Biomedical Sciences

2012

Archived news from the School of Biomedical Sciences from 2012.

£5.6M award for research into Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus

December 2012: The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) has just announced major funding of £5.6M for a new research project to tackle one of the world's most devastating livestock viruses - Foot-and-Mouth Disease Virus.

Prof Juergen Haas, of the Division of Pathway Medicine, University of Edinburgh and member of Edinburgh Infectious Diseases is part of the this collaborative project. The project - "The Molecular Biology of FMDV Replication: Towards New Methods of FMDV Disease Control"- will integrate the work of academics at the Pirbright Institute with those from the Universities of Edinburgh, Dundee, St Andrews and Leeds. The research programme aims at providing the knowledge base to develop a new generation of more effective vaccines and improve diagnosis.

Edinburgh Infectious Diseases news

Our Changing World celebrates success

November 2012: Our Changing World, the innovative University of Edinburgh series that brings together today's brightest and biggest thinkers to tackle some of the world's most pressing questions, has celebrated the completion of its third year with nearly 10,000 audience members and over half a million lecture downloads.

Our Changing World celebrates success

Till Bachmann appointed to BDI Scientific Advisory Board

November 2012: Dr Till Bachmann, Division of Pathway Medicine, has been appointed to the Scientific Advisory Board of the BDI (Biomedical Diagnostics Institute) in Dublin.

The inaugural meeting of the Board took place in Dublin City University from 11th-12th October 2012.

Edinburgh Neuroscience students reach Biotechnology YES final

October 2012: A group of 5 PhD students from the University of Edinburgh has reached the final of the 2012 BioTechnology YES competition, one of only 3 teams to do so. They will travel to London in December for the final. The team consists of Malgorzata Borkowska, Alex Crocker-Buque, Viktoria Seidel (all Centre for Integrative Physiology), Karolina Mysiak (Centre for Neuroregeneration) and Adrian Zagrajek (Roslin Institute).

Edinburgh Neuroscience contributes to 'BioPunk'

October 2012: Dr Jane Haley (Edinburgh Neuroscience) and colleagues have a chapter published in BioPunk, a collection of short stories inspired by the ethical issues associated with biomedical science research. They worked with Edinburgh author Dilys Rose drawing on the ethical issues arising from the use of brain imaging technology; Dilys wrote a original short story and the Edinburgh Neuroscience members provided an afterword about the scientific issues. Dilys and Jane also spoke at the Durham Book Festival on 27th October.

Chancellor's Fellowships: final round of applications

October 2012: Recently the University of Edinburgh has offered around 100 Chancellor’s Fellowships across the University’s 22 Schools as an investment in the future of teaching and research. The College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine now intends to make a further, smaller number of appointments in strategically important areas.

Applications must be made via the University's on-line application procedure. The vacancy reference to search for is 005463. The closing date for applications is 30th November 2012.

Nerve signal discovery backs Nobel winner’s theory

October 2012: Scientists have proved a 60-year-old theory about how nerve signals are sent around the body at varying speeds as electrical impulses.

Researchers tested how these signals are transmitted through nerve fibres, enabling us to move and recognise sensations such as touch and smell, validating an idea first proposed by Nobel laureate Sir Andrew Huxley.

The study, published in the journal Current Biology, will help provide insight into what happens in people with nerve damage. It will also shed light on how nerves develop before and after birth.

News from the Centre for Neuroregeneration

Richard Morris delivers a public lecture on memory

October 2012: Professor Richard Morris, FRS gave a public lecture on memory entitled "The making, keeping and losing of memory" at the Norwegian Technical University of Trondheim in September in association with the week of celebration of the Kavli Prizes in Astrophysics, Nanoscience and Neuroscience. This year's winners of the neuroscience prize were Cori Bargmann (Rockefeller University), Winfried Denk (MPI Martinsried) and Ann Graybiel (MIT).

Image: Matías Okawa.

