Professor Jo Morris PhD BSc

• PhD in Molecular Genetics (1999)
• BSc (Hons) 1995

CAREER TO DATE

2013-                  Reader in Cancer Genetics, University of Birmingham.

2010-2013           Senior Lecturer, University of Birmingham.

2007-2010           Breast Cancer Campaign Fellow, King’s College London.

2003-2006           Medical Research Council Fellow, King’s College London.

2000-2002           Post doc, King’s College London.

WIDENING PARTICIPATION

Beyond allowing lab’ members to contribute to Big-bang and STEM activities (eg. Ruth Densham representing UoB at the house of parliament event), and giving the occasional talk in schools I have not initiated or led a major contribution to widening participation.

Lab tour (2013) CRUK 

CITIZENSHIP

External engagement

I was nominated to the “Innovators in Breast Cancer (UK)” group in 2011. This is an invitation only mix of surgeons, oncologists, and scientists. I have served on the scientific advisory board for the Breast Cancer Campaign (2009-2010) and will again in 2015 -2018.

I was deputy Lead on one of the nine working groups for the Breast Cancer Campaign Gap Analysis-2012 to direct funding strategy for the Charity over the next six years (working group: ‘Genetics, Epigenetics and Epidemiology’). I have been an external PhD examiner in the area of DNA damage response and cancer at Queens University Belfast, the University of Cambridge Imperial College London (UK) and University of Sydney (Australia). 

Contribution to University Management

Committees and working groups

I have served on the School of Cancer Sciences Strategy committee and the College Research Strategy committee to communicate and connect school and college .I was deputy REF led for School of Cancer Sciences (ECRs and outputs).

 

Panels

Long-listing, short-listing and interview panels for the Birmingham Fellows (2012).

Interview panel for lecturer (Biosciences), and several post-doc appointments outside my lab (Stewart, Peterman).

 

Now on the Scientific Advisory Board for the Breast cancer Campaign (2015-2018).

Contribution to the development of others

I have given formal ‘career development’ presentations at College events; the Research Gala (post-grad’ researchers event) entitled “Get a life: be a lab rat!” (2012) and PERCAT (Post-doc’ and early career development and training) workshop entitled “Career Planning” (2012).

I have coached post-doc Alex Garvin, and Academic clinical fellow, Ravindhi Nathavitharana, in the process of writing a small research grants for a small development grant (£5K) and CRUK bursary (£25K),  respectively. Both have been successful. Similarly following coaching post-doc Ruth Densham has just submitted her idea to the Innovative Biomedicine Award Fund.  I have mentored Aga Gambus in her submission of BCC pilot grant and Birmingham Fellowship and overseen MRC interview practices and been mentor to Claire Davies in her Birmingham Fellowship application (2011). 

• Module Lead for Genomics on the Cancer Sciences MRes course
• BMedSci
• DNA damage pathways in human disease (UG)
• Advanced Molecular  Experimental Genetics
• Invasion and Metastasis Small group teaching (found Medical Pract Cancer)
• Introduction to Experimental Skills (UG)

Dr Morris currently supervises doctoral researchers in the following areas:

Ubiquitin pathways in the mammalian DNA damage response
BRCA1 missense gene changes and the link to breast and ovarian cancer

RESEARCH ACTIVITY

Statement of current research interests

 

Key contributions to date:

My research interest is at the intersection of cancer predisposition, DNA repair and post-translational modifications. In 2004 I showed that ubiquitin conjugation was prevalent at sites of DNA double-strand breaks and dependent in part on the Breast and ovarian cancer predisposition protein, BRCA1 (HMG 2004). This is a highly cited paper (108 times) and the first to demonstrate ubiquitin conjugation in relation to this type of DNA damage. Recently we have shown that a key regulator of the amount of localized ubiquitin at sites of damage and the amplitude of the cellular response to the break is the proteasomal de-ubqiutinating enzyme, POH1 (EMBO J 2012).

