Professor Ivan Morrison
Professor Ivan Morrison

Contact details
Address
- Street
-
The Roslin Institute
Easter Bush Campus
Midlothian - City
- Post code
- EH25 9RG
Availability
Willingness to take Ph.D. students: Yes
Background
Professor Ivan Morrison is a group leader at The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh having stepped down in 2012 as the Head of the Institute's Infection and Immunity Division. He obtained his BVMS and PhD at the University of Glasgow before taking employment at the International Laboratory for Research on Animal Diseases (ILRAD) in Nairobi.
In 1990 Professor Morrison became the Head of the Division of Immunology and Pathology at the Institute for Animal Health then in 2002 he became Professor of Immunology at the R(D)SVS. In 1990 he received the Pfizer Award for outstanding contribution to understanding bovine diseases and he has also received The Wellcome Trust Medal for Veterinary Research (1991), American Association of Veterinary Immunologists Award (1997), Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (1997) and the Royal Agricultural Society of England, Bledisloe Veterinary Award (2001).
Professor Morrison currently studies the mechanisms of T cell-mediated immunity against intracellular pathogens of ruminants and how dysregulation of such responses can result in enhanced pathology.
Area of Expertise
Research expertise: Immunology and Infectious Disease
Qualifications
1975Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Glasgow Canine adenovirus nephropathy Bachelor of Veterinary Medicine & Surgery, University of Glasgow
Professional Qualifications
Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, FRSE Member of the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons, MRCVS
Responsibilities & affiliations
External Committees
2003- Scientific Advisory Group, Genesis Faraday 2004- External Scientific Advisory Group, VTRI research project, University of Bristol 2004- Director of Genesis Faraday 2006- Moredun Programme Advisory Group, Moredun Institute 2008- Scientific Advisory Group, Edward Jenner Institute for Vaccine Research, University of Oxford 2008- Defra Advisory Group on TB Diagnostics
Internal Committees:
2007- University of Edinburgh Postgraduate AppealsCcommitteev 2007- Scientific Management Group, The Roslin Institute 2007- The Roslin Institute Building Steering Group 2008- The Roslin Institute Executive Committee 2008- The Easter Bush Research Consortium (EBRC) Executive Committee 2008- University of Edinburgh, College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine Research Committee
Undergraduate teaching
As a member of the R(D)SVS, Prof Morrison gives lectures and tutorials in: Infection and Immunity
Prof. Morrison is also a visiting professor at The University of Bristol and gives an annual lecture on Bovine tuberculosis
Research summary
The mechanisms of T cell-mediated immunity against intracellular pathogens of ruminants and how dysregulation of such responses can result in enhanced pathology.
Current research interests
We are interested in understanding the mechanisms of T cell-mediated immunity against intracellular pathogens of ruminants and how dysregulation of such responses can result in enhanced pathology. Our work is focused particularly on the intracellular protozoan parasites Theileria parva and T. annulata, but also includes studies of bovine herpesvirus-1,Staphylococcus aureus and Ehrlichia ruminantium. We have previously demonstrated that CD8 T cell responses play an important role in immunity to T. parva and that the parasite strain specificity of these responses correlates with protection against challenge with heterologous parasite strains. Much of our current work is focused on dissecting the antigenic specificity and function of CD8 T cell responses toT. parva and T annulata and investigating how immunodominance of the response contributes to strain specificity of immunity. We are also using Theileria-transformed cell lines as antigen-presenting cells to investigate T cell responses to bovine herpesvirus-1 and Ehrlichia ruminantium. In the course of our studies we have developed methods to analyse the T cell receptor (TCR) variable gene repertoire of bovine T cells, as a means of determining the clonal composition of responding T cell populations. These tools are also being employed (in collaborative work with Ross Fitzgerald) to determine the TCR Vβ gene specificity of superantigens produced by bovine strains of Staphylococcus aureus.-
A locus conferring tolerance to Theileria infection in African cattle
In:
PLoS Genetics, vol. 18
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pgen.1010099
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Inherited tolerance in cattle to the apicomplexan protozoan Theileria parva is associated with decreased proliferation of parasite-infected lymphocytes
In:
Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fcimb.2021.751671
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
High throughput analysis of MHC-I and MHC-DR diversity of Brazilian cattle populations
In:
HLA: Immune Response Genetics, vol. 98, pp. 93-113
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/tan.14339
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
A comparative study of single Theileria lestoquardi and mixed infections with Theileria ovis
In:
Parasites and Vectors, vol. 14
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1186/s13071-021-04864-6
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (Published) -
Antigenic diversity in Theileria parva populations from sympatric cattle and African buffalo analysed using long read sequencing
In:
Frontiers in genetics
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fgene.2021.684127
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Hydrophobic mycobacterial antigens elicit polyfunctional T cells in Mycobacterium bovis immunised cattle: association with protection against challenge?
In:
Frontiers in Immunology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.588180
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Capture-based enrichment of Theileria parva DNA enables full genome assembly of first buffalo-derived strain and reveals exceptional intra-specific genetic diversity
In:
PLoS Neglected Tropical Diseases, vol. 14, pp. e0008781
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pntd.0008781
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Contrasting population genetics of co-endemic cattle- and buffalo- derived Theileria annulata
In:
Ticks and tick-borne diseases
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ttbdis.2020.101595
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Molecular dissection of the antibody response: Opportunities and needs for application in cattle.
In:
Frontiers in Immunology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.3389/fimmu.2020.01175
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (E-pub ahead of print) -
Theileria parva: a parasite of African buffalo, which has adapted to infect and undergo transmission in cattle
In:
International Journal For Parasitology
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijpara.2019.12.006
Research output: Contribution to Journal › Review article (E-pub ahead of print)