Dr Frank Hills

Biography

After graduating with an honours degree in Biochemistry Dr Hills worked for several years as a Clinical Scientist at St Bartholomew's hospital in London. He was awarded his PhD in 2002 from the faculty of Medicine at Queen Mary University of London for his work on "The Role of Insulin-like Growth Factors in Disorders of Fetal Growth". He continued his interest in reproductive science at Imperial College London where he worked as a postdoctoral researcher before joining Middlesex in 2004 as a lecturer. Dr Hills has published many high profile original research articles on various aspects of obstetric pathology including pre-eclampsia, recurrent miscarriage, preterm labour and fetal distress as well as several articles in the area of assisted reproduction. Currently, he is research interests include investigating the role of glycosaminoglycans and proteoglycans on the development of placental pathology and breast cancer. Dr Hills teaches a range of topics in biomedical science including clinical biochemistry, cellular and developmental biology as well as statistical analysis. He is author of over 35 peer-reviewed scientific articles and has refereed manuscripts for a variety of journals in the area of reproduction and endocrinology.

Peer reviewed research papers

• Antia IU, Mathew K, Yagnik DR, Hills FA, Shah AJ (2018). Analysis of procainamide-derived heparan sulphate disaccharides in biological samples using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography mass spectrometry. Anal Bioanal Chem. 2018 Jan;410(1):131-143. doi: 10.1007/s00216-017-0703-1

• Rankin P, Lawlor MJ, Hills FA, Bell PG, Stevenson EJ, Cockburn E (2017). The effect of milk on recovery from repeat-sprint cycling in female team-sport athletes. Appl Physiol Nutr Metab. doi: 10.1139/apnm-2017-0275.

• Turner AN, Kilduff L, Marshall G, Phillips J, Noto A, Buttigieg C, Gondek M, Hills F, Dimitriou L (2017). Competition Intensity and Fatigue in Elite Fencing. J Strength Cond Res. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000001758.

• Antia IU, Yagnik DR, Pantoja Munoz L, Shah AJ, Hills FA (2017).Heparan sulfate disaccharide measurement from biological samples using pre-column derivatization, UPLC-MS and single ion monitoring. Anal Biochem 530:17-30. doi: 10.1016.

• Wang SX, Acha D, Shah AJ, Hills FA, Roitt I, Demosthenous A, Bayford RH (2016). Detection of the Tau protein in human serum by a sensitive four-electrode electrochemical biosensor. Biosensors and Bioelectronics. DOI 10.1016/j.bios.2016.10.077

• Heyer-Chauhan N, Ovbude IJ, Hills AA, Sullivan MH, Hills FA (2014). Placental syndecan-1 and sulphated glycosaminoglycans are decreased in preeclampsia. J Perinat Med. 42:329-38. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2013-0097.

• Hills FA,Iles RK and Sullivan MH (2012). Proteolysis of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 (IGFBP 1) in pregnancy.J Perinat Med. 19:1-9. doi: 10.1515/jpm-2012-0086.

• Hills FA,Mehmet H and Sullivan MH (2012). Insulin-like growth factor-II and heparin are anti-apoptotic survival factors in human villous cytotrophoblast. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol:163(1):11-6.

• Iglesias-Platas I,Monk D, Jebbink J, Buimer M, Boer K, van der Post J, Hills F, Apostolidou S, Ris-Stalpers C, Stanier P and Moore GE (2007). STOX1 is not imprinted and is not likely to be involved in preeclampsia. Nat Genet. 39:279-80.

• Hills FA,Abrahams VM, Gonzalez-Timon B, Francis J, Cloke B, Hinkson L, Rai R, Mor G, Regan L, Sullivan M, Lam EW and Brosens JJ (2006). Heparin prevents programmed cell death in human trophoblast. Mol Hum Reprod 12:237-243.

• Monk D,Arnaud P, Apostolidou S, Hills FA, Kelsey G, Stanier P, Feil R, Moore GE. Limited evolutionary conservation of imprinting in the human placenta. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2006 Apr 25;103(17): 6623-8.

• Monk D, Sanches R, Arnaud P, Apostolidou S, Hills FA, Abu-Amero S, Murrell A, Friess H, Reik W, Stanier P, Constancia M, Moore GE. Imprinting of IGF2 P0 transcript and novel alternatively spliced INS-IGF2 isoforms show differences between mouse and human. Hum Mol Genet. 2006 Apr 15;15(8):1259-69.

• Hills FA, Elder MG, Chard T, Sullivan MH. Regulation of human villous trophoblast by insulin-like growth factors and insulin-like growth factor-binding protein-1. J Endocrinol. 2004 Dec;183(3): 487-96.

