|
Extensive research is carried out on animal and plant cell culture including the production of continuous immortalised cell lines which provide useful alternatives to animal tissue for biological studies. A major grant has recently been awarded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to support the validation of immortalised liver cell lines for investigating drug metabolism and for in vitro toxicology. BBSRC is also funding the generation of cell lines for use to detect changes in intracellular signalling pathways. Cultured mammalian hybridoma cells are used in the production of monoclonal antibodies to malaria as part of research work on vaccines.
The Animal Cell Technology Group is the major contributor to biomedical research in the Department, and the University is a founder member of the Scottish Biomedical Research Trust (SBRT), which was established by six universities to develop the commercial applications of biomedical research in Scotland. Departmental involvement with the European Society for Animal Cell Technology (ESACT) helps to keep this aspect of research at Paisley at the forefront of the field in a national and international context.
|
