News Archive

Leading neurobiologist helps celebrate world renowned �pain relief� scientist

One of the University of Aberdeen�s most famous scientists who co-discovered that the brain produces morphine-like chemicals will be recognised on Friday, May 8, 2009.
Dr Hans Kosterlitz was in his seventies when together with his colleague John Hughes they won an international race to identify naturally occurring endorphins which affect both how we feel pleasure and help fight pain.
Widespread recognition and many plaudits followed for the scientist who continued leading a unit, which was an international leader in opiate research, until he was approaching his nineties.
Many thought Dr Kosterlitz - who was honoured with a Lasker Award which is awarded annually to people who have made major contributions to medical sciences � would get a Nobel Prize.
Indeed when he first joined the University of Aberdeen in 1933 he worked with Professor John R Macleod who later shared the Nobel Prize for the discovery of insulin.
May 8th the University celebrates his achievements with the second Hans Kosterlitz Lecture to be delivered by Chris McBain, NIH, Professor of Neuroscience, and Director of the Laboratory of Cellular and Synaptic Neurophysiology within the Neuroscience Research Center in Bethesda, USA. Professor Chris McBain received his BSc from the University of Aberdeen and Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge, England, where he worked with Ray Hill studying epileptiform activity in the brain.
Dr. Marlene Bartos Reader in Neuroscience at the University of Aberdeen, has organised the talk. She said: "I am absolutely delighted that Professor Chris McBain, who is an extremely eminent scientist, has agreed to give the inaugural Kosterlitz lecture which is an annual event.� Last year the lecture was given by Professor Peter Somogyi, the Director of the MRC Anatomical Neuropharmacology unit at the University of Oxford.
"Kosterlitz was Aberdeen's most famous biologist whose pioneering research paved the way for understanding how the brain generates relief from pain and also feels reward and pleasure."
Professor McBain added: "I feel truly honoured to give the second Kosterlitz lecture - he was someone who was a real inspiration to me when I was an undergraduate and I couldn't think of a nicer way to come back to Aberdeen.�
The Hans Kosterlitz Lecture takes place at the University's Institute of Medical Sciences on Friday 8th May, 12-1pm in the Level 7 Conference Room.

Scientists awarded �10M to explore environmental chemicals and reproductive health

Aberdeen scientists are part of an international collaboration given �10M to investigate the potential impact of chemicals and pollutants on reproductive health.

The University of Aberdeen is leading one of three major studies examining what are known as endocrine disruptors � chemicals that interfere with normal hormone function.

These are natural and man made substances - such as compounds produced naturally by plants and synthetic compounds used in plastics and pesticides, together with heavy metals - to which we are exposed every day and which can mimic or interfere with our hormones.

Experts from the city�s Macaulay Institute are also playing a major role in one of the European Union-funded projects.

Scientists and doctors involved in all three studies meet in Copenhagen on Thursday and Friday (May 22, 23) to formally launch their projects.

The University of Aberdeen and Macaulay Institute, together with the University of Nottingham; the National Institute for Agricultural Research (INRA) in France; Martin Luther University, Germany and the University of Milan will be discussing their study, REEF � Reproductive Effects of Environmental Chemicals in Females.

Dr Paul Fowler, Senior Lecturer in Reproductive Physiology at the University of Aberdeen and REEF Principal Investigator, said: �For more than 60 years there has been increasing concern over the impact of chemicals in the environment that may interfere with the development of the male and female baby in the womb.

�These chemicals are derived from a variety of industrial, commercial and agricultural sources and they have the potential to affect the development of the male and female reproductive system.

�In domestic and wildlife species there is considerable evidence that male and female reproductive development is affected by hormone-like chemicals prior to birth and that this affects reproductive function in the adult. There is also increasing evidence of this in the humans, although the weight of evidence so far concerns male reproductive development.
Furthermore, in humans, the incidence of some cancers, especially testicular and breast cancer is increased by exposure to these chemicals.

�Although less is known about the effects of environmental chemicals on the developing female fetus, the consequences for reproductive development in females may be greater than in males. For example, females exposed to chemicals in the womb may have reduced fertility, poorer health and, potentially, an earlier onset of menopause.

�Our study will focus on the impact of low environmental concentrations of hormone-like chemicals on female reproductive development in both humans and animals.�

The Macaulay Institute�s Dr Stewart Rhind will be investigating the accumulation of these chemicals - which not only has implications for animal physiology, but also for the human food chain � by studying sheep.

�This is an exciting opportunity, and demonstrates how Aberdeen is at the forefront of this fast-moving and internationally important area of research,� he added.

The other projects are:
� DEER � Developmental Effects of Environment on Reproductive Health. Researchers will examine the potential effects of chemicals on fetal development, sexual maturity and obesity.
� CONTAMED � Contaminant Mixtures and Human Reproductive Health � novel strategies for health impact and risk assessment of endocrine disruptors.
Scientists will try to quantify how a mix of chemicals could be impacting on reproductive health.

Dr Fowler added: �We have evolved through many millions of years of being exposed to natural chemicals from plants, forest fires, volcanic activity and so on. But what is new is the unparalleled numbers of synthetic chemicals that we are exposed to nowadays and some of these are very difficult for the body to break down.

�The developing fetus is particularly sensitive to chemicals so what we hope to do is determine whether, these are linked, to a greater or lesser extent, to our exposures to environmental chemicals, particularly in the light of declining sperm counts and an increase in breast cancer.�

Award winning scientist and author visits Aberdeen

One of Britain�s most influential scientists and a leading science communicator will tomorrow (May 22) give a talk at the University of Aberdeen.

Professor Lewis Wolpert - a distinguished embryologist who has greatly influenced thinking and debate in developmental biology throughout the world - is giving a seminar at the Foresterhill campus.

The Emeritus Professor of Biology as Applied to Medicine at University College London is a passionate advocate for the public understanding of science - presenting on radio and television, and writing newspaper columns.

He is also an accomplished and award winning writer, penning books on the evolutionary basis of belief, depression and the nature of science.

Dr Neil Vargesson, a lecturer in developmental biology, within the University�s School of Medical Sciences, has organised Professor Wolpert�s visit.

He said: �I am absolutely delighted that Professor Lewis Wolpert has agreed to give this seminar.

�He is truly a distinguished scientist, an inspirational communicator and a leading exponent of public involvement in all aspects of science and scientific thought.�

The talk, entitled Causal Belief Makes Us Human, will investigate the nature of belief, its causes and the evolutionary origins of belief, and is open to the public. It takes place at the Medical School in Lecture Theatre 3 at 4pm.

Cells, crystals, beasties & bugs in micro art exhibition

An image of a bat�s tongue may not sound like the most likely art exhibit. The same could be said about pictures of mildew, nerve cells and the head of the fearsome Scottish biting midge.

But add some colour and these images - taken with microscopes - become really rather striking.

All these and more, from a world not normally seen by the naked eye, go on show to the public tomorrow (Friday, January 25) at the Art Gallery within Aberdeen Royal Infirmary.

Micro art is an exhibition of microscope images � or micrographs - captured and manipulated by the University of Aberdeen's Kevin Mackenzie.

The images have been taken using various microscopes, and then cleverly infused with colour.

It's unlikely that visitors to the exhibition will have seen skin cells, an aphid, a blood clot, and rust spores � also among the 30 images on show � depicted in this way.

Kevin, a technologist in the University's Microscopy and Imaging Facility at the Institute of Medical Sciences, explains: "The images on display have been captured over the past 15 years using a range of imaging techniques and covering a wide variety of specimens which include cells, crystals, beasties and bugs.

"There seems to be a natural fascination for all things microscopic. I'm hoping visitors will enjoy seeing the world from a different perspective � one not normally seen without the aid of a microscope."

The free exhibition, organised by the Grampian Hospitals Art Trust in association with the University, runs from January 25 to March 7.

Visit http://www.abdn.ac.uk/emunit/microart/gallery/index.html

New technology to help curb blindness caused by diabetes aiming for marketplace

A revolutionary software programme that could help reduce the risk of blindness caused by diabetes is a major step closer to the market.

NHS Grampian and The University of Aberdeen's Ophthalmic Imaging Group and image analysis experts Medalytix have joined forces with Scottish Health Innovations Ltd to commercialise the brand new product.

The programme works by rapidly scanning digital photos taken of the eyes of people with diabetes. It hunts for tiny blood spots - microaneurysms - which are the earliest signs of diabetic retinopathy, a leading cause of blindness.

This partnership is timely given that diabetic eye disease remains the leading cause of blindness in the UK working age population. The Scottish Government's Health Department has also instructed NHS Health Boards to implement systematic annual retinopathy screening using digital photography.

Currently retinal screening programmes in Scotland are on track to offer screening to 160,000 people with diabetes in 2008. However, with the number of people with diabetes expected to rise to 350,000 by 2020 and to over two million in England alone, current service capacity will not meet future demand.

Since 1990, the University of Aberdeen and NHS Grampian's Ophthalmic Imaging Group - a multidisciplinary team led by Dr John Olson and Professor Peter Sharp - have worked on a project to automate the analysis of images of the eye's retina for the presence of diabetic eye disease.

The team put their technology to the test in a two-year �200,000 Chief Scientist Office funded project � the largest ever study of its type undertaken - which involved the scrutiny of retinal images of over 6,700 people with diabetes.

