Professor NICHOLLS John M | nicholls@pathology.hku.hk
Assistant Dean (Education)
Li Ka Shing Faculty of Medicine, HKU
MBBS Adel; FRCPA; FHKCPath; FHKAM (Pathology)
How do viruses interact with cells?
What can we do to enhance student learning?
Awards and Honors
University Teaching Fellowship (1997-98)
Medical Education
Pathology discipline coordinator, MBBS Years 3-5
Professional Development, IMHSE
Research Description
Viruses are involved in a number of infectious and neoplastic diseases of the respiratory tract in humans. I have been investigating what role the Epstein-Barr virus plays in nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC), and in particular two of the viruses proteins (LMP1 and BARF1) which have been implicated in the development of NPC. In particular I have been looking at whether there is “good” or “bad” LMP or BARF1 and how these proteins differ in NPCs from different geographical regions This work involves collaboration with EBV experts from Europe and North America.
In addition I have worked closely with colleagues from the Department of Microbiology in investigating why certain new and emerging viruses such as SARS and H5N1 appear to be so lethal in humans. Is it because they are attacking cells which are not normally attacked by viruses? Is it because they are triggering cells to release too many cytokines, or is it because they are interacting with cell receptors which are not normally expressed in normal conditions? Whatever the results, the main aim of my research is to put a clinical perspective on reducing the damage caused by viruses in the human.
Selected Publications
Click here for detail publication list on PubMed
Nicholls JM, Chan MC, Chan WY, Wong HK, Cheung CY, Kwong DL, Wong MP, Chui WH, Poon LL, Tsao SW, Guan Y, Peiris JS. Tropism of avian influenza A (H5N1) in the upper and lower respiratory tract. Nat Med 2007, 13(2):147-149
Nicholls JM, Peiris JSM. Good ACE, bad ACE do battle in lung injury, SARS. Nat Med 2005, 11:821-822.
Peiris JS, Yu WC, Leung CW, Cheung CY, Ng WF, Nicholls JM, Ng TK, Chan KH, Lai ST, Lim WL, Yuen KY, Guan Y. Re-emergence of fatal human influenza A subtype H5N1 disease. Lancet 2004, 363(9409):617-619.
Nicholls JM, Hahn P, Kremmer E, Frohlich T, Arnold GJ, Sham J, Kwong D. Grasser FA Detection of wild type and deleted latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) of Epstein-Barr virus in clinical biopsy material. J Virol Methods 2004, 116:79-88.
Nicholls JM, Poon LLM, Lee KC, Ng WF, Lai ST, Leung CY, Chu CM, Hui PK, Mak KL, Lim W, Yan KW, Chan KH, Tsang NC, Guan Y, Yuen KY, Peiris JSM. (2003) Lung pathology of fatal severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet 2003, 361(9371):1773-1783.
Peiris JS, Lai ST, Poon LL, Guan Y, Yam LY, Lim W, Nicholls JM, Yee WK, Yan WW, Cheung MT, Cheng VC, Chan KH, Tsang DN, Yung RW, Ng TK, Yuen KY. SARS study group. Coronavirus as a possible cause of severe acute respiratory syndrome. Lancet 2003, 361(9366):1319-1325.
Nicholls JM, Kremmer E, Meseda C, Mackett M, Hahn P, Gulley M, Brink A,. Swinnen L, Greenspan J, De Souza Y, Grässer F, Sham J, Ng MH, Arrand J. Comparative analysis of the expression of the Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) anti-apoptotic gene BHRF1 in nasopharyngeal carcinoma and EBV related lymphoid diseases. J Med Virol 2001, 65:105-113.
Crook T, Nicholls JM, Brooks L, O'Nions J, Allday MJ. High level expression of DN-p63: a mechanism for the inactivation of p53 in undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC)?. Oncogene 2000, 19:3439-3444.
Kwong DLW, Nicholls JM, Wei WI, Chua DTT, Sham JST, Yuen PW, Cheng ACK, Wan KY, Kwong PWK, Choy DTK. The time course of histologic remission after treatment of patients with nasopharyngeal carcinoma. Cancer 1999, 85:1446-1453.
Wang X, Wong SCH, Pan J, Tsao GSW, Fung KHY, Kwong DLW, Sham JST, Nicholls JM. Evidence of cisplatin-induced senescent-like growth arrest in nasopharyngeal carcinoma cells. Cancer Res 1999, 58:5019-5022.
Nicholls JM, Sommer P, Kremmer E, Ong KS, Fung KHY, Lee MF, Grasser FA. Brief Methods - A new lytic antibody, 7D6, detects Epstein-Barr Virus dUTPase in nonkeratinizing undifferentiated nasopharyngeal carcinomas. Laboratory Investigation 1998, 78(8):1031-1032.