Chair in Developmental Biology
I am currently accepting PhDs in Medical Sciences.
- Overview
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Professor Neil Vargesson Contact Details
- Telephone
- work +44 (0)1224 437374
- Fax
- fax +44 (0)1224 437506
- n.vargesson@abdn.ac.uk
- Address
- The University of Aberdeen School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Room 4.30, University of Aberdeen. Foresterhill. Aberdeen. AB25 2ZD. Scotland.
- Other Profiles
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Biography
August 2018 Professor in Developmental Biology (Personal Chair), School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen.
August 2013 Senior Lecturer, School of Medicine, Medical Sciences & Nutrition, University of Aberdeen.
August 2007 Lecturer, School of Medical Sciences, University of Aberdeen.
2006 - Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
2005 - CASLAT (Cerificate of Advanced Study in Learning and Teaching), Imperial College
2004 - 2007 Lecturer. NHLI Division, Faculty of Medicine. Imperial College London.
2001 - 2003 Postdoctoral Fellow. Cancer Research UK, London. UK, with Dr Julian Lewis studying zebrafish gut development.
1998 - 2001 Postdoctoral Fellow. Department of Genetics and Development, Columbia University, New York. USA, with Dr Ed Laufer studying TGFbeta signalling in chick limb development (funded by HFPSO Long-Term Fellowship)
1998 - Ph.D (Developmental Biology), University College London (with Profs Lewis Wolpert and Cheryll Tickle)
1994 - B.Sc. (Hons) Human Biology, Kings College London
1990 - BTEC Higher National Certificate in Applied Biology, Luton College of HE (now University of Bedfordshire).
1988 - BTEC Ordinary National Certificate in Science, Luton College of HE (now University of Bedfordshire)
Qualifications
CASLAT, Learning and Teaching Imperial College London 2006 CASLAT - Certificate of Advanced Study in Learning and Teaching Ph.D, Developmental Biology University College London 1998 PhD Supervisors: Prof Lewis Wolpert and Prof Cheryll Tickle. BSc (Hons), Human Biology Kings College London 1994
Latest Publications
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal
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Elected Member, University Senate (2008-2013) (2016-2020) (2020-2024)
Senate Assessor to University Court (2009-2013) (2019-present)
Member, Governance and Nominations Committee (reports to University Court; 2012-2013)
Member, Honorary Degrees Committee (reports to Senate) (2017 - present)
Member, Senate Business Committee (2017 - present)
Member, Policy and Resources Committee (reports to Court) (2019-present)
Member, Estates Committee (2019 - present)
Member, IMS Athena SWAN Team for Bronze Award (2015 - 2019)
Member, IMS Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Group (2019 - present)
Member, Workload Review Group (2020 - present)
Member, Sustainability Group (2020 - present)
- External
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-Fellow, Higher Education Academy - since 2006
-Fellow, Royal Society of Biology - since 2019
-Writer for 'theconversation.com' - since 2015 - https://theconversation.com/profiles/neil-vargesson-202993
-Editorial Board Member, Reproductive Toxicology (2015 - present).
http://www.journals.elsevier.com/reproductive-toxicology/editorial-board
-Editorial Board Member, Integrative Physiology, a speciality of Frontiers in Physiology (2017 - 2020)
-Editorial Board Member, Current Research in Toxicology (2019 - present)
-Guest Editor for a Special Issue of Reproductive Toxicology entitled 'Developmental Angiogenesis'. Published June, 2017. http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/journal/08906238/70-Organiser, 14th International Conference on Limb Development and Regeneration to be held at the University of Edinburgh between July 23-26, 2017.
http://www.ed.ac.uk/igmm/news-and-events/events/latest-events/limb-development-2017
-Member, Sarcoma UK Research Advisory Committee (2016-2019) - which oversees Grant Application reviewing and funding.
-Member, NC3R, Training Fellowship panel (2019 - present)
-Advisory Roles
Advisor, World Health Organisation 'Diagnostic Criteria and Mechanisms of Action of Thalidomide' - Feb 2014. Meeting report with recommendations: http://apps.who.int/medicinedocs/en/d/Js21639en/
Advisor, Medicine and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) - Oct 2016 and Aug 2017. Discussing our research on Primodos effects upon embryonic development.
Advisor, Canadian Parliament, Standing Committee on Health, 'Thalidomide survivors compensation programme' - May 2017.