• Carter AM, Hills F, O'Gorman DB, Roberts CT, Sooranna SR, Watson CS, Westwood M. The insulin-like growth factor system in mammalian pregnancy - a workshop report. Placenta. 2004 Apr;25 Suppl A:S53-6.

• Anim-Nyame N, Hills FA, Sooranna SR, Steer PJ, Johnson MJ. The relationship between insulin and insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 is modified by pre-eclampsia. Gynecol Endocrinol. 2003 Dec;17(6):471-6.

• Loudon JA, Elliott CL, Hills F, Bennett PR. Progesterone represses interleukin-8 and cyclo-oxygenase-2 in human lower segment fibroblast cells and amnion epithelial cells. Biol Reprod. 2003 Jul;69(1):331-7.

• Mak IY, Brosens JJ, Christian M, Hills FA, Chamley L, Regan L, White JO. Regulated expression of signal transducer and activator of transcription, Stat5, and its enhancement of PRL expression in human endometrial stromal cells in vitro. J Clin Endocrinol Metab. 2002 Jun;87(6):2581-8.

• Pieber D, Allport VC, Hills F, Johnson M, Bennett PR (2001). Interactions between progesterone receptor isoforms in myometrial cells in human labour. Mol Hum Reprod 7:875-879.

• Anim-Nyame N, Hills FA, Sooranna SR, Steer PJ and Johnson MR (2000). A longitudinal study of maternal insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 concentrations during normal pregnancy and pregnancies complicated by pre-eclampsia. Hum Reprod 15:2215-9.

• Looareesuwan S, Sjostrom L, Krudsood S, Wilairatana P, Porter RS, Hills F and Warrell DA (1999). Polyclonal anti-tumor necrosis factor-alpha Fab used as an ancillary treatment for severe malaria. Am J Trop Med Hyg 61:26-33.

• Ogueh O, Hills FA, Chard T and Johnson MR (1998). Antenatal dexamethasone therapy does not affect circulating concentrations of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1. Hum Reprod 13:1714-6.

• HargreavesCA, Rogers S, Hills F, Rahman F, Howell RJ and Homa ST (1998). Effects of co-trimoxazole, erythromycin, amoxycillin, tetracycline and chloroquine on sperm function in vitro. Hum Reprod 13:1878-86.

• Hills FA, English J, and Chard T (1996). Circulating levels of IGF-I and IGF-binding protein-1 throughout pregnancy: relation to birthweight and maternal weight. J Endocrinol 148: 303-309.

• Hills FA, Gunn LK, Hardiman P, Thanaratnam S, and Chard T (1996). IGFBP-1 in the placenta, membranes and fetal circulation: levels at term and preterm delivery. Early Hum Dev 44:71-76.

• Hills FAand Chard T (1996). insulin-like growth factors and their binding proteins in disorders of human fetal growth. Contemp Rev Obstet Gynaecol 7:197-201.

• Saleem S, Hills FA, Salem HT, El-Nashar EM and Chard T (1996). Mechanism of action of the intrauterine contraceptive device: evidence for a specific biochemical deficiency in the endometrium. Hum Reprod.11:1220-2.

• Woolley JA, Seleem S, Hills FA, Salem H, el-Nashar E and Chard T (1996). Raised circulating levels of interleukin-6 in women with an intrauterine contraceptive device. Gynecol Obstet Invest. 42:241-3.

• Brooks AA, Johnson MR, Hills F, Chard T, Irvine R and Abdalla HI (1995). Insulin-related growth factor binding protein-1 levels in ovum donation pregnancies. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol.59:91-4.

• Johnson MR, Irvine R, Hills F, Bolton VN, Abbas AA, Brooks AA, Allman AC, Chard T and Nicolaides KH (1995). Superovulation, IGFBP-1 and birth weight. Eur J Obstet Gynecol Reprod Biol.59:193-5.

• Harding S, Mensah AK, Hills F, Howell RJ and Chard T (1995). Lack of evidence for a circadian rhythm of IGFBP-1 in the mother and fetus during labour. Br J Obstet Gynaecol.102:891-3.

• Crawford RAF, Hills FA, Farkas A and Chard T (1995). Elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1 in fetal distress. Br J Obstet Gynaec 102: 538-540.

• Hills FA, Crawford R, Harding S, Farkas A and Chard T (1994). The effects of labor on maternal and fetal levels of insulin-like growth factor binding protein-1. Am J Obstet Gynecol 171: 1292-1295.