Tag: medical research

Empowering the future of medical research

MEDICAL RESEARCH SCOTLAND ENGAGES ALMOST 1,400 PUPILS FROM 47 SCHOOLS THROUGH INSPIRING VIRTUAL LEARNING EVENTS

Medical Research Scotland, Scotland’s largest independent medical research charity, has ignited young people’s passion for science, education and careers with the return of its Medical Research Scotland Academy, linking secondary school pupils with industry experts.

For 2024, the Medical Research Scotland Academy reached 1,400 pupils from 47 secondary schools spanning from Aberdeen, across the Central Belt to the Scottish Borders. This free to access program successfully engaged S4, S5 and S6 pupils with a keen interest in STEM subjects. The innovative academy was delivered virtually allowing sessions to be utilised within the usual teaching schedules.

Throughout the online academy, pupils from schools across Scotland participated eagerly in live-streamed interactive lessons every Friday morning for the month of March. These sessions – directly broadcasted to science classrooms – allowed students to learn from the comfort of their familiar learning environments.

Led by scientists, industry leaders, and PhD students, whose research is funded by Medical Research Scotland, students were treated to a series of inspiring and insightful presentations.

This year, the academy introduced “Live from the Lab”, a new route which allowed pupils to look inside loa PhD researcher’s working environment and the interesting research they too could be conducting post-secondary school.

Kilgraston School in Perth is one of the many schools that have seen the benefits of these online sessions.

Through the weekly series, pupils had the unique opportunity to delve into topics including: How medical research can change the world, The power of data in research, Making medicines and The future in medical research. 

These sessions were presented by esteemed scientists from leading Scottish universities including the Universities of Aberdeen, St Andrews, Edinburgh and Strathclyde as well as organisations including Generation Scotland and Edinburgh Clinical Research Facility.

Gerry Young, Director of Science at Kilgraston School, said: “It has been great to see the return of the Medical Research Scotland Academy for 2024.

“The online webinars have had a huge impact on our pupils that have shown a keen interested in STEM related subjects and a medical path post-secondary school.

“Throughout this virtual academy, our students have gained a priceless understanding of medical research by interacting with top experts in the field, enhancing their understanding of scientific principles.

“Experiencing real-world medical research has sparked a passion for science in our students. We appreciate this invaluable opportunity, which has empowered them to pursue careers in the medical research field.”

Professor Heather Wallace, Chair of Medical Research Scotland, said: “As Chair of Medical Research Scotland, I’m proud of Scotland’s legacy in producing top-tier research scientists helping to drive global health breakthroughs.

“The 2024 Medical Research Scotland Academy continues our mission, fostering connections between aspiring medical professionals and esteemed academics. Witnessing the enthusiasm among students from schools across the country reaffirms the academy’s value.”

Medical Research Scotland is dedicated to advancing health in Scotland and beyond through the support of cutting-edge research aimed at enhancing the diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of diseases.

To join us in our mission, please visit our website at:

medicalresearchscotland.org.uk and explore ways to contribute.

If you would like to view this year’s Medical Research Scotland academy webinars, please visit our YouTube channel here.

Researchers develop 3D printed bandage that delivers innovative treatment for diabetic foot ulcers

Researchers from Queen’s University Belfast have designed a new 3D printed bandage, known as a scaffold, which presents an innovative method of treatment to heal diabetic foot ulcers (DFUs).  

The research is the first of its kind and is a breakthrough for diabetes management. The findings have been published in the journal Biomaterials Advances. 

The new discovery combines lipid nanoparticles and hydrogels, which are used to create personalised skin-like 3D printed scaffolds. These scaffolds have the ability to release both a bulk and sustained release of antibiotic loaded molecules to treat diabetic ulcers.  

This combination has been shown to greatly improve patient outcomes and has the added benefit of being a more sustainable, efficient and cost-effective method of treatment as these scaffolds in the future can be “easily” produced within the hospital setting.  

This approach will also cut time for medical professionals and improve patient care, as the wound dressing can be monitored and provide the treatment needed without the need to be taken on and off repeatedly in order for the medical professionals to check the healing process.  

