Dr Neil Morgan BSc, PhD

Dr Neil Morgan

Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
Reader in Cardiovascular Genetics

Contact details

Telephone
+44 (0)121 414 6820
Fax
+44 (0)121 415 8817
Email
n.v.morgan@bham.ac.uk
View my research portal
Address
Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences
College of Medical and Dental Sciences
University of Birmingham
Edgbaston
Birmingham
B15 2TT
UK

Neil Morgan is a Reader in Cardiovascular Genetics within the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences.

He has published over 100 research papers in high impact scientific journals in the field of human genetics and has an H-index of 51, with 11,000 citations. His current research has primarily involved the identification and characterisation of novel genes for inherited diseases in the haematopoietic system and haemostasis.

Qualifications

  • PhD in Molecular Genetics 2005
  • BSc (Hons) Applied Biochemistry 1994

Biography

Neil Morgan qualified with a BSc (Hons) in Applied Biochemistry from Liverpool John Moores University in 1994. His first post was as Research Assistant at Guy’s Hospital until 2000 followed by a brief spell as a Research Associate at Leicester University. He joined the Medical and Molecular Genetics group at the University of Birmingham where he went on to study for a PhD in Molecular Genetics. In 2011 he was appointed as a lecturer in the Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences at the University of Birmingham and promoted to Senior Lecturer in 2016 and subsequently to Reader in 2020.

Teaching

Postgraduate supervision

Neil is interested in supervising doctoral research students in the following areas:

  • Gene identification of inherited bleeding disorders
  • Next generation sequencing technologies in human disease gene identification
  • Platelet and Megakaryocyte Biology of novel disease genes mutated in inherited thrombocytopenia

Current PhD students: Ibrahim Almazni, Rachel Stapley, Jack Yule

Alumni PhD students: Ben Johnson, Jane Futterer, Abdullah Khan, Annabel Maclachlan

Postdoctoral research fellow: Dr Abdullah Khan

Research

A major aim of his research at the University of Birmingham has been to identify novel genes for inherited diseases to allow improved genetic diagnosis and gain important insights into the pathogenesis of the disorder and elucidate the function of the disease gene. His current research is focusing on the molecular genetics of patients with platelet-based bleeding disorders and low platelet counts (thrombocytopenia). He utilises the latest next generation sequencing technologies to identify novel gene defects providing clues to genes and proteins involved in normal platelet physiology which will ultimately lead to devising new treatment strategies to minimise the risk of bleeding in such patients.

His past research has primarily involved identification of the novel genes for inherited diseases of the haematopoietic system. He has been extremely successful in his pursuit and key findings include: 

  • SLFN14 mutations causing an inherited bleeding disorder with thrombocytopenia and platelet secretion defects
  • TRAC mutations causing a novel immunodeficiency disorder  
  • SLC29A3 mutations causing familial Faisalabad histiocytosis/Rosai-Dorfman disease
  • BLOC1S3 mutations causing a novel form of Hermansky Pudlak disorder (HPS8)
  • CHRNG, RAPSN and DOK7 mutations causing multiple pterygia syndrome/foetal akinesia deformation sequence
  • PLA2G6 mutations causing a spectrum of childhood onset neurodegenerative disorders associated with brain iron accumulation

Other activities

  • Chief investigator of the Genotyping and Phenotyping of Platelets (GAPP) study  for the management and recruitment of patients with inherited bleeding disorders.
  • Principal Editor for the Platelets journal
  • Treasurer of the British Society of Haemostasis and Thrombosis 
  • Genomics England Clinical Interpretation Partnership (GeCIP) domain for Immunology and Haematology (Member)
  • Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences representative for Genomics, including the 100K Genome Collection Centre (Lead)
  • Contribute to the newly established Platelet Charity.  Advise and provide website information for patients and their families with platelet function disorders
  • Advisor to “Funnyblood”. Funny Blood raises awareness of Platelet Function Disorders (PFDs), signposts information to support families living with the little-known condition and fundraises for the ongoing care of sufferers at the Haemophilia Unit in Birmingham Children’s Hospital
  • Working with  the BHF to promote research, speaking at BHF/West Midlands Heart supporter group events and BHF Community Fundraising Conferences.  

Publications

Khan AO, Maclachlan A, Lowe GC, Nicolson PLR, Al Ghaithi R, Thomas SG, Watson SP, Pike JA, Morgan NV (2019) High-throughput platelet spreading analysis: A tool for the diagnosis of platelet-based bleeding disorders. Haematologica in press

Futterer J, Dalby A, Lowe GC, Johnson B, Simpson MA, Motwani J, Williams M, Watson SP, Morgan NV (2018) Mutation in GNE is associated with a severe form of congenital thrombocytopenia. Blood 132: 1855-1858.

Damgaard RB, Walker JA, Marco-Casanova P, Morgan NV, Titheradge HL, Elliott PR, McHale D, Maher ER, McKenzie ANJ and Komander D (2016) The deubiquitinase OTULIN is an essential negative regulator of inflammation and autoimmunity. Cell 166, 1215-30.

Johnson B, Lowe GC, Futterer J, Lordkipanidzé M, MacDonald D, Simpson MA, Sánchez Guiú I, Drake S, Bem D, Leo V, Fletcher SJ, Dawood B, Rivera J, Allsup D, Biss T, Bolton-Maggs PHB, Collins P, Curry N, Grimley C, James B, Makris M, Motwani J, Pavord S, Talks K, Thachil J, Wilde J, Williams M, Harrison P, Gissen P, Mundell S, Mumford A, Daly ME, Watson SP and Morgan NV; The UK GAPP Study Group (2016) Whole exome sequencing identifies genetic variants in inherited thrombocytopenia with secondary qualitative function defects. Haematologica 101: 1170-79.

Fletcher SJ, Johnson B, Lowe GC, Bem D, Drake S, Lordkipanidzé M, Sánchez Guiú I, Dawood B, Rivera J, Simpson MA, Daly ME, Motwani J, Collins PW, Watson SP and Morgan NV (2015) SLFN14 mutations underlie thrombocytopenia with excessive bleeding and platelet secretion defects. J Clin Invest, 125 (9), 3600-05.

Lu W, Zhang Y, McDonald DO, Jing H, Carroll B, Robertson N, Zhang Q, Griffin H, Sanderson S, Lakey JH, Morgan NV, Reynard LN, Zheng L, Murdock HM, Turvey SE, Hackett SJ, Prestidge T, Hall JM, Cant AJ, Matthews HF, Koref MF, Simon AK, Korolchuk VI, Lenardo MJ, Hambleton S and Su HC (2014) Dual proteolytic pathways govern glycolysis and immune competence. Cell, 159, 1578-90.

Stockley J*, Morgan NV*, Bem D, Lowe GC, Lordkipanidzé M, Dawood B, Simpson MA, Macfarlane K, Horner K, Leo VC, Talks K, Motwani J, Wilde JT, Collins PW, Makris M, Watson SP and Daly ME: UK Genotyping and Phenotyping of Platelets Study Group (2013) Enrichment of FLI1 and RUNX1 mutations in families with excessive bleeding and platelet dense granule secretion defects. Blood, 122, 4090-3. * equal contribution

Hambleton S, Goodbourn S, Young DF, Dickinson P, Mohamad SM, Valappil M, McGovern N, Cant AJ, Hackett SJ, Ghazal P, Morgan NV and Randall RE. STAT2 deficiency and susceptibility to viral illness in humans. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2013; 110: 3053-8.

Morgan NV, Goddard S, Cardno TS, McDonald D, Rahman F, Barge D, Ciupek A, Straatman-Iwanowska A, Pasha S, Guckian M, Anderson G, Huissoon A, Cant A, Tate WP, Hambleton S and Maher ER (2011) Mutation in the TCR subunit constant gene (TRAC) leads to a human immunodeficiency disorder characterized by a lack of TCR+ T cells. J Clin Invest 121(2):695-702

Morgan NV, Morris MR, Cangul H, Gleeson D, Straatman-Iwanowska A, Davies 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 H-C, Gissen P, Tannanhill D and Maher ER (2010). Mutations in SLC29A3, encoding an equilibrative nucleoside transporter ENT3, cause a familial Histiocytosis syndrome (Faisalabad histiocytosis) and Familial Rosai-Dorfman disease. PLoS Genetics 6(2):e1000833

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