Brian Morris
Encyclopedia
Brian Morris is a professor of molecular medical sciences at the University of Sydney
, Australia
. He is a molecular biologist
, and has published about 250 research papers. He is on the editorial board of two international journals, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia.
As an academic, he publicly promotes scientific research findings in his areas of expertise, including molecular biology
, high blood pressure
, longevity
, and cervical cancer
screening. He has patents awarded in the US, UK, Europe and Australia on use of polymerase chain reaction
(PCR) technology in detection of human papillomavirus
(HPV) - the cause of over 99% of cervical cancers - and is currently trying to bring this to the market in conjunction with a self-sampling procedure for women, so they can avoid the ordeal of a Pap smear
. Human papillomavirus is sexually transmitted.
Morris believes that circumcision should be mandatory for all males. He claims that cervical cancer has been found to be higher in women whose male partner is intact. His website is a referenced review of the benefits claimed for circumcision. He has criticised the circumcision policy of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
, which he says is "not evidence-based and should be retracted." He also wrote the book In Favour of Circumcision, though it has been harshly criticised as extremely biased, 'dangerous' and 'a serious disservice to parents'.
A major theme of his lifelong research has been the important blood pressure-regulating enzyme protein renin. In the early 1980s Prof Morris was the first to clone
the gene for human renin
, as well as the first human kallikrein
gene (showing that it was prostate
-specific, relevant to prostate cancer screening, just as its closest relative PSA
). He also cloned the first cardiac myosin
heavy chain gene. He and his team were the first to elucidated the biosynthetic pathway
of renin, as well as key molecular mechanisms in renin's transcriptional and posttranscriptional control. However, his first breakthrough, in the early 1970s, was the identification of the existence of an inactive precursor (pro) form of renin that could be activated by trypsin
and pepsin
. In 1988 Prof Morris pioneered the field of the molecular genetics of hypertension
, being the first to publish in this area, and has published extensively in this area ever since. More recently his lab has identified various splicing factors and shown how they modulate alternative splicing. In the past year he has begun research to discover global gene expression changes in ageing cells and the effects of the putative longevity factor resveratrol
, a stilbenoid found in red wine
.
Brian Morris grew up in Adelaide
, South Australia
, where he graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide
in 1972. He then completed his PhD in Melbourne
in 1975, leading to the award of a prestigious Sir Charles James Martin Overseas Research Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. From 1975-1978 this supported him as a postdoctoral researcher
at the University of Missouri
, and the University of California, San Francisco
, where in his last year he was supported by the American Heart Association
. He was then appointed as an academic at the University of Sydney in 1978, where he has been ever since. His was awarded the Royal Society of New South Wales
' State Science Prize in 1985, and in 1993 the University of Sydney awarded him a DSc. In 2003 he was elected as a prestigious Honorary Fellow of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research. He won the Faculty of Medicine's Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision in 2006, and The Scroll of Honour, a community service award for his public health advocacy, by Waverley Council on Australia Day in 2007.
Prof Morris is married with two daughters and lives in Sydney, Australia. He is an advocate of healthy living, including diet (nutrition)
and regular physical exercise
, applying health messages from emerging research to his own lifestyle. In 2005 he appeared on several TV news programmes to suggest the introduction of a tax on junk food
coupled with subsidies for healthy food to help combat the obesity
epidemic
. He is a frequent news media commentator, with numerous appearances on TV, interviews on radio, and regularly features in newspapers and magazines.
University of Sydney
The University of Sydney is a public university located in Sydney, New South Wales. The main campus spreads across the suburbs of Camperdown and Darlington on the southwestern outskirts of the Sydney CBD. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and Oceania...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
. He is a molecular biologist
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, and has published about 250 research papers. He is on the editorial board of two international journals, and is a member of the Executive Committee of the High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia.
As an academic, he publicly promotes scientific research findings in his areas of expertise, including molecular biology
Molecular biology
Molecular biology is the branch of biology that deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry...
, high blood pressure
Blood pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by circulating blood upon the walls of blood vessels, and is one of the principal vital signs. When used without further specification, "blood pressure" usually refers to the arterial pressure of the systemic circulation. During each heartbeat, BP varies...
, longevity
Longevity
The word "longevity" is sometimes used as a synonym for "life expectancy" in demography or known as "long life", especially when it concerns someone or something lasting longer than expected ....
