Professional background

Dr Ashirward (Ash) Merve joined the department of neuropathology, Institute of Neurology, as a consultant in September 2018 as a joint appointment between Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Trust (GOSH) and UCLH.

He undertook his neuropathology and histopathology post graduate training in London, under the NIHR integrated academic scheme. He attained his FRCPath from The Royal College of Pathologists in 2016 and CCT in neuropathology in 2018.

He holds a diploma in legal medicine from the faculty of forensic and legal medicine, The Royal College of Physicians.

As an MRC clinical research fellow he has undertaken research on molecular biology of paediatric brain tumour, medulloblastoma, completing PhD from Queen Mary, University of London in 2014.

His current research interest is in brain tumours, with growing interest in neuromuscular disorders/skeletal muscle pathology.

Research interests

  • Neuro-oncology
  • Neuromuscular pathology

Publications

c-MYC overexpression induces choroid plexus papillomas through a T-cell mediated inflammatory mechanism. Merve A, Zhang X, Pomella N, Acquati S, Hoeck JD, Dumas A, Rosser G, Li Y, Jeyapalan J, Vicenzi S, Fan Q, Yang ZJ, Sabò A, Sheer D, Behrens A, Marino S. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2019 May 29;7(1):2

Integrated phenotype-genotype approach in diagnosis and classification of common central nervous system tumours. Merve A, Millner TO, Marino S. Histopathology. 2019 Mar 1

Diagnostic Neuropathology - Old wine in new bottles. Editorial article, Ashirwad Merve, April 2018, Royal College of Pathologist, Bulletin 182.

Convergence of BMI1 and CHD7 on ERK Signaling in Medulloblastoma. Badodi S, Dubuc A, Zhang X, Rosser G, Da Cunha Jaeger M, Kameda-Smith MM, Morrissy AS, Guilhamon P, Suetterlin P, Li XN, Guglielmi L, Merve A, Farooq H, Lupien M, Singh SK, Basson MA, Taylor MD, Marino S. Cell Rep. 2017 Dec 5;21(10):2772-2784.

Multiple brain abscesses caused by Rhinocladiella mackenziei in an immunocompetent patient: a case report and literature review. Yusupov N, Merve A, Warrell CE, Johnson E, Curtis C, Samandouras G. Acta Neurochir (Wien). 2017 Sep;159(9):1757-1763.

Intracranial papillary endothelial hyperplasia (Masson's tumour) following gamma knife radiosurgery for temporal lobe epilepsy. Barritt AW, Merve A, Epaliyanage P, Aram J. Pract Neurol. 2017 Jun;17(3):214-217

Drug-Repositioning Screens Identify Triamterene as a Selective Drug for the Treatment of DNA Mismatch Repair Deficient Cells. Guillotin D, Austin P, Begum R, Freitas MO, Merve A, Brend T, Short S, Marino S, Martin SA. Clin Cancer Res. 2017 Jun 1;23(11):2880-2890

CD8+ encephalitis: a severe but treatable HIV-related acute encephalopathy. Zarkali A, Gorgoraptis N, Miller R, John L, Merve A, Thust S, Jager R, Kullmann D, Swayne O. Pract Neurol. 2017 Jan;17(1):42-46

Venous infarction mimicking a neoplasm in spontaneous intracranial hypotension: an unusual cause of Parinaud's syndrome. Bray TJ, Chandrashekar H, Rees J, Burke A, Merve A, Thust S. J Surg Case Rep. 2016 Mar 17;2016(3).

Ectopic liver tissue in the kidney: case report and literature review. Merve A, Scheimberg I. Pediatr Dev Pathol. 2014 Sep-Oct;17(5):382-5.

Polycomb group gene BMI1 controls invasion of medulloblastoma cells and inhibits BMP-regulated cell adhesion. Merve A, Dubuc AM, Zhang X, Remke M, Baxter PA, Li XN, Taylor MD, Marino S. Acta Neuropathol Commun. 2014 Jan 24;2:10.

Prospective technical validation and assessment of intra-tumour heterogeneity of a low density array hypoxia gene profile in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. Betts GN, Eustace A, Patiar S, Valentine HR, Irlam J, Ramachandran A, Merve A, Homer JJ, Möller-Levet C, Buffa FM, Hall G, Miller CJ, Harris AL, West CM. Eur J Cancer. 2013 Jan;49(1):156-65.

Lack of prognostic effect of carbonic anhydrase-9, hypoxia inducible factor-1? and bcl-2 in 286 patients with early squamous cell carcinoma of the glottic larynx treated with radiotherapy. Douglas CM, Bernstein JM, Ormston VE, Hall RC, Merve A, Swindell R, Valentine HR, Slevin NJ, West CM, Homer JJ. Clin Oncol (R Coll Radiol). 2013 Jan;25(1):59-65

Shoulder morbidity after pectoralis major flap reconstruction for head and neck cancer. Merve A, Mitra I, Swindell R, Homer JJ. Head Neck. 2009 Nov;31(11):1470-6.