Advisor, All Party Parliamentary Group on Primodos and Hormone Pregnancy Tests - 2017, 2018, 2019
Advisor, European Medicines Agency on use of zebrafish in research and for use in screening human sex hormones - July 17, 2018.
Advisor, Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review (chaired by Baroness Cumberlege) - on my groups Primodos research and latest findings, as part of inquiry looking at Primodos safety. Nov 2018. My groups work features in the Final Report, that recommended an apology and compensation to survivors. https://www.immdsreview.org.uk/Report.html
Advisor, Senate of Australia - discussing thalidomide and damage it caused to a Senate Committee set up to look at Thalidomide and potential compensation - Jan 2019. Their Final Report in March 2019 made many recommendations including compensation and establishment of learning tools (see below).
Advisor, Royal College of Australasian Physicians - following Senate of Australia Thalidomide Committee conclusions (Mar 2019) recommending an apology and compensation should be give to thalidomide survivors, also recommended producing online tools and information about thalidomide - which was overseen by Royal College of Australasian Physicians. I was invited to contribute to and produced an online educational tool about thalidomide - June 2019 - Jan 2020. Published online in Aug 2020.
https://elearning.racp.edu.au/course/search.php?search=thalidomide
-Media/Public Engagement/Impact
-Published 6 articles for 'theconversation.com' - on thalidomide, primodos, covid-19, clusters of children with rare limb malformations and zika virus. https://theconversation.com/profiles/neil-vargesson-202993
-Since 2009, been interviewed regularly about my groups thalidomide research and about our primodos research for television including Sky News, BBC News, STV News and interviewed for multiple newspaper articles including The New York Times, The Independent, Daily Mail, Sunday Times, The Times, The Scotsman, British Medical Journal and numerous internet news sites.
-Interviewed and featured in two Sky Documentaries about Primodos:
1. Sky News documentary (also aired on Sky Atlantic) - aired in 2017 - 'Primodos: The Secret Drug Scandal' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRkCNUQvBA&sns=fb
2. Sky Documentary (aired on Sky Documentaries and Sky News) - aired in 2020 - 'Bitter Pill:Primodos' - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhAJBDdnZBI
-My groups Primodos research on zebrafish published in 2018 in Scientific Reports was discussed in Houses of Parliament in Feb 2018 and helped contribute to establishment of the Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review, chaired by Baroness Cumberlege in 2018. I was interviewed by this group in Nov 2018. It reported in July 2020 indicating Primodos survivors should be apologised to and compensated and received widespread media coverage. https://www.immdsreview.org.uk/Report.html
Prizes and Awards
Winner, 2017 University of Aberdeen Principal's Prize for Public Engagement with Research
- Research
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Research Areas
Please get in touch if you would like to discuss your research ideas further.
- Medical Sciences Accepting PhDs View Research Area
Specialisms
- Cell Biology
- Developmental Biology
- Genetics
- Toxicology
Research Overview
Research in the lab is focused on determining the mechanisms underlying thalidomide-induced teratogenesis; identifying non-teratogenic forms of thalidomide; studying the actions of Primodos (was used as a hormone pregnancy test and alleged to have caused birth defects); screening drugs to identify their function/s and action/s; studying how blood vessels are involved in controlling normal and abnormal limb development; studying the role of the YAP signaling pathway in embryonic development; using the chicken embryo to produce a model of Clubfoot to understand how this common birth anomaly comes about; and understanding how birth defects come about in general.
For a discussion on Primodos and its prior use and history please see the following articles: https://theconversation.com/is-primodos-the-forgotten-thalidomide-50673
https://theconversation.com/why-i-cant-agree-with-the-conclusions-of-the-report-on-primodos-88033
For a recent discussion written for the public about Thalidomide, its history, some of the goals we have as well as potential new uses for thalidomide in treating COVID-19 please see the following articles published in 'The Conversation':
https://theconversation.com/thalidomide-the-drug-with-a-dark-side-but-an-enigmatic-future-50330
For recent discussions written for the public on other topics related to birth defects please see the following articles:
https://theconversation.com/proving-that-the-zika-virus-causes-microcephaly-53716
My research interests have also led to requests for scientific advice from the World Health Organisation, the UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency, the Canadian Parliament, the Senate of Australia. My recent research on Primodos, helped contribute to the establishment of an Independent Medicines and Medical Devices Safety Review in 2018, which i contributed to and which concluded Primodos survivors deserve an apology and compensation in July 2020.
