Professor Howard Thomas
Editor in Chief, Journal of Viral Hepatitis
Professional Biography
B.Sc. Class II, Division I, Honours in Physiology; Newcastle Upon Tyne (1966)
M.B., B.S. with Honours - Newcastle Upon Tyne (1969)
Ph.D in Medicine - Glasgow University (1974)
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians London (1983)
Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons, Glasgow (1984)
Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists London (1991)
Fellow of Academy of Medical Science (1999)
Research interests
Professor Thomas' research has focused on the role of the liver in immune regulation (PhD thesis on Oral Immune Tolerance) and on the pathogenesis and treatment of virus induced liver disease and cancer. His contributions include:
Conducting the first European randomised controlled trials on use of interferon in CHB and CHC 1985 Hepatology 5: 1132-8.
Description of natural history of chronic hepatitis B virus (phases of immune tolerance; immune clearance and immune control) 1985 Hepatology 5:431-4.
Evidence for deficiency of interferon production in patients with chronic HBV infection acquired in adult life 1986 Hepatology 6:962-5.
Determining the molecular basis of HBe antigen negative viraemia (Mutation preventing formation of hepatitis B e antigen in patients with chronic hepatitis B infection) 1989 Lancet 2(8663):588-91.
Determining the molecular basis of HBV vaccine escape variants (Vaccine-induced escape mutant of hepatitis B virus) 1990 Lancet 336(8711):325-9.
Determining the association of a precore genomic variant of hepatitis B virus with fulminant hepatitis 1994 Hepatology14: 219-222.
Description of Viral dynamics in hepatitis B virus infection (determination of half-life of HBV and infected hepatocytes) 1996 Proc Natl Acad Sci 93 (9):4398-402.
Contributing to the cloning of hepatitis G virus 1996 Science 271 (5248) 505-508
Heterozygote advantage for HLA class-II type in hepatitis B virus infection 1997 Nat Genet. (1):11-2.
Determining host genetic factors influencing outcome of hepatitis B and C infection 1999 Lancet 354 (9196):2119-24.
Association between an MHC class II allele and clearance of hepatitis B virus in the Gambia 1995 N Engl J Med 332(16):1065-9.
Evidence for a cerebral effect of the hepatitis C virus 2001 Lancet 358(9275):38-9.
Increase in mortality rates from intrahepatic cholangiocarcinoma in England and Wales 1968- 1998 2001 Gut. 48(6):816-20.
Identification of unique hepatitis C virus quasispecies in the central nervous system and comparative analysis of internal translational efficiency of brain, liver, and serum variants. 2004 J Virol 78(10):5170-83
Class II cytokine receptor gene cluster is a major locus for hepatitis B persistence 2006 Proc Natl Acad Sci 103(24):9148-53.
Awards
Research Medal British Society of Gastroenterology (1984)
Humphrey Davy Rolleston Lecturer of the Royal College of Physicians (1986)
Cohen Lecturer (1988)
Sheila Sherlock Research Prize (1988)
Hans Popper International Award for Distinction in Hepatology (1989)
Bushell Lectureship of the Australian Society of Gastroenterology (1990)
State of the Art Lecture of the Japanese Society of Gastroenterology (1991)
Hans Popper Lecture, International Association for Study of Liver (1996)
State of the Art Lecture of the German Society of Gastroenterology (1997)
Medal celebrating 100years of Virology from Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and D.I.Ivanovsky Institute of Virology (1997)
Fellow of Academy of Medical Science (1999)
Boards and committees
CURRENT and PAST MEMBERSHIP OF INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEES
WHO Adviser and Rapporteur on Chronic Liver Disease (1982)
Member of Expert Advisory Group, International Union Against Cancer (1982)
WHO Adviser on Antiviral Drugs (1987, 1992)
Member of EC EuroHep Committee (1990-1996)
Member of Scientific Committee of European Society for The Study of The Liver (1990-1993)
WHO Adviser on Hepatitis C (1998)
Member of International Advisory Board for German Medical Network for Hepatitis (2002-present)
CURRENT CHAIRMANSHIP/ MEMBERSHIP OF NATIONAL COMMITTEES
Chairman of DoH Advisory Group on Viral Hepatitis (1999- present)
Chairman of DoH Steering Group on Hepatitis C National Strategy (2000- present)
Chairman of Pan-London Group for Commissioning Hepatitis Services (2003- present)
Member of National Expert Panel on New and Emerging Infections (2003-present)
CURRENT MEMBERSHIP/ OFFICERSHIP OF LEARNED SOCIETIES
British Liver Trust (Member of Medical Advisory Committee, 1990- present)
(Vice President, 2000- present)
British Society of Gastroenterology (Member of Council, 2002-present)
Royal College of Physicians (Member of Council, 2001- present)
Disclosures
Editorial interests
BOOKS
I am Editor of the textbook Viral Hepatitis 2005 ISBN: 9781405130059
JOURNALS
I am the Founding Editor of Journal of Viral Hepatitis, 1993 – present.
Member of the Editorial Boards of:
Hepatology, 1983-1985;
Alimentary Pharmacology & Therapuetics, 1987 - 1997;
Interferons, Today and Tomorrow, 1987 ;
Quarterly Journal of Medicine, 1989-1992;
Clinical Science, 1998- 2004;
J Hepatology 1994- 1997
I have published over 450 papers in liver disease.
Consultancies
I am or have been in the last 3 years a member of: -International Hepatitis Advisory Boards of BMS, Pfizer, Novartis, Indenix, Roche, Gilead and am a Non-Executive Director of Biotech Pharmaceuticals.