28 Oct 2014
Over 6000 Tayside individuals help determine the genetic basis of a person’s response to statins
An analysis of over 40,000 people undergoing statin treatment has revealed two new genetic variants that may affect how low density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol responds to statin therapy. The study, published in Nature Communications, provides further insights into the genetic basis of drug response. Statins have been shown to lower LDL cholesterol levels by up to 55 per cent and are therefore highly effective in the management and prevention of cardiovascular disease. Despite this success, however, patient response can vary widely and this variation is known to have a genetic component. &nb...
28 Oct 2014
University researchers to take Micro the Magnificent to Great British Bioscience Festival
A team of researchers from the University of Dundee will be exhibiting at the Great British Bioscience Festival in London next month, accompanied by ‘Micro the Magnificent’, their popular giant microbe. The festival, which takes place from 14th-16th November at the Museum Gardens in Bethnal Green, is the culmination of a year-long public engagement campaign that showcases the best of British bioscience and enables visitors to explore the fascinating world of biology through interactive exhibits created by scientists across the UK. Dr Nicola Stanley-Wall and colleagues from the University&rsqu...
28 Oct 2014
‘Dundee and Its Scientific Firsts’ – Saturday Evening Lecture on 1st November
More than 150 years of scientific enquiry in the City of Discovery will be celebrated in a public lecture at the University of Dundee this weekend. Eddie Small, an author and tutor at the University, will begin the story of Dundee’s scientific firsts in 1867 when the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS) took the controversial decision to hold its annual meeting in the city. His talk at the Dalhousie Building, Old Hawkhill from 6pm on Saturday, 1st November takes place as part of a partnership between Dundee Science Festival and the University’s flagship Saturday Evening L...
27 Oct 2014
£1.13million study to discover if eye test can give early Alzheimer’s warning
Researchers at the University of Dundee will lead a £1.13million project to help establish if an eye test can be used to reveal the early stages of Alzheimer’s disease. A substantial body of evidence already suggests that changes to the tree-shaped patterns of veins and arteries in the eye can be linked to a number of diseases, such as stroke and cardiovascular disease. Scientists will now conduct a three-year project using specially-developed computer software which analyses high-definition images of the eye from multiple instruments to establish whether such changes can act as an early indic...
24 Oct 2014
DUSA’s #sleepless60 raises more than £3000
A marathon effort by student radio presenters from the University of Dundee saw them sacrifice zzz’s in order to raise £££’s for Dundee’s Women’s Rape and Sexual Abuse Centre (WRASAC). Megan Williams, Laura Glasgow, Jonathon West, Kevin Hart and Iain MacKinnon took on the mammoth task of completing 60 hours of continuous live internet radio broadcasting from Dundee University Students’ Association (DUSA) in aid of this year’s Raising and Giving (RAG) campaign. The five presenters began their challenge at 12 noon on Friday, 3rd October, with all ...