Results have shown that software developed by the team is safe, effective and could potentially save NHS Scotland up to �0.5 million per year plus the cost to implement this of up to �0.25 million.

Dr Olson, Consultant Ophthalmic Physician at NHS Grampian, who was the inaugural Lead Clinician of Scotland's Diabetic Retinopathy Screening Programme (2003-2006) said: "The development of validated automated diabetic retinopathy screening software is a major step forward in the struggle to reduce the risk of visual impairment resulting from a worldwide epidemic of diabetes."

Professor Peter Sharp, Chair of Medical Physics at the University of Aberdeen, said: This is yet another example of collaborative work between the University of Aberdeen and NHS and, thanks to our collaboration with Medalytix and SHIL, the product of our research now has the chance of benefiting health services throughout the world.

Scottish Health Innovations Limited (SHIL), the not-for-profit company formed with the sole aim of developing ideas emanating from NHS Scotland employees, has licensed the software from NHS Grampian and the University of Aberdeen.

SHIL has entered an agreement with Medalytix Limited, with the company providing key support to complete development of the software to a fully functional product.

Medalytix will take the product and service to market, and as part of the licence agreement will return a share of the sales to SHIL, NHS Grampian and the University of Aberdeen. Additionally the NHS will benefit from having a system capable of assisting with and facilitating the implementation of the government target of screening everyone with diabetes for diabetic retinopathy.

Dr Nigel McLean, Business Development Manager with SHIL, added: "It represents a significant beneficial deal for NHS Scotland together with SHIL, its partners and Medalytix. Furthermore, this emphasises how a multi-discipline approach, combining the skills of clinicians, computer programmers, and the commercial sector, can work efficiently to produce technologies with the potential to greatly benefit the NHS and patients."

Dr Joanne Phoenix, Business Development Director with Medalytix said: "We are delighted to be working with the pioneering team in Aberdeen and are looking forward to bringing this important development to the market. The cost savings that can be delivered through effective screening for diabetic blindness are well-recognised and automation is widely regarded as a way forward in allowing healthcare systems to address a burgeoning diabetic population in an effective and safe way."

Medalytix will also fund and work with the team on a two-year project, to further develop a second piece of software currently being developed with the aid of a CSO grant. The end product is expected screening for additional risk factors of blindness.

The project has received critical acclaim � winning the Royal College of Ophthalmologists' Foulds Trophy for best research presentation in 2005 and, similarly, the Diabetes UK Young Diabetologist Travel Award in 2006.

The ongoing work was highlighted in Scotland's Chief Scientist Office's 2006 Annual Report, and the clinical results and cost-effective analysis has been published in two papers by the British Journal of Ophthalmology.

Professor Andrew Porter joins BIA Scotland Committee

The BioIndustry Association (BIA) has appointed Professor Andrew Porter to its Scotland Committee.

Established in 2001, BIA Scotland represents over 60 members in the Scottish bioscience sector. Scottish members benefit from tailored services, events and representation to more closely meet the particular needs of those operating in Scotland.

Professor Porter is currently Professor of Biotechnology and Deputy Director of the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen. Until very recently he was also founder and CSO of the University spin-out Haptogen Ltd.

Haptogen was acquired, in October 2007, by the US pharmaceutical giant Wyeth Inc. Haptogen developed human therapeutic antibodies capable of treating liver disease or able to combat super-bug infections. The company also developed shark antibodies as a new and exciting drug discover platform.

Prior to Haptogen, Andy was one of the founding academics and Research Director of Remedios Ltd, Aberdeen. Remedios is a biosensor company and was Scottish biotech of the year in 2000. Again in 2000, he was awarded a Royal Society of Edinburgh commercialisation fellowship in Biotechnology.

In 2005 he was made the Ernst and Young Plc, Scottish and then later UK Science and Technology Entrepreneur of the Year. In 2006 his proudest moment was to be made a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Since the sale of Haptogen, Andy has accepted two positions within the biotechnology sector. In addition, and together with the founding scientists of Haptogen (Drs Broadbent and Charlton), he has established a small venture fund, Grampian Bio-partners, that recently made its first investment into an anti-infectives company based in Scotland.

Commenting on the new appointments, Dr Barbara Blaney, Director, BIA Scotland, said: "I am delighted to welcome Andy to the Committee. I am sure that BIA Scotland will benefit from his experience and knowledge of the sector and I look forward to working closely with him during the coming year."

For more information on BIA Scotland visit http://www.bioindustry.org/cgi-bin/contents_view.pl?SITE_ID=37&ID=89

Scottish researchers investigate how Alzheimer�s affects the brain�s communication systems

Scottish researchers have received a funding boost from the UK�s leading dementia research charity, the Alzheimer�s Research Trust, to investigate changes in the brain�s communication system in Alzheimer�s disease.

Dr Jan Mulder from the University of Aberdeen will examine a particular set of chemicals in the brain, called, endocannabinoids that are involved in fine-tuning communication between brain cells, in order to learn more about the changes in this system during the progression of Alzheimer�s a disease. When a brain cell is stimulated endocannabinoids are released and bind to receptors in the brain to slow communications and prevent the brain from harming itself. When endocannabinoid signalling is too strong or too weak it will affect the quality of signal transmission in the brain leading to impaired learning and memory. There are indications that amyloid, the protein that forms plaques in the Alzheimer brain might alter this system. Dr Jan Mulder at the University of Aberdeen said: "We will study the endocannabinoid system in detail and look at the changes that occur in Alzheimer�s disease and particularly those related to functioning of neuronal networks in the brain. "Once we know more about the system, we�ll be able to consider its possible role in the development of Alzheimer�s disease. This will help us learn more about the causes and possible ways to tackle the disease." Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer�s Research Trust said, "We are delighted to be funding research which will build on our understanding of how the disease affects the brain�s communication�s systems which in turn negatively impacts on memory and learning.

"We wish Dr Mulder well and look forward to hearing of the results of this exciting research." For more information, photos or to arrange an interview, please contact the Alzheimer's Research Trust Press Office at 01223 843304 or visit our online newsroom at www.alzheimers-research.org.uk/news/. Images of Rebecca Wood, Chief Executive of the Alzheimer�s Research Trust are available on request.

Trial of medicines to treat arthritis pain attracts �26M investment to Scotland

A study of medicines to treat the pain of arthritis, which reinforces Scotland�s place as a leader in the delivery of major clinical trials, was launched today.

The SCOT Trial, (Standard Care versus Celecoxib Outcome Trial), will compare different types of treatment for arthritis � a series of conditions which affect around nine million people in the UK.

The trial compares traditional non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and diclofenac, with a newer NSAID called Celecoxib. Both types of NSAID are prescribed for the treatment of arthritis, but doctors want to know how the newer NSAID Celecoxib compares with the older NSAID in patients with arthritis in terms of long-term safety.

Professor Tom MacDonald, lead investigator and Professor of Clinical Pharmacology at Dundee University, said: "This trial is of international significance because it will compare the various NSAID treatments prescribed for arthritis sufferers in usual care. There has been a long running debate as to the most effective pain relief with fewest side effects. This study will help us draw some solid conclusions to benefit arthritis sufferers".

Scotland will spearhead the trial, which is made possible by the country's sophisticated patient electronic registration and tracking systems. Professor Ian Ford from the Robertson Centre for Biostatistics at Glasgow University explains: "Scotland now has one of the best electronic patient record systems in the world. We can harness the power of the information this gives us to examine medicines in the real life setting of care within the NHS."

The University of Dundee will lead the trial in partnership with the Universities of Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Aberdeen. There is also collaboration with Professor Chris Hawkey, a world opinion leader in the effects of these drugs on the stomach, based at Nottingham University, and Professor Jesper Hallas at the University of Southern Denmark. Denmark has a similar patient record system to Scotland and the results from Denmark will serve as a check that the Scottish results can be generalised to other countries.

Professor Chris Hawkey said: "Traditional NSAID drugs can cause bleeding from the lining of the stomach. Celecoxib is thought to minimise these stomach problems, but we are unclear what treatment is best overall. The record system in Scotland offers a great opportunity to resolve this. "

Professor Roger Sturrock from Glasgow University said: "This trial is of major significance because it harnesses the strengths of academia and the NHS in Scotland to deliver a world-leading study."

Professor Stuart Ralston from Edinburgh University said: "NSAIDs play an important role in the treatment of arthritis but we know that side effects, such as stomach upset, can occur in some patients. This study will provide important new information on the risks and benefits of older versus newer NSAID and will help us to decide what the best treatment is for the individual patient".

Professor David Reid at the University of Aberdeen said "This trial coming to Scotland demonstrates how Universities and the NHS can work in partnership to answer some of the big questions in the treatment of arthritis".

Four hundred GP practices and 16,000 patients will participate in the three-year trial.

The study, funded by Pfizer, means a �26m cash injection for research which will be based in hundreds of GP practices across Scotland.

Dundee GP Alex Watson says "It is important that this study is done in the "real world" of Scottish general practice and not just with the highly selected patients attending a specialist research centre."

To participate in the SCOT study patients must be aged 60 or over, and should already be taking an NSAID such as ibuprofen or diclofenac which has been prescribed by their GP for arthritis.

