Dr Mark Morris leads a research group within the Research Institute In Healthcare Science (RHIS) investigating the molecular biology and genetics of cancer development.                    

Mark gained his PhD in 2001 following a period of research (at the University of Wales College of Medicine) into the regulation of proliferative life-span barriers in human tumours.

Prior to joining the University of Wolverhampton, in 2010, Mark investigated the molecular basis of cancer and developmental diseases with a particulate interest in epigenetic gene dysregulation as a mechanism that drives tumour formation. This research was carried out at the Department of Medical Genetics, University of Birmingham, where he currently holds the post of Honorary Lecturer in Molecular Oncology. His teaching includes general biochemistry, cell biology, and molecular genetics, particularly related to human disease. 

Selected Publications

• Morris MR* and Astuti D*, Cooper WN, Staals RHJ, Gentle D, Shuib S, Ricketts CR, Cole T, van Essen EJ, van Lingen R, Neri G, Opitz JM, Rump P, Stolte-Dijkstra I, Pruijn GJM, Latif F, Maher ER (2012). Germline mutations in DIS3L2 cause the Perlman syndrome of overgrowth and Wilms tumor susceptibility. Nat Genet. 44: 277-84
• Wake NC, Ricketts CJ, Morris MR, Prigmore E, Gribble SM, Skytte A, Brown M, Clarke N, Banks RE, Hodgson S, Turnell AS, Maher ER, Woodward ER (2013). UBE2QL1 is disrupted by a constitutional translocation associated with renal tumor predisposition and is a novel candidate renal tumor suppressor gene. Human Mutation doi: 10.1002/humu.22433     
• Ricketts CJ* and Morris MR*, Gentle D, Shuib S, Brown M, Clarke N, Wei W, Nathan P, Latif F, Maher ER (2013). Methylation profiling and evaluation of demethylating therapy in renal cell carcinoma. Clinical Epigenetics 5: 16.                                                                                                         
• Morris MR, Astuti D, Maher ER (2013). Perlman syndrome: overgrowth, Wilms tumor predisposition and DIS3L2. Am. J. Med. Genet. C Semin. Med. Genet. 9999:1–8.
• Shinawi T, Hill VK, Krex D, Schackert G, Gentle D, Morris MR, Wei W, Cruickshank G, Maher ER, Latif F (2013). DNA methylation profiles of long- and short-term glioblastoma survivors. Epigenetics 8: 149-156
• Ricketts CJ, Morris MR, Gentle D, Brown M, Wake N, Woodward ER, Clarke N, Latif F, Maher ER (2012). Genome-wide CpG island methylation analysis implicates novel genes in the pathogenesis of renal cell carcinoma. Epigenetics. 7: 278-90
• Morris MR, Ricketts C, Gentle D, McRonald FE, Carli N, Khalili H, Brown M, Kishida T, Yao M, Banks RE, Clarke N, Latif F, Maher ER (2011). Genome-wide methylation analysis identifies epigenetically inactivated tumour suppressor genes in renal cell carcinoma.Oncogene 30:1390-401
• Hill VK, Underhill-Day N, Krex D, Robel K, Sangan CB, Summersgill HR, Morris MR, Gentle D, Chalmers AD, Maher ER, Latif F (2011).Epigenetic inactivation of the RASSF10 candidate tumor suppressor gene is a frequent and an early event in gliomagenesis. Oncogene30:978-89
• Morris MR and Maher ER (2010). Epigenetics of renal cancer: the path towards new diagnostics and therapeutics. Genome Medicine2:59
• Morris MR, Ricketts C, Gentle D, Abdulrahman M, Clarke N, Brown M, Kishida T, Yao M, Latif F, Maher ER (2010). Identification of candidate tumour suppressor genes frequently methylated in renal cell carcinoma. Oncogene 29:2104-17
• Morgan N, Morris MR, Cangul H, Gleeson D, Straatman-Iwanowska A, Davis N, Keenan S, Pasha S, Rahman F, Gentle D, Vreeswijk MPG, Devilee P, Knowles MA, Ceylaner S, Trembath RC, Dalence C, Kismet E, Koseoglu V, Rossbach HC, Gissen P, Tannahill D, Maher ER (2010). Mutations in SLC29A3, encoding an equilibrative nucleoside transporter ENT3, causes a familial Histocytosos syndrome (Faisalabad histiocytosis and Familial Rosai-Dorfman disease. PLOS Genetics 6:e1000833
• Meyer E, Ricketts C, Morgan NV, Morris MR, Pasha S, Tee LJ, Rahman F, Trembath RC, Marton T, Al-Adnani M, Tannahill D, Fallet-Bianco C, Cox P, Williams D, Maher ER (2010). Mutations in FLVCR2 are associated with proliferative vasculopathy and hydranencephaly-hydrocephaly syndrome (Fowler syndrome). Am J Hum Genet. 86:471-8
• Morris MR, Hughes DJ, Tian Y, Ricketts CJ, Lau KW, Gentle D, Shuib S, Serrano-Fernandez P, Lubinski J, Wiesener MS, Pugh CW, Latif F, Ratcliffe PJ, Maher ER (2009). Mutation analysis of hypoxia inducible factors HIF1A and HIF2A in renal cell carcinoma. Anti Cancer Res 29:4337-43
• McRonald FE, Morris MR, Gentle D, Winchester L, Baban D, Ragoussis J, Clarke NW, Brown MD, Kishida T, Yao M, Latif F, Maher ER (2009). CpG methylation profiling in VHL related and VHL unrelated renal cell carcinoma. Mol Cancer 8:31
• Woodward ER, Ricketts C, Killick P, Gad S, Morris MR, Kavalier F, Hodgson SV, Giraud S, Bressac-de Paillerets B, Chapman C, Escudier B, Latif F, Richard S, Maher ER (2008). Familial non-VHL clear cell (conventional) renal cell carcinoma: clinical features, segregation analysis, and mutation analysis of FLCN. Clin Cancer Res 14:5925-30
• Ricketts C, Woodward ER, Killick P, Morris MR, Astuti D, Latif F, Maher ER (2008). Germline SDHB mutations and familial renal cell carcinoma. J Natl Cancer Inst 100:1260-2
• Morris MR, Gentle D, Abdulrahman M, Clarke N, Brown M, Kishida T, Yao M, Teh BT, Latif F, Maher ER (2008).Functional epigenomics approach to identify methylated candidate tumour suppressor genes in renal cell carcinoma. Br J Cancer 98:496-501

Book Chapters

Urological Oncology 2nd edition 2014
Chapter 3:  Genetics and Genito-Urinary Cancer
Eds: Nargund, Vinod H.; Raghavan, Derek; Sandler, Howard M.
Publisher: Springer
ISBN: 0857294814

Future Projects

• Genetic and epigenetic dysregulation in tumour evolution and distant site metastasis.
• Genetics and epigenetics of childhood cancers.
• The role of exosome dysregulated RNA processing in tumour formation.
• Targeted DNA de-methylation as cancer therapy.

If you are interesting in studying any of these subject areas at doctoral level please contact Mark on the contact details above.