The research team was led by Professor Dimitrios Lamprou from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, in collaboration with Ms Costanza Fratini (Erasmus Visitor), Mr Edward Weaver (PhD Student from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Sofia Moroni (PhD Student between Queen’s University and the University of Urbino Carlo Bo), Ms Robyn Irwin (PhD Student from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Yahya Dallal Bashi (Postdoctoral Researcher from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s), Dr Shahid Uddin (Industrial Collaborator), Professor Luca Casettari (University of Urbino Carlo Bo), and Dr Matthew Wylie from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s. 

Diabetes is a lifelong condition that causes a person’s blood sugar level to become too high. It is among the top ten causes of deaths worldwide. DFUs are a serious complication of diabetes, affecting approximately 25% of diabetic patients. When identified, over 50% are already infected and over 70% of cases result in lower limb amputation. 

As a strategy to manage DFUs, skin alternatives and wound dressings are successful treatments as they keep the wound environment “under control”, whilst providing bioactive compounds that help to manage infection and inflammation and promote tissue repair.

This is a complex process that requires several combined therapeutic approaches. As a result, there is a significant clinical and economic burden associated in treating DFU. Furthermore, these treatments are often unsuccessful, commonly resulting in lower-limb amputation.  

The use of drug-loaded scaffolds to treat DFUs has previously been shown to be successful by the same team. To create this new scaffold, the research team used a 3D bioprinting technique that combines, in one single filament, two different bioinks.

The inner core of the filament is a nanocomposite hydrogel that contains lipid nanoparticles encapsulated with thyme oil. The outer shell of the filament is represented by a hybrid hydrogel and enriched with free thyme oil. Thyme oil and other essential oils, have a promising future as an all-natural antibiotic replacement, helping address the issue of increasing incidences of antimicrobial resistance.  

This combination provides two different release ratios of the drug molecule; a bulk release for the first 24 hours and a sustained release for up to 10 days. This enables an initial disease prevention post-administration, which may be the highest-risk time, followed by sustained infection prevention during the following days of antimicrobial efficacy. 

Commenting on the importance of this study, Professor Dimitrios Lamprou, lead on the project and Chair of Biofabrication and Advanced Manufacturing from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast, said: “This innovative, personalised, and sustainable approach, provides the healing needed for the diabetic foot ulcers, to avoid any complications, and enables doctors to monitor the healing constantly.

“This avoids needing to remove dressing constantly, which can provoke infection and delay the healing process. Medical professionals also do not need to change the drug dosage as this double release, supports that need.” 

Dr Matthew Wylie, Lecturer from the School of Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and responsible for the in vitro antibacterial activity evaluation of these novel bandages, said: “Diabetic foot ulcers are chronic wounds highly susceptible to infection which can lead to limb- or life-threatening complications.

“Our natural liposomal antibacterial approach has shown promising initial antibacterial results highlighting the potential of this strategy to prevent bacterial colonisation during the crucial early stages of wound healing, as well as longer term protection of the wound.

“Improved wound management will not only enhance patient quality of life but could reduce the need for traditional antibiotic therapy, a key aim in the fight against antimicrobial resistance development.” 

New £4.25 million grant kick starts UK-wide collaborative research effort to end motor neuron disease

£1 million for MY NAME5 DODDIE Foundation

·        £4.25 million research grant has been awarded that seeks that seeks to discover meaningful MND treatments within years, not decades  

·        Grant awarded by charities LifeArc, MND Association, My Name’5 Doddie Foundation and MND Scotland, together with government research organisations Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)

·        Funding awarded to researchers from King’s College London, University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool, University College London, University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh to establish a new UK-wide motor neuron disease (MND) research partnership to address problems hindering progress

·        Funding is a springboard for the MND community to develop plans for further ambitious and large-scale research projects, attract significant investment for MND, and encourage more centres to join the scientific mission to find treatments and ultimately a cure for MND

·        Generosity and fundraising efforts of charity supporters have played a big part in making this partnership a reality.

Global MND Awareness Day: A group of charities and government research organisations has awarded £4.25 million to MND experts at six UK universities to kick start collaborative efforts to end motor neuron disease (MND).

This new ‘MND Collaborative Partnership’ brings together people living with MND, charities LifeArc, MND Association, MND Scotland and My Name’5 Doddie Foundation, government bodies Medical Research Council (MRC) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), with researchers from King’s College London, University of Sheffield, University of Liverpool, University College London, University of Oxford and University of Edinburgh.

