Tag: University of Dundee

Funding boost for ground-breaking cancer and Parkinson’s research team

Researchers at the University of Dundee to receive a government funding boost to continue their vital work for a further 5 years

  • Vital work by Dundee-based cell biology researchers, who have already developed a drug to treat skin cancer and attracted £60 million in private investment, to continue thanks to further government backing
  • Almost £30 million in government funding could potentially unlock new treatments for conditions, from motor neurone disease to Crohn’s, by supporting research into how signals are transmitted within the body’s cells. 
  • Science and Technology Secretary will announce funding at the Universities UK conference as he sets out his vision for harnessing the power of higher education to boost innovation and economic growth across the country.

Dundee-based researchers with a track record of devising treatments for deadly diseases like cancer and Parkinson’s – whose work has crowded in £60 million in investment to date – are receiving further backing from the government to continue their vital work for a further 5 years, Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle will announce today (Thursday 5 September). 

The Medical Research Council’s Protein Phosphorylation and Ubiquitylation Unit (MRC PPU) will receive nearly £30 million of funding allocated from UKRI’s Medical Research Council (MRC) to bolster its cell biology research centre as it continues its vital work over the next 5 years. 

Currently, the 200-strong scientific community of staff and students based at the University of Dundee are using cutting-edge technology and biochemistry to explore how signals transmitted within the body’s cells are disrupted.

Working closely with industry, Dundee’s unit has been a fundamental part of the development and clinical approval of over 40 drugs that are now widely used to treat patients, attracting almost £60 million in private investment.

It is just one example cementing Scotland’s place at the forefront of the UK government’s plans to make Britain a powerhouse for life sciences that attracts international investment and drives forward the deployment of discoveries that grow the economy, create prosperity across the country and improve lives and public services.

Improving our understanding of the processes within cells could be the key to unlocking the scientific basis of innovative treatments for a range of diseases – from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s to Crohn’s and coeliac disease.  Their work has already delivered a drug that is now widely used to treat skin cancer.

The new funding comes ahead of the Science and Technology Secretary addressing higher education representatives at the Universities UK conference at the University of Reading, where he will reflect on his personal experience in higher education and will give his full-throated backing to the sector as a vehicle for much-needed economic growth.  

He will also outline his vision for DSIT, and the crucial role universities can play in this, harnessing discoveries and innovations for novel therapies and technologies, like those developed in Dundee, that could transform patients’ lives and drive economic growth.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle said: “I went to university later in life than most, but when I did it changed everything for me. It was the first time in my life that people saw potential in me that I never knew I had, and gave me the support and focus I needed to build something from it.

“The value of our universities, to the economy and to the whole of society, cannot be overstated. 

“As we embark on a decade of national renewal, the higher education sector has a profound role to play in every piece of work we’ll need to do, to build a Britain that delivers for working people: from seizing the potential of clean energy to rebuilding the NHS. I will always champion our universities.

“They are society’s most powerful engines for innovation, aspiration, economic growth and the creation of better lives for all – which is why investing in their work, like this £30m in funding, is so important.” 

Science Minister Lord Vallance said: “The work at the University of Dundee, which we are announcing support for today, is proof of how deep expertise, effective links with industry, and the power of curiosity can deliver meaningful improvements to people’s lives, while also driving economic growth across the UK.

“This funding puts the unit on track to strive for still more health breakthroughs, that could help more patients live longer and healthier lives.” 

Working with other companies, including GlaxoSmithKline, the team was central to developing a drug now widely used to treat melanoma, and a promising new drug for Parkinson’s disease is in clinical trials as a result of the team’s globally recognise work, investigating the condition to discover potential causes and treatments. 

Universities are vital to the government’s mission to boost our economy and transform healthcare services with world-class science and research. They are at the heart of our research strengths, underpinning key sectors including life sciences.

Backing university-based researchers, like the team at the University of Dundee, will ensure that they can continue unlocking the technologies and therapies that could be life-changing to patients, and which drive economic growth and productivity. 

Professor Dario Alessi, Director of the MRC PPU said: “We are incredibly grateful for the long-term support that our Unit has received from the MRC over the last 34 years.

“This has enabled our researchers to tackle the most important questions and greatly contributed to our understanding of how derailment of biological pathways causes human diseases including neurodegeneration, diabetes, cancer, and immune dysfunction.  

“Our mission for the next 5 years will be to work with leading research centres, clinicians, and pharmaceutical companies to translate our discoveries into clinical progress and accelerate drug discovery.

“Whilst doing this research we aim to provide our staff with a unique training opportunity working in a collaborative multidisciplinary environment paying attention to improving culture and development best practices.” 

