![Dr Alan Harper](/media/k-web/k-schools/medicine/staff-images/AlanHarper.jpg)
Dr Alan Harper
- Title
- Lecturer in Bioscience and UG Medicine Academic Conduct Officer
- Location
- Keele University School of Medicine, David Weatherall building, ST5 5BG
- Role
- Group Lead of Cardio-respiratory Research group
- Contact me
- Via tel or email
- Phone
- +44 (0) 1782 734654
- a.g.s.harper@keele.ac.uk
Biography
Biography
I was appointed to a lecturer in biosciences in Keele at the end of 2010. Before arriving in Keele I obtained a first class BA(Hons) in Natural Sciences (specialising in Physiology in the final year) from Queens’ College, University of Cambridge. I was then awarded a British Heart Foundation PhD studentship to investigate the molecular mechanisms underlying the activation of store-operated calcium entry in human platelets in the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience, University of Cambridge. I completed my PhD in 2007 and was elected to a Junior Research Fellowship at St Catharine’s College, University of Cambridge in October of the same year. During my time at St Catharine’s, I was actively involved in both university and college teaching in physiology for medical, veterinary and natural science students, and In 2009, I was appointed as the Director of Studies for first year Preclinical medicine at St Catharine’s College.
Research and scholarship
Research and scholarship
Group Lead of Cardio-respiratory Research Group
My research interests lie in the calcium signalling mechanisms that control the activation and aggregation of human platelets in responses to physiological stimuli. These calcium signals are crucial to allow platelets to clot upon damage to the blood vessel wall. However platelets can also be triggered to clot inside intact, inflamed blood vessles. This aberrant clotting can lead to a person suffering from deep vein thrombosis, pulmonary embolism, heart attack and stroke. These cardiovascular disorders are the main cause of death in adults in the United Kingdom. Therefore understanding the calcium signalling mechanisms of platelets may allow us to identify novel targets for drugs to help prevent this unwanted platelet activity.
Calcium signalling is the result of a complex interplay between a number of direct and indirect factors that can affect the flux of calcium into and out of the cytosol, therefore solely interpreting data measuring the cytosolic calcium concentration can lead to incorrect conclusions to how this signal was brought about (Harper & Sage, 2007; Harper et al.,2009; Harper et al., 2010; Sage et al., 2011). Therefore my research has become interested in developing and utilising a systems-level analysis of platelet calcium signalling in which all the factors that can influence platelet cytosolic calcium concentration are systematically measured. We believe this methodology will help us more reliably decode the mechanisms by which calcium signals are shaped in these cells. We want to develop this systems-level analysis further, and in the future we hope to use it to further delineate the calcium signalling system of platelets from healthy individuals, as well as to help identify areas of the calcium signalling system which are dysregulated in situations where platelet calcium signalling is known to be abnormal such as in patients suffering from diabetes mellitus, hypertension and stroke.
Teaching
Teaching
I teach elements of the undergraduate curriculum for the Keele University MBChB in the School of Medicine.
Further information
Further information
Research Grants Held:
British Heart Foundation Project Grant – Molecular and functional characterization of sodium-calcium exchangers and their role in secretion and calcium signaling in human platelets (PG/07/100/23759). Coheld with Dr Stewart Sage and Dr Michael Mason.
Publications
Publications
Journal Articles
- Ranjbar, Jacob; M. Gibbins, Jonathan; Roe, Jordan; Roach, Paul; Yang, Ying; G.S. Harper, Alan. 20-01-2025. 'A humanised thrombus-on-a-chip model utilising tissue-engineered arterial constructs: A method to reduce and replace mice used in thrombosis and haemostasis research [version 1; peer review: awaiting peer review]'. F1000Research. DOI > view in repository >
- Echrish, Jassim; Pasca, Madalina-Ioana; Cabrera, David; Yang, Ying; Harper, Alan G S. 20-06-2024. 'Developing a Biomimetic 3D Neointimal Layer as a Prothrombotic Substrate for a Humanized In Vitro Model of Atherothrombosis'. Biomimetics. DOI > view in repository >
