World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!

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Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
85
Citations
46958
World Ranking
3061
National Ranking
231

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2016 - Fellow of the Royal Society, United Kingdom

Overview

Alastair Compston is affiliated with the University of Cambridge in the United Kingdom. Their research spans several interconnected fields, primarily focusing on immunology, microbiology, medicine, and neuroscience. Within these areas, the scientist investigates topics related to T-cell and B-cell immunology, systemic lupus erythematosus, atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases, multiple sclerosis, polyomavirus and related diseases, neuroethics, biomedical innovations, and plant and biological electrophysiology studies.

The scientist's recent publications include the following:

  • Genetic mapping across autoimmune diseases reveals shared associations and mechanisms (2024, Nature Genetics)
  • A disease-specific convergence of host and Epstein-Barr virus genetics in multiple sclerosis (2025, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences)
  • The philosopher of the nervous system (2022, Brain)

Frequent collaborators in their research include Chris Cotsapas, Sandra D'Alfonso, Nikolaos A. Patsopoulos, An Goris, and Annette Oturai. These collaborations have contributed to work published across prominent venues such as Nature Genetics, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and Brain.

The scientific subfields covered by their work include immunology, rheumatology, pathology and forensic medicine, oncology, and cognitive neuroscience. This reflects a multidisciplinary approach oriented toward understanding immune system functions and neurological disorders.

In recognition of their contributions, Alastair Compston was awarded the title of Fellow of the Royal Society in the United Kingdom in 2016.

Best Publications

  • Genome-wide association study of 14,000 cases of seven common diseases and 3,000 shared controls

    Paul R. Burton;David G. Clayton;Lon R. Cardon;Nick Craddock

  • Genetic risk and a primary role for cell-mediated immune mechanisms in multiple sclerosis

    Stephen Sawcer;Garrett Hellenthal;Matti Pirinen;Chris C. A. Spencer

  • Risk alleles for multiple sclerosis identified by a genomewide study.

    David A. Hafler;Alastair Compston;Stephen Sawcer;Mark J. Daly

  • Genome-wide association study identifies eight loci associated with blood pressure

    Christopher Newton-Cheh;Christopher Newton-Cheh;Toby Johnson;Toby Johnson;Vesela Gateva;Martin D. Tobin

  • Association scan of 14,500 nonsynonymous SNPs in four diseases identifies autoimmunity variants

    Paul R Burton;David G Clayton;Lon R Cardon;Nick Craddock

  • Analysis of immune-related loci identifies 48 new susceptibility variants for multiple sclerosis

    Ashley H. Beecham;Nikolaos A. Patsopoulos;Nikolaos A. Patsopoulos;Dionysia K. Xifara;Mary F. Davis

  • Meta-analysis of genome scans and replication identify CD6, IRF8 and TNFRSF1A as new multiple sclerosis susceptibility loci

    Philip L De Jager;Philip L De Jager;Xiaoming Jia;Joanne Wang;Paul I W de Bakker

  • Genome-wide association study of CNVs in 16,000 cases of eight common diseases and 3,000 shared controls

    Nick Craddock;Matthew E. Hurles;Niall Cardin;Richard D. Pearson

  • A genome screen in multiple sclerosis reveals susceptibility loci on chromosome 6p21 and 17q22

    Stephen Sawcer;Hywel B. Jones;Robert Feakes;Julia Gray

  • Autologous mesenchymal stem cells for the treatment of secondary progressive multiple sclerosis: an open-label phase 2a proof-of-concept study

    Peter Connick;Madhan Kolappan;Charles Crawley;Daniel J Webber

  • Localization of type 1 diabetes susceptibility to the MHC class I genes HLA-B and HLA-A

    Sergey Nejentsev;Joanna M. M. Howson;Neil M. Walker;Jeffrey Szeszko

  • Monoclonal antibody treatment exposes three mechanisms underlying the clinical course of multiple sclerosis.

    Alasdair J. Coles;Mark G. Wing;Paul Molyneux;Andrea Paolillo

  • Bayesian refinement of association signals for 14 loci in 3 common diseases.

    Julian B. Maller;Gilean McVean;Gilean McVean;Jake Byrnes;Damjan Vukcevic

  • Pulsed monoclonal antibody treatment and autoimmune thyroid disease in multiple sclerosis

    Alasdair J Coles;Mark Wing;Sheila Smith;Francesca Coraddu

  • Aids to the investigation of peripheral nerve injuries. Medical Research Council: Nerve Injuries Research Committee. His Majesty's Stationery Office: 1942; pp. 48 (iii) and 74 figures and 7 diagrams; with aids to the examination of the peripheral nervous system. By Michael O'Brien for the Guarantors of Brain. Saunders Elsevier: 2010; pp. [8] 64 and 94 Figures.

    Alastair Compston

  • A high-density screen for linkage in multiple sclerosis.

    Sawcer S;Ban M;Maranian M;Yeo Tw

  • Oligodendrocyte progenitors are present in the normal adult human CNS and in the lesions of multiple sclerosis.

    Neil Scolding;Robin Franklin;Sarah Stevens;Carl-Henrik Heldin

  • Oligodendrocytes Promote Neuronal Survival and Axonal Length by Distinct Intracellular Mechanisms: A Novel Role for Oligodendrocyte-Derived Glial Cell Line-Derived Neurotrophic Factor

    Alastair Wilkins;Henry Majed;Robert Layfield;Alastair Compston

  • Heterogeneity at the HLA-DRB1 locus and risk for multiple sclerosis

    Lisa F. Barcellos;Lisa F. Barcellos;Lisa F. Barcellos;Stephen Sawcer;Patricia P. Ramsay;Sergio E. Baranzini

  • Anti-aquaporin-4 antibody is involved in the pathogenesis of NMO : a study on antibody titre. Commentary

    Alastair Compston;Toshiyuki Takahashi;Kazuo Fujihara;Ichiro Nakashima

Frequent Co-Authors

Stephen Sawcer
Stephen Sawcer University of Cambridge
Siddharthan Chandran
Siddharthan Chandran University of Edinburgh
David A. Hafler
David A. Hafler Yale University
An Goris
An Goris KU Leuven
Philip L. De Jager
Philip L. De Jager Columbia University
Stephen L. Hauser
Stephen L. Hauser University of California, San Francisco
Jorge R. Oksenberg
Jorge R. Oksenberg University of California, San Francisco
Lisa F. Barcellos
Lisa F. Barcellos University of California, Berkeley
Margaret A. Pericak-Vance
Margaret A. Pericak-Vance University of Miami
Krzysztof Selmaj
Krzysztof Selmaj University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn

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