Professor Patrick Chinnery, Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council, said:  “The MRC are proud to be investing for a further 5 years in the exceptional research of the MRC PPU in Dundee.

They are leaders in conducting rigorous fundamental research and then working with industry to translate those breakthroughs for patient benefit. The MRC PPU have an outstanding culture of collaboration and sharing their leading research expertise, products and techniques with the wider scientific community.” 

Clinical trials for chronic kidney disease

New partnership for pioneering kidney health research

Clinical trials to accelerate research into treating chronic kidney disease will be strengthened as a result of a new partnership between the Scottish Government, academia and industry. 

NHS Scotland, AstraZeneca and the Universities of Dundee and Glasgow will work together on new medicines to slow the progression of chronic kidney disease, reducing the risk that patients might need dialysis or kidney transplantation.

The partnership will allow for development of new treatments to treat chronic kidney disease, build infrastructure and enhance expertise in renal clinical trial delivery in Scotland with the key aim of improving patient outcomes.

Preventing progression of the disease allows people to live longer, better lives, free from other consequences of the condition such as heart failure, cardiovascular disease and stroke. This allows people to work, contribute to their communities and economy, while reducing pressure on the NHS.

Cabinet Secretary for Health and Social Care, Neil Gray, said: “This project’s ‘triple helix’ approach is a shining example of how collaboration between the NHS, Scottish Government, academia and industry can accelerate health studies. As we navigate the complex issue of chronic kidney disease, our commitment to patient-centred research remains unwavering.

“Together we can advance targeted studies into medicines that slow progression of the disease and reduce the need for dialysis or transplantation, strengthen our workforce through dedicated research fellows and specialised training, provide greater opportunities for patients, and enable Scotland to attract and deliver more innovative trials.”

Professor Dame Anna Dominiczak, Chief Scientist (Health) at Scottish Government said: “I welcome this partnership with AstraZeneca which builds upon the excellent research infrastructure and expertise we have in Scotland, to drive the development of new treatments for chronic kidney disease.

“We must all work together to improve the outcomes and life circumstances for people living with kidney disease; and this partnership enables the fusion of medical expertise, knowledge, and insight from across NHS, academia, and industry.”

Tom Keith-Roach, AstraZeneca UK President, said: “Scotland is setting a bold ambition to change the trajectory of chronic kidney disease. We are thrilled to invest in a partnership with the University of Glasgow, the University of Dundee, and the Scottish Government to speed up the study of three potential new combination medicines to treat this disease.

“The triple helix of industry, academia and NHS Scotland is a powerful force with the potential to transform care and outcomes for people.

“Furthermore, we believe Scotland is well placed to collaborate with AstraZeneca to shape our research on the world stage across a number of disease areas and attract investment to the country’s thriving Life Science sector.”

‘Fighting fire with a water pistol’ – study shows soaring mental health challenges for frontline Covid nurses

CANDID study surveyed hundreds of health workers

Nurses who worked in critical care during the COVID pandemic are at an increased risk of mental health problems according to a study, which has found three quarters showed signs of psychological distress, while a third reported clinically significant symptoms of post-traumatic stress.

The project, named CANDID, was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and co-led by academics at Edinburgh Napier University and the University of Dundee.

They surveyed more than 400 critical care nurses (CCNs), as well as 200 who were redeployed to critical care (RDNs), across units in Scotland, England and Wales. 45 were also interviewed in depth, with one describing working shifts amid the crisis as being ‘like fighting a fire with a water pistol’.

The survey found growing levels of burnout among staff, compared to a similar study carried out before the pandemic by members of the team (Dr Louise McCallum), with a quarter of nurses planning to leave their role in the next year. Respondents expressed concerns about the quality of patient care and reduced attention to staff wellbeing and development during the pandemic.

Chief Investigator Professor Diane Dixon of Edinburgh Napier University’s School of Applied Sciences said: “The challenges thrown at nurses during the COVID-19 crisis have clearly left lasting concerns not just for their own wellbeing, but for the health service itself.

“They are likely to endure well beyond the end of the pandemic.”

Chief Investigator Dr Janice Rattray of the University of Dundee’s School of Health Sciences said: “These results are concerning as burnout is contagious, and symptoms of post-traumatic stress do not always resolve on their own. The NHS needs to prioritise the well-being of these nurses.

“Failure to address staff wellbeing is likely to have negative consequences for staff recruitment and retention, patient safety and quality of care.”

