Contact information
Colleges
Akira Wiberg
BA BM BCh DPhil FRCS(Plast)
NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Plastic Surgery
Peripheral nerve injury in the musculoskeletal system
I studied medicine at Merton College, Oxford, where I was a Postmaster (senior scholar), and was awarded the Martin Wronker Prize for finishing top of my year at Oxford University in the Medical Sciences BA degree. After qualifying as a doctor, I completed the Academic Foundation Programme in Oxford. Following a stint as a visiting research scholar at UCLA, I undertook my Core Surgical Training in London, and started my specialist surgical training in Plastic Surgery in the South West Deanery in 2013.
From 2016-19, I returned to Oxford to study for a DPhil under the supervision of Prof Dominic Furniss (NDORMS) and Prof David Bennett (NDCN), investigating the genetic basis of carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS), a very common and disabling hand disease caused by compression of the median nerve in the wrist. We performed the first ever genome-wide association study in CTS, and identified several genes and biological pathways that play a central role in determining an individual's susceptibility the disease.
In 2020, I was appointed as NIHR Clinical Lecturer in Plastic Surgery in Oxford, and obtained my CCT in 2023. I split my time equally between the hospital and the laboratory. My clinical interest is in peripheral nerve surgery, and my closely related research theme is translational at its core. I use advanced genomic, bioinformatic, and molecular biology techniques in "bench-to-bedside" research that has the ultimate goal of improving clinical outcomes for people with CTS and other nerve injuries. This includes:
- Elucidating the pathological mechanisms that underlie CTS and related nerve compression injuries, with a focus on understanding the changes that take place in the connective tissues that surround the nerve.
- Using genetic information to stratify risk of developing CTS and the risk of needing surgery.
- Developing non-surgical therapies for patients with CTS that target specific cells, genes and molecules.
- Using electrical stimulation to augment nerve regeneration in people with CTS and other nerve injuries.
- Studying the contribution of peripheral nerve compressions to migraine headaches.
I currently co-supervise three DPhil students in my department, and I am a Stipendiary Lecturer in Human Anatomy at Merton College, where I am tutor to first year undergraduates.
Key publications
-
Journal article
Wiberg A. et al, (2019), Nat commun, 10
-
Journal article
Patel B. et al, (2022), Lancet rheumatol, 4, e556 - e565
-
Journal article
Zhu L. et al, (2022), Sci transl med, 14
-
Journal article
Wiberg A. et al, (2022), Jama, 328, 1771 - 1772
-
Journal article
Tullie S. et al, (2022), J plast reconstr aesthet surg
-
Journal article
Wiberg A. et al, (2021), J plast reconstr aesthet surg
-
Journal article
Wiberg A. et al, (2019), Brain, 142, 2938 - 2947
-
Journal article
Howles SA. et al, (2019), Nat commun, 10
-
Journal article
Ahmed W-U-R. et al, (2022), Nat commun, 13
Recent publications
-
Journal article
van den Berge BA. et al, (2023), Occup environ med
-
Journal article
Zhu L. et al, (2022), Sci transl med, 14
-
Journal article
Wiberg A. et al, (2022), Jama, 328, 1771 - 1772
-
Journal article
Patel B. et al, (2022), Lancet rheumatol, 4, e556 - e565
-
Preprint
Lovegrove CE. et al, (2022)
-
Journal article
Ahmed W-U-R. et al, (2022), Nat commun, 13
-
Journal article
Howles SA. et al, (2022), Nat commun, 13
-
Journal article
Siriwardena AK. and CHOLECOVID Collaborative None., (2022), Bjs open, 6
-
Journal article
McVeigh J. et al, (2022), Ann r coll surg engl
-
Journal article
Tullie S. et al, (2022), J plast reconstr aesthet surg