According to ISD Scotland, the national organisation for health information, statistics and IT services, a total of 2.55 million prescriptions were issued in Scotland for the treatment of various forms of arthritis during 2005/6.

Arthritis is common and NHS Quality Improvement Scotland estimates that between 152,000 and 217,000 people in Scotland have rheumatoid arthritis or osteoarthritis.

Pregnancy smoking fertility link

Smoking while pregnant reduces the fertility of boys by affecting a key testis gene, researchers say.

It is already known smoking affects the future fertility of unborn boys, but it has not been understood how.

Aberdeen University researchers found significant reductions in the levels of a gene called DHH, which plays a key role in testicle development.

Small testicles are linked to low sperm counts, the Journal of Clinical Endocrinology and Metabolism reported.

The DHH (desert hedgehog) gene releases the DHH molecule in the testes, which tells other cells what to do and helps control normal testicle growth.

The researchers examined 22 human foetuses between 11 and 19 weeks of pregnancy, looking at the levels of 30 genes key to the development of testicles.

There was no significant change in all but one case - the DHH gene. The study found the foetuses where women smoked 10 or more cigarettes a day had nearly half the DHH gene levels than non-smoking ones.

Problems

Lead researcher Paul Fowler said: "This is the first time that the gene DHH, which plays a key role in the male's normal development, has been linked to maternal smoking and fertility problems.

"Our research is still preliminary and a lot more work needs to be done."

Sheffield University expert Dr Allan Pacey, the secretary of the British Fertility Society, said: "It is an often misunderstood subject. Male fertility is often determined by what happens in the womb.

"Previous research has shown beef and pesticides in drinking water can have an impact on fertility.

"We already know smoking is not advised during pregnancy and this helps us to understand why it affects fertility."

5-year Fellowship for Bone Researcher

Dr Fraser Coxon (Bone & Musculoskeletal Programme) was recently awarded a DTI/OST fellowship in the School of Medicine. These Research Council fellowships, which provide partial support for salary and other costs for 5 years, aim to provide contract research staff with more attractive and stable paths into permanent academic posts.

Background
The maintenance of a healthy skeleton is dependent on continuous remodelling of bone, which is carried out by the concerted action of bone-resorbing osteoclasts and bone-forming osteoblast cells. However, in certain bone diseases, such as postmenopausal osteoporosis, this balance is disrupted and excessive activity of osteoclasts results in loss of bone mass and susceptibility to fracture. A better understanding of the molecular mechanisms by which osteoclasts resorb bone may lead to novel treatments for such diseases.

My Research
The main focus of my current research is on Rab GTPase proteins. These play a critical role in the regulation of vesicular transport. I recently discovered a new class of compounds that selectively prevent the lipid modification (prenylation) of Rab proteins, thereby disrupting their localisation and function. These compounds also inhibit bone resorption, demonstrating that Rab GTPases must be crucial for osteoclast to function properly. However, there is currently little known about the precise role of Rab proteins in osteoclasts and this fellowship will focus on identifying their presence and function in bone cells.

Further characterisation and development of Rab prenylation inhibitors as anti-resorptive drugs, in collaboration with Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals, is another of my research interests. These compounds are potential novel treatments for diseases such as osteoporosis, and preliminary data suggests they may lack some of the adverse effects associated with current treatments.

I am also interested in osteopetrosis (a rare bone disease is characterized by increased bone density due to dysfunctional osteoclasts), since there is evidence that mutations in Rab GTPases and their regulator/effector proteins are a cause of some cases of this disease. The role of these proteins in osteoclasts can be revealed by studying the nature of the osteoclast defect in cases of human osteopetrosis. In collaboration with researchers in Belgium and Italy, I am studying osteoclasts from patients with osteopetrosis of unknown genetic cause, since it is likely that at least some of these cases will also be caused by mutations in proteins involved in regulating vesicular transport, such as Rab GTPases.

Dr Linda Erskine: New member of staff in the Institute of Medical Sciences

Our work is aimed at unravelling the cellular and molecular mechanisms sculpting the development of the visual system. We are focusing on two main areas: the early development and growth of the eye and the guidance of retinal ganglion cell axons to their targets in the brain.

Dr Neil Vargesson: New member of staff in the Institute of Medical Sciences

Our work is aimed at determining how thalidomide causes limb malformations and to elucidate its molecular targets. Using vertebrate embryos, and in-vitro cultures, we show that thalidomide targets immature blood vessels, resulting in limb outgrowth failure.

Dr Gail Ferguson: New member of staff in the Institute of Medical Sciences

The BacA protein is essential for persistent Sinorhizobium and Brucella infections and affects the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) very-long chain fatty acids (VLCFAs). This talk will focus on the role of BacA, the characterization of Sinorhizobium LPS mutants and an investigation into the function of BacA homologs in other bacteria. These studies have revealed the importance of the LPS for plant infection and demonstrated that the LPS changes during this process. They have also revealed a potential link between BacA and lipoproteins. Finally, we present evidence showing that there is a delicate balance as to whether Sinorhizobium will form a symbiotic or pathogenic relationship with its host.

Dr Tibor Harkany: New member of staff in the Institute of Medical Sciences

The endocannabinoid system has recently been established as a major feedback circuitry tuning synaptic plasticity at many cortical synapses. However, the developmental significance of endocannabinoid signaling is largely unknown. Our lack of knowledge on developmental endocannabinoid functions is surprising given that cannabinoid receptors are the cellular targets of Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) from cannabis, and marijuana smoking during pregnancy causes permanent motor and cognitive deficits in the offspring. Here, I will summarize recent knowledge on the emerging functions of the endocannabinoid system during CNS patterning and discuss how our expanding knowledge may lead to a better understanding of THC-induced developmental deficits.

Dr Iain McEwan and Dr Alasdair MacKenzie ~ Scottish Executive [CSO] Award

Dr Iain McEwan and Dr Alasdair MacKenzie have been awarded �364,227 from the Scottish Executive - CSO. The title of their project is "Deregulation of androgen receptor signaling in prostate cancer".

Cancer of the prostate gland is now the most commonly diagnosed cancer in UK men. Androgens are necessary for normal growth and differentiation of the prostate gland and are also important for tumour growth. The principal aims of this present project are to characterise the impact of point mutations androgen receptor signalling and to use a combination of bioinformatics and genetic manipulations to investigate the key regulatory systems controlling the expression of the receptor gene.

Professor Al Brown ~ BBSRC Award

Professor Al Brown has been awarded �450,819 from the BBSRC. The title of this project is: "Central role of NRG1 in the niche specific coordination of morphogenesis, stress responses and metabolism in the fungal pathogen, candida albicans"

Human sewage harms sheep foetuses

Sheep have a long gestation period similar to that of humans. Sheep grazing on fields fertilised with human sewage produce lambs with fertility problems, according to research by Scottish scientists.

A study by the University of Aberdeen suggests chemicals which enter the human body and are then excreted can harm the foetuses of mammals.
The scientists hope the research will help pinpoint the most vulnerable stages of foetal development. They have applied for funding to study the human implications of the findings.
The group hope that further funding from the Wellcome Trust will allow them to look more closely at the chemicals involved and their possible impact on human development.

Study leader Dr Paul Fowler, from the University of Aberdeen, told the annual meeting of the European Society of Human Reproduction and Embryology (ESHRE) in the French city of Lyon that it was possible environmental chemicals affect the development of the foetus.
Increased production of industrial and agricultural chemicals in recent decades has coincided with reports of breeding problems in wild animals.

Sludge chemicals:
Fertility also appears to be declining among humans and there has been a rise in reproductive defects in newborn babies. Most studies investigating these trends have looked at short-term exposure to high doses of single compounds, usually in mice and rats.

Dr Fowler's team wanted to examine the effect of long-term, low-level exposure to a "cocktail" of chemicals and heavy metals such as that found in human waste. Sheep were chosen because they have a long gestation period similar to that of a human. Dr Fowler said the group had examined the ovaries from the foetuses at day 110 of gestation, the equivalent of week 27 in human pregnancy.

Reduced testosterone:
They found that the ovaries from the foetuses where the mother was grazing in sewage sludge fields contained fewer eggs as well as a number of protein abnormalities.

"These differences could have implications for problems such as cancer in later life," Dr Fowler said.

Researchers also found reduced testosterone and testis cell numbers in male sheep foetuses exposed to the sludge chemicals.
There is still disagreement over importance of environmental chemicals to cancer, obesity, infertility and other complex conditions with multiple causes.

"We hope our research will help in the drive for evidence-based policy making on this issue," said Dr Fowler.

"If we can definitely establish that environmental chemicals are important in triggering these diseases, then we might be able to produce better treatments."

Dr Peter McGlynn ~ BBSRC Award

Dr Peter McGlynn has been awarded �306,790 from the BBSRC. The grant is entitled: "Preventing too much of a good thing - conferring DNA structure specificity on a replicative helicase via its loader".

Replication of a cells genetic material is essential but if it goes wrong it can be disastrous leading to mutations, cancer or cell death. This project aims to investigate a newly discovered mechanism that might act to minimise mistakes during DNA replication.

Smoking cannabis while pregnant could affect the developing brain

Two University of Aberdeen scientists are part of an international team which has made a major breakthrough in our understanding of brain development. Their findings also suggest that smoking cannabis during pregnancy may affect the brain development of the unborn baby.