Current Research
PRIMODOS:
Primodos was used as a hormone pregnancy test between 1958-1978. It is alleged to have caused birth defects in children exposed to the drug when their mother was trying to confirm they were pregnant. Conflicting research results was obtained from studies in the 1970s and 1980s. We have investigated the actions of the components of the drug in Zebrafish embryos and show Primodos can harm zebrafish embryos.
For a discussion on Primodos and its prior use and history please see the following article: https://theconversation.com/is-primodos-the-forgotten-thalidomide-50673
Our Primodos paper using zebrafish embryos was published in 'Scientific Reports' on 13 Feb 2018 and which received widespread media coverage (Sky News, BBC, ITV, newspapers and online media)
Direct link to paper: www.nature.com/articles/s41598-018-21318-9 can also use http://rdcu.be/GRqSAn example of the media coverage:
https://news.sky.com/story/primodos-study-finds-pregnancy-tests-had-potential-to-deform-embryos-11248682Some of the Lab's work (prior to publication) looking at the components of Primodos in zebrafish embryos was featured in a Sky News Documentary on 21 March 2017 entitled: “Primodos: The Secret Drug Scandal”. The full documentary can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRkCNUQvBA&sns=fb
A follow up Sky Documentary in August 2020 featured new research findings from the lab entitled: "Bitter Pill: Primodos". the full documentary can be seen at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HhAJBDdnZBI
Impact:
Our research was discussed in the Houses of Parliament in Feb 2018 and helped contribute to an Independent Medicines and Medical Safety Devices Safety Review in 2018. The Review concluded that Primodos survivors should receive apologies and compensation in July 2020 and received widespread media coverage (nationally and internationally) eg: https://news.sky.com/story/primodos-scandal-relief-for-campaigners-as-review-demands-compensation-for-victims-of-hormone-pregnancy-test-12023127
THALIDOMIDE:
We have demonstrated (Therapontos et al., 2009) how thalidomide can cause limb malformations. The drug was used as a non-addictive, non-barbiturate sedative and was also prescribed to pregnant women suffering from morning-sickness (typically, but not exclusively, between weeks 5-10). Tragically over 10000 children were born with severe birth defects, notably, and commonly, limb malformations.
Using analogs and metabolic byproducts of the drug, we showed that the antiangiogenic action of the drug causes limb defects, through preventing blood vessel migration into the developing limb bud. We further showed how the drug exerts its antiangiogenic effect, through preventing endothelial cell proliferation and migration and thus, preventing vessel tube networks from forming. At the time the limb forms (which in humans is around 5-8 weeks) it has a highly changeable vessel pattern - whereas the rest of the body has a stable vascular network. Thalidomide therefore may prevent new vessel outgrowth, which then causes an increase in cell death and loss of limb signalling pathways, stopping limb formation.
Reference:
Therapontos C, Erskine L, Gardner ER, Figg WD, Vargesson, N. (2009). Thalidomide induces limb defects by preventing angiogenic outgrowth during early limb formation. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA. 106, 8573-8578. DOI:10.1073/pnas.0o01505106.
Our worked received national and international interest. Including interviews on BBC TV, ITV and in a large number of newspapers, including The Independent, The Daily Mail, The Scotsman, The Press & Journal, The Sunday Times, The New York Times (twice), Nature News, several national and international Radio stations including BBC Radio 4 'The Material World', BBC Radio 4 'The Today Programme', The Naked Scientists (twice), German Public Radio and the US National Public Radio Show 'The Diane Rehm Show' (http://thedianerehmshow.org/shows/2010-09-16/thalidomide-and-fda)
Making safer Thalidomide alternatives:
We are also interested in identifying thalidomide alternatives that retain the clinical benefits of the drug (successfully used to treat Leprosy and Multiple Myeloma) with lessened or no side-effect (eg: birth defect, peripheral neuropathy). To this end we have compared the effects of Thalidomide with its structural analogs, Lenalidomide and Pomalidomide. We demonstrated that the minor structural changes in Pomalidomide make this compound more anti-inflammatory (and not teratogenic in chicken and zebrafish embryos) at lower concentrations than Thalidomide and Lenalidomide (Mahony et al., 2013). We have also screened fluorinated thalidomide analogs and demonstrated differences in analog activities (Beedie et al., 2015). These findings validate making structural changes to Thalidomide to try to find safer alternatives.
