Home| Professor of Stem Cell Biology |
| Lead, Centre for Diabetes |
Contact details:
| Tel: | +44 20 7882 2357 |
| Fax: | +44 20 7882 2186 |
| Email: | m.alison@qmul.ac.uk |
| Address: |
Centre for Diabetes, |
Biography
After my PhD in Newcastle , I spent over 20 years at Hammersmith Hospital (RPMS and Imperial) moving from Lecturer to Professor of Experimental Pathology. Heavily involved in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching throughout, I developed my interests in endodermal (particularly liver) stem cells and wound healing. In September 2004, as part of a 'stem cell initiative' I was appointed Professor of Stem Cell Biology within the Centre for Diabetes at QMUL with a remit to study stem cells in diabetes.
Research Activity
Our research focuses on stem cell biology in endodermally-derived adult tissues, particularly pancreas, liver and the gastrointestinal tract. In normal tissues we are concerned with identification of the stem cell niche and the molecular interactions between epithelial stem cells and putative niche cells (stellate cells, myofibroblasts) studying expression of the likes of Wnt glycoproteins and Wnt-target genes using the techniques of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. We are also examining patterns of cellular inheritance in the human liver, pancreas and gastrointestinal tract to trace lineages to their point of origin (the stem cells and the niche); this involves identifying cells with identical mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) mutations employing the techniques of laser capture microdissection and mtDNA sequencing. The ability of bone marrow cells to generate collagen-expressing myofibroblasts and endothelial cells has broad implications for epithelial regeneration, fibrosis and end-stage fibrotic disease; our group is at the forefront of this research in cirrhosis and inflammatory bowel disease. In human pancreatic and liver cancer, we are studying stem cell behaviour in vitro with a view to identifying cancer stem cells understanding cancer stem cell biology. Collaborators internally include Mr. Hemant Kocher & Mr. Satya Bhattacharya (Surgery) and Prof. Paolo Pozzilli (role of EPCs in type 1 diabetes in NOD mice and the generation of insulin-producing cells from adipose-derived MSCs), while externally we have extensive links with Cancer Research UK (in situ hybridization lab), Prof. MD Turnbull (mtDNA, University of Newcastle upon Tyne), Dr Frank Martin (infrared microspectroscopy, University of Lancaster) and Prof. Susan Lim (b-cells from MSCs, CEO Stem Cell technologies (i), Singapore).
Key Publications
- Lin WR, Lim SA, McDonald SA, Graham T, Wright V, Peplow C, Humphries A, Kocher HM, Wright NA, Dhillon AP, Alison MR. The histogenesis of regenerative nodules in human liver cirrhosis. Hepatology 2010; 51, 1017-1026.
- Fellous TG, Islam S, Tadrous PJ, Elia G, Kocher HM, Bhattacharya S, Mears L, Turnbull DM, Taylor RW, Greaves LC, Chinnery PF, Taylor G, McDonald SA, Wright NA, Alison MR. Locating the stem cell niche and tracing hepatocyte lineages in human liver. Hepatology 2009; 49: 1655-1663.
- Fellous TG*, McDonald SAC*, Burkert J*, Humphries A, De-Alwis NMW, Gutierrez–Gonzalez L, Tadrous P, Elia G, Chinnery PF, Day CP, Kocher HM, Bhattacharya S, Mears L, Turnbull DM, Greaves LC, Wright NA, Alison MR. Locating the stem cell niche and tracing cell lineage in human epithelial tissues: implications for the origins of human tumors. Stem Cells 2009; 27: 1410-1420.
- Alison, M.R. (Editor in Chief) “The Cancer Handbook” Vol. 1 & Vol. 2. John Wiley Publishing, June 2007, pages 1616. ISBN-10: 0-470-01852-6; ISBN-13: 978-0-470-01852-1.
- Russo FP, Alison MR, Bigger BW, Amofah E, Florou A, Amin F, Bou-Gharios G, Jeffery R, Iredale JP, Forbes SJ. The bone marrow functionally contributes to liver fibrosis. Gastroenterology 2006; 130:1807-1821.
- Direkze NC, Jeffery R, Hodivala-Dilke K, Hunt T, Playford RJ, Elia G, Poulsom R, Wright NA, Alison MR. Bone marrow-derived stromal cells express lineage-related messenger RNA species. Cancer Research 2006; 66: 1265-1269.
- Forbes SJ, Russo FP, Rey V,Burra P, Rugge M, Wright NA, Alison MR. A significant proportion of myofibroblasts are of bone marrow origin in human liver fibrosis. Gastroenterology 2004; 126: 955-963.
Alison MR, Poulsom R, Jeffery R, Dhillon AP, Quaglia A, Jacob J, Novelli M, Prentice G, Williamson J, Wright NA. Hepatocytes from non-hepatic adult stem cells. Nature 406 (2000), 257.