Dr Ann Rajnicek and Dr Ruth Ross are among a collaboration of neuroscientists led by Dr Tibor Harkany of the Karolinska Institute in Stockholm - soon to take up a position at the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Medical Sciences � who have published the paper Hardwiring the Brain: How Endocannabinoids Shape Neuronal Connectivity in the top journal Science.

The scientists' discovery centres on naturally occurring molecules in the body called 'endogenous cannabinoids' that act in the same way that cannabis does in our bodies by attaching to the same targets or receptors found on the surface of nerve cells.

The researchers have discovered that once these molecules � or endocannabinoids - have attached or bound with their target receptors the resulting signals help to guide the growth of nerve cells in the embryonic brain.

This is a crucial process because the brain is like a complex electrical circuit in which nerve cells need to be hardwired correctly.

Dr Ann Rajnicek, Lecturer at the University of Aberdeen's Institute of Medical Sciences, said: "The research has led to a deeper understanding of how the brain develops and how cells grow to the destinations that they need to reach for the brain to function properly.

"Our research has important implications. Although we did not test marijuana-derived compounds directly, our data suggest that marijuana use during pregnancy could affect development of the fetal brain.

"Our work opens up exciting possibilities for further research, particularly with the imminent move of Dr Tibor Harkany, from the Karolinska Institute, to the School of Medical Sciences, here at the University of Aberdeen."

Dr Ruth Ross, Senior Lecturer in Neuropharmacology at the University's Institute of Medical Sciences, added: "This is the first key evidence showing that molecules in our body similar to those found in cannabis play a key role in the development of the fetal brain. The research also has implications for the effects of cannabis smoking on the adolescent brain, which is still undergoing development.

"Here at the University of Aberdeen we are discovering that these molecules are important in many processes in the body including bone development, pain processing and appetite. Ultimately we hope our understanding of these molecules will lead to the development of new drugs for the treatment of a wide range of key diseases."

Professor Colin McCaig, Head of the University's School of Medical Sciences, added: "This is exciting and highly novel work that will be of major interest internationally. It continues and extends the University of Aberdeen's reputation as a world-leading centre for biomedical studies on cannabinoids."

Action needed to further develop Scotland�s life sciences sector

Scotland�s Chief Scientific Adviser will today stress the growing importance of public and private sector collaboration to support and further expand the country�s world class life sciences sector.

Professor Anne Glover, who was appointed in August by the Scottish Executive to build upon Scotland�s reputation as a science nation, will also stress the need for associated businesses to do more to make them more internationally competitive.

She believes small and medium sized companies � and their financial backers � must begin ploughing far more money into research and development and should also be forging more partnerships with organisations like universities to build on their expertise.

Academics also need to be �more open� to collaborating with businesses, she says.

Professor Glover, Chair in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Aberdeen, will deliver her hopes for Scotland�s life sciences future at a key event taking place this afternoon at the University�s Institute of Medical Sciences.

Organised by Life Sciences Alliance and the University of Aberdeen, the event entitled Benefiting from Collaboration and Connectivity: Life Sciences Alliance Workshop features a host of key speakers which include senior figures from the University of Aberdeen; representatives of University spinouts, as well as experts in partnerships which bring academia and industry together.

The event is the latest in a series of workshops which explore the advantages that arise from different organisations like Universities, businesses and the NHS collaborating and sharing knowledge and expertise.

Professor Glover will tell today�s event that Scotland already has an impressive track record and reputation for life sciences research and also punches above its weight in the amount of income it receives from UK research councils and charities.

Says Professor Glover: �We know that the Scottish science base performs very well in terms of life sciences and that the number of Scottish life sciences companies making their mark in the world markets is growing.

�We know there is real momentum politically and socially to grow this sector in Scotland.

�However there are also several barriers to the development of the sector. In developing our science and innovation strategy this year, I will be looking at the health of the science base overall, including the life sciences and developing capacity in some of the other key disciplines we will need in the development of the sector, for example in Physical Sciences.

�One of the major bottlenecks on development of our sciences has historically been our business R&D and our long term growth rate. In Scotland the private sector R&D investment is 0.58% of our GDP, which is just over half a billion pounds per year. The UK figure is more than double that at 1.24%. In Finland the figure is 2.45% and in Sweden 2.93%

�Of course in Scotland we have a high rate of R&D expenditure through our institutions and initiatives run by Scottish Enterprise and others are trying to plug the gap.�

Professor Glover concludes: �I think we all need to work to change the culture in academia to be more open to business. I think we need to continue to pump prime private sector investment in R&D. I think we all need to continue to collaborate to sell Scotland. And I think we need to ensure that Scotland is at the centre of global science collaborations today and in the future.�

BBSRC (SysMo Initiative) Award

Congratulations to Professor Ian Booth, Dr Sam Miller, Professor Celso Grebogi and Dr Alessandro Moura, who have been awarded �897,605 from the BBSRC @SysMo Initiative, to work on "Ion and Solute Homeostasis in Enteric Bacteria".

SYSMO is a �20 million programme stretching across Europe. Ninety-three labs are linked and integrated to eleven programmes to understand the physiology of a diverse range of micro-organisms[http://www.abdn.ac.uk/systemsbiology/]. The Aberdeen programme draws together groups in Groningen, Munich, Martinsreid, Magdeburg and Vigo. For more details see http://www.sysmo.net/index.php?index=56 .

The Aberdeen-led programme developes the current strengths in ionic homeostasis in E. coli and will develop models based on the excellence of our colleagues in the School of Engineering The programme draws together experts in
modelling microbial pathways and regulatory circuits:

Celso Grebogi [http://www.eng.abdn.ac.uk/cadr/grebogi/]
Alessandro de Moura [web page in progress]
Julio Banga
[http://www.iim.csic.es/~julio/]
Andreas Kremling [http://www.mpimagdeburg.mpg.de/people/kre/]

with biochemists and physiologists:

Ian Booth [http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/staff/details.php?id=i.r.booth]
Sam Miller [http://www.abdn.ac.uk/ims/staff/details.php?id=sam.miller]
Kirsten Jung [http://www.biologie.uniulm.de/bio3/kjung/kjung.htm]
Bert Poolman
[http://www.rug.nl/gbb/research/researchgroups/enzymology/faculty/poolman]
Zoya Ignatova [http://www.imprsls.de/professors/ignatova.htm ]

MRC Award

Congratulations to Dr Guy Bewick on being awarded �580,016 from MRC to work on "Mechanosensory SLVs: a novel sensory modulatory system"

Major funding for research to better understand bone diseases

A leading charity has awarded Aberdeen scientists �780,000 to study the behaviour of bone cells.

The University of Aberdeen team hope the Arthritis Research Campaign-funded work will lead to a better understanding of the molecules that control the activity of bone cells, which could lead to new ways of treating or preventing diseases of the skeleton.

Researchers will spend five years studying small proteins called small GTPases, which are essential for controlling how all cells in the body function and survive.

Professor Mike Rogers, who is leading the research along with colleagues Professor Richard Aspden, Dr Miep Helfrich and Dr Fraser Coxon, explained: � �Bone-destroying� and �bone-building cells� work constantly in our bodies, repairing day-to-day damage in the skeleton.

�In diseases such as osteoporosis, the bone-destroying cells take over and the bone-replacing cells can�t keep up.

�A few years ago we discovered that most commonly-used anti-osteoporosis drugs work by interfering with small GTPase proteins, so we know that these proteins must be important but we don�t really know much about what they do specifically in bone cells.

�Small GTPase proteins are very important for controlling the shape, movement and function of cells, so these proteins may also play a key role when bone-forming cells behave abnormally, for example in osteoarthritis.

�By understanding what these proteins do in the skeleton we may be able to find new ways of treating or preventing common bone diseases that affect millions of people in the UK.�

A spokeswoman for the Arthritis Research Campaign, which currently pumps �2m of funding into research in the city, added: "Aberdeen is a major centre for research into bone diseases in the UK, and is leading the way in developing new and improving existing treatments for patients with osteoporosis and other bone diseases."

25 April 2007:: Young biologists get insight into bacteria

An internationally recognised scientist will today give young biologists an insight into the incredible workings of bacteria.

Around 160 secondary pupils from schools across the North east are gathering at the University of Aberdeen this lunchtime for a talk being given by Professor Judith Armitage of the University of Oxford.

The Professor of Biochemistry will describe the mechanisms which allow bacteria to swim around. She will also explain how the technique could be harnessed by bionanotechnology to produce nanobots.

The University of Aberdeen is delighted that Professor Armitage is delivering their Annual Microbiology Lecture which is entitled Who Invented the Wheel? Bacteria � The Fastest Organisms on Earth.

Professor Ian Booth, Director of the University�s Institute of Medical Sciences, said: �Knowing how bacteria swim helps us to understand how they find their way into places where modern drugs can't attack them.

�Swimming is one of the most important characteristics of pathogenic bacteria and it even helps them to stick to surfaces that are then difficult to clean.

