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Monash Centre for Inflammatory Diseases

Professor Eric Morand

Professor Eric Morand

Professor Eric Morand trained as a specialist rheumatologist in Melbourne and at the Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath, UK, gaining Fellowship of the Royal Australasian College of Physicians in 1992.

Overlapping with this, he began research training at the Bath Institute for Rheumatic Diseases in 1991 and continued working towards a PhD granted by Monash University in 1995. The Arthritis group was founded during this period. By the end of 2008, this group, led by Professor Morand, will have trained eleven PhD and MD candidates.

Professor Morand was awarded the triennial Parr Prize for research by the Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA) in 2001. He has been a member of the council of the ARA and chairman of the Research and Scientific programme committee of the ARA.

The arthritis group principally studies the role of glucocorticoids-induced molecules in the human diseases rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Professor Morand leads clinics at MMC specializing in these diseases, and his group’s work has a tight focus on disease mechanisms relevant to human pathology. Work includes clinico-pathological correlations using human samples, animal models of disease including novel gene knockout mice, and in vitro work on signal transduction pathways.

Research Interests

  • Glucocorticoid-induced molecules in the regulation of inflammation
  • Rheumatoid arthritis
  • Systemic lupus erythematosus
  • Macrophage migration inhibitory factor
  • Annexin 1
  • Signal transduction
  • Human synovial cells
  • Leukocyte trafficking in inflammatory disease

Expertise

  • Arthritis
  • Rheumatology
    • Rheumatoid arthritis
    • Systematic lupus erythematosus

Major Awards and Achievements

  • 2001: Professor Morand was awarded the triennial Parr Prize for research by the Australian Rheumatology Association (ARA)

Committee/Board Membership

  • Member, Council of the Australian Rheumatology Association
  • Chairman, Research and Scientific program committee of the ARA

Major Collaborations

  • INSERM Montpellier, France
  • William Harvey Research Institute, London
  • Kennedy Institute, London

