Dr Tim J Harrison

Reader in Molecular Virology
Royal Free and University College Medical School

Biography

Tim Harrison graduated from the Department of Medical Microbiology, University of Liverpool in 1972 and obtained his PhD from the University of Glasgow, where he worked in the Institute of Virology on host range mutants of adenovirus type 5. He continued working on adenoviruses as a post-doc in Phil Sharp's lab in the Center for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

Tim Harrison's interests in viral hepatitis began in the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1981 and he moved with his research group to the Royal Free in 1989. He is a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists and of the Institute of Biology and was awarded a DSc by the University of Liverpool in 2000.

Previous Appointments

1. Damon Runyon-Walter Winchell in the laboratory of Phillip A Sharp 1976-1978
Centre for Cancer Research, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, MA, USA

2. MRC Staff Scientist 1978-1981
Institute of Virology, Glasgow, Scotland

3. Research Fellow 1981-1983
Department of Medical Microbiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

4. Senior Lecturer æ1983-1989
Department of Medical Microbiology and Wolfson Unit of Medical Microbiology and Parasitology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

5. Senior Lecturer æ1989-1993
University Department of Medicine, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine

6. Reader in Molecular Virology, 1993-present
University Department of Medicine, Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine, later the Royal Free and University College Medical School

Tim Harrison is also an editor (hepatitis viruses) of the Journal of General Virology

Professional Bodies

Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists; Fellow of the Institute of Biology; Member of the Society for General Microbiology; Member of the European Association for the Study of the Liver; Member of the American Society for Microbiology, Secretary of the Medical Research Club.

Research Interests

Tim Harrison's current research interests are in the molecular biology of human hepatitis viruses. He has published extensively on genetic variation in hepatitis B virus, particularly in relation to its pathogenicity and role in causing primary liver cancer. A major project seeks to elucidate the mechanism of virus entry into hepatocytes. He also is interested in genetic variation in hepatitis E and its rare occurrence in the United Kingdom.

Selected Publications

E A Fagan and T J Harrison (2000) Viral Hepatitis. A handbook for clinicians and scientists. BIOS Scientific Publishers, Ltd. Oxford (328 pages).

G M El-Nady, R Ling and T J Harrison (2003) Gene expression in HCV-associated hepatocellular carcinoma - upregulation of a gene encoding a protein related to ubiquitin conjugating enzyme. Liver International 23, 329-337.

M Banks, G S Heath, S S Grierson, D P King, A Gresham, R Girones, F Widen and T J Harrison (2004) Evidence for the presence of hepatitis E virus in pigs in the United Kingdom. Veterinary Record 154, 223-227

P L Moore, L H Damelin and T J Harrison (2003) 14C-methylamine-glutaraldehyde conjugation as an alternative to iodination for protein labelling. Biotechniques 35: 379-382.

P L Moore, S Ong and T J Harrison (2003) SCCA-1 mediated binding of hepatitis B virus to hepatocytes does not involve the hepatic serpin clearance system. Journal of Biological Chemistry 278, 46709-46717.

R Ling and T J Harrison (1999) Functional analysis of mutations conferring lamivudine resistance on hepatitis B virus. J Gen Virol 80: 601-606.

Y Wang, H Zhang, R Ling, H Li and T J Harrison (2000) The complete sequence of hepatitis E virus genotype 4 reveals an alternative strategy for translation of open reading frames 2 and 3. J Gen Virol 81: 1675-1686.

Y Wang, D F Levine, R P Bendall, C-G Teo and T J Harrison (2001) Partial sequence analysis of indigenous hepatitis E virus isolated in the United Kingdom. J Med Virol 65: 706-709.

Y Wang, H Zhang, Z Li, W Gu, H Lan, W Hao, R Ling, H Li and T J Harrison (2001) Detection of sporadic hepatitis E in China using immunoassays based on recombinant ORF2 and 3 polypeptides from HEV genotype 4. J Clin Microbiol 39: 4370-4379.

Z-L Fang, J Yang, X Ge, H Zhuang, J Gong, R Li, R Ling and T J Harrison (2002) Core promoter mutations (A1762T, G1764A) and viral genotype in chronic hepatitis B and hepatocellular carcinoma in Guangxi, China J Med Virol in press

This page last modified 07/06/2004 by Web Support