Dr. Paul Farrell

Biography

Paul Farrell's research primarily focuses on the mechanisms by which the human tumour virus Epstein-Barr Virus (EBV) causes the proliferation of human cells and its role in human diseases. EBV is a human herpesvirus that infects individuals globally during early life and persists for life. Primary EBV infection during adolescence or adulthood can cause infectious mononucleosis, commonly known as glandular fever. Carriers of EBV may display symptoms under certain pathological circumstances, and EBV is associated with various human cancers, often being present in malignant cells. Notable cancers linked to EBV include lymphomas in immunosuppressed individuals (such as those undergoing medication, transplant surgery, or those with AIDS), Hodgkin's disease, Burkitt's lymphoma primarily in central Africa, nasopharyngeal carcinoma in Southeast Asia, and gastric carcinomas. Auto-immune reactions involving EBV immune responses in neurons and glial cells are also thought to be a likely cause for certain cases of multiple sclerosis, particularly following delayed EBV infection in adulthood. Paul Farrell served as Head of Molecular Virology at Imperial College from 1996 to 2000 and again from 2011 to 2018. He was the Director of the London St Mary's branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research from 1986 to 2005 and chaired the research grants committee for the Leukaemia Lymphoma Research charity from 2009 to 2016, in addition to serving on numerous international advisory review committees.

Research Interests