celebrating pgr excellence

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News from Cardiff University’sSchool of Medicine

Newyddion o’r Ysgol Feddygaeth,Prifysgol Caerdydd

DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE

DEVELOPING AN INTERNATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC STANDARD FOR HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS

CELEBRATING PGR EXCELLENCE

INSIDE:

EDITION 19 - MAY 2015


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The end of last year saw the launch of ‘MEDIC Forward’, our five-stage transformation project. The project is currently progressing through a formal consultation phase and will, ultimately, ensure we are positioned to become a sustained presence amongst the top 10 Schools of Medicine in the UK. When the MEDIC Forward Project is nearing completion, an overview of the new structure will be reported in ReMEDy.

This research themed edition, however, provides many recent highlights from the School. The main feature celebrates the achievements of our postgraduate research students and recognises the valued contribution that they make to the School’s research, teaching and engagement activity.

This edition’s ‘Making an Impact’ story highlights the work of the viral immunology group and particularly the exciting cloning research carried out by the team on the complex cytomegalovirus, paving the way for the development of new treatments and the saving of lives worldwide.

The ‘Meet the Team’ feature provides an interesting insight into the work of the Cardiff Lipidomic Group led by Professor Valerie O’Donnell. Valerie is also Co-Director of the recently announced Systems Immunity University Research Institute that aims to develop

novel treatments for inflammatory and infectious disorders.

Other features include news of the funding renewal for the MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics, Wales’ first MRC centre, looking to inform new and better treatments for mental health conditions. We also learn how Cardiff came to host the prestigious National Student Association of Medical Research Conference here at the School of Medicine in March.

Finally, I wish to add my congratulations to everyone involved in the successful SURGAM event run earlier this year and highlighted in the C21 update below. Particular congratulations go to my colleague Professor Helen Houston who received the Lifetime Achievement Award at this event.

Professor John BlighDean, School of Medicine

February saw the official opening of the new undergraduate medical education centre at the Keir Hardie Medical Park in Merthyr Tydfil. This state-of-the-art (£2.8m) development will be the cornerstone of Cardiff students’ community learning focus. The centre was opened by Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford and Education Minister Huw Lewis and will support between 60 and 90 medical students each week from Cardiff School of Medicine as they train in Cwm Taf University Health Board.

It was great to see the exceptional achievements of our students being recognised at our annual celebration event this year. The event, renamed “Surgam” (Latin for ‘I Shall Rise’) again celebrated the achievements of our students (and staff) in both curriculum performance and their extra-curricular

activities. From running a Kenyan orphanage to coordinating a national audit, Cardiff students continue to make contributions to patients and to society. Academic excellence was also celebrated. The event was well received with both students and staff commenting on its success in driving and recognising achievement.

“Excellence is alive and well and living in Wales” “….a fantastic advert for our students (and staff), I was genuinely impressed by their drive, determination, compassion, intelligence and maturity …you are a credit to yourselves and the School!”

A Year 3 student commented: “My personal highlight was to see staff and students celebrated together as equals. Medicine has a strict hierarchy that means we often see others as being either below or above us, but Surgam helped to demonstrate the human factor, break some of these barriers

down in order for us to collectively celebrate achievements. Surgam shows that, in the end, we all just want to make excellent doctors.”

The achievements of the former Dean of Medical Education, Professor Helen Houston were recognised with a Lifetime Achievement Award. Excellence in Teaching awards were also made to staff and students.

Professor Helen Houston receiving her Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015 Surgam event.

C21 UPDATE

Welcome to the nineteenth edition of ReMEDy

WELCOME


VISIT US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UKCONTACT US: 02920 746735

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Researchers in Cardiff School of Medicine, (Professor Gavin Wilkinson, Dr Richard Stanton, Dr Peter Tomasec, Dr Eddie Wang and Dr Ian Humphreys) along with collaborators, have developed the first international diagnostic standard for a virus that causes significant disease in newborns, transplant patients, and patients with HIV.

Human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) is a persistent human herpes virus. Most people will be infected at some point in their life, but as long as they remain healthy, the virus rarely causes disease. However if their immune system is weakened (e.g. during transplants), then HCMV can cause disease such as pneumonitis, hepatitis, retinitis, graft failure and opportunistic fungal and bacterial infections. The virus is also the leading infectious cause of congenital malformation. If caught by a mother during pregnancy, it can cause deafness, blindness, mental retardation and even death of the fetus. Over 1,000 babies are affected by HCMV every year in the UK – more than Down’s syndrome or foetal alcohol syndrome.

When monitoring and diagnosing HCMV, accurate measurement of viral load is critical for patient management. It is therefore important that all tests are evaluated against a consistent standard. However HCMV is unusual for a DNA virus in that clinical viruses always mutate when they are grown in the lab. As a result the viruses that are used by researchers to develop badly-needed diagnostic kits, antivirals and vaccines, are very different to those that cause disease. In a programme of work spanning more than 10 years, and with collaborators at Wales Specialist Virology Network and the MRC Centre for Virology, researchers in the School of Medicine have systematically defined the genetic content of the wild type HCMV genome. A virus isolated

by the team in Cardiff (Merlin) has become the prototype HCMV genome worldwide. This work enabled them to develop