Professor Stephen Gough talks about the development of personalised diabetes treatment. Prof. Stephen Gough believes that you cannot give every patient affected by diabetes the same treatment; where people react differently to treatments provides a background to his research. Prof. Gough aims to provide the right treatment to the right person at the right time in their disease for optimum results.
Professor Gil McVean tells us how statistical genetics helps us understand and treat disease. Prof Gil McVean is the Head of Bioinformatics and Statistical Genetics at the Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics. His research covers several areas in the analysis of genetic variation, combining the development of methods for analysing high throughput sequencing data, theoretical work and empirical analysis.
Dr Leanne Hodson talks about her research on liver fat metabolism. Dr Leanne Hodson's research focuses on fatty liver disease, defined as having over 5 percent liver fat, and a 'silent disease' as many people are not diagnosed. Dr Hodson aims to find targets for new medications which will help lower the risk of accumulating liver fat.
Dr Barbara Fielding talks about her research on the metabolism of fatty acids. Dr Barbara Fielding believes that nutritional advice should be based on a thorough understanding of metabolic responses to food ingestion, and that it is important to investigate the metabolism of dietary fat after both single and multiple meals, as is customary daily behaviour in Western societies. Ultimately, this will help to make specific dietary recommendations.
The largest trial investigating the benefits of cholesterol lowering in kidney patients. The Study of Heart and Renal Protection (SHARP) concluded that around a quarter of all heart attacks, strokes, and operations to open blocked arteries could be avoided in people with chronic kidney disease by using the combination of ezetimibe and simvastatin to lower blood cholesterol levels.
Dr Ellie Barnes talks about her research on Hepatitis C and her work on a T cell vaccine. Dr Ellie Barnes aims to develop a prophylactic and a therapeutic hepatitis C virus vaccine to combat a global epidemic currently infecting 170 million people worldwide. Many chronically infected patients silently develop complications of liver disease that can include hepatocellular cancer, liver cirrhosis and liver failure.
Dr Anna Gloyn talks about her research on the genetics of Diabetes. The research undertaken by Dr Anna Gloyn focuses on using naturally genetic variants identified in humans as tools to identify critical regulatory pathways for insulin secretion and action. Current research projects are focused on the translation of genetic association signals for type 2 diabetes and glycaemic traits into molecular mechanisms for diabetes and clinically useful tools.
Dr Tao Dong tells us about her collaborations in China on infections such as HIV, flu and Hepatitis B. Dr Tao Dong's research interests include antigen-specific T cell responses in human virus infections and their contribution to the consequences of the disease. Hepatitis B virus has recently been added to the list of viruses which Tao and her group studies, which includes influenza and hepatitis C virus/HIV co-infection.
Prof. Arjen Dondorp tells us about his work on severe malaria and the development of new therapies. Prof Arjen Dondorp is the Deputy Director and Head of Malaria Research at the Mahidol-Oxford Tropical Medicine Research Unit in Bangkok, Thailand. His main research interests include the pathophysiology and treatment of severe malaria, antimalarial drug resistance and the improvement of intensive care practice in developing countries.
Professor Sarah Rowland-Jones tells us about her work on HIV with children in Africa. Prof. Sarah Rowland-Jones' work mainly focuses on anti-viral immunity, and in particular how immune responses modify the outcome of HIV infection. Her research aims to contribute to the design of vaccines and immunotherapies against HIV infection, including HIV-2 infection, in developing countries where an effective vaccine is desperately needed.
Professor Patrik Rorsman talks about Diabetes and how beta cells within the pancreas control insulin secretion. Patrik Rorsman is professor of diabetic medicine in the Oxford Centre for Diabetes, Endocrinology and Metabolism. Professor Rorsman has been at the forefront of research on hormone-secreting cells in the pancreas for more than 20 years, work that is highly relevant to understanding the causes and treatment of type 2 diabetes. The Wellcome Trust award will allow him to study further the...
Dr Lucy Dorrell tells us how our immune system controls HIV and how we can live with this virus. The aim of Dr Lucy Dorrells' research is to develop immunotherapy to reduce the dependence of those infected with HIV-1 on their current treatment - antiretroviral therapy (ART). This is because 9 million of the estimated 33 million people living with HIV/AIDS today are not able to access the ARTs which they are in immediate need of.
Professor Paul Klenerman talks about our relationship with persistent viruses, such as Hepatitis C. Prof. Paul Klenerman studies the evolutionary relationships between persistent viruses and their human hosts. He aims to understand the role of our immune responses in determining the outcome of Hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatitis C virus infects around 200 million people worldwide and is a major cause of liver disease.
Professor Dominic Kwiatkowski talks about his work on global health, how genomics can help us fight infections such as malaria. Prof. Dominic Kwiatkowski aims to reduce the burden of infectious disease in the developing world. He translates advances in genome science into clinical and epidemiological applications. He mostly works on malaria but many of his tools and methodologies in genetics, statistics, informatics and ethics have applications for other diseases.
Dr Dianne Newbury talks about the contribution of genetics to specific language impairment. Dr Dianne Newbury is looking for the genes that predispose to Specific Language Impairment, a complex genetic disorder. Two regions, located on chromosomes 16 and 19, are linked with this disorder. Interactions between several normal genetic variants and environmental factors make certain individuals more vulnerable to language problems.