�Professor Armitage is one of the leading scientists in this field and we are delighted that she has given up her time to come to Aberdeen to spread the message of the importance of microorganisms

Professor Maggie Smith, Professor of Microbiology at the University of Aberdeen, added:
�Professor Armitage is an outstanding scientist and communicator. I believe that the audience will be amazed and enthralled by today�s lecture and maybe even motivated to study biology at university.�

The pupils attending today�s lecture are Higher and Advanced Higher Biology students from Albyn School, Aberdeen and Banchory, Kemnay, Meldrum, Peterhead and Turriff Academies.

Congratulations on Funding Awards

Professor Neil Gow and Professor Al Brown have been awarded �220,000 by the BBSRC to study how vacuoles influence the cell cycle and growth of the human pathogenic fungus Candida albicans.

Professor Al Brown has been awarded �286,000 by the BBSRC to investigate the regulation of stress responses by the heat shock transcription factor in the major fungal pathogen of humans, Candida albicans.

Dr Peter McGlynn has been awarded �317,000 by the MRC. The project grant is entitled: "High performance motoring replication form movement in a complex environment".

Professor Bill Wisden has been awarded a three year MRC research grant in collaboration with Profs Nick Franks, Mervyn Maze and Stephen Brickley [all at Imperial College London] on "Sleep pathways and general anesthesia". This is a collaborative network grant exploring whether the pathways used by the brain to induce sleep have anything in common with the way general anesthetics work.

Pioneering Aberdeen again leads world with MRI

A quarter of a century ago Aberdeen scientists and clinicians became the first in the world to scan the body of a patient using Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Now that pioneering approach to diagnostic technology is once again to the fore after the University of Aberdeen was awarded �2.5 million to create a brand new scanner with the potential to revolutionise MRI.

Professor David Lurie and a team of University and Industrial collaborators comprising physicists, engineers, chemists, biologists and medical scientists have been awarded the money from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

They will use the funds to build a scanner that will represent a step-change in the way this type of imaging is carried out.

The new scanner will make visible features not currently seen in conventional MRI. This improved sensitivity and specificity should lead to a better understanding of key diseases, result in more rapid and accurate diagnosis, and eventually pave the way for new treatments.

Professor Lurie, Chair in Biomedical Physics, University of Aberdeen, said: �We are tremendously excited about the potential for this scanner which uses new technology called Fast Field-Cycling MRI.

�We believe it has the potential to gain new insight into processes that give rise to disease, involving the complex interactions of atoms, molecules and cells in the body. Fast Field-Cycling MRI promises to be even more sensitive than conventional MRI at picking up these disease processes.

�This technology breaks the first rule of conventional MRI which is that the magnetic field is held constant while the image is being obtained.

�What we will do with our new scanner is to switch the magnetic field rapidly while the image is being obtained. In this way, we will be able to record information about how molecules behave at a whole range of magnetic fields.

�It is a bit like having at our disposal a hundred or more MRI scanners, each one operating at a different magnetic field � but all in the one scanner. The big advantage is that the new scanner will produce images of the body that will tell clinicians important information about disease processes at a much earlier stage.

�One area of research that will benefit in particular is the role of proteins in diseases. The malformation and malfunctioning of proteins is at the core of many diseases and disorders such as Alzheimer�s, Parkinson�s disease and Multiple Sclerosis. Aberdeen University�s Institute of Medical Sciences has world-leading research teams in all of these areas, and the lead scientists are closely involved with the new MRI research.

�A clearer vision of the protein changes that occur in such disorders could lead not only to a better understanding of the disease process itself, but to more rapid and accurate diagnosis and eventually new treatments.�

But the new scanner could have a much wider remit than a clinical one.

Professor Lurie said: �We believe there are applications for this technology in a number of areas including the food industry, for example to measure protein changes during food processing.

�Sports and exercise science is another key area that could benefit, where non-invasive muscle mass measurements are needed � information which can be of vital use to athletes undergoing training or recovery from injury. Scientists from the University�s Institute of Applied Health Sciences will be working with us on these applications of our new techniques.

�Another area of basic biomedical research that will benefit is the study of thrombosis � the formation of blood clots � and we anticipate that our new scanners will be able to add significantly to the fundamental research going on at Aberdeen in this area.�

The University of Aberdeen team will also work with scientists at the company Invento, based at the University of Turin, who have expertise in developing MRI contrast agents used during imaging. Other industrial collaborators include Tesla Engineering in Sussex who design and build the kind of magnets needed for Fast Field-Cycling MRI, and Oxford Instruments who produce specialised control instrumentation for scanners.

A prototype of the imaging device has already been built. A Fast Field-Cycling MRI scanner was created for an earlier research project to develop a scanner to image the distribution of free radical molecules in the body. The idea for this new scanner was a by-product of this earlier work.

Next month the team will begin the four-year process of building the new scanner which Professor Lurie says will complement existing MRI, as opposed to supersede it.

He added: �Aberdeen scientists and clinicians were the first in the world to scan the body of a patient using MRI. Since then enormous advances have been made with MRI which is now used routinely throughout the world.

�It is tremendous that Aberdeen scientists would appear once again to be leading the way with the development of what we believe to be the first clinical scanner of its type in the world.�

Henry Dryerre Scholarship in Medical and Veterinary Physiology

The Royal Society of Edinburgh established a Scholarship in Medical or Veterinary Physiology which is administered by the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland and it is to be offered again in the 2007-2008 session. Applicants must hold a degree of a Scottish University with first class honours or, if in their final year, to be expected to achieve first class honours; they must also be a citizen of one of the countries of the European Union. Tenure of a Dryerre Scholarship must be at a Scottish Institution. Applications must be submitted through a member of staff on the appropriate form, copies of which can be obtained from the Assistant Secretary, The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, Cameron House, Abbey Park Place, Dunfermline KY12 7PZ (e-mail: jgray@carnegie-trust.org). The closing date for applications is March 15th and the result will be notified in July.

Aberdeen�s electrical wound healing research hailed as among world�s best

A leading magazine for scientists has deemed pioneering research at Aberdeen so important that it has included it in its guide to the Top 100 Science Stories of 2006.

Professors Min Zhao and Colin McCaig�s studies which revealed the impact electricity in our bodies has on healing our wounds was given the accolade by DISCOVER.

The magazine - which is also online - also judged the research by the University of Aberdeen pair to be among the Top 12 Biology Stories of 2006.

The January edition of the magazine contains what it calls a special report on the most interesting, amazing and important science news of the year.

An editorial describes how every year DISCOVER digs through reams of newspapers and gigabytes of web sites to find the 100 most important and interesting science stories.

Professor Zhao, who first became interested in how wounds heal themselves while he was a trauma surgeon in China, said: �We know our research is important as our findings could ultimately lead to new drugs to speed up wound healing, but it is tremendous to be recognised in this way.�

Professor McCaig, who is Head of the University�s School of Medical Sciences, added: �We are absolutely delighted to be included in this guide to the Top 100 Sciences Stories of 2006.

�Our electrical wound healing work is breaking new ground, and I am happy to say it is just one of a number of leading life science research projects underway at the University of Aberdeen.�

Issued by the Communications Team, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, King�s College, Regent Walk. Tel: 01224 273174.

Aberdeen scientists help lead multi-million life sciences collaboration

Even more scientists of international repute are expected to head for the University of Aberdeen after the institution helped forge a multi-million pound partnership that will transform biology and life sciences research in Scotland.

New key posts are expected to be created at the University after it was announced that Aberdeen is pooling its research excellence with five other Scottish universities.

The Scottish Funding Council (SFC) and six Scottish universities will together invest �77.4 million to unite leading biology and life sciences research in Scotland.

The six universities are to pool their research excellence in the new Scottish Universities Life Sciences Alliance (SULSA). Eighteen new research posts and 24 support posts will be created at the Universities of Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews, and Strathclyde. An investment of �27 million from SFC and �57 million from the universities will, over five years, attract new academic staff to strengthen this critical research area key to the health and wealth of Scotland.

The move comes at a particularly dynamic time for the University of Aberdeen which is making unprecedented investment in its infrastructure and people. The partnership will also see Aberdeen bring a host of research strengths to the table which include imaging technology which is helping our understanding of cancer.

The initial areas SULSA will be strengthening through its collaboration will be:

� cell biology � the study of the basic unit of life;

� systems biology � using computers to model groups of molecules, groups of cells and even whole organisms; and

� translational biology � the application of biological knowledge to develop medicines and other therapies for eventual clinical use.

Roger McClure, Chief Executive of SFC, said: �Life sciences is one of the jewels in Scotland�s research crown. By pooling their resources the partners in SULSA will be better equipped to face the challenges of global research competition. They will also contribute to Scotland�s health and economy through discoveries and through the critical mass of excellence they can offer to commercial companies in this dynamic sector of Scotland�s economy.

�The outcomes of their work will be beneficial to many people in Scotland through the medical and economic benefits which will arise as a consequence of creating a large, integrated research community in life sciences�.

Deputy First Minister and Minister for Enterprise and Lifelong Learning Nicol Stephen said: �Scotland is a �science nation� and we have a history of attracting some of the world�s very best researchers to our shores. Our research community will benefit very significantly from this new, world leading project, with new equipment, facilities, staff and studentships available.

