Awards made during 2003-04
£79,644 to Dr Fiona A. White (Division of Clinical Neurosciences, Glasgow University) for a two-year project for the assessment of GADD34 as a potential therapeutic target in cerebral ischaemia.
This work aims to improve understanding of the molecular and cellular processes involved in the damage to brain cells which can result in stroke.
£79,982 to Dr Sanbing Shen (Biomedical Sciences, Aberdeen University) for a two-year investigation of the cellular and molecular mechanisms of neural tube defects.
By studying the activity of two enzymes found in the developing brain, this progect aims to establish if, in inappropriate quantities, they are a cause of neural tube defects such as spina bifida.
£79,820 to Dr Giles E. Hardingham (Preclinical Veterinary Sciences, Edinburgh University) for a two-year investigation into neuronal pro-survival pathways triggered by the synaptic activation of NMDA receptors.
Nerve cells communicate with each other by chemical signals, detected by receptors. One such receptor, NMDA, causes signal activation which seems to keep neurones alive. This project proposes to study these 'pro-survival' signals, whose effects are depleted in brain diseases such as Alzheimer's and Huntington's and also in other forms of brain damage, such as is caused by strokes.
£78,002 to Dr Karen McArdle (Medicine & Therapeutics, Aberdeen University) for an 18-month study of the mechanisms and relevance of cannabidiol induction of cytochrome P450.
Cytochrome P450 is the major liver enzyme responsible for drug metabolism, however it can be inhibited or induced by other chemicals, making prescribing multiple medicines challenging. Cannabis extract is being trialled for the treatment of patients with multiple sclerosis and this research seeks to study its effects on the enzyme, to predict its effects on drug metabolism.
£75,394 over 18 months to Dr Amanda MacCallum (Institute of Comparative Medicine, Veterinary Pathology, Glasgow University), for an investigation of the early cell-signalling events in Campylobacter jejuni-infected enterocytes.
Campylobacter jejuni is the commonest cause of bacterial food poisoning in the western world and this work aims to clarify exactly how the bacterium enters cells in the gut and multiplies, resulting in disease.
£77,630 over two years to Drs Pamela Johnston, Chris Woodall & Penelope Redding (School of Life Sciences, Glasgow Caledonian University) for an investigation of control measures to limit norovirus infections in a hospital environment.
This work aims to investigate ways of inactivating the highly infectious norovirus which causes the gastrointestinal disease known as 'winter vomiting' and is prevalent in hospitals and care homes for the elderly.
The Nasmyth Travelling Medical Research Scholarship 2004-06 was awarded to Dr Anna Claire Williams (Neurology, Lothian University Health NHS Trust) to travel to the laboratories of INSERM and the CNRS in Paris to investigate oligodendrocyte guidance molecules in multiple sclerosis lesions and in experimental models of demyelination and remyelination.
The Mrs Jean V. Baxter Medical Research Fellowship 2004-06 was awarded to Dr Linda Scobie (Veterinary Pathology, Institute of Comparative Medicine, Glasgow University) to continue her work on the control of human trophic replication competent porcine endogenous retroviruses (PERV) in cells and organs for xenotransplantation.
The Mrs Robina Menzies Smith Medical Research Scholarship 2004-05 was awarded to Dr Ewen Munro Harrison (Tissue Injury & Repair Group, Centre for Inflammation Research, Edinburgh University) to investigate pharmacological intervention to reduce ischaemia/reperfusion injury in the kidney.
The Cruden Medical Research Scholarship 2004-05 was awarded to Dr Andrew MacDuff (Centre for Inflammation Research, Edinburgh University) for a study of the role of the tissue macrophage in the sensing and regulation of hypoxic/hyperoxic tissue injury.
Research Workshops
Drs Juan-Carlos Gomez (School of Psychology, St Andrews University) and colleagues in Edinburgh and Glasgow Caledonian Universities, for a workshop considering recent advances in the understanding of social cognition in autism.
Mrs Angela Kydd (Gerontology, Nursing & Midwifery, Paisley University) for a workshop on developing and maintaining specialist care for older people.