In 2006 I showed that the interactions of BRCA1 with components that allow it to catalyze the ligation of ubiquitin are likely to be important in cancer predisposition (HMG 2006). This conclusion remains controversial with mouse experiments demonstrating evidence both for and against the idea. My own mouse model (published 2011, Cancer Cell) demonstrates that the region required for ligase activity is also required for tumour suppression and shows separation of tumour suppression function from treatment response. In 2009 my investigations of post-translation modifications in the DNA damage response led to an understanding that the small modifier, SUMO, regulates the wider DNA damage response and specifically regulates BRCA1 ubiquitin ligase activity (Nature 2009).  In 2013 we showed that a eky regulator of chromatin state is the SUMO deconjugating enzyme, SENP7 and that its activity is required to allow the relaxation of DNA required for homologous recombination and DNA repair (EMBO R). These contributions show a strong narrative in my research trajectory that I aim to build on.

 

 

Current Grants.

Role	Date	Description	Funder	Value
PI	Jan 2015- Dec2019	Ubiquitin   processing in Cancer	Cancer   Research UK	£1,400,000
PI	July- 2014 –June-2015	Investigation   of a Novel Biomarker of treatment response in basal breast cancer.	Breast Cancer   Campaign	£20,000
PI	1/2/2014-31/1/2016	New Models of   breast cancer genetics.	Breast Cancer Campaign.	£121,000
PI	01/09/2013- 31/08/2017	Post-translational   modifications as drivers of breast cancer	CRUK Centre studentship	£150,000

 

Expired Grants

Supervisor	01/03/2013- 31/06/2013	Genomic   Analysis of BRCA1 Variant Tumours (Bursary to Ravindhi   Nathavitharana, Academic Research Fellow)	CRUK Training & Career Development Board (Research   Bursary)	£25,000
PI	01/12/2011-31/11/2014	BRCA1 N-terminus in   cancer development	CRUK (project)	£265,500
PI	1/1/2014- 31/8/2014	Generation of   Senp7 deficient mice.	Wellcome   Trust (ISSF)	£25,000
PI	1/10/2011 -31/9/2014	The BRCA1-Proteasome link	Breast Cancer Campaign (Studentship)	£106,756
PI	1/09/2013- 31/08/2014	New   assay for BRCA1 missense variant testing	Breast Cancer Campaign   Pilot Grant.	£19,999
PI	01/12/2010-31/11/2013	Cytoskeletal regulation   of BRCA1	Breast Cancer Campaign   (project)	£193,318
PI	1/8/2012- 31/3/2013	The generation of human   BRCA1 mutant cell lines	Breast Cancer Campaign (Pilot)	£20,00
PI	03-09/2012,	The generation of human   BRCA1 mutant cell lines	Welcome Trust ISSF	£24,000
PI	1/9/2011- 31/11/2011	Novel regulation of 53BP1	Breast Cancer Campaign (Pilot)	£19,989
PI	1/9/2008-31/8/2011	SUMOylation of BRCA1	CRUK (project)	£216,000
PI	01/2007-12/2011	BRCA1   in breast cancer	Breast   Cancer Campaign (Fellowship)	£454,500

 

 

Collaborative

 

Role	Submission	Decision	Period	Description	Funder	Value
Collaborator with Aga Gambus (MRC Fellow and potential Birmingham Fellow).	06/09/2012	5/12/2012	12 months	'New approach to identifying proteins regulated by   BRCA1/BARD1 ubiquitin ligase'.	Breast Cancer Campaign (Pilot)	£19,516

RESEARCH MEASURE

Web of Science, H-index :13

Total times cited (Without self-citations):  573. 

Winner of Breast Cancer Campaign “Team of the Year 2009” (Awarded to PI J Morris and research technician A Alamshah).

Breast Cancer Campaign Genetics Expert, see:

http://www.breastcancercampaign.org/our-science/genetics

Member of Breast Cancer Now Scientific Advisory Board (2015-2018)