Awards made during 2001-02
£60,594 over two years to Dr Linda Scobie (Veterinary Pathology, Glasgow University) for an analysis of full-length integrated porcine endogenous retroviruses and their infectious potential in xenotransplantation.
Being able to engineer organs in pigs which are suitable for human transplantation has the potential to save many lives. This research aims to identify the numerous viruses found in pigs which would otherwise make such transplants too dangerous.
£69,924 over two years to Dr Renate Kain (Pathology, Aberdeen University) for the identification of gp130 - a novel target of autoimmune attack in glomerulonephritis.
In focal necrotising glomerulonephritis the healthy cells of the kidney are attacked by antibodies made by the body's immune system. These antibodies have been shown to recognise a molecule called gp130, found in the kidney small blood vessels. The aim therefore of the research is to study gp130 and formulate a test for it.
£69,957 over three years to Dr Frank J. Gunn-Moore (School of Biology, St Andrews University) to investigate the amyloid-ABAD complex, a novel model for Alzheimer's Disease.
The protein amyloid is known to be deposited in the brains of patients with Alzheimer's disease, where it is thought to bind to ABAD protein. This research will study the molecular effects of deposition and look at the early processes in Alzheimer's.
£57,838 over two years to Dr Gayle H. Middleton (Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Royal (Dick) Vet School, Edinburgh University) to investigate the role of the Bcl-2 protein family in regulating cell survival in the substantia nigra and striatum.
Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's & Huntington's, involve an imbalance of the molecules promoting brain cell death and those preventing it. This research focuses of the Bcl-2 molecule family to understand their role in these processes.
£33,978 to Dr Bernadette Connolly (Molecular & Cell Biology, Aberdeen University) to extend her previously-funded studies of the changes in protein and gene expression in skeletal muscle cells in vivo during dedifferentiation induced by infection with the nematode parasite Trichinella spiralis.
£69,903 over two years to Drs Lindsay S. Cairns, Robert N. Barker & Andrew J. Rees (Medicine & Therapeutics, Aberdeen University) to investigate the differential responses of human T helper cells to Type IV collagen chains as a possible basis for novel therapies.
The basement membrane of the kidney's filtration unit is attacked by the body's immune system in a group of disorders known as glomerulonephritis. Different membrane component molecules however, respond differently to this attack so this research intends to establish why these responses differ, so the researchers can more fully understand the disease process.
£69,996 over two years to Drs Yatishkumar Lad & Tariq Sethi (Respiratory Medicine Unit, Edinburgh University) to investigate the mechanism underlying Raf-mediated integrin suppression.
Cell adhesion is regulated by receptors called integrins, which can control adhesion from within the cell, by a process known as 'inside out signalling'. Initial work suggests 'inside out signalling' to integrins occurs via a new, undescribed pathway, which this research hopes to gain an insight into.
£70,000 for one year to Dr Mark Ramsdale (Molecular & Cell Biology, Aberdeen University) to dissect the cell death machinery of the fungal pathogen, Candida albicans, in a search for novel antifungal therapies.
Cell death is a normal function in cells of all types, including fungi such as Candida albicans. This research will investigate the cell death pathways of Candida, to find potential treatment targets for resistant fungal pathogens that cause problems for immunocompromised individuals.
£69,563 over 18 months to Dr Michael J. Rogers (Bone Research Group, Department of Medicine & Therapeutics, Aberdeen University) to investigate the role of Rab GTPases in osteoclast physiology.
It is thought that natural bone breakdown and remodelling is regulated by proteins. By studying one such protein, Rab GTPase, the researchers aim to gain a greater understanding of healthy bone processes.
£31,493 as an 8-month supplement to an earlier grant to Dr Alison Blackwell & Mr Charles Marriott (Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, Edinburgh University) to continue investigations on novel compounds for repelling blood-feeding insects in Scotland.
£64,813 over two years to Dr Stephen J. Yarwood (Division of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology, Glasgow University) to investigate the role of EPAC proteins in inflammatory responses.
The protein EPAC is activated by cAMP, which has anti-inflammatory properties. As inflammation is the basis of numerous disorders, manipulating EPAC could prove a possible mechanism for new anti-inflammatory treatments.
£ 64,995 over two years to Dr James M. Brewer (Division of Immunology) and Drs Clive Bate & Alun Williams (Veterinary Pathology, Glasgow University) for an analysis of the role of cholesterol-sensitive domains in the trafficking and neurotoxicity of prions.
Prion diseases,such as CJD and BSE, cause death and dysfunction of neurones through mechanisms which are not fully understood. This study will look at the role of cholesterol-rich areas on neurones to establish if high levels of cholesterol are needed by prions to exert their destructive effects.
£64,839 over two years to Drs Winifred Boner & Iain Morgan (Veterinary Pathology, Glasgow University) for the characterisation of human papillomavirus 16 E2 cellular interacting proteins as therapeutic agents for treatment of HPV-related disease.
The life-cycle of the human papillomaviruses (HPV) is dependant on the E2 protein. Given the severity of diseases they cause and the lack of therapies, this research seeks to disturb E2 function to disrupt the viral life-cycle with molecules which could be therapeutic.
£58,637 over one year to Dr Jonathan T.O. Cavanagh (Psychological Medicine, Glasgow University), Professor David Wyper & Dr Jim Patterson (Clinical Physics, Southern General Hospital, Glasgow) for a SPECT study of the ratio of dopamine transporter to serotonin transporter in treatment-resistant compared with treatment-responsive depression.
In up to 30% of cases, depression is resistant to conventional treatment. This research will study the ratios of uptake of the neurotransmitters dopamine and serotonin in the brains of treatment-responsive and resistant depression to understand how the brain responds.
The Mrs Jean V. Baxter Medical Research Fellowship 2002-05 was awarded to Mr Stephen McNally (Surgery, Edinburgh Royal Infirmary) for an investigation of the determination of the mechanism of stress protein preconditioning by calineurin inhibitors.
The Nasmyth Travelling Research Scholarship 2002-04 was awarded to Mr Kausik Bhattacharya (Cardiothoracic Surgery, Western Infirmary, Glasgow) to travel to the laboratories of INSERM in Paris, to carry out research on oligodendrocyte guidance molecules in multiple sclerosis lesions and in experimental models of demyelination/remyelination.
The Cruden Medical Research Scholarship 2002-03 was awarded to Miss Heather Kirk (Surgery, Aberdeen University) to study immunonutrition in patients with upper gastrointestinal cancer: optimal immunomodulation and effects on modulation of tumour behaviour.
The Mrs Robina Menzies Medical Research Scholarship 2002-03 was awarded to Dr Kirstyn Brogan (Obstetrics, Queen Mother's Hospital, Glasgow) to investigate the role of sonembryology and maternal serum biochemistry in assessing the first trimester fetus at risk from chromosomal abnormalities.