Following on from this work we have screened over 80 thalidomide analogs in our zebrafish and chicken embryo assays and identified several with actions that retain clinical advantages (ie: anti-inflammatory) with reduced or no observable teratogenic effects in zebrafish and chicken embryos (Beedie et al., 2016). Some of these analogs have been patented.
References:Mahony C, Erskine, Niven J, Grieg NH, Figg WD, Vargesson N. (2013). Pomalidomide is nonteratogenic in chicken and zebrafish embryos and nonneurotoxic invitro. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci USA. 110, 12703-8. doi: 10.1073/pnas.1307684110
Beedie SL, Peer CJ, Pisle S, Gardner ER, Mahony C, Barnett S, Ambrozak A, Gütschow M, Chau CH, Vargesson N, Figg WD. (2015). Anticancer properties of a novel class of tetrafluorinated thalidomide analogues. Mol Cancer Ther 14:2228-2237. doi: 10.1158/1535-7163.MCT-15-0320.
Beedie SL, Rore HM, Barnett S, Chau CH, Luo W, Greig NH, Figg WD, Vargesson N. (2016). In vivo screening and discovery of novel candidate thalidomide analogs in the zebrafish and chicken embryo models systems. Oncotarget. 2016 May 31;7(22):33237-45. doi: 10.18632/oncotarget.8909.
Impact:
My research has led to requests to advise the WHO and several international Governments. Including Canada and Australia who have since apologised to thalidomide survivors and offered survivors compensation packages. Moreover my research work has led to meeting thalidomide victims from all over the world and discussing the mechanism of the drugs action.
Some images of my thalidomide work is featured in a Fine Art Exhibition (and subsequent Book) by the renowned artist, Taryn Simon. The Exhibition is entitled: ‘A Living Man Declared Dead and Other Chapters’ and toured the world throughout 2011 and 2012.
For further information:
Vargesson N. (2015). Thalidomide-induced teratogenesis: history and mechanisms. Birth Defects Res C Embryo Today. 105(2):140-56. doi: 10.1002/bdrc.21096.
Knowledge Exchange and Public Engagement
I have also been interviewed by the media on numerous occasions to comment on news stories including Thalidomide (eg: https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/scots-race-to-develop-safe-form-of-thalidomide-f3gph3blkd5), Primodos (eg: http://news.sky.com/story/primodos-sky-news-exposes-pregnancy-drug-cover-up-10807338; https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRkCNUQvBA&sns=fb; Sky News Live interview 21 March, 2017) and also on Epilim. Interviewed by Sky News Live (26 Sept, 2017) to discuss the epilepsy drug, Epilim, and how it caused damage to babies born to epileptic mothers, and the new European Medicines Agency inquiry into a lack of information/warnings being given to expectant mum's.
Awards for Public Engagement
Winner, 2017 Principal's Prize for Public Engagement with Research - Senior Award.
https://www.abdn.ac.uk/engage/staff-students/2column-page-152-152.php
Some of the Lab's research on Primodos, a now disused hormone pregnancy test alleged to have also caused birth defects, featured in a Sky News & Sky Atlantic documentary (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZRkCNUQvBA) and Neil was part of resulting interviews, including on Sky News Live (21 March, 2017) and news stories in national and international media. Neil also discussed the Primodos research and answered questions from MP’s and Lords at the Houses of Parliament at a special event where the Sky News documentary was premiered. In addition, Neil presented the Primodos research to an Expert Working Group of the UK’s Medicine and Healthcare Regulatory Agency who are determining if Primodos could have caused birth defects – their decision due in late 2017. Neil’s other research interest is understanding how thalidomide caused birth defects and identifying forms of the drug that retain clinical benefit without the spectre of birth defects. This work led to an advisory role to the World Health Organisation in 2014 which has contributed to advisory notices about the diagnosis and causation of thalidomide embryopathy from the World Health Organisation. In addition, Neil gave evidence to the Health Committee of the Canadian House’s of Parliament in 2017 investigating how the drug caused birth defects and the range of damage it induces, as part of the Canadian Government’s scheme of who and how to award compensation for thalidomide damage. Neil has also written several popular articles in 2015 and 2016 for the website ‘theconversation.com’ on Primodos (https://theconversation.com/is-primodos-the-forgotten-thalidomide-50673), thalidomide (https://theconversation.com/thalidomide-the-drug-with-a-dark-side-but-an-enigmatic-future-50330) and the zika virus and how it might cause birth defects (https://theconversation.com/proving-that-the-zika-virus-causes-microcephaly-53716).