Dr Seph Borrow tells us how her research on HIV Immunology helps design better vaccines. There is an urgent need for vaccines to combat persistent infections like HIV. Dr Seph Borrow is studying factors affecting virus control by HIV-specific CD8+ T cells, to inform the design of T cell-based HIV vaccines. She is also exploring the possibility of harnessing innate immune responses to combat HIV.
Professor Chris Pugh tells us about the links between genetics, renal disease and oxygen sensing. The kidney plays a central role in our metabolism, by controlling various physiological balances. Genetics plays an important role in renal disease since gene defects lead to all sorts of malfunctions. Prof. Chris Pugh is working on the oxygen sensing functions of the body; whilst these were discovered in the context of erythropoietin production the underlying system controls about 1000 genes.
Dr Silvia Paracchini talks about the influence of Genetics in Dyslexia. Dr Silvia Paracchini aims to indentify the genetic components of dyslexia and understand the underlying biology. Other disorders such as Specific Language Impairment or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder are commonly linked to dyslexia. Dr Paracchini is looking for possible common genes for these clinically distinct disorders. Her research has the potential to uncover some of the biological mechanisms involved in human...
Professor Sir Andrew McMichael tells us about recent developments in the search for a vaccine against HIV. Prof. Sir Andrew McMichael is working on human immunology and vaccines, first looking at flu virus and now HIV. His current lines of research include analysing early molecular events in HIV infection, T cell immune response to HIV and the use of vaccination to control HIV infection.
Dr Bee Wee tells us about Palliative Care in Oxford and her research on end of life care and fatigue. Dr Bee Wee is the Head of Palliative Care Research and Development, based at Sir Michael Sobell House in Oxford. Her current lines of research include End of life care for people with incurable cancer and advanced non-malignant disease, Symptom management and Rehabilitation.
Professor Kevin Marsh tells us about his research on Tropical Medicine in Kenya. Prof. Kevin Marsh has a broad research interest in child health in the tropics, with a particular focus in the immune epidemiology of malaria. Prof. Marsh is director of the KEMRI Wellcome Programme in Kenya; he also coordinates the malaria immunology group within the programme.
Professor Yvonne Jones talks about cell-cell communication and how this can help us develop new drugs. Prof. Yvonne Jones is director of the Cancer Research UK Receptor Structure Research Group. Her research focuses on the structural biology of cell surface recognition and signalling complexes. Receptors embedded in the surface are potential targets for therapeutic intervention in many diseases including cancer.
Professor Fredrik Karpe explores the links between obesity and diabetes. Prof. Fredrik Karpe initiated the Oxford Biobank for prospective genetic epidemiological research. Integrative physiological and genomic approaches are used to study lipid and carbohydrate metabolism. Prof. Karpe also studies the links between obesity, insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease.
Dr Benedikt Kessler tells us how proteomics helps find biomarkers. In most living organisms, the ubiquitin-proteasome system is responsible for the degradation of proteins, either because they're damaged or they reach the end of their life span. Ubiquitin marks a protein for elimination. Alterations in this process are responsible for many human diseases. Dr Benedikt Kessler studies the role of deubiquitylating enzymes that remove ubiquitin from substrate proteins.
Professor Tim Key tells us about the role of life style and diet in the development of cancer. Prof. Tim Key is interested in the role of diet and hormones in the development of cancer, particularly cancers of the breast, prostate and bowel. Prof. Key is the principal investigator of the EPIC-Oxford cohort of sixty thousand participants, for various studies on cancer, hormones and nutrition.
Dr Katja Simon tells us about her research on autophagy in red blood cells. Autophagy is the cellular process in which cells degrade their toxic waste and damaged organelles. Dr Katja Simon studies how the lack of autophagy seems to trigger DNA mutations and the development of leukemic cells. This might help us make better use of current therapies and develop new ones.
Dr Paul Bowness tells us about his work on spondyloarthritis. Dr Paul Bownessis works on Ankylosing Spondylitis, the commonest form of spondyloarthritis. This rheumatic disease seems to be caused by an overacting immune system. It has a major genetic component: at least 5-10 genes are known to contribute the disease, with HLA-B27 being by far the most important. Dr Bowness studies how these genes work in the immune systems of both healthy people and patients with arthritis.
Dr Cecilia Lindgren explores the links between obesity and genetics. Obesity and its consequences are major and growing challenges for health care worldwide. Over 30 genes associated with body mass index have now been identified. Dr Cecilia Lindgren uses genetic and genomic approaches to better understand the underlying mechanisms and pathways involved in the regulation of overall energy balance.
Dr Hal Drakesmith tells us how his work on iron availability can help us fight infections. Iron plays essential biochemical roles in oxygen binding, ATP synthesis and DNA metabolism. The level of iron available in different tissues is controlled by the small peptide hormone hepcidin. Dr Hal Drakesmith studies how hepcidin is modulated during infections, since iron availability plays an important role in the course of major infectious diseases such as HIV, malaria and Hepatitis C. Genetic variati...
Dr Helen McShane has been working on a new TB vaccine for 10 years. She explains why developing countries are especially in need of a new vaccine since HIV and TB epidemics overlap and show a devastating synergy. There are about 9 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths every year from tuberculosis. Dr Helen McShane developed MVA85A, a vaccine with the aim to boost the cellular immune response induced by BCG. BCG, now over 100 years old, remains the only licensed vaccine against Tuberculosis. I...
