Dr Mark Evans

Dr. Mark Evans is a Senior Lecturer in Biomedical and Medical Science.  He is a graduate of Brunel University (BSc.) and Louisiana State University (PhD) with an extensive academic and research background in the area of free radical biology and oxidative stress.  

During his career he has worked in the areas of cigarette smoking-induced lung disease, automimmune disease (rheumatoid arthritis, lupus) and cancer and prior to coming to De Montfort University was a post doctoral scientist then lecturer at The University of Leicester.  His primary interests lie in the area of DNA damage/repair and role in disease pathogenesis.  Additionally he has worked in the area of human biomonitoring, examining excreted markers of nucleic acid oxidation and their biological sources, particularly the role of nudix hydrolases.  

Dr. Evans also has active research interests in the therapeutic potential of natural products, primarily anti-cancer activity and mechanism.  Dr. Evans has significant experience of teaching/teaching administration for undergraduate, postgraduate and research students, as well as design of and academic lead for MSc. programmes.

Leicester Institute for Pharmaceutical Innovation (LIPI)

Infectious Diseases Research Group (IDRG)

M.-R. Chao, M.D. Evans, C.-W. Hu, Y. Ji, P. Møller, P. Rossner & M.S. Cooke. Biomarkers of nucleic acid oxidation – a summary state-of-the-art. Redox Biology (2021) 42: 101872.

H.H.K. Abbas, K.M.H. Alhamoudi, M.D. Evans, G.D.D. Jones & S.S. Foster. MTH1 deficiency selectively increases non-cytotoxic oxidative DNA damage in lung cancer cells: more bad news than good? BMC Cancer (2018) 18:423.

M.D. Evans, V. Mistry, R. Singh, D. Gackowski, R. Rozalski, A. Siomek-Gorecka, D.H. Phillips, J. Zuo, L. Mullenders. A. Pines, Y. Nakabeppu, K. Sakumi, M. Sekiguchi, T. Tsuzuki, M. Bignami, R. Olinski & M.S. Cooke.  Nucleotide excision repair of oxidised genomic DNA is not a source of urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine. Free Radical Biol. Med. (2016) 99: 385-391.

M. Karbaschi, S. Macip, M.D. Evans, V. Mistry, H.H.K. Abbas, M.S. Cooke, G.J. Delinassios & A. Young. Rescue of cells from apoptosis increases DNA repair in UVB exposed cells: implications for the DNA damage response. Toxicol. Res. (2015) 4: 725-38.

P.M. Lam, V. Mistry, T.H. Marczylo; J.C. Konje, M.D. Evans & M.S. Cooke.  Rapid measurement of 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine in human biological matrices using ultra high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry.  Free Radical Biol. Med. (2012) 52: 2057-2063.

K. Al-Salmani, H.H. Abbas, S. Schulpen, M. Karbaschi, I. Abdalla; K.J. Bowman, K.K. So, M.D. Evans, G.D. Jones, R.W. Godschalk & M.S. Cooke. Simplified method for the collection, storage and Comet assay analysis of DNA damage in whole blood. Free Radical Biol. Med. (2011) 51: 719-725.

ESCULA [European Standards Committee on Urinary (DNA) Lesion Analysis], M.D. Evans, R. Olinski, S. Loft & M.S. Cooke. Towards consensus in the analysis of urinary 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2'-deoxyguanosine as a non-invasive biomarker of oxidative stress. FASEB J. (2010) 24: 1249-1260.

N. Potdar, R. Singh, V. Mistry, M.D. Evans, P.B. Farmer, J.C. Konje & M.S. Cooke.  First trimester increase in oxidative stress and risk of small for gestational age fetus.  Brit. J. Obs & Gynae. (2009) 116: .637-642.

M.S. Cooke, T.L. Duarte, D. Cooper, J. Chen, S. Nandagopal & M.D. Evans.  Combination of azathioprine and UVA is a major source of cellular 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’-deoxyguanosine.  DNA Repair (2008) 7: 1982-1989.

O.M.H. Habayeb, A.H. Taylor, M. Finney, M.D. Evans, J.C. Konje.  Plasma anandamide concentration and pregnancy outcome in women with threatened miscarriage.  J. American Med. Assoc. (2008) 299: 1135-1136.

M.S. Cooke & M.D. Evans. 8-oxo-7,8-dihydro-2’deoxyguanosine: re-use, reduce, recycle. Proc. Natl Acad. USA (2007) 104: 13535-13536.

M.S. Cooke, M.D. Evans, R. Dove, R. Rozalski, D. Gackowski, A. Siomek, J. Lunec & R. Olinski. DNA repair is responsible for the presence of oxidatively damaged DNA lesions in urine. Mutat. Res.- Fundament. Molec. Mech. Mutagen. (2005) 574: 58-66.

M.D. Evans & M.S. Cooke.  Factors contributing to the outcome of oxidative damage to nucleic acids. BioEssays (2004) 26: 533-542.