�I am pleased to see the strong level of support coming from our universities and the Scottish Funding Council. Strong co-operation between our universities is vital to Scotland's international reputation for educational excellence.�

Professor Anne Glover, Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland and also Chair in Molecular and Cell Biology at the University of Aberdeen, said: �This exciting initiative will further strengthen Scotland's expertise in life sciences and will help us attract the very best researchers to work here. There are real economic and scientific benefits to research pooling and SULSA will reinforce Scotland's academic reputation internationally as well as supporting new research opportunities.�

Life science researchers at the University of Aberdeen are trying to find better treatments and cures for a diverse range of major diseases which include Alzheimer�s and dementia, cancer, bone disease, Multiple Sclerosis and Parkinson�s. They are also conducting groundbreaking investigations into wound healing.

Professor Ian Booth, who is heading up Aberdeen�s involvement in the collaboration, is Director of the University�s Institute of Medical Sciences, where many of those researchers are based. He said: �This is a tremendously exciting initiative which will bring major benefits for Scotland. The University of Aberdeen already boasts many internationally recognised scientists who are leaders in their fields. We expect even more �leading lights� will want to join us at Aberdeen where our particular strengths include our imaging facilities which are helping to further our understanding of cancer; the development of new drugs and diagnostic aids, and our research into the chemistry of deep-sea organisms which could lead to new therapeutics.�

Professor Colin McCaig, who is Head of the University�s School of Medical Sciences, added: �This injection of cash into life sciences recognises the research excellence that exists in Scotland. The alliance will also help bring the �big players� from around the world over here.

�The University of Aberdeen could gain around ten new posts from post doctoral researchers right through to new professors which will help build on our research excellence into many important diseases.�

The collaborative model of pooled research excellence offers a way to address the challenges of remaining internationally leading in an increasingly expensive field by attracting the best researchers to Scotland and by training the brightest students to follow them into the field.

Issued by the Communications Team, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, Kng�s College, Regent Walk. Tel: 01224 273174.

Fungi findings reveal how cell tips steer their way around

Scientists in Aberdeen have shed new light on how some cells are able to steer their way around their surroundings carrying out crucial functions.

Many organisms have special cells which have to extend through their environment in order to reach their target so that they can perform key tasks.

One example of this process in people is the tiny projections that grow from nerve cells which help direct information to and from the brain. Another example can be seen in plants when pollen tubes extend long distances in order to carry out fertilisation.

Up until now researchers have puzzled over how these cell tips are able to actually steer their way so that they can extend to the left, right, up or down. Failure to steer properly would mean they were unable to perform their task.

But now scientists in Professor Gow�s laboratory at the University of Aberdeen have discovered the mechanism within the cell tip that acts like a navigator to tell the tip which way to steer. Their findings are published today in key journal Current Biology.

Dr Alex Brand, the co-investigator on the research team, said: �This exciting new work brings us closer to understanding the processes that underlie how tip-growing cells reach their specific targets. Correct steering in growing cells is a function that is vital to the development and survival in nature of all multi-cellular organisms.�

The researchers made their findings after studying a fungus called Candida albicans, which can cause disease in people.

Cell tips are known to have a high concentration of calcium which is important in guiding cell movement.

The scientists found that they could alter the ability of cells to change direction by increasing or decreasing the amount of calcium available. They also found that blocking or deleting the channels that transport calcium into the cells severely reduced the steering response.

Professor Neil Gow and Dr Brand, have recently been awarded a �327,839 grant from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council to carry out further research.

Issued by the Communications Team, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, King�s College, Regent Walk. Tel: 01224 273174. Contact: Jennifer Phillips.

Fungi findings reveal how cell tips steer their way around

MP swaps London for lab

A city MP will tomorrow (Friday, January 19) get the chance to conduct an experiment in one of the state-of-the-art labs at the University of Aberdeen.

Aberdeen South MP Anne Begg is spending the morning at the Institute of Medical Sciences finding out more about the work of Dr Pieter van West, after the scientist spent a week shadowing the politician at Westminster.

The visits are part of a scheme organised by the Royal Society which aims to build bridges between some of the best research workers in the country and members of the UK parliament.

More than 80 scientists and politicians from across Britain have taken part in the MP-Scientist Pairing Scheme which began six years ago.

Dr van West spent a week with Miss Begg at Westminster in November where he was given a tour of Westminster and sat through several committees, including a House of Commons Science and Technology Committee and the Parliamentary All-Parties Fisheries Group Meeting.

Dr van West � whose research team is trying to find ways of controlling pathogens that wreak destructive diseases costing billions of pounds in thousands of plant species and fish � thoroughly enjoyed his week with the MP.

The Senior Lecturer within the School of Medical Sciences said: �It was a tremendous experience and I was pleasantly surprised to see how knowledgeable some MPs are about scientific matters and how quickly they are able to draw together information to debate any particular issue�.

�I now look forward to welcoming Anne to the Institute of Medical Sciences and telling her more about the important work we do here. One area of our research is investigating the agent that causes potato blight which leads to global losses of over �3 billion annually.

�Another area we are investigating is the pathogen that leads to losses in the salmon aquaculture business which in Scotland alone is estimated annually at several million pounds.

�I hope Anne leaves with a good insight into our research.�

Miss Begg said: �This is the second time that I have been paired with a biomedical scientist from the Institute of Medical Sciences at the University of Aberdeen through the Royal Society MP-Scientist Pairing Scheme.

�I have found it extremely interesting and worthwhile being part of the pairing programme, both from the point of view of being able to show the scientists what we do and also from being able to see the work that the scientists do and they constraints that they work under.

�The scheme is a great way of meeting a lot of very interesting people.�

Overseas Research Student Awards Scheme (ORSAS) 2006

Information about the 2007 ORS competition is now on the web at http://www.abdn.ac.uk/registry/ors.shtml

The closing date for receipt of applications from research students is 14 February 2007 and Registry will be strict with that deadline.

Karen Slesser

Wingate Scholarships 2007/08

Wingate Scholarships are awarded to individuals of great potential or proven excellence who need financial support to undertake creative or original work of intellectual, scientific, artistic, social or environmental value and to outstanding musicians for advanced training. They are designed to help with the costs of a specific project which may last for up to 3 years. The average total award is �6,500 and the maximum in any one year is �10,000. There is no upper age limit and the Scholarship Committee welcomes applications from mature candidates and those from non-traditional academic backgrounds. These awards attempt to provide funding for cross-disciplinary projects that might not fall comfortable into any of the conventional funding categories. Download details and application materials from www.wingate.org.uk. Closing date is February 1, 2007.

Funding Opportunities through Research & Innovation

The latest funding opportunities will be updated on the Research & Innovation website http://www.abdn.ac.uk/R&I/support/index.shtml

University employees can also search for the funding opportunities through http://www.researchresearch.com.

R&I will also circulate more specific calls to individual departments and /or research programmes. Please contact Lisa Stott or Juliette Snow, Business Development Officers for Medicine and Medical Sciences, should you require further information on the funding opportunities available or if you have particular funding requests:
l.stott@abdn.ac.uk tel x59252 j.e.snow@abdn.ac.uk tel x59250.

Aberdeen scientists help lead multi-million life sciences collaboration

Core Facilities Open Day

The Core Facilities Open Day will take place on THURSDAY 26TH OCT in the IMS Atrium from 9.30 am onwards. This is open to all staff and students.
Demonstrations/information sessions and tours of all facilities will take place during the day.

Come and visit: Flow Cytometry, Proteomics, HPLC/Mass Spec, Electron Microscopy/Histology, DNA array, Light Microscopy, Confocal and Live Cell Imaging, BIACore, qPCR, MicroCT, IT support, Data Management services, Statistical support and more .....

Tenovus (Scotland) - Margaret MacLellan Award

Professor Lawrence Whalley is the recipient of this year's Tenovus (Scotland) - Margaret MacLellan Award. This is awarded every second year in respect of the best piece of research carried out in Scotland, in a nominated subject. The subject this time was for those judged to have contributed most in the field of research on "The Brain including both neurological and psychiatric disorders" within Scotland in recent years. The studies were conceived and initiated in Aberdeen University in 1997, before starting in Lothian in 2000.

The presentation of this award will take place later in the year in Glasgow.

The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) award nominations

The Times Higher Education Supplement (THES) yesterday announced the shortlist of awards which will recognise and celebrate the achievements of UK universities and the academics who work in them and I am delighted to announce that the University has been shortlisted for two awards:

- Higher Education Institution of the Year; and
- Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community

The criteria which has been outlined for the higher education of the year includes, that through a particularly bold or innovative initiative, the institution has advanced its reputation substantially in the course of the academic year.

For the latter award, the initiative must benefit the wider community - culturally, socially or economically and the University has clearly demonstrated this through the annual Word Festival. The figures behind the annual Festival speak volumes. The literary event injects 1.2M a year into the local economy, attracts 10,000 participants and includes events for more than 2,000 pupils from 20 local schools.

A total of 18 awards will be made in The Times Higher Awards 2006, reflecting the whole spectrum of university activity. More than 90 of the UK's universities have submitted entries for various categories this year and Aberdeen is the only Scottish institution to have made it into the shortlist for both entries.

The shortlisted group that Aberdeen is up against for Higher Education Institution of the Year includes the University of Kent; University of Nottingham; University of Leicester; and Leeds Metropolitan University.

The shortlisted group that Aberdeen is up against for the Outstanding Contribution to the Local Community includes the University of Exeter; University of Hertfordshire; Leeds Metropolitan University; and Liverpool Hope University.

