School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences

The School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences is a multi-disciplinary grouping that strives to achieve the highest standards in research. The school is now housed in the Charles Oakley Laboratory block at City Campus that was opened in 1992 and boosts superb, custom made research facilities. In addition to the well-equipped laboratory space, the department has five temperature-controlled rooms, an electron microscopy suite, a tissue culture suite, a containment level 2 suite and a dark room. The School actively encourages collaborations between its academics and other universities, research institutes and commercial companies and provides an innovative and stimulating environment to further research.

The number of research active staff in the School of Biological & Biomedical Sciences has grown three fold making the School one of the fastest growing biomedical university departments in the UK over the last decade. This growth has been matched by increased earnings from grant awarding agencies and an increased number of research publications. The School is unique in the modern university scene because it embraces a wide range of research areas that include molecular biomedicine; physiology and pharmacology; food science and microbiology public health in relation to human nutrition. This holistic approach exposes research active staff to new ideas and findings from the extensive research enterprise giving a better appreciation of current topics and issues, as well acting as a vehicle for cross-fertilisation of research interests.

The Division of Biochemistry has a number of highly active research groups. The breadth and quality of research carried out within the department is a shining example of the University's commitment to carrying out research of value and of relevance to society. Research interests broadly include: cancer: how it is caused, its biology and the role of various genes in the process particularly in leukaemia, breast, bladder and small cell carcinoma; mechanisms of viral infection; neuropathic diseases; the role of proteases in the processing of endocrine hormones and other peptides; marine environmental science particularly relating to the impacts of pollutants on health and the viability of fish populations.

Biochemistry/molecular biology research interests within the department include:

oncogenesis - the role of specific xenobiotic metabolising enzymes in the activation of carcinogens, epoxide hydrolases, genetic markers of breast neoplasia. Molecular mechanisms of the progression of cancer, function of the myc oncogene in transformation
cellular proteases - control of processing and degradation of neuropeptides, metabolism of histidyl dipeptides.
protein interaction - herpes virus ribonucleotide reductase as a model system for the use of peptides that interfere with protein interaction in drug development
genetic regulation - characterisation of gene regulatory sequences and isolation of regulatory proteins for metalloproteases and fatty acid desaturases, effects of environmental pollutants on gene expression of xenobiotic metabolising enzymes and metalloproteases.

Research carried out within this division spans a wide spectrum of interests and ranges from microbial growth on contact lenses to the characterisation of Bacillus cereus emetic toxin. The Division offers extensive consultancy services including examination of commercial/industrial waters for Legionella; microbiological analysis of food assessment of biocide effectiveness in water systems and COSHH assessments and information packages

pathogenesis of bacterial vaginosis, adhesive mechanisms of lactobacilli and the role of lactobacilli as probiotics microbial adhesion to acrylic, contact lenses and mammalian cells
bacterial contamination of milk, milk powders and enteric tube feeds molecular approaches to bacterial taxonomy
production and characterisation of novel anti-idiotypic vaccines
enteroviruses as aetiologic agents of sporadic motor neurone disease

The Division has a strong research ethos with a good record of income generation from various awarding bodies including MAFF and Scottish Office. Research carried out within the Division is diverse and ranges from fungal biotechnology in developing countries to Bacillus flora and contamination of dairy products. Consultancy services are offered which include a comprehensive chemical analysis of the nutrient composition of food, nutritional analysis and dietary evaluation.

the physiochemical properties of starch and gluten
the microbial contamination of enteral tube feeds
nutritional aspects of food allergy, cerebral palsy and dental health
various aspects of nutrition in the community.

The Physiology Division includes a number of successful collaborative research units. The Vascular Biology and Smooth Muscle groups work on hormonal regulation of gut motility, changes in the control of peripheral vascular disease, control of airway smooth muscle in asthma, and mechanisms controlling regional blood flow in the lung. The Epithelial Transport group is investigating normal and abnormal epithelial function in the gastrointestinal tract and skin appendages. Other members of the Division are investigating neuromuscular physiology in health and disease, and the comparative biology of connective tissue.

physiology and pharmacology of pulmonary vasculature and airways
the role of opiod peptides in inflammatory bowel disease
role of spasmogens and the effect of angiotensin in asthma
resistance artery structure and function in critical limb ischaemia
mammalian pheromones
comparative physiology of connective tissue
stimulation-secretion coupling in normal and abnormal sweat gland epithelia