O.M.H. Habayeb, A.H. Taylor, M.D. Evans, M.S. Cooke, D.J. Taylor, S.C. Bell, J.C. Konje.  Plasma levels of the endocannabinoid, anandamide, in women - a potential role in pregnancy maintenance and labour? J. Clin. Endocrinol. Metab. (2004) 89: 5482-5487. (2^nd place, Harold Malkin prize 2004, Royal College of Obstetrics & Gynaecology.)

M.S. Cooke, M.D. Evans, M. Dizdaroglu & J. Lunec. Oxidative DNA damage: mechanisms, mutation and disease. FASEB J. (2003) 17: 1195-1214. (>2600 literature citations.)

M.S. Cooke, M.D. Evans, R.M. Burd, K. Patel, A. Barnard, J. Lunec & P.E. Hutchinson. Induction and excretion of UV-induced 8-oxo-2'-deoxyguanosine and thymine dimers in vivo: implications for PUVA. J. Invest. Dermatol. (2001) 116: 281-285.

M.D. Evans, M.S. Cooke, M. Akil, A. Samanta & J. Lunec. Aberrant processing of oxidative DNA damage in systemic lupus erythematosus. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Comms (2000) 273: 894-898.

M.D. Evans, D. Perrett, J. Lunec and K.E. Herbert.  Analysis of urinary pseudouridine by micellar electrokinetic capillary chromatography.  Ann. Clin. Biochem. (1997) 34: 527-533.

M.D. Evans, J.T. Wolfe, D. Perrett, J. Lunec and K.E. Herbert.  The analysis of internucleosomal DNA fragmentation in apoptotic thymocytes by dynamic sieving capillary electrophoresis.  J. Chromatogr. A (1995) 700: 151-162.

W.A. Pryor, D.F. Church, M.D. Evans, W.Y. Rice Jr. and J.R. Hayes.  A comparison of
the free radical chemistry of tobacco-burning cigarettes and cigarettes that only heat tobacco.  Free Radical Biol. Med. (1990) 8: 275-279.

Free radicals and oxidative stress
Oxidative and free radical damage to nucleic acids; analysis of biomarkers of damage to nucleic acid; biological meaning and sources of urinary nucleic acid oxidation products; repair/processing of oxidatively-modified nucleic acids; biomarkers of repair of oxidatively-damaged DNA.

Cancer
DNA damage and repair in carcinogenesis; potential use and mechanism of chemical agents derived from natural products as anti-cancer agents.

• Chemistry
• Biochemistry
• Clinical Biochemistry
• Pharmacology

PhD Biochemistry/Organic Chemistry (Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge)
BSc. (Hons) Applied Biochemistry (Brunel University)

Programme Lead, MSc. Advanced Biomedical Science

BSc. Biomedical Science
BMedSci. Medical Science
MSc. Advanced Biomedical Science

Diploma from the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education recognising contribution to oxidative stress research in lung cancer, 2006.

Member of The Royal Society of Chemistry

Fellow of The Institute of Biomedical Science

Member of The Phytochemical Society of Europe

Past:
Biochemical Society
Society for Free Radical Research
UK Environmental Mutagen Society

First supervisor

Joshua Jayapal (PhD)

Second supervisor

 Gurminderjeet S. Jagdev (PhD)

Callum Clipstone (PhD)

2005-2008 Editorial Board, Eurekah Bioscience.

Jan. 2009 Invited Chair, session on ‘Interpretation of urinary DNA oxidation products’ at 2nd Copenhagen Workshop on DNA Oxidation, Copenhagen, Denmark.

Oct. 2009 Guest at No.10 Downing St. for Lupus UK Reception hosted by Sarah Brown as part of Lupus Awareness month.

Invited Speaker at the IFRA UK Fragrance Forum 2016, The Royal Society, London, UK, October 2016.

Peer reviewing

Scientific Journals: Antioxidants; Bioanalytical Reviews; Biomarkers; BioMed Research International; Biotechniques; British Journal of Biomedical Science; Cancer Chemotherapy & Pharmacology; Cell Biology & Toxicology; Chemical Research in Toxicology; Clinical Chemistry; Clinica Chimica Acta; Cogent Chemistry; Environmental Health Perspectives; Environmental & Molecular Mutagenesis; European Journal of Clinical Investigation; European Journal of Medicinal Chemistry; European Journal of Pediatrics; FEBS Journal; Free Radical Biology & Medicine; Free Radical Research; Journal of Chromatography A & B; Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism; Journal of Immunology Research; Journal of Molecular Medicine; Journal of Photochemistry & Photobiology B: Biology; Mutagenesis; Mutation Research; Molecules; Nature Scientific Reports; Nucleic Acids Research; Placenta; Radiation Research; Rheumatology; Toxicology; Toxicology Research.

Grant-awarding bodies: Association for International Cancer Research; Austrian Science Fund; UK Medical Research Council; The Research Council of Oman; University of Alabama, Birmingham, Clinical Nutrition Research Center Pilot Grant Program.

 First supervisor

Philip Okyere (DHSci  - Molecular markers of colorectal cancer, 2019)

 Ibrahim Alhabib (PhD  - Modulation of cancer chemotherapy by boswellic acids, 2020)