For further details on The Times Higher Awards 2006, please visit: http://www.thes.co.uk/Awards/2006/

Professor C Duncan Rice

Meet & Greet Service for new international students arriving in Fall 2006

The University of Aberdeen is proud to announce its Meet & Greet Service for new international students arriving in Fall 2006. New international students will be greeted at Aberdeen International Airport by Student Ambassadors and given welcome packets with helpful information about the city and campus. Students will be assisted with arranging taxis to their accommodation (students are responsible for payment) and may share a taxi with other students, if desired. The Meet & Greet Service will be offered on these dates (inclusive):
� 11-14 August (for Pre-sessional English Course)
� 11-15 September
� 16-17 September (organised by Student Support)
� 18-22 September
� 30 September � 1 October
The Meet & Greet Service will be located at a prominent booth in the airport with a large welcome banner. Student Ambassadors will be easily recognisable in their red University of Aberdeen t-shirts. If you are a new international student and would like to be greeted at the airport, please send an email to sras@abdn.ac.uk with the following information:
� Name
� Student ID number
� Programme of study
� Detailed arrival information (flight number, arrival date and time)

Striking images win prizes and praise

It�s not every day that a simple petri dish generates more interest under the microscope than the sample it contains.

But this is just what happened when Kevin Mackenzie removed a petri dish from a lab fridge and began to study it under the microscope. The prepared sample was immediately forgotten about when he noticed the striking pattern formed by condensation on the dish lid. In fact, he was so taken by this simple image of water droplets that he captured it on the microscope�s digital camera.

And it is just as well he did for his chance discovery has won him an Honourable Mention in the 2006 Nikon Small World Competition.

This international competition, which is open to anyone with an interest in photography through the microscope, attracted over 1,700 entries and included images of miniscule objects, creatures and structures that cannot normally be seen by the naked eye.

Kevin�s highly praised image will also feature in a 2007 wall calendar produced by Small World, the leading forum for showcasing the beauty and complexity of life as seen through the light microscope.

But success didn�t end there for Kevin. He said: �Some years ago, I came across some amazing images of Vitamin C crystals in a book and wondered how they�d been captured. I decided to have a go and one of the resulting micrographs has just won second prize in Microscience 2006, a competition organised by the Royal Microscopical Society.�

Kevin, a Technologist with the Microscopy and Imaging Facility at the University�s Institute of Medical Sciences, added: �It was great to get an Honourable Mention and I was delighted to win a second prize too.�

The technologist has had acclaim for his micrographs in the past. He said: �In 2003, I was awarded an Honourable Mention in the Nikon Small World competition for an image of a moth�s wing. This image also appeared in the science magazine Scientific American in 2005.�

And if you�re interested in having a closer look at life under the microscope, Kevin and his colleagues will be demonstrating the work that goes on within the Microscopy and Imaging Facility during the Techfest science festival in September - www.techfest.org.uk/techwork.php

Novel microorganisms play major role in one of nature�s most important processes

Researchers have uncovered evidence that recently discovered microorganisms � unseen to the human eye � are playing a major role in helping to support life on Earth.

The scientists believe their findings about a type of microorganism found in soil could lead to a reassessment of current thinking on nitrogen cycling � a process which is vital for all plants and animals.

The studies published in Nature today (August 17) could also yield new insights into the production of greenhouse gases and the pollution of groundwater, and could potentially provide new clues for more efficient and more cost-effective fertilisation processes for farmers.

The researchers from the University of Aberdeen; the University of Bergen, Norway; the Institute of Soil Ecology and the Institute of Geology and Mineralogy, both Germany, and Pennsylvania State University, America studied a group of microbes called Crenarchaea whose existence in soil and seawater was only discovered around 14 years ago.

By carrying out genetic analysis of soil samples, the team discovered evidence that Crenarchaea are responsible for most of the world�s oxidation of ammonia in soil.

The finding turns current thinking on its head � up until now it has been thought that ammonia oxidation was restricted to another type of microbe: bacteria.

Ammonia is produced naturally in the soil by bacteria decomposing dead plants and animals and animal waste.

Ammonia is then converted to nitrite, through a process called ammonia oxidation, and subsequently to nitrate. This process is called nitrification and is a key part of the nitrogen cycle, which sustains living things on Earth.

The ammonia oxidation process � the first step of nitrification � also results in the production of nitrous oxide which is a greenhouse gas.

Nitrates from ammonia oxidation also leach into the groundwater.

In this new study the researchers have discovered that ammonia oxidising Crenarchaea are more abundant than bacteria and, potentially, more important in oxidising ammonia.

Professor Jim Prosser and Post Doctoral Research Fellow Dr Graeme Nicol were the University of Aberdeen collaborators on the research. Professor Prosser said: �The results published in Nature indicate that bacteria are only minor players in ammonia oxidation in soil and that most oxidation is performed by Crenarchaea.

�Our findings show that this group of microorganisms, which was unknown just over a decade ago, may be responsible globally for most of the oxidation of ammonia in soil.�

Ammonia-based fertilisers are added to the soil by farmers to enhance crop production, as nitrogen is a major plant nutrient requirement. However, nitrate, produced by nitrifying microorganisms, is easily washed out of soil, resulting in significant economic losses to the farmer.

Professor Prosser added: �If Crenarchaea are the world�s most efficient ammonia oxidizing microorganism we should be targeting that group of microbes rather than bacteria.

�If we are able to inhibit the workings of this group of microorganisms it could cut down on greenhouse gas emissions, cut down on water pollution and possibly lead to the development of more effective fertilisers for farmers.�

Electricity to heal wounds

Researchers in Aberdeen have made an exciting breakthrough in showing that electricity has a major impact on the healing of wounds.

The research team � one of just a handful of groups in the world studying direct current electrical fields in the body and their control over cell behaviours - believe their findings have the potential to open up pioneering methods for treating wounds and other injuries.

The University of Aberdeen team detail how electricity works in a wound in a paper which appears on July 27 in Nature. The team have discovered a couple of proteins and genes within cells which play a key role in steering the cells to heal wounds in response to the naturally occurring electrical signals found at wounds.

The scientists also found that when they applied an electrical field to a wound, this altered the way that cells, attempting to repair the wound, moved around. Varying the voltage of the electric fields also made a difference, affecting the speed in which the wound healed.

Professor Min Zhao, from the University of Aberdeen, said: �Our studies show that electricity in the body is far more important than previously thought and that it has significant potential in wound healing and possibly also regeneration.�

Electricity flows throughout our body. Italian scientist Luigi Galvani was the first to discover this with his experiments involving animal electricity in frogs in 1780. In the next century German physiologist Emil Du-Bois Reymond showed the existence of electrical currents in nerves and at wounds.

Du-Bois Reymond made a wound in his arm and measured the naturally occurring electrical field at that wound. His experimental work laid the foundations for all future work in electrophysiology. Without the early pioneers, we wouldn�t have the technology used in medicine today, such as ECGs � electrocardiograms. Those pioneers laid the foundation for our understanding that the electric activities of the nerves in our body are the basis of how we see, feel and hear and of how we control muscle contraction so that we can move.

While electrophysiology continues to progress and form a solid branch of science, the area of electrical fields in wound healing has been virtually neglected, according to Professor Zhao who is collaborating on this area of research with a number of University colleagues including Professor Colin McCaig, Head of the School of Medical Sciences, Professor John Forrester, Head of Ophthalmology and Dr Bing Song. This work also involved international collaborators from America, Japan and Austria, including Professor Josef Penninger, current director of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of Austrian Academy of Science.

The team have been studying skin wounds and cornea wounds in the lab.

Professor Zhao first became interested in how wounds heal themselves while he was a trauma surgeon in China. He said: �When a wound occurs it is remarkable how the cells in our body know where to go to heal the wound.�

There are a number of reasons which are the accepted thinking as to why if you cut or wound yourself cells move into the breached area and begin their repair work. These include cells moving until they make contact with each other and wounded cells releasing chemicals that attract other cells.

However, the Aberdeen scientists have shown that by applying an electrical signal to a wound, they were able to override what normally happens to cells, which in turn enabled the scientists to control the cell�s movement and how the wound healed.

Professor Zhao said: �What is really important is that we show that the naturally occurring electric fields at wounds are playing an important role in guiding cell movements during wound healing. Scientifically, our findings offer a novel perspective in understanding how cells move to heal, and what genes and molecules the cells use to detect the electric fields.

�Clinically, our findings offer a novel approach to speed up healing and to treat chronic and refractive wounds. Those conditions are huge burdens personally and economically. We have identified several possible targets to develop novel techniques to enhance and manage wound healing.�

Wound electric fields are created in the body by structures called ion pumps or transporters which move ions of positive or negative electrical charge in a particular direction. The researchers applied chemicals to the wound which were known to increase or decrease the movements of electrically charged ions..

Professor Zhao said: �It is a little like controlling a battery. If we enhance the pumping power of the ions, we increase the electric current flow at the wounds and this helped to speed up the healing process and to drive it in the right direction.�

He added: �We hope our next step is a clinical trial to see if we can translate our findings into patient care. We want to find out if the drugs we have tried in our lab tests could actually be used to develop eye drops to help eye wounds or dressings used in the treatment of other wounds.�

Professor Frank Odds

Congratulations to Professor Frank Odds ~ winner of the ISHAM [International Society for Human and Animal mycology] award for his outstanding contributions to medical mycology.

