16 November 2006

Times Higher Award for University of Dundee Professor

University of Dundee Professor, Irwin Mclean, was last night awarded Research Project of the Year at The Times Higher Awards in London.

The judges said that Professor Mclean’s discovery of the principal gene behind eczema, and the often related condition asthma, made his project "the clear winner for them all."

They acknowledged that the findings have resulted in several high impact research papers and attracted world-wide media attention, as well as a great deal of interest from the scientific community and the cosmetics industry.

The McLean laboratory at the Human Genetics Unit, University of Dundee, discovered that up to 10% of people in European populations carry mutations that essentially "knock out" or "switch off" the filaggrin gene.

This gene normally makes large amounts of filaggrin protein in the outermost layers of the epidermis. This protein is essential for maintaining skin barrier function that prevents the skin drying out and also prevents the entry of foreign substances into the body. The gene is also linked to a form of asthma that accompanies eczema in patients, as well as a number of other allergic symptoms, including eczema-associated hay fever.

Prof Irwin Mclean says, "It is tremendously gratifying to get this prestigious award for our work. It is always fantastic to be recognised. The gene was much worse than others to isolate as it has an unusually plain and repetitive DNA sequence, but I’m glad we persevered."

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