The partnership team will work together to find solutions to address problems currently hindering MND research and seeks to discover meaningful treatments within years, not decades.

Members of this new UK-wide MND research partnership will work together and pool their expertise over three years to:

  • coordinate research effort and deliver maximum impact for people with MND
  • develop better tests to measure MND progression and that allow doctors to compare different drugs
  • improve MND registers so doctors can collect detailed, high-quality data about the disease, and understand which patients are most likely to respond to a particular drug and therefore recommend them for the trials most likely to benefit them
  • support people to take part in clinical trials more easily
  • develop more robust lab tests and models of disease to enable scientists to test theories about the disease and a pipeline of potential therapeutic agents that could ultimately be used as MND treatments.

They will also launch a major new study involving 1,000 people with MND from across the UK to better understand disease progression and how people respond to new and existing treatments.

MND (also known as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or ALS) is a devastating neurodegenerative disease affecting the brain and spinal cord. People progressively lose nearly all voluntary movement and need complex care, and around half of those diagnosed die within two years.

Six people are diagnosed with MND every day in the UK and the condition affects around 330,000 across the world. One person in every 300 will develop MND. The only licensed drug for MND in the UK has a modest effect on extending life – but no treatments are available that can substantially modify disease or cure the condition.

Professor Ammar Al-Chalabi, co-director of the research programme and Professor of Neurology and Complex Disease Genetics at King’s College London and Director of King’s MND Care and Research Centre said: “Our goal is to discover meaningful MND treatments within years, not decades. This landmark funding will bring the UK’s major MND research centres together for the first time in a coordinated national effort to find a cure.

“We now have a much better understanding of MND, so we must take this opportunity to accelerate development of new treatments and work together to move this knowledge into the clinic and help people affected by this devastating disease.”

Dr Catriona Crombie of LifeArc, the charity which has coordinated efforts from all funders to deliver this landmark MND Collaborative Partnership, said: “Over recent years, scientists have made great progress in MND, and this has opened up several promising avenues that could ultimately make a difference to patients.

“But there are some barriers hindering progress. For the first time, the MND community – that’s patients, funders, scientists and doctors – have come together to work out the problems and plan a way forward. As funders we are really excited at what this exceptional group of people could achieve for those affected with MND.”

David Setters, who is living with MND and has been involved in shaping the partnership said: “We welcome this collaboration, which paves the way for the £50 million government investment promised in November 2021, focused on making the first meaningful treatments for MND available within years, instead of decades. 

“It brings real hope to those of us living with MND to see our leading neuroscientists and charities coming together in this way. The prospect of easier access to clinical trials and the most promising therapies being fast-tracked gives us a much-needed boost and brings a real sense of purpose to the community.”

Professor Christopher McDermott, one of the co-directors of the research programme and Professor of Translational Neurology at the Sheffield Institute for Translational Neuroscience (SITraN) said: “We believe that by combining and coordinating our expertise, we will be more effective than if we work on projects in isolation.

“This partnership will provide the infrastructure to attract additional MND funding and enable further MND centres and researchers to join forces in the national effort to find effective treatments for MND. The partnership is the first step towards our goal to establish a national MND institute.”

Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said: “Motor neuron disease has a devastating impact on those who are diagnosed, their families and loved ones – but there is hope. 

“This new partnership is a highly ambitious approach which will drive progress in MND research and, backed by £1 million of government funding, will bring the MND research community together to work on speeding up the development of new treatments.The collaboration across government, charities, researchers, industry and people with MND and their families will take us one step closer to one day achieving a world free from MND.”

The Partnership was formed in 2021 to coordinate and pool funding for research into MND to speed up progress and help research to move towards the clinic and ultimately reach patients faster.

Funding for the MND Collaborative Partnership research grant totals £4.25 million and contributions are as follows: LifeArc (£1 million), MND Association (£1 million), My Name’5 Doddie Foundation (£1 million), MND Scotland (£250,000), Medical Research Council (MRC) (£500,000) and National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) (£500,000).

Edinburgh researchers investigate heart attack treatments in older patients

Researchers at the University of Edinburgh are part of a clinical trial supported by the British Heart Foundation (BHF), which will investigate if current UK practices are in line with the needs of our ageing population. The study aims to find the most suitable way to treat patients aged 75 and over who have had a heart attack. Continue reading Edinburgh researchers investigate heart attack treatments in older patients