Aberdeen top in UK for pharmacology

The University of Aberdeen is the top institution in the UK for its first class pharmacology research, according to a new report which shows the impact scientists are making in their field.

High quality research papers from Aberdeen are cited so often by other scientists worldwide, that the University has been ranked top in pharmacology by a highly respected organisation (see http://scientific.thomson.com/press/2006/8319732/).

Researchers regularly cite other scientists when they publish papers � this may be to acknowledge previous findings or to support a new research finding.

Now a leading organisation, which compiles data of all scientific papers published, has shown that research at Aberdeen, that has appeared in pharmacological journals over the last four years, has been the most influential in its field.

Roger Pertwee, Professor of Neuropharmacology at the University of Aberdeen, said: �According to this highly objective criterion, the University of Aberdeen is perceived to be the top University in the UK in the area of pharmacology.

�The fact that we are above other UK universities, which include Oxford and Cambridge, shows that we are producing some excellent pharmacological research which is really making an impact.�

Fellow University of Aberdeen pharmacologist, Dr Ruth Ross, added: "It is encouraging to be recognised for our work, which is ultimately aimed at discovering new drug treatments for a variety of conditions including obesity, osteoporosis, multiple sclerosis, arthritis and the pain associated with these conditions.

"We anticipate that this will further strengthen our existing links with the pharmaceutical industry".

When the average number of citations of papers in all scientific fields at UK universities were totted up and compared, the University of Aberdeen came sixth out of all institutions because of the number of citations its pharmacological publications in peer-reviewed journals have had per publication

Oxford took first place because of its high number of citations in Clinical Medicine, Microbiology, Immunology and Psychology/Psychiatry.

Professor Pertwee added: �This ranking really is a measure of the high quality of pharmacological research that is being conducted at the University of Aberdeen.

�This research is coming from the laboratories of a relatively small number of University of Aberdeen scientists and we now want to build on this success by expanding pharmacology at this University."

ENDS

Notes to Editors:

For more information contact Professor Roger Pertwee on 01224 555740 and Dr Ruth Ross on 01224 555705.

Issued by the Communications Team, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, Regent Walk. Tel: 01224 273174. Contact: Jennifer Phillips.

Ref: 1991pharmacology

June 8, 2006

NEW SCIENCE CHAMPION FOR SCOTLAND

A new Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland has been appointed today to further enhance Scotland�s reputation as a �science nation�.

Professor Anne Glover of Aberdeen University will be seconded to the Scottish Executive to provide independent advice to Ministers, take the lead on co-ordinating science policy across the Executive and work closely with the science community.

Deputy First Minister Nicol Stephen said:

�My vision for Scotland as a �science nation� is one where science and innovation is key to our economic success and raising our quality of life.

�Scotland has a remarkable history of discovery and innovation and we are continuing to deliver breakthroughs today in areas such as stem cells, e-health, genomics and informatics.

�The recent progress report on a �A Science Strategy for Scotland� also shows that we are measuring up well against our goals to compete, innovate and encourage participation in science.

�The appointment of Professor Glover as our Chief Scientific Adviser will further enhance this country�s reputation.

�She will have an important role to play, not just within the Executive, but also outside it, and I look forward to working with her.

Professor Glover added:

�I am delighted to be appointed as the Chief Scientific Adviser for Scotland.�

�Scotland�s scientific endeavour is outstanding in both national and international arenas and I want to contribute to ensuring that our scientific excellence translates to increased prosperity and quality of life for the people of Scotland.�

�I also hope to convey the excitement and potential of science to non-scientists so that they can share in the pleasure of new discoveries.�

�I have a strong commitment to knowledge transfer and want to explore ways of enhancing the uptake of scientific research in Scotland by government, industry and society.�

�All scientists need to assume responsibility for communicating their research to a wide audience so that science seems less remote and more relevant to everyday life.�

Major cancer organisation films at key Institute

A leading organisation which funds cutting edge research into the causes of cancer is today (Wednesday, May 17) filming its first television advert at a flagship science facility at the University of Aberdeen.

The Association for International Cancer Research - which funds research by eminent and promising scientists across the world - is filming all the lab shots for the TV fundraising campaign at the University�s Institute of Medical Sciences at Foresterhill.

The AICR currently funds six major cancer research programmes at the Institute of Medical Sciences.

Dr Mark Matfield, AICR�s Scientific Consultant, said: �We are currently funding more than 200 cancer research projects around the world and over 100 in the UK with six at the University of Aberdeen.

�We are trying to break new ground by establishing television based fundraising for international cancer research and we decided to feature one of our projects at the University of Aberdeen because of the excellent molecular studies into the basis of cancer that are being conducted there.�

The production team are filming in the lab of Dr Stefan Hoppler whose team are exploring the mechanics behind the development of cancer.

Dr Lynne Shanley, Post Doctoral Research Fellow, explained about the work that takes place there: �The research in our lab, funded by the Association for International Cancer Research, is concerned with investigating the molecular mechanisms governing the progression of cancer.

�Some types of cancer including colorectal cancer, the 3rd most prevalent cancer in the UK, are known to result from deregulation of a pathway known as the canonical Wnt pathway. It is our goal to try to understand the normal function of this pathway and how defects in its regulation might lead to the abnormalities associated with colorectal cancer and tumour invasion.�

Professor Ian Booth, Director of the Institute of Medical Sciences, said: �We are really pleased that that the Association for International Cancer Research are filming at the Institute of Medical Sciences and we are delighted at their ongoing support.

�The University of Aberdeen is a centre of excellence for the study of cells. Dr Stefan Hoppler and his teams are internationally recognised for their research in defining the proper growth patterns that lead to normal health development.

�Dr Hoppler�s work is particularly relevant to cancer because tumours develop when the normal development process goes wrong.�

The 40 second advert will raise awareness to the work of the AICR and also ask for donations. It will initially be shown in the Grampian North East area from May 29.

Immunologists gather in Aberdeen

UNIVERSITY OF ABERDEEN
May 10, 2006
Immunologists gather in Aberdeen
Leading immunologists will gather tomorrow (May 11) for a key symposium which will explore a major area of medicine where the University of Aberdeen has exceptional strengths.

Scientists from across Britain are expected to attend the event which is taking place at the University�s Institute of Medical Sciences and is being held to celebrate 50 years of the British Society for Immunology.

Immunology is the study of the body�s immune system � how it works and what happens when it goes wrong.

Our immune system is designed to protect against infections, but can itself cause disease if it mistakenly attacks the body�s own tissues. Diseases of this type, called autoimmune, can be very serious and there is an urgent need to understand how they are caused in order to develop new and more effective treatments.

The symposium, which is exploring the causes and treatment of autoimmune disease, is devoted to two major diseases � rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis. MS is of particular importance locally, because if is much more common in Scotland than in the rest of the UK.

Immunologists from Utrecht University in Holland, King�s College London School of Medicine, and the Universities of Edinburgh and Bristol are speaking at the symposium.

Robert Barker, Professor of Immunology at the University of Aberdeen, has organised the event. He said: �It is a privilege for the University of Aberdeen to be hosting this event, which will highlight the very real progress being made in understanding how diseases such as rheumatoid arthritis and multiple sclerosis can be better treated in the future.

�Immunology is a particular research strength at the University of Aberdeen and that is reflected in the quality of the speakers attracted to travel here to present and discuss their work.�

* Tomorrow�s symposium is one of a series of nationwide events celebrating the 50th anniversary of the British Society for Immunology.

Notes to Editors:
For more information please contact Professor Robert Barker on 01224 555868.

Issued by the Communications Team, Office of External Affairs, University of Aberdeen, King�s College, Regent Walk. Tel: 01224 293174. Contact: Jennifer Phillips.

Breakthrough in the treatment of lung cancer

BBC Radio Scotland [13 April 2006]::
Scientists at Aberdeen University involved in the treatment of lung cancer have established a test which can tell how effective chemotherapy will be for any particular patient. They describe it as a major breakthrough enabling them to target drugs to where they will be most effective.
Dr Elaina Collie-Duguid, Medicine & Therapeutics
Dr Russell Petty, Aberdeen Royal Infirmary
William Scott, Lung Cancer patient

Studentships announcements

BBSRC and NERC have announced the award of research studentships to the School of Medical Sciences. Four BBSRC studentships each year for the next three years have been awarded by BBSRC and a single award has been made by NERC. The BBSRC awards carry funding up to four year academic years and awards are split equally between pure research and CASE awards that must be held with an industrial partner. For projects currently being considered for funding visit the theme lists on the Graduate School web site

The IMS welcomes Dr Peter McCaffery

Dr. Peter McCaffery has recently taken up the post of Reader in the School of Medical Sciences.

Peter was previously an Associate Professor at the University of Massachusetts Medical School.

Main research interest: Retinoic acid, Vitamin A and the Nervous System.

Commercialisation news

Dr Mark Ferguson has recently joined the R & I team and he and his colleagues will be making contact with you over the next few months to discuss opportunities for commercialisation of research, finding new research funding streams and helping you to find industrial partners for CASE and other industrial awards.