- Amigo, Mary-Carmen; Camelo, Ricardo; Douketis, Jim; Lee, Lai Heng; Muia, Joshua; Nagao, Azusa; Scarlatescu, Ecaterina; Harper, Alan G.S.. 01-05-2024. 'Removing cross-cultural barriers to participation in the ISTH congress'. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. DOI > view in repository >
- Idris Musa, Faiza; Harper, Alan G.S.; Yang, Ying. 01-07-2016. 'A Real-Time Monitoring System to Assess the Platelet Aggregatory Capacity of Components of a Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel Wall.'. Tissue Engineering Part C: Methods. DOI > view in repository >
- Santana-Otero, Antonio; Harper, Alan; Telling, Neil D; Ortega, Daniel; Cabrera, David. . 'Magnetic Coagulometry: Towards a New Nanotechnological Tool for ex vivo Monitoring Coagulation in Human Whole Blood'. Nanoscale. DOI > view in repository >
- Ranjbar, Jacob; Njoroge, Wanjiku; Gibbins, Jonathan M.; Roach, Paul; Yang, Ying; Harper, Alan G. S.. 10-06-2023. 'Developing Biomimetic Hydrogels of the Arterial Wall as a Prothrombotic Substrate for In Vitro Human Thrombosis Models'. Gels. DOI > view in repository >
- Ranjbar, Jacob; Yang, Ying; Harper, Alan. 22-12-2022. 'Developing human tissue engineered arterial constructs to simulate human in vivo thrombus formation'. Platelets. DOI > view in repository >
- Cabrera, David; Sharifabad, Maneea Eizadi; Ranjbar, Jacob A.; Telling, Neil D.; Harper, Alan G.S.. 01-11-2022. 'Clot-Targeted Magnetic Hyperthermia Permeabilizes Blood Clots to Make Them More Susceptible to Thrombolysis'. Journal of Thrombosis and Haemostasis. DOI > view in repository >
- Harper. 01-01-2022. 'Calcium sequestration by human platelet acidic organelles is regulated by the actin cytoskeleton and autocrine 5-hydroxytryptamine'. Cell Calcium. DOI > view in repository >
- Njoroge, Wanjiku; Hernández Hernández, Andrea C.; Idris Musa, Faiza; Butler, Robert; Harper, Alan G. S.; Yang, Ying. 05-03-2021. 'The Combination of Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel Constructs and Parallel Flow Chamber Provides a Potential Alternative to In Vivo Drug Testing Models'. Pharmaceutics. DOI > view in repository >
- Cabrera, David; Walker, Karen; Moise, Sandhya; Telling, Neil D.; Harper, Alan G.S.. 01-10-2020. 'Controlling human platelet activation with calcium-binding nanoparticles'. Nano Research. DOI > view in repository >
- Harper. 01-09-2020. 'Human platelets use a cytosolic Ca2+ nanodomain to activate Ca2+-dependent shape change independently of platelet aggregation'. Cell Calcium. DOI > view in repository >
- Yang, Y; Musa, FI; Harper, AG. 08-07-2016. 'A Real-Time Monitoring System to Assess the Platelet Aggregatory Capacity of Components of a Tissue-Engineered Blood Vessel Wall.'. Tissue Eng Part C Methods. DOI > view in repository >
- Harper. 31-03-2016. 'Islet-intrinsic effects of CFTR mutation'. Diabetologia. DOI > view in repository >
- Harper. 08-10-2015. 'Nicergoline inhibits human platelet Ca2+ signalling through triggering a microtubule-dependent reorganisation of the platelet ultrastructure'. British Journal of Pharmacology. DOI > view in repository >
- Harper. 28-09-2015. 'Conventional Protein Kinase C isoforms differentially regulate ADP- and thrombin-evoked Ca2+ signalling in human platelets'. Cell Calcium. DOI > view in repository >
- Musa, F. I.; Harper, A. G. S.; Yang, Y.. 01-06-2015. 'Validating A 3D tissue-engineered human blood vessel model for use as a novel model system for the assessment of thrombus formation'. JOURNAL OF THROMBOSIS AND HAEMOSTASIS. view in repository >
- Sage, Stewart O.; Jarvis, Gavin E.; Jardín, Isaac; Rosado, Juan A.; Harper, Alan G. S.. 01-08-2014. 'The TRPV1 ion channel is expressed in human but not mouse platelets'. Platelets. DOI > view in repository >
- Harper. 01-03-2014. '[beta]-cells require CFTR for glucose-induced insulin secretion'. Endocrine Abstracts. DOI > view in repository >
- Sage, SO; Pugh, N; Farndale, RW; Harper, AG. 01-10-2013. 'Pericellular Ca(2+) recycling potentiates thrombin-evoked Ca(2+) signals in human platelets.'. Physiol Rep. DOI > view in repository >
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Book Chapters
- Harper, Alan G. S.; Sage, Stewart O.. 01-01-2017. 'Platelet Signalling: Calcium'. . DOI > view in repository >
- Harper, Alan G. S.; Sage, Stewart O.. 01-01-2016. 'TRP-Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger Coupling'. . DOI > view in repository >
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Conference Proceeding
- Cabrera, David; Ranjbar, Jacob; Santana-Otero, Antonio; Sharifabad, Maneea E.; Ortega, Daniel; Telling, Neil D.; Harper, Alan. 15-09-2023. 'Iron oxide nanoparticles as a new tool for treating cardiovascular diseases'. . DOI > view in repository >
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