CANDID was carried out between January 2021 and June 2022, comparing its survey results directly with those from previous research in 2018. The percentage of nurses self-reporting levels of psychological distress and burnout through emotional exhaustion that would likely have a psychological diagnosis if interviewed clinically more than doubled in that time.

The study, which will now go through a peer-reviewing process, also measured the impact on organisational outcomes. Each of these worsened. Nurses reported reduced job satisfaction, less certainty about their future working for the NHS and were more likely to be planning to leave their role. Nurses also reported that both quality of care and patient safety had declined.

Although it was not recorded in the 2018 survey, a third of the nurses who responded reported clinically concerning symptoms of posttraumatic stress. During interviews, some spoke about the stress of dealing with relatives unable to see their loved ones in hospitals, as well as a feeling of isolation among RDNs separated from their usual teams.

The study recommends the NHS prioritises the welfare of CCNs and RDNs, implements workplace planning, supports them to recover from the pandemic, and creates an environment that will allow them to thrive in future.

Meet the ancestors!

REVEALING THE FACES OF LEITHERS PAST

Alas poor Leither ...
Alas poor Leither …

A five-year project to analyse bodies discovered during an archaeological dig by the City of Edinburgh Council and Headland Archaeology has shed new light on Leithers of the past. Forensic artists have now unveiled what the Medieval residents of the former burgh might have looked like some 500 years ago.

A team of experts from the University of Dundee carried out a painstaking process to reconstruct the faces of the 14th to 17th century remains, discovered near Constitution Street.

The bodies of almost 400 men, women and children dating as far back as the 14th century were found on the site of a previously unknown section of the South Leith Parish Church’s graveyard during preparation work for Edinburgh Trams in 2009.

SouthLeithIdentified as a particularly sensitive archaeological zone, the Constitution Street location was considered important due to its proximity to the early Medieval core of Leith and the later 16th and 17th century town defences.

The subsequent unearthing of graveyard burials are thought to be amongst some of the most significant Medieval finds in Scottish history. They could provide the first archaeological evidence for the Medieval Hospital of St Anthony’s, destroyed in the 16th century.

Now detailed analysis by the City of Edinburgh Council’s Archaeology Service and Headland Archaeology, in partnership with the University of Aberdeen, has revealed the age, sex, build and pathology of the individuals.

Artists from the University of Dundee have also been able to provide a glimpse of the faces of Leithers past using hi-tech reconstruction techniques, revealing strikingly modern-looking results.

face3By using forensic modelling to determine the shape and depth of facial muscles and soft tissues, isotopic analysis to ascertain individuals’ origins and state-of-the-art computer programming, researchers were able to build up lifelike facial representations for the 400 to 600-year-old remains.

Amongst the reconstructions was that of a boy, aged between 13 and 17, who was thought to have lived around Leith and Edinburgh and to have died in the late 14th or early 15th century, an adult male aged 25 to 35 who lived in the mid 16th to 17th century and a woman also aged between 25 and 35, who died in the late 14th and early 15th century.

Richard Lewis, City of Edinburgh Council’s Culture Convener, said: “The unearthing of such important remains was a major discovery five years ago, but to be able to gain an even closer insight into Leith’s medieval past is incredibly exciting.

“Edinburgh has an undeniably rich and interesting history, but work like this means the whole city can truly appreciate our heritage.”

face2John Lawson, City Archaeologist, said: “This is one of the largest and most important urban excavations of human remains undertaken in Edinburgh and Scotland in recent years. The results have shed new light on the lives of the Medieval population in one of Scotland’s largest and most important ports.

“It has allowed us to highlight the lives of the ordinary person in Leith, by putting a face to these individuals and showing how they lived and died. The forensic reconstructions have really helped to identify these remains as those of members of the public, rather than merely deeming them as archaeological remains, and how alike they are to modern day inhabitants of Leith and Edinburgh.

“Additionally, the project has allowed us to develop important partnerships with the Universities of Dundee and Aberdeen, which is already leading on to possible further areas of collaborative research into the former inhabitants of Edinburgh.”

Professor Caroline Wilkinson from the Centre for Anatomy and Human Identification, University of Dundee, said: “The MSc Forensic Art course has been running for eight years at the University of Dundee, and over the last few years a fruitful partnership has been built with the City of Edinburgh Council and the Museum of Edinburgh.

“Postgraduate students have been using forensic techniques to analyse the burials unearthed by the Edinburgh Tram project and through these internships and research projects this has developed into a productive and stimulating collaboration. Through craniofacial analysis it is now possible to exhibit the faces of local people from Edinburgh’s past and gain insight into the lives of our ancestors.”

face1