17 Apr 2019

Guarding against cancer

Researchers from the University of Dundee have shown that a drug previously used to treat Type II diabetes could potentially be used to protect against cancer. A study carried out by Professors Grahame Hardie and Doreen Cantrell has shown that the drug phenformin protects mice against a type of cancer called T-cell lymphoma. It does this by switching on the protein AMPK, which was first defined by Professor Hardie in the 1980s. Subsequent research at Dundee showed a link between AMPK and cancer. AMPK was known to be activated by another anti-diabetic drug, metformin, and scientists at the University foun...

17 Apr 2019

Diabetic drug shown to reduce the risk of heart disease in non-diabetic patients

The commonly used diabetes drug metformin could reverse the harmful thickening of heart muscle that leads to cardiovascular disease, according to a study at the University of Dundee. Scientists, led by Professor Chim Lang, Head of the Division of Molecular and Clinical Medicine at Dundee, discovered that metformin has the potential to be repurposed as a heart disease treatment in non-diabetic patients. The MET-REMODEL Trial, published today in the prestigious European Heart Journal, showed that metformin, used to treat type 2 diabetes safely for the last six decades, reduced left ventricular hypertrophy ...

16 Apr 2019

Nursing fair highlights career change opportunities

A move in to nursing could be the right prescription for workers seeking a change of career. Jacqui Eccles, a Mental Health Nursing Lecturer at the University of Dundee, believes that transitioning to the world of professional care could provide job satisfaction for those looking for a new workplace challenge. Having started her own training as a mental health nurse at the age of 31, she described the move as a “lightbulb moment” and has urged others to consider joining the profession. It comes as the University prepares to host its annual Nursing and Healthcare Recruitment Fair, where aroun...

15 Apr 2019

High hopes for Hockey captain Orla

A University of Dundee medical student from Lurgan has made it into the Scottish Student Sport national team this week ahead of the Home Nations Tournament taking place in Glasgow on Tuesday. Orla Thompson is the only Dundee student to join the squad and says that the Scottish side looks sure to stick it to the England and Wales as students across the UK face off in the Home Nations Tournament 2019.  She said, “We have an absolutely great team this year and I feel lucky to be chosen. Although we’ve only had two training sessions because of the snow, I think we can at least put the pressu...

15 Apr 2019

Putin’s popularity put under the microscope

Vladimir Putin’s presidency of Russia prevents potentially dangerous political elements from seizing control of the country, a University of Dundee expert has said. Professor Cameron Ross, Research and Scholarship Coordinator in Politics and International Relations at Dundee, says that the Russian premier’s authoritarian regime is not fully appreciated by Western governments. He will examine the leadership of the Russian president as host of the next Dundee Arts Café, which takes place in the McManus Café at 6pm on Tuesday 16 April. While outcast by many nations, Professor Ross...