The Centre for Biosciences Research
Research within the department of Life Sciences is undertaken primarily within the Centre for Biociences Research which consists of purpose built research laboratories. Research gained an RAE (Research Assessment Exercise) grade of 4 in 1996 and 3A in the 2001 RAE which indicates that research is of national excellence with some staff being of international standing. Research work within the centre is broad based but has a biomedical orientation and is centred on three research themes or clusters, firstly Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, secondly Biomedical Research and Drug Discovery and thirdly Nutrition Science Research all of which also carry out interrelated research in addition to external collaboration. Several of our researchers work closely with the Natural Resources Institute (NRI) which is an internationally recognised centre of expertise in research and consultancy and part of the University of Greenwich, based at the Medway Campus in Kent. Others collaborate with research Institutes, Universities, Hospitals and other Organisations both within the UK and abroad.
Post-graduate students undertake research leading to MSc, MPhil and PhD degree awards whilst research within the centre is supported by grants from SERC, EPSRC, BBSRC, DTI, BTG, SEPOC, Industry and various Medical Research Charities e.g. British Heart Foundation, Multiple Sclerosis Society of Gt. Britain and Northern Ireland. Over the last few years the Research Centre has generated approximately £1.5 million in external income of which approximately £750,000 has been from U.K. research councils. The centre is well equipped with state-of-the-art equipment including ICP-MS, LC- and GC-MS, MALDI-TOF-MS, FABS-MS, Tandem MS, FTIR, Laser-Raman, Mossbauer, XRF, scanning (X2) and transmission (X1) electron microscopes, flow cytometry (Coulter XL-MCL), NMR (270 (X2), 300 and 500MHx), ABI373 automated DNA sequencers (X2), dedicated amino acid analyser, HPLC and capillary electrophersis, SX-18MV stopped flow spectrometer and ABI PRCmate DNA synthetisers (X2).
Centre for Biosciences Research - Staff Details
Professor Patricia Harvey, BSc PhD (Durham): Biochemistry and enzymology: analysis of proteins and biomolecules using stopped flow kinetic methods; redox enzymes and their applications in bioremediation; biochemical markers of oxidant stress in food crops; rapid methods for mapping microbial communities in heterogeneous systems; bioassays for toxicity evaluation, management of human toxicants.
Michael Leach PhD (Lond) MIBiol: Pharmacology and drug development: neurodegenerative disorders and neuroprotective drugs - mechanisms and therapy; ion channel blockers and excitotoxicity; biomarkers of vascular damage and CNS inflammation; pathogenesis and treatment of epilepsy and related conditions.
Solomon Habtemariam BSc MSc PhD (Strathclyde): Pharmacognosy and pharmacology: search for natural anti-microbial, anti-parasitic, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer agents; phytochemical analysis of herbal medicines; phyto-chemicals and their mechanisms of action e.g. modulation of cytokines, adhesion molecules, apopotosis and immune cell functions.
Laurence S. Harbige, BSc PhD (Brunel): Nutritional biochemistry and immunology: polyunsaturated fatty acids and related lipids in immune cell functions; fatty acid metabolism in multiple sclerosis; cytokine regulation in multiple sclerosis; fatty acids and autoimmunity; antioxidants and immune cell functions; fatty acid-gene interactions; fatty acids and related nutrients in wildlife biology; fatty acids in vascular disease and inflammation.
Professor Tony Mallet BSc PhD (Lond): Biochemistry and biomedical analysis: ICP for trace metal analysis in human nutrition and disease states; GC-MS for isoprostanoids and other oxidative markers in vascular disease; NMR applications in biomedical and biological research and analysis; identification and analysis of immunologically important proteins such as chemokines by GC-MS.
Paul Amuna, MB ChB MMedSc (Sheffield): Clinical and public health nutrition: nutritional status and assessment in populations; exercise prescription and intervention, macro- and micro-nutrient Intervention and health outcomes particularly African populations; multi-mix food formulations, body composition in relation to health and disease.
Alistair Bishop BSc PhD (Sheffield): Molecular microbiology: Spore forming bacteria especially Bacillus thuringiensis and Pasteuria penetrans; invertebrate pathology and ecology of Bacillus penetrans; microcalorimetric studies of bacterial metabolism.
Ivor Evans BSc PhD (Lond): Molecular biology and genetics: exploitation of microbes in toxicity detection and assessment e.g. detection of trichothecenes with yeasts, detection of soil toxicants with bioluminescent bacteria; genetic engineering of yeasts to detect metabolically activated xenobiotics via fluorescence end-points; development of field luminometer and novel PCR; fungal carbohydrases (amylase, dextranase, glucosidases).
Azizur Rahman BSc MSc PhD (Southampton): Molecular Biology and fish biology: medical diagnostic; PCR methodology for public health microbiological screening; methods for differential gene expression in Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes, aquagenomics, transgenic technology.