Professor Heather Wallace
BSc (Glasgow) PhD (Aberdeen) FRCPath FBTS FRSC FRSB FBPhS European Registered Toxicologist (ERT)
Professor in Biochemical Pharmacology and Toxicology
- About
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School of Medicine, Medical Science and Nutrition, Institute of Medical Sciences, Room 6:21, Foresterhill Aberdeen AB25 2ZD
Biography
Heather is Professor of Biochemical Pharmacology and Toxicology in the School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition. She teaches undergraduate and postgraduate courses in Toxicology, Pharmacology, Clinical Pharmacology and Drug Discovery and Development. Heather runs the Bio-Business programmes for PG and UG students encouraging and promoting connections between academia and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry through the Kosterlitz Centre for Industrial Engagement (KCIE). She runs a research laboratory with a focus on discovering novel targets for intervention in cancer. Her aim is to inspire students and to promote scientific excellence and innovation in their future careers.
Heather believes in giving back to science and is a strong supporter of learned societies having served on several executive committees and councils. She is currently President of EUROTOX and is championing the training of toxicologists across Europe in order to provide appropriately trained toxicologists required by academia, industry and the regulatory communities.
Heather sits on several governmental committees as a toxicologist: the Committee for Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC), Herbal Medicine Advisory Committee (HMAC), Paediatric Medicines Expert Advisory Group (MHRA), Specialty Advisory Committee (Toxicology) and is the UK CPD Advisor for Toxicology for the Royal College of Pathologists. She is Vice-Chair of the CONTAM Panel at the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) which assesses the risk to human health of chemical contaminants in food and feed.
Heather's research interests cover cancer chemotherapy, chemoprevention and selective drug delivery. Her work is focused around the polyamine pathway as a target for intervention to develop new cancer treatments. Her research interests include pathways of cell death and oxidative stress.
Heather is a keen golfer and tennis player and enjoys walking and cycling.
Qualifications
- BSc Biochemistry1976 - University of Glasgow
- PhD Biochemistry1979 - University of Aberdeen
- FRCPath Toxicology2004 - Royal College of Pathologists
Memberships and Affiliations
- Internal Memberships
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Head of Kosterlitz Centre for Industrial Engagement
Member of PGT Committee for School of Medicine, Medical Sciences and Nutrition
External Examiner at Univerity of Galway
External Examiner at Dublin City University
- External Memberships
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President of EUROTOX
Editor-in-Chief of Toxicology Research
Vice Chair of CONTAM Panel at European Food Safety Authority (EFSA)
Member of Expert Advisory Group for MHRA - Paediatric Medicines
Member of Herbal Medicines Advisory Committee at MHRA - Vice Chair
Member of the Committee on Carcinogenicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment (COC)
Examiner in Toxicology for Royal College of Pathologists
Member of Specialty Advisory Committee (Toxicology) for Royal College of Pathologists
CPD Advisor for UK for Royal College of Pathologists
- Research
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Research Overview
Professsor Wallace's research interests are the role of polyamines in cell growth and apoptosis (cell death) particularly in relation to the possible regulatory role played by the polyamines in malignancy. The polyamine pathway is a potential target for the development of anticancer strategies including chemotherapeutic, chemoprevention and drug delivery systems. Recent interests include the understanding the mechanism of chemoprevention of human cancers by drugs such as the non steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and natural products, the development of polyamine analogues as novel chemotherapeutic agents and using the polyamine transport system for selective delivery of drugs. Further details can be found on the Polyamine Research Group web pages.
- Teaching
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Teaching Responsibilities
Programme Co-ordinator for MSc Clinical Pharmacology, MSc Drug Discovery and Development, MSc Bio-Business and Medical Sciences, MRes Drug Discovery and BSc degrees with Bio-Business
Course co-ordinator of:
Bio-Business courses (BT1502, BT3502, BT4506, BT5506, BT5012, BT5508)
Drug Metabolism and Toxcology (MT5003)
Molecular Pharmacology (MT5024)
Research Methods (MT5515)
Induction course level 5 (MT5010)
Mechanisms of Disease and Principles of Chemotherapy (PA3802)
Molecular Toxicology (PA4302)
Teaching includes:
Cancer biology, cancer chemotherapy, cancer chemoprevention, drug resistance, molecular carcinogenesis, mutagenesis, toxicity of pesticides, toxicity in vitro, mechanisms of toxicity, cell signalling systems, anti-inflammatory drugs, critial appraisal, in vitro model systems, designing a research project
- Publications
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Evaluation of the health risks related to the presence of cyanogenic glycosides in foods other than raw apricot kernels
EFSA Journal, vol. 17, no. 4, e05662Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.2903/j.efsa.2019.5662
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/12718/1/jefsa_evaluation_health_risks_VOR.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
How reliable are in vitro IC50 values? Values vary with cytotoxicity assays in human glioblastoma cells
Toxicology Letters, vol. 302, pp. 28-34Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRepurposing of Idebenone as a potential anticancer agent
Biochemical Journal, vol. 476, no. 2, pp. 245-259Contributions to Journals: Articles- [ONLINE] DOI: https://doi.org/10.1042/BCJ20180384
- [OPEN ACCESS] http://aura.abdn.ac.uk/bitstream/2164/13587/1/BCJ20180384.full.pdf
- [ONLINE] View publication in Scopus
- [ONLINE] View publication in Mendeley
Risk to human health related to the presence of perfluorooctane sulfonic acid and perfluorooctanoic acid in food
EFSA Journal, vol. 16, no. 12, e05194Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRisk for animal and human health related to the presence of dioxins and dioxin-like PCBs in feed and food
EFSA Journal, vol. 16, no. 11, e05333Contributions to Journals: ArticlesTwo Years On: How the Core Curriculum has Shaped Pharmacology Courses at the University of Aberdeen
Contributions to Specialist Publications: Featured ArticlesRisk to human and animal health related to the presence of 4,15‐diacetoxyscirpenol in food and feed
EFSA Journal, vol. 16, no. 8, e05367Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUpdate: methodological principles and scientific methods to be taken into account when establishing Reference Points for Action (RPAs) for non‐allowed pharmacologically active substances present in food of animal origin
EFSA Journal, vol. 16, no. 7, e05332Contributions to Journals: ArticlesRisks for animal health related to the presence of fumonisins, their modified forms and hidden forms in feed
EFSA Journal, vol. 16, no. 5, e05242Contributions to Journals: ArticlesUpdate of the Scientific Opinion on opium alkaloids in poppy seeds
EFSA Journal, vol. 16, no. 5, e05243Contributions to Journals: Articles