clue to flu mystery". The Herald. 26 March 2012.
  7. ↑ "Five key severe COVID-19 genes found, suggesting drug targets". Reuters. 11 December 2020.
  8. ↑ "Covid: Genes hold clues to why some people get severely ill". BBC News. 11 December 2020.
  9. ↑ "The GenOMICC Study". GenOMICC. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  10. ↑ "Sepsis hope as Edinburgh study looks to DNA for clue to survive deadly infection". The Herald. 28 March 2019.
  11. ↑ "GenOMICC Study Website". GenOMICC. 28 May 2026.
  12. ↑ Pairo-Castineira, E.; Clohisey, S.; et al. (2020). "Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in Covid-19". Nature. 591: 92–98. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03065-y.
  13. ↑ Pairo-Castineira, E.; Clohisey, S.; et al. (2020). "Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in Covid-19". Nature. 591: 92–98. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03065-y.
  14. ↑ "SAGE minutes meeting 60" (PDF). UK Government Publishing Service. 1 October 2020. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  15. ↑ "Another life-saving Covid drug identified". BBC News. 3 March 2022.
  16. ↑ RECOVERY Collaborative Group; et al. (2022). "Baricitinib in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19 (RECOVERY): a randomised, controlled, open-label, platform trial and updated meta-analysis". The Lancet. 400: 359–368. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(22)01109-6.
  17. ↑ "Students head to Bolivia for altitude study". The Herald. 19 March 2001.
  18. ↑ "Our Story". Altitude.org. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  19. ↑ "The APEX adventure". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  20. ↑ "Altitude sickness two illnesses". The Herald. 31 March 2014.
  21. ↑ Roach, R. C.; Hackett, P. H.; et al. (2018). "The 2018 Lake Louise Acute Mountain Sickness Score". High Altitude Medicine & Biology. 19 (1): 4–6. doi:10.1089/ham.2017.0164. PMC 6191821. PMID 29583031.
  22. ↑ "Clinical Characterisation Protocol". ISARIC. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  23. ↑ Dunning, J. W.; Merson, L.; et al. (2014). "Open-source clinical science for emerging infections". The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 14 (1): 8–9. doi:10.1016/S1473-3099(13)70327-X.
  24. ↑ "COVID-19 pandemic response timeline". ISARIC. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  25. ↑ Knight, S. R.; et al. (2020). "Risk stratification of patients admitted to hospital with covid-19 using the ISARIC WHO Clinical Characterisation Protocol: development and validation of the 4C Mortality Score". BMJ. 370 m3339. doi:10.1136/bmj.m3339. PMC 7662116.
  26. ↑ Ho, A.; Orton, R.; et al. (2023). "Adeno-associated virus 2 infection in children with non-A-E hepatitis". Nature. doi:10.1038/s41586-023-05948-2.
  27. ↑ FANTOM Consortium and the RIKEN PMI and CLST (DGT); et al. (2014). "A promoter-level mammalian expression atlas". Nature. 507: 462–470. doi:10.1038/nature13182.
  28. ↑ "MAIC (Meta-Analysis by Information Content)". Baillie Lab. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  29. ↑ Parkinson, N.; Rodgers, N.; et al. (2020). "Dynamic data-driven meta-analysis for prioritisation of host genes implicated in COVID-19". Scientific Reports. 10 22303. doi:10.1038/s41598-020-79033-3.
  30. ↑ Pairo-Castineira, E.; Clohisey, S.; et al. (2020). "Genetic mechanisms of critical illness in Covid-19". Nature. 591: 92–98. doi:10.1038/s41586-020-03065-y.
  31. ↑ Wang, B.; et al. (2022). "Systematic comparison of ranking aggregation methods for gene lists in experimental results". Bioinformatics. 38(21): 4927–4933. doi:10.1093/bioinformatics/btac621.
  32. ↑ "Kenneth Baillie". Academy of Medical Sciences. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  33. ↑ "List of participants of SAGE and related sub-groups". GOV.UK. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  34. ↑ "Highest number of new Fellows elected to the Academy from across UK". Academy of Medical Sciences. 11 May 2023. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  35. ↑ Thomas, James (22 March 2022). "Academic and artistic minds honoured as RSE Fellows in 2022". Royal Society of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  36. ↑ "Chancellor's Award winners". University of Edinburgh. 24 November 2023. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  37. ↑ "Honorary membership for intensive care researcher Professor Kenneth Baillie". Institute for Regeneration and Repair, University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  38. ↑ "Heroes of 2020: The men and women who shone in a year like no other". The Herald. 26 December 2020.
  39. ↑ "Special Recognition - Pride of Scotland Awards". Pride of Scotland. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
  40. ↑ "Highly Cited Researchers". Clarivate. 13 November 2024. Retrieved 2026-06-27.
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