Supervision
My current supervision areas are: Medical Sciences.
Research Funding and Grants
2015-2017 PI, Sarcoma UK Project Grant
2012-2016 PI, Wellcome Trust/NIH funded PhD Scholar
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Undergraduate:
Degree Programme Co-ordinator - BSc (Hons) Human Embryology and Developmental Biology
Course Co-ordinator - DB3006 Principles of Developmental and Reproductive Biology
Course Co-ordinator - DB4002 Evolution and Development
Teach on SM2001, SM2501, SM3002, DB3006, DB3804, DB4002, PA4005
Postgraduate:
Co-Degree Programme Co-ordinator - MSc Reproductive and Developmental Biology
Course Co-ordinator - MB5026 Principles of Reproductive Biology (Masters Level course).
Teach on MB5026, MB5524.
- Publications
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Publications
Currently viewing:Page 1 of 7 Results 1 to 10 of 69
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Knockdown of Slit signalling during limb development leads to a reduction in humerus length
Developmental Dynamics
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1002/dvdy.284
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Antiangiogenic Activity and in Silico Cereblon Binding Analysis of Novel Thalidomide Analogs
Molecules, vol. 25, no. 23, 5683
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.3390/molecules25235683
- Open Access
- http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15442/1/Peach_et_al_MDPI_AntiangiogenicActivityAnd_VoR.pdf
- Additional Links
- View publication in Scopus
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Genetic association and characterization of FSTL5 in isolated clubfoot
Human Molecular Genetics
Contributions to Journals: Articles
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Role of cereblon in angiogenesis and in mediating the antiangiogenic activity of immunomodulatory drugs
The FASEB Journal, vol. 34, no. 9, pp. 11395-11404
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1096/fj.201903060RR
- Additional Links
- View publication in Scopus
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Positional Information – a concept underpinning our understanding of developmental biology
Developmental Dynamics, vol. 249, no. 3, pp. 298-312
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1002/dvdy.116
- Open Access
- http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/15503/1/Vargeson_DevDyn_AAM.pdf
- Additional Links
- View publication in Scopus
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VGLL3 operates via TEAD1, TEAD3 and TEAD4 to influence myogenesis in skeletal muscle
Journal of Cell Science, vol. 132, jcs225946
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1242/jcs.225946
- Open Access
- http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12541/1/VGLL3_operates_via_TEAD1_TEAD3_and_TEAD4_to_influence_myogenesis_in_skeletal_muscle.pdf
- Additional Links
- http://jcs.biologists.org/lookup/doi/10.1242/jcs.225946
- View publication in Mendeley
- View publication in Scopus
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Vascular anomalies of the upper limb
Journal of hand surgery-European volume, vol. 44, no. 3, pp. 233-241
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1753193418808130
- Open Access
- http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13193/1/JHSE_D_18_00339_R2_ACCEPTED.pdf
- Additional Links
- View publication in Scopus
- View publication in Mendeley
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Vgll3 interacts with Yap/Taz-Tead1-4-dependent gene expression in skeletal muscle
2019 Spring Padua Muscle Days, pp. 53-53
Contributions to Journals: Abstracts
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.4081/ejtm.2019.8155
- Open Access
- http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12476/1/8155_Article_Text_39369_7_10_20190318.pdf
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The teratogenic effects of thalidomide on limbs
Journal of hand surgery-European volume, vol. 44, no. 1, pp. 88-95
Contributions to Journals: Articles
- Digital Object Identifier
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1753193418805249
- Open Access
- http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/11087/1/VARGESSON_Manuscript_REVISED_and_ACCEPTED_12_9_18.pdf
- Additional Links
- View publication in Scopus
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Limbal epithelial stem cell activity and corneal epithelial cell cycle parameters in adult and aging mice
Stem Cell Research, vol. 33, no. 12, pp. 185-198
Contributions to Journals: Articles
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