Till Bachmann and Kate Templeton win poster prize at NHS Research Scotland Conference

October 2012: Many congratulations to EID members Till Bachmann and Kate Templeton! Their poster entitled "Rapid electrochemical detection of multi-drug resistance NDM-1 producing bacteria" ?won the prize for Most Innovative Science at the recent NHS Research Scotland Conference. The work was carried out in the Division of Pathway Medicine, Royal Infirmary of Edinburgh, Little France by Jimmy Ming-Yuan Huang, Grace Henihan, Daniel Macdonald, Annette Michalowski, Holger Schulze, Kate Templeton, Alan P. Gibb and Till Bachmann. Their studies have resulted in the development of an electrochemical sensor which allows point of care detection of strains of potentially multidrug resistant gram negative bacteria.

Till Bachmann and Kate Templeton win poster prize at NHS Research Scotland Conference

2012 Lister Institute Research Prize to Dr David Lyons

October 2012: Congratulations to Dr David Lyons, BBSRC David Phillips Fellow, Centre for Neuroregeneration, who has been awarded a prestigious Lister Institute Research Prize to work on myelination, demyelination and remyelination in zebrafish.

2012 Lister Institute Research Prize to Dr David Lyons

Pharmacology student wins award

October 2012: Two students were shortlisted for the final of the Best Pharmacology Student Category (judged by the British Pharmacological Society) - Mahsa Samadi and Amy Monaghan (three students in total were in the final). The SET Awards competition is open to students from the UK and Europe, so having two students from Edinburgh short-listed in this category was terrific. Amy Monaghan won the category (pictured on the right with Mahsa). Amy's project entitled "Type 1 deletion on the angiogenic response to hindlimb ischaemia" was supervised by Dr Paddy Hadoke, while Mahsa's project, "Characterisation of TCN 201 antagonism", was supervised by Professor David Wyllie.

The SET Award Ceremony was held at Kensington Town Hall on 26th September 2012.

Neuroscience student wins award

October 2012: Congratulations to Lewis Hou (Neuroscience Hons 2012) on winning the 'Medical Sciences' category of the Undergraduate Awards 2012 for essays he wrote during his honours year. Laura Baker (Neuroscience Hons 2013) was also highly commended for her essays in the 'Life Sciences' category.

Updated contact details for the Biomedical Teaching Organisation

October 2012: The BMTO has undergone a change around . The updated list of teaching administrators can be found on its Contacts page.

Biomedical Teaching Organisation - contacts

Principal's Medal award for Dr Jane Haley

October 2012: Dr Jane Haley, the Scientific Coordinator for Edinburgh Neuroscience,has been awarded a Principal's Medal for 2012 for her work with Edinburgh Neuroscience. Jane said "Naturally I am thrilled and delighted - not only have I got a wonderful job, but I've an award for it too!" The medal is to be presented at the Graduation Ceremony on Friday 30th November 2012.

Forthcoming Honorary Graduates

Fragile X study offers new drug hope

October 2012: An experimental drug can improve sociability in patients with Fragile X syndrome and may be helpful as a treatment for autism, according to a study. Researchers at the Patrick Wild Centre for Autism, Fragile X Syndrome and Intellectual Disabilities tested a drug known as STX209 in mice that were genetically engineered to have a form of Fragile X. The team found that it helped correct the biochemical abnormalities associated with the mutation. This, in turn, reduced seizures and repetitive behaviours in the mice.

Fragile X study offers new drug hope

New discovery offers hope in fight against deadly infection

October 2012: A scientific development could lead to medicines to treat a tropical infection that affects millions of people each year. Scientists in Edinburgh Infectious Diseases have created a compound that targets the parasite responsible for leishmaniasis, which causes a range of illnesses including Black Fever, which kills around 50,000 people each year, mostly in India. The treatment works by blocking the action of a crucial enzyme in the parasite, preventing it from carrying out its key role of converting food into energy to keep the parasite alive.

New discovery offers hope in fight against deadly infection

Our Changing World lecture series

September 2012: The list of speakers for the series of public lectures has been announced. The series will examine the global challenges facing society, and the role of academia in meeting these challenges.

Our Changing World lecture series

Medical Detectives – Lecture Series

September 2012: A series of lectures which is being run by The Patrick Wild Centre. The series has been inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and will highlight the University of Edinburgh’s internationally acclaimed medical research and show that keen detective work is still essential for 21st century doctors.