Publications 2002-2009

  1. Santos, L. L., & Morand, E. F.  Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: a key cytokine in RA, SLE and atherosclerosis. Clin Chim Acta. 2009 Jan;399(1-2):1-7. Epub 2008 Sep 21
  2. Ayoub S, Hickey MJ, Morand EF. Mechanisms of disease: macrophage migration inhibitory factor in SLE, RA and atherosclerosis. Nat Clin Pract Rheumatol. 2008 Feb;4(2):98-105.
  3. Leech, M. Xue, J. R. Dacumos, A. Hall, P. Santos, L.Yang, Y. Li, M. Kitching, A. R. Morand, EF.  The tumour suppressor gene p53 modulates the severity of antigen-induced arthritis and the systemic immune response. Clin Exp Immunol. 2008 May;152(2):345-53.
  4. Ralph JA, Morand EF. MAPK phosphatases as novel targets for rheumatoid arthritis. Expert Opin Ther Targets. 2008 Jul;12(7):795-808.
  5. Santos LL, Dacumos A, Yamana J, Sharma L, Morand EF. Reduced arthritis in MIF deficient mice is associated with reduced T cell activation: down-regulation of ERK MAP kinase phosphorylation. Clin Exp Immunol. 2008 May;152(2):372-80.
  6. Hoi AY, Iskander MN, Morand EF. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: a therapeutic target across inflammatory diseases. Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2007 Sep;6(3):183-90.
  7. Morand EF. Effects of glucocorticoids on inflammation and arthritis. Curr Opin Rheumatol. 2007 May;19(3):302-7.
  8. Yang YH, Toh ML, Clyne CD, Leech M, Aeberli D, Xue J, Dacumos A, Sharma L, Morand EF. Annexin 1 negatively regulates IL-6 expression via effects on p38 MAPK and MAPK phosphatase-1.J Immunol. 2006 Dec 1;177(11):8148-53.
  9. Gregory JL, Morand EF, McKeown SJ, Ralph JA, Hall P, Yang YH, McColl SR, Hickey MJ. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor induces macrophage recruitment via CC chemokine ligand 2. J Immunol. 2006 Dec 1;177(11):8072-9.
  10. Hoi AY, Hickey MJ, Hall P, Yamana J, O'Sullivan KM, Santos LL, James WG, Kitching AR, Morand EF. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor deficiency attenuates macrophage recruitment, glomerulonephritis, and lethality in MRL/lpr mice. J Immunol. 2006 Oct 15;177(8):5687-96.
  11. Toh ML, Aeberli D, Lacey D, Yang Y, Santos LL, Clarkson M, Sharma L, Clyne C, Morand EF. Regulation of IL-1 and TNF receptor expression and function by endogenous macrophage migration inhibitory factor. J Immunol. 2006 Oct 1;177(7):4818-25.
  12. Morand EF, Hall P, Hutchinson P, Yang YH. Regulation of annexin I in rheumatoid synovial cells by glucocorticoids and interleukin-1. Mediators Inflamm. 2006;2006(2):73835.
  13. Pakozdi A, Amin MA, Haas CS, Martinez RJ, Haines GK 3rd, Santos LL, Morand EF, David JR, Koch AE.Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: a mediator of matrix metalloproteinase-2 production in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Res Ther. 2006;8(4):R132.
  14. Aeberli D, Leech M, Morand EF. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor and glucocorticoid sensitivity. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2006 Aug;45(8):937-43.
  15. Morand EF, Leech M, Bernhagen J.MIF: a new cytokine link between rheumatoid arthritis and atherosclerosis. Nat Rev Drug Discov. 2006 May;5(5):399-410.
  16. Santos LL, Milenkovski GP, Hall PH, Leech M, Sharma L, Takeda K, Akira S, Kitching AR, Morand EF.IL-18 is redundant in T-cell responses and in joint inflammation in antigen-induced arthritis. Immunol Cell Biol. 2006 Apr;84(2):166-73.
  17. Santos LL, Morand EF. The role of macrophage migration inhibitory factor in the inflammatory immune response and rheumatoid arthritis. Wien Med Wochenschr. 2006 Jan;156(1-2):11-8.
  18. Aeberli D, Yang Y, Mansell A, Santos L, Leech M, Morand EF. Endogenous macrophage migration inhibitory factor modulates glucocorticoid sensitivity in macrophages via effects on MAP kinase phosphatase-1 and p38 MAP kinase. FEBS Lett. 2006 Feb 6;580(3):974-81.
  19. Morand EF.New therapeutic target in inflammatory disease: macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Intern Med J. 2005 Jul;35(7):419-26.
  20. Yang YH, Hall P, Little CB, Fosang AJ, Milenkovski G, Santos L, Xue J, Tipping P, Morand EF.Reduction of arthritis severity in protease-activated receptor-deficient mice. Arthritis Rheum. 2005 Apr;52(4):1325-32.
  21. Taranto E, Xue JR, Lacey D, Hutchinson P, Smith M, Morand EF, Leech M.Detection of the p53 regulator murine double-minute protein 2 in rheumatoid arthritis. J Rheumatol. 2005 Mar;32(3):424-9.
  22. Morand EF, Leech M.Macrophage migration inhibitory factor in rheumatoid arthritis. Front Biosci. 2005 Jan 1;10:12-22.
  23. Toh ML, Yang Y, Leech M, Santos L, Morand EF. Expression of mitogen-activated protein kinase phosphatase 1, a negative regulator of the mitogen-activated protein kinases, in rheumatoid arthritis: up-regulation by interleukin-1beta and glucocorticoids. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Oct;50(10):3118-28.
  24. Santos LL, Lacey D, Yang Y, Leech M, Morand EF.Activation of synovial cell p38 MAP kinase by macrophage migration inhibitory factor. J Rheumatol. 2004 Jun;31(6):1038-43.
  25. Yang YH, Morand EF, Getting SJ, Paul-Clark M, Liu DL, Yona S, Hannon R, Buckingham JC, Perretti M, Flower RJ.Modulation of inflammation and response to dexamethasone by Annexin 1 in
    antigen-induced arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2004 Mar;50(3):976-84.
  26. Foote A, Briganti EM, Kipen Y, Santos L, Leech M, Morand EF.Macrophage migration inhibitory factor in systemic lupus erythematosus. J Rheumatol. 2004 Feb;31(2):268-73.
  27. Hoi AY, Morand EF, Leech M. Is macrophage migration inhibitory factor a therapeutic target in systemic lupus erythematosus? Immunol Cell Biol. 2003 Oct;81(5):367-73.
  28. Leech M, Lacey D, Xue JR, Santos L, Hutchinson P, Wolvetang E, David JR, Bucala R, Morand EF. Regulation of p53 by macrophage migration inhibitory factor in inflammatory arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Jul;48(7):1881-9.
  29. Hoi AY, Morand EF. Churg-Strauss syndrome: the use of cyclophosphamide in mononeuritis. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2003 Feb;42(2):390-1.
  30. Morand EF, Bucala R, Leech M.Macrophage migration inhibitory factor: an emerging therapeutic target in rheumatoid arthritis. Arthritis Rheum. 2003 Feb;48(2):291-9.
  31. Morand EF, Leech M, Weedon H, Metz C, Bucala R, Smith MD. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor in rheumatoid arthritis: clinical correlations. Rheumatology (Oxford). 2002 May;41(5):558-62.
  32. Littlejohn GO, Morand EF.Rheumatology. Med J Aust. 2002 Jan 7;176(1):41.

Book Chapters

  1. Morand EF . Regulation of glucocorticoid sensitivity by macrophage migration inhibitory factor. Adcock I (Ed), Overcoming Steroid Insensitivity in Respiratory Disease, John Wiley & Sons, London 2008.