July 2025: Professor Kenny Baillie from the Centre for Inflammation Research and member of the EID Executive Committee has been awarded an Honorary Membership of The Intensive Care Society for his significant contributions to intensive care medicine - especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Kenny Baillie, Institute for Regeneration and Repair Professor Baillie leads a team using genetics and computer science to understand why some people become critically ill in intensive care - and how to help them survive and recover. Their work focuses on life-threatening conditions like sepsis, viral lung infections, and the impact of low oxygen levels. I’m honoured to be awarded an honorary member of the Intensive Care Society. It’s been a privilege to work alongside so many brilliant colleagues, especially during the extraordinary challenges of the pandemic. This recognition reflects the collective efforts of an incredible team, all driven by the same goal: to find better ways to save patients' lives. Professor Kenneth Baillie IRR Group Leader Identification of critical Covid-19 treatment One of his most significant achievements is leading the ‘GenOMICC’ study, based at the Roslin Institute. This study investigates how a person’s genes affect their susceptibility and response to critical illness. In 2020, just months after the first Covid-19 patient joined the study, Baillie’s team used genetic data to identify a promising treatment for critical Covid-19: the drug baricitinib. They later confirmed its effectiveness in a clinical trial - marking the first time a treatment for infectious disease or critical illness was successfully developed from genetic research. Building tools to better under disease Beyond Covid, Professor Baillie’s group have developed powerful computer tools that combine data from many sources to better understand disease and identify new drug targets. They’ve also developed mathematical models of gas exchange which are used for teaching all over the world for understanding oxygen levels in the body. This builds on Professor Baillie’s early research in high-altitude medicine. Career dedicated to understanding illnesses The Intensive Care Society is the largest multi-professional intensive care membership organisation in the world. We welcome doctors, nurses, psychologists, physiotherapists, speech and language therapists, dietitians, pharmacists, occupational therapists, and all other allied healthcare professionals working in critical care.This award celebrates Kenny's career dedicated to transforming how we understand and treat the most severe illnesses - and improving outcomes for patients in intensive care worldwide. Related links Professor Kenny BaillieBaillie LabInstitute for Regeneration and RepairThe Intensive Care Society Publication date 04 Jul, 2025