Medical Detectives – Lecture Series

Cholesterol study could aid quest for new treatments

August 12: New studies published in Biochimie today provide fresh discoveries about how our bodies regulate cholesterol levels. This paper shows that the immune system tunes down cholesterol production in order to fight viral infection, which leads us to ask whether we can manipulate the way that cells produce cholesterol to help fight the spread of viral infections in the future, and to suppress viruses in existing infections.

Cholesterol study could aid quest for new treatments

Online course attracts 17,000 students

August 12: Staff in the Centre for Integrative Physiology have been pleasantly surprised by the number of students who have registered to study their online course ‘Critical Thinking in Global Challenges’. The course, which is being run by the University of Edinburgh in association with Coursera, will provide an opportunity to better understand what critical thinking is, and to practice and enhance critical thinking skills.

The next session starts on 28 January 2013 and will take 5 weeks to complete.

Even mild psychological distress increases mortality

August 12: Dr Tom Russ and colleagues (Alzheimers Scotland Dementia Research Centre) have published a paper in the British Medical Journal indicating that people who suffer from psychological distress, including mild anxiety or depression, were likely to have increased mortality which mostly arose from increased heart attacks and stroke.

Even mild psychological distress increases mortality

New findings from EID have illuminated how our bodies could keep allergies in check

August 12: Fresh insight into infection could improve scientists’ understanding of allergies and inform new treatments. Research by scientists in Edinburgh Infectious Diseases into the immune system has shed light on the role of a cell that is involved in the body’s response to allergens, such as dust, pollen or pet hair.

New findings from EID have illuminated how our bodies could keep allergies in check

Life-time Achievement award for Ian Poxton

July 12: Ian Poxton, Professor of Microbial Infection and Immunity, has received a Life-time Achievement award from the Anaerobe Society of the Americas at its biennial meeting in San Francisco on 30 June 2012. The award was for his contributions to the study of Anaerobic Bacteriology.

Online courses offer free taster

July 12: ‘Critical Thinking in Global Challenges’ is one of six new courses being offered by the University of Edinburgh in association with Coursera. This introductory course, developed by staff in the Centre for Integrative Physiology, will provide the opportunity to better understand what critical thinking is, and to practice and enhance critical thinking skills.

Online courses offer free taster

New Readership in Personalised Medicine in Infectious Diseases

July 12: Till Bachmann, in the Division of Pathway Medicine has been appointed Reader in Personalised Medicine in Infectious Diseases in recognition of his distinguished research record on molecular diagnostics of infectious diseases and antibiotic resistance.

New Readership in Personalised Medicine in Infectious Diseases

A tribute to Prof Alison Douglas

May 12: The Head of School pays tribute to Professor Alison Douglas.

A tribute to Prof Alison Douglas

New MRSA test developed

Apr 12: A new MRSA swab test has been developed by scientists within the Division of Pathway Medicine and will allow faster and more effective treatment of MRSA.

New MRSA test developed

New Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellow elected

Mar 12: Congratulations to Prof Gareth Leng, who has been elected as a new Fellow to the Royal Society of Edinburgh for 2012.

New Royal Society of Edinburgh Fellow elected

Patrick Wild Centre has receives £1 million donation

Mar 2012: The Patrick Wild Centre has received a very generous £1 million donation from Dame Stephanie Shirley. The donation will help create a world-class imaging suite to enable pioneering research into autism and Fragile X Syndrome.

BBC online

Feb 12: Prof Tom Gillingwater and Dr Simon Parson have published new research on a possible treatment to reverse a genetic mutation which causes spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), or floppy baby syndrome.

BBC online

Zebrafish aid motor neurone research

Feb 12: Dr Catherina Becker and her team have discovered how key cells are produced in their quest to find a treatment for motor neurone disease. Their research has been published in the Journal of Neuroscience.

Zebrafish aid motor neurone research

The Anatomical museum is now online!

Jan 2012: Explore the anatomical collections and stay updated on what's happening at the museum by checking out the new museum website.

The Anatomical Museum website

The Anatomical Museum opens its doors

Jan 2012: The Anatomical Museum has undergone a major revamp, and will open its doors to the public for the first time on January 28th - the 183rd anniversary of Burke’s execution.

The Anatomical Museum opens its doors

More research news

More news and events from our research centres can be found on their respective websites.

Research centre news and events pages