Forefront of Research

Virtual Reality-on the Moon

The future of space exploration lies, at least for the time being, with unmanned craft: machines can go to places too inhospitable for humans; they do not require costly life-support systems or need to return to earth at the end of the mission. With support from the European Space Agency (ESA), Dr. Stephen Parkes and colleague Iain Martin have produced LunarSim, a realistic simulation of the moon’s surface to test different vision-based navigation and landing techniques. Models have been created with characteristics closely matching those of real lunar craters.

The Immune System

Colin Watts, Professor of Immunology in the Department of Biochemistry, has discovered a new enzyme (AEP) in the immune system, previously identified only in plants and some parasites, which holds out promise for understanding autoimmune diseases and developing treatments for major immune system disorders. The immune system is complex and unwanted immune responses develop as well as those protecting us from disease. These unwanted responses include rheumatoid arthritis, multiple sclerosis, diabetes, as well as rejection of grafts and transplants and allergies such as asthma. Professor Watts was recently awarded £1.2 million from the Wellcome Trust for further research on the AEP enzyme.

Cancer Diagnosis

Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri, in collaboration with physicists at St Andrews University, has developed an endoscopic technique for detecting signs of cancerous cells within the gastrointestinal tract. The new technique, replacing the need for up to 20 biopsies per patient, uses a photosensitive liquid which turns fluorescent on reaching cancerous cells. The low-cost system could be in use throughout the UK once it is fully developed.

Tools for the Job

With funding from the Wellcome Trust, Professor Sir Alfred Cuschieri and colleagues in medicine, bioengineering and metallurgy, are developing a sophisticated range of surgical instruments that could extend existing ‘keyhole’ surgery techniques. It is particularly difficult for keyhole surgeons to carry out delicate manipulations inside the patient such as closing off blood vessels and surgical incisions. One promising device is an alloy suture which, when heated by an electric current, closes over tissue and holds it in place.

Flu Bug Linked to Heart Attacks

Patients at Ninewells Hospital and Medical School will be taking part in a study to determine whether a common flu bug, which is carried by 50% of the population, could be one of the triggers causing heart attacks. Professor High Tunstall-Pedoe, Cardiovascular Epidemiology Unit, and his team aim to establish the connection between high levels of the bug and heart attacks and to investigate whether the bug or its antibodies could be responsible for a build-up of proteins and fats clogging the arteries prior to a heart attack.

Laser Detection of Tooth Decay

The Dental School is one of three centres evaluating a laser probe which measures the amount of decay in teeth. Dr Chris Longbottom, who is co-ordinating Dundee’s contribution to the pilot study, has found that the laser probe has an 80% detection rate whereas dentists using X-rays plus their own visual examination of teeth have only a 10% - 50% chance of spotting decay.

The recently-recruited Gut Biology Research Group will be examining intestinal bacteria which are especially prevalent in cases of ulcerative colitis, a serious inflammatory bowel disease, and are also connected to cancer. The ten strong team has secured almost £2 million funding, largely from the Medical Research Council, for a five year research study. The team includes former graduates, Dr George Macfarlane and his wife, Sandra, and Dr John Cummings, a world authority on intestinal bacteria. Professor Mike Kerr, who has developed diagnostic tests used all over the world to check for some 100 diseases, will provide the immunology component for the research team.

Tailor-made Medication

A significant proportion of the population has a deficiency in the gene that controls how effectively the body absorbs a number of commonly prescribed drugs. For those who are either ‘poor metabolisers’ or ‘super-rapid metabolisers’ the effects of adverse drug reactions can be serious and sometimes fatal. Professor Roland Wolf, Biomedical Research Centre, a leading international figure in the world of pharmacogenetics, is pioneering the genetic testing of patients for adverse drug reactions. Recent advances in DNA testing enable genetic make-up to be assessed from saliva or a blood sample. The trials hope to establish whether producing tailor-made drugs after establishing patients’ genetic variability can improve the effectiveness of their treatment and avoid unwanted side effects.

Nutrition and Malnutrition

Nine research teams from the Departments of Biochemistry and Anatomy and Physiology, co-ordinated by Professor Christopher Proud, have won a major grant of £750,000 from the Medical Research Council to unlock a secret signalling code of growing cells. This is the third group of biomedical researchers at the University to achieve the coveted ‘co-operative group’ status from the MRC. The group will study the common theme ‘nutrient sensing and signalling’ across the spectrum of life from simple yeasts to complex mammalian cells. By understanding how living cells sense the presence of nutrients the researchers hope to shed light on conditions such as malnutrition and improve treatments for stunted growth, diabetes and post-operative trauma.

Virtual Reality - in the Car

The Department of Applied Computing has caught the public imagination with two intriguing virtual reality projects. Professor Ian Ricketts, working in collaboration with Korean car manufacturer, Daewoo, electronics company, Vision Dynamics Ltd, and another university, aims to have a working prototype within three years of a virtual reality display projected on to a car’s windscreen. As well as being safer - drivers need not take their eyes off the road - the new systems should be cheaper to install by doing away with complex and labour-intensive wiring looms.

Skin Disease

Dundee's position as an international centre for research on skin disease received a further impetus with the arrival of Dr Irwin McLean who was attracted back to Dundee from the USA by the impressive concentration of top names in skin research already here and by the all-important DNA sequencing service. Dr McLean’s expertise in the genes responsible for different skin diseases offers other exciting advances/possibilities for conditions affecting epithelial cells - the cornea of the eye, hair and hair loss, nails, and the lining of the mouth. The research is financed (nearly £2 million) by grants from the Wellcome Trust and skin disease charity DEBRA.

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