, and cervical cancer
Cervical cancer
Cervical cancer is malignant neoplasm of the cervix uteri or cervical area. One of the most common symptoms is abnormal vaginal bleeding, but in some cases there may be no obvious symptoms until the cancer is in its advanced stages...
screening. He has patents awarded in the US, UK, Europe and Australia on use of polymerase chain reaction
Polymerase chain reaction
The polymerase chain reaction is a scientific technique in molecular biology to amplify a single or a few copies of a piece of DNA across several orders of magnitude, generating thousands to millions of copies of a particular DNA sequence....
(PCR) technology in detection of human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus
Human papillomavirus is a member of the papillomavirus family of viruses that is capable of infecting humans. Like all papillomaviruses, HPVs establish productive infections only in keratinocytes of the skin or mucous membranes...
(HPV) - the cause of over 99% of cervical cancers - and is currently trying to bring this to the market in conjunction with a self-sampling procedure for women, so they can avoid the ordeal of a Pap smear
Pap smear
The Papanicolaou test is a screening test used in to detect pre-cancerous and cancerous processes in the endocervical canal of the female reproductive system. Changes can be treated, thus preventing cervical cancer...
. Human papillomavirus is sexually transmitted.
Morris believes that circumcision should be mandatory for all males. He claims that cervical cancer has been found to be higher in women whose male partner is intact. His website is a referenced review of the benefits claimed for circumcision. He has criticised the circumcision policy of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians
Royal Australasian College of Physicians
The Royal Australasian College of Physicians, or RACP, is the organisation responsible for training, educating, and representing over 9,000 physicians and paediatricians in Australia and New Zealand. It was founded in 1938....
, which he says is "not evidence-based and should be retracted." He also wrote the book In Favour of Circumcision, though it has been harshly criticised as extremely biased, 'dangerous' and 'a serious disservice to parents'.
A major theme of his lifelong research has been the important blood pressure-regulating enzyme protein renin. In the early 1980s Prof Morris was the first to clone
Cloning
Cloning in biology is the process of producing similar populations of genetically identical individuals that occurs in nature when organisms such as bacteria, insects or plants reproduce asexually. Cloning in biotechnology refers to processes used to create copies of DNA fragments , cells , or...
the gene for human renin
Renin
Renin , also known as an angiotensinogenase, is an enzyme that participates in the body's renin-angiotensin system -- also known as the Renin-Angiotensin-Aldosterone Axis -- that mediates extracellular volume , and arterial vasoconstriction...
, as well as the first human kallikrein
Kallikrein
Kallikreins are a subgroup of serine proteases, enzymes capable of cleaving peptide bonds in proteins. In humans, plasma kallikrein has no known homologue, while tissue kallikrein-related peptidases encode a family of fifteen closely related serine proteases...
gene (showing that it was prostate
Prostate
The prostate is a compound tubuloalveolar exocrine gland of the male reproductive system in most mammals....
-specific, relevant to prostate cancer screening, just as its closest relative PSA
Prostate specific antigen
Prostate-specific antigen also known as gamma-seminoprotein or kallikrein-3 is a glycoprotein that in humans is encoded by the KLK3 gene. KLK3 is a member of the kallikrein-related peptidase family that are secreted by the epithelial cells of the prostate gland...
). He also cloned the first cardiac myosin
Myosin
Myosins comprise a family of ATP-dependent motor proteins and are best known for their role in muscle contraction and their involvement in a wide range of other eukaryotic motility processes. They are responsible for actin-based motility. The term was originally used to describe a group of similar...
heavy chain gene. He and his team were the first to elucidated the biosynthetic pathway
Anabolism
Anabolism is the set of metabolic pathways that construct molecules from smaller units. These reactions require energy. One way of categorizing metabolic processes, whether at the cellular, organ or organism level is as 'anabolic' or as 'catabolic', which is the opposite...
of renin, as well as key molecular mechanisms in renin's transcriptional and posttranscriptional control. However, his first breakthrough, in the early 1970s, was the identification of the existence of an inactive precursor (pro) form of renin that could be activated by trypsin
Trypsin
Trypsin is a serine protease found in the digestive system of many vertebrates, where it hydrolyses proteins. Trypsin is produced in the pancreas as the inactive proenzyme trypsinogen. Trypsin cleaves peptide chains mainly at the carboxyl side of the amino acids lysine or arginine, except when...
and pepsin
Pepsin
Pepsin is an enzyme whose precursor form is released by the chief cells in the stomach and that degrades food proteins into peptides. It was discovered in 1836 by Theodor Schwann who also coined its name from the Greek word pepsis, meaning digestion...
