Dr Alex Tonks

Education and significant professional training courses

2014: Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

2012-2014: ILM endorsed course for Practical Leadership for University Management, Cardiff University, Cardiff, UK

2012-2013: CPD in Medical Education Orientation Programme, School of Medicine, Cardiff University, Cardiff UK

1997-2000: PhD – Pulmonary immunology/ROS, Cardiff University / University of Wales Institute Cardiff (UWIC)

1996: HPC Registration for Biomedical Sciences, Health Professions Council, UK

1993-1997: BSc (Hons) Biomedical Sciences (Ist Class),  UWIC, Cardiff, UK

Career Overview

**Present - Senior Lecturer, Department of Haematology, Cardiff University, UK

2003-2009 - Lecturer, Department of Haematology, Cardiff University, UK

2000-2003 - Post-doctoral Research Fellow, Department of Haematology, Cardiff University, UK

2000-2002 - Part time Lecturer, School of Applied Sciences, UWIC, Cardiff, UK          

1997-2000 - Research Assistant, School of Applied Sciences, UWIC, Cardiff, UK          

1995-1996, 1997 - Biomedical Scientist, Royal Gwent Hospital, Pathology Department, Newport, UK          

Aelodaethau proffesiynol

• I am an associate fellow of the American Society of Haematology
• I am a Fellow of Higher Education Academy (2014).

Ymrwymiadau siarad cyhoeddus

Pwyllgorau ac adolygu

External Committee

• 2015 - current: I am board member of the HealthCare Research Wales Awards Panel;
• 2014 - current; Lead member of the HCRW faculty;
• 2014 - current: I am part of the WAG “College of Experts”
• 2006 - 2014: various NISCHR review panels for projects and PhD studentships

• Date
• Type
• Selected

Research Overview

Acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) still has a generally poor outcome particularly for those over sixty.  Hope for the future comes in the form of treatments which target key abnormalities that are the “Achilles’ heel” of the disease; unfortunately AML is a highly variable disease and only one subtype of the disease is currently treated in this way.  I investigate the roles of a number of candidate genes including RRUNX1-ETO, CD200, Wnt signalling, S100 and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in leukamogenesis. In particular I am interested in how the process of haematopoietic development in stem and progenitor populations is dysregulated by these genes in AML.

Research Description

Translocations affecting the RUNX1 transcription factor are amongst the most common in AML and preleukaemia. Knockout models have demonstrated the importance of this gene for haematopoietic development, however, at present we understand little of the effect of translocated RUNX1 genes such as RUNX1-ETO on the development of primary human cells. The aim of our studies have been to gain a detailed understanding of the effect of RUNX1-ETO on the development of primitive human primary cells. We have achieved this by ectopically expressing RUNX1-ETO in CD34⁺ using a retroviral vector which co-expressed green fluorescent protein. This enabled the identification of infected cells in 'real-time', and allowed us to study the effects of RUNX1-ETO on primitive cells and on their subsequent ability to complete their differentiation down the myeloid and erythroid lineages. Using this approach we showed that expression of RUNX1-ETO strongly inhibited the differentiation of both myeloid and erythroid cells as well as promoting their self-renewal. We have subsequently used microarray technology to identify target genes of RUNX1-ETO. We are currently investigating these genes and their ability to recapitulate the RUNX1-ETO phenotype.

We have also identified an abnormality that is common to the majority of AML patients, which is the over-production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). While ROS are damaging to normal blood cells, AML cells have developed resistance to them and moreover depend on ROS to promote their growth. We are currently investigating approaches that can be effective against AML cells by using agents that are much more easily tolerated than conventional chemotherapy.

Knowing which genes, proteins (and ROS) are linked to abnormal blood production enables us to develop new treatments which are critically needed for patients with AML.