News from the Department

Reducing the severity of multiple sclerosis

A major step forward, with important implications for understanding how to reduce the severity of multiple sclerosis, has been made in a collaboration between Professors David Wraith, David Wynick and Neil Scolding. See: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2009/6512.html

The results have been published online on the 24 August 2009 in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

New Head of Department for Cellular & Molecular Medicine

As of 1st August 2009 Professor Anthony Hollander, ARC Professor of Rheumatology & Tissue Engineering, will take over from Professor Neil Williams as Head of Department.

Grant boost for type III secretion system (T3SS) studies

Dr Ariel Blocker and colleagues have recently published a paper (Hodgkinson et al. Nat. Struct. Mol. Biol., 16, 477-485) which, together with a companion manuscript from Dr. Nathalie Strynadka's group at the University of British Columbia in the same issue, reports major progress in understanding the structure of the "needle complex" or the transmembrane region of type III secretion systems (T3SSs). (This work is also highlighted by Prof. Gabriel Waksman, Head of the ISMB at UCL-Birkbeck in a "News and Views" in the same journal issue.) T3SSs are widely distributed virulence devices amongst bacteria pathogenic for plants, animals and humans which serve to inject bacterial toxins into target host cells to manipulate them during infection.

The work, which was largely performed whilst Dr Blocker was at her previous post at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology within the University of Oxford, will facilitate further studies of T3SS function, which in turn may allow development of new prophylactic or therapeutic approaches to bacterial infections. Indeed, this future work has just received substantial funding from the Wellcome Trust, in the form of two 3-year project grants together totalling almost £700K (WT08826 and WT088231, see Blocker Group Funding page).

Pioneering academic raises £1.6 million investment for 'cell bandage'

A company co-founded by Professor Anthony Hollander has raised over £1.6 million to fund trials, including the first human study, of its pioneering 'cell bandage' technology, which aims to save thousands of patients from the type of knee surgery that currently leads to premature osteoarthritis. See: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2009/6296.html

MRC grant award for Dengue Virus research

Dr Andrew Davidson has been awarded £380k by the Medical Research Council for a project entitled "Analysis of Dengue virus NS5 protein - host cell interactions". Dengue virus is a mosquito borne flavivirus that causes the most important arthropod-borne viral disease of humans. Our current understanding of dengue pathogenesis is limited and there are no vaccines or antiviral treatments in use to control the spread of dengue disease. The NS5 protein is currently a major target for antiviral drug development. The project aims to understand the role of NS5 in dengue pathogenesis.

Adult stem cell breakthrough

The first tissue-engineered trachea (windpipe), utilising a patient's own stem cells, has been successfully transplanted into a young woman with a failing airway. The bioengineered trachea immediately provided the patient with a normally functioning airway, thereby saving her life. See: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2008/6010.html

'Friendly' bacteria help to stop the development of Type 1 diabetes, according to new research published in Nature

The findings, by scientists in the USA and colleagues at the University of Bristol including Professor Susan Wong, support the so-called “hygiene hypothesis”, the theory that a lack of exposure to bacteria and viruses in the developed world may lead to an increased risk of diseases like allergies, asthma, and other disorders of the immune system. See:http://www.bris.ac.uk/news/2008/5917.html

CMM academics on the BBC

Two academic members of staff, Prof Neil Williams and Dr Darryl Hill, joined Dr Alice Roberts of the Department of Anatomy in an episode of the latest series of the BBC's "Don't Die Young", which explored the way in which the immune system functions to prevent infection. See: http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b00d45mn

New cancer research group joins the Department

In July 2008 Professor Neil Perkins and his group joined the department from the University of Dundee. Professor Perkins is the new Professor of Molecular Cell Biology. He and his groups area of research are in the Basic studies of the NF-kappaB transcription factor and how its function is integrated with that of tumour suppressors and oncogenes both in normal cells and in cancer. Neil brings a CRUK programme grant to the department, as well as other funding.

Superbug genome sequenced

The genome of a newly-emerging superbug, commonly known as Steno, has just been sequenced. The results reveal an organism with a remarkable capacity for drug resistance. The research was carried out by scientists at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute near Cambridge and the University of Bristol including Dr Matthew Avison.

The 'fascin' gene and IBD

In research funded by the National Association for Colitis and Crohn's Disease, Dr David Qualtrough of the Department of Cellular and Molecular Medicine investigated the role the 'fascin' gene plays in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

Bristol University biotech company runner-up in UK Trade & Investment awards

Apitope, a University of Bristol biotech spin-out company which makes treatments for allergies and autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis, is national runner-up in UK Trade & Investment's BioEntrepreneurial Company of the Year awards.
Read more: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2007/5546.html

Major advance in bowel cancer

An important advance in understanding bowel cancer has been made by researchers in our department.

Professor Chris Paraskeva and team colleagues, Dr Ann Williams and PhD student Mr Abderrahmane Kaidi, carried out a three-year research project aimed at gaining a better understanding how cancer cells grow and die. Their study was sponsored by Cancer Research UK and The Citrina Foundation.
Read more: http://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2007/5242.html

Events

Seminars in the Department; details of seminars by groups connected with the Department - Bristol Immunology Group, Diabetes Club, Bristol Microbiology Forum, Oncology seminars, Immunology RiP meetings.

News from the Department

Events

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