2010
Archived news from the School of Biomedical Sciences from 2010.
Major new Research Centre launched
Dec 2010: The Patrick Wild Centre will investigate the neurological basis of autism and fragile X syndrome, with the goal to developing new therapies for these conditions.
Appointment to BBSRC Pool of Experts
Nov 2010: Professor Gareth Leng, Head of School of Biomedical Sciences, has recently been appointed to to the BBSRC Pool of Experts: Strategy. This three year appointment will begin on 1st January 2011.
New Alzheimer's Research Trust Grant
Oct 2010: Dr Karen Horsburgh, in the Centre of Cognitive and Neural Sciences, has been awarded a three year grant. Her team will investigate cerebrovascular dysfunction, a major feature of Alzheimer's disease.
New DFG Fellowship grant award
Oct 2010: Dr Kai Kropp, from the Division of Pathway Medicine, has been awarded a DFG Fellowship grant for a two year project entitled ‘Determining the Role of Innate Immune Signalling Networks in Acute Cytomegalovirus Infection’.
New chair of the British Society of Neuroendocrinology
Oct 2010: Dr Alison Douglas has been voted as the next Chair of the British Society for Neuroendocrinology (BSN) .
New chair of the British Society of Neuroendocrinology
Aug 2010: Author J K Rowling has donated £10 million towards a new research clinic for patients with multiple sclerosis
Brain study offers new treatment hope for Alzheimer's patients
June 2010: The group led by Dr Mike Cousin has reported, in a paper in Nature Neuroscience, that a protein that controls brain activity may offer hope of new drug treatments for Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.
BBC Radio 4 visits the CRM
June 2010: Ian Wilmut, Siddharthan Chandran and Keisuke Kaji from the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine have been taking part in a feature about the centre on BBC Radio 4.
The Global Health Academy awarded two Windsor Group Studentships
May 2010: The Global Health and Global Development Academies have been awarded two PhD fee scholarships for 2010/11 to support the new BBSRC award and promote capacity building and interaction with the University of Ibaden, Nigeria.
The Global Health Academy awarded two Principals Awards
May 2010: Hayley Mableson has been awarded a studentship to work with Kim Picozzi researching 'The Infectious-chronic disease burden continuum'. Additionally, Kevin Bardosh from Centre for African Studies in SPSS has also been awarded a Principal's award, to be supervised by James Smith, Director of Global Development Academy.
Prof Leng comments on 'cuddle-hormone' spray for men
May 2010: Professor Gareth Leng comments on worth of 'cuddle-hormone' spray for men, on the BBC news online
New British Pharmacological Society Fellow
March 2010: David Wyllie has been elected to the Fellowship of the British Pharmacological Society in recognition of his research and teaching in the discipline of pharmacology
BBC radio 4 talks to Professor Dorothy Crawford
March 2010: BBC radio 4 presenter Sue MacGregor talks to leading virus expert, Dorothy Crawford, about her favourite books.
Promotion news
March 2010: Message from the Head of School; "We are pleased to announce that Tom Gillingwater has been promoted to a Personal Chair of Neuroanatomy, from 1 Jan 10. Congratulations to Tom."
New MRC nonclinical Senior Research Fellow
February 2010: Dr Giles Hardingham has recently been awarded a prestigious MRC nonclinical Senior Research Fellowship. This is an outstanding achievement with only 4 such Fellowships awarded this year across the UK. The Fellowship will allow Giles to pursue his research into the control of neuroprotection through NMDA receptor-dependent regulation of antioxidant status using both murine and human models.
Hormone study gives scientists a sense of how animals bond
February 2010: The group led by Professor Mike Ludwig has reported, in a paper in Nature, that a large population of interneurones in the rat olfactory bulb express vasopressin and that blocking the actions of vasopressin within this brain region impairs the social recognition abilities of rats.
Brain development clue to Fragile X and Autism
February 2010: Prof Peter Kind (Centre for Integrative Physiology) has published work which reveals how changes in the time-course of sensory brain plasticity development in mice genetically altered to mimic Fragile X Syndrome may explain how symptoms such as hypersensitivity to sensory input may arise in people with conditions such as Fragile X and Autism.