. In 1988 Prof Morris pioneered the field of the molecular genetics of hypertension
Hypertension
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiac chronic medical condition in which the systemic arterial blood pressure is elevated. What that means is that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body. Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and...
, being the first to publish in this area, and has published extensively in this area ever since. More recently his lab has identified various splicing factors and shown how they modulate alternative splicing. In the past year he has begun research to discover global gene expression changes in ageing cells and the effects of the putative longevity factor resveratrol
Resveratrol
Resveratrol is a stilbenoid, a type of natural phenol, and a phytoalexin produced naturally by several plants when under attack by pathogens such as bacteria or fungi....
, a stilbenoid found in red wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
.
Brian Morris grew up in Adelaide
Adelaide
Adelaide is the capital city of South Australia and the fifth-largest city in Australia. Adelaide has an estimated population of more than 1.2 million...
, South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
, where he graduated with First Class Honours from the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
in 1972. He then completed his PhD in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
in 1975, leading to the award of a prestigious Sir Charles James Martin Overseas Research Fellowship from the National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia. From 1975-1978 this supported him as a postdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral researcher
Postdoctoral research is scholarly research conducted by a person who has recently completed doctoral studies, normally within the previous five years. It is intended to further deepen expertise in a specialist subject, including acquiring novel skills and methods...
at the University of Missouri
University of Missouri
The University of Missouri System is a state university system providing centralized administration for four universities, a health care system, an extension program, five research and technology parks, and a publishing press. More than 64,000 students are currently enrolled at its four campuses...
, and the University of California, San Francisco
University of California, San Francisco
The University of California, San Francisco is one of the world's leading centers of health sciences research, patient care, and education. UCSF's medical, pharmacy, dentistry, nursing, and graduate schools are among the top health science professional schools in the world...
, where in his last year he was supported by the American Heart Association
American Heart Association
The American Heart Association is a non-profit organization in the United States that fosters appropriate cardiac care in an effort to reduce disability and deaths caused by cardiovascular disease and stroke. It is headquartered in Dallas, Texas...
. He was then appointed as an academic at the University of Sydney in 1978, where he has been ever since. His was awarded the Royal Society of New South Wales
Royal Society of New South Wales
The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. It was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June 1821...
' State Science Prize in 1985, and in 1993 the University of Sydney awarded him a DSc. In 2003 he was elected as a prestigious Honorary Fellow of the American Heart Association Council for High Blood Pressure Research. He won the Faculty of Medicine's Award for Excellence in Postgraduate Research Supervision in 2006, and The Scroll of Honour, a community service award for his public health advocacy, by Waverley Council on Australia Day in 2007.
Prof Morris is married with two daughters and lives in Sydney, Australia. He is an advocate of healthy living, including diet (nutrition)
Diet (nutrition)
In nutrition, diet is the sum of food consumed by a person or other organism. Dietary habits are the habitual decisions an individual or culture makes when choosing what foods to eat. With the word diet, it is often implied the use of specific intake of nutrition for health or weight-management...
and regular physical exercise
Physical exercise
Physical exercise is any bodily activity that enhances or maintains physical fitness and overall health and wellness. It is performed for various reasons including strengthening muscles and the cardiovascular system, honing athletic skills, weight loss or maintenance, as well as for the purpose of...
, applying health messages from emerging research to his own lifestyle. In 2005 he appeared on several TV news programmes to suggest the introduction of a tax on junk food
Junk food
Junk food is an informal term applied to some foods that are perceived to have little or no nutritional value ; to products with nutritional value, but which also have ingredients considered unhealthy when regularly eaten; or to those considered unhealthy to consume at all...
coupled with subsidies for healthy food to help combat the obesity
Obesity
Obesity is a medical condition in which excess body fat has accumulated to the extent that it may have an adverse effect on health, leading to reduced life expectancy and/or increased health problems...
epidemic
Epidemic
In epidemiology, an epidemic , occurs when new cases of a certain disease, in a given human population, and during a given period, substantially exceed what is expected based on recent experience...
. He is a frequent news media commentator, with numerous appearances on TV, interviews on radio, and regularly features in newspapers and magazines.
External links
- University of Sydney staff profile
- Benefits of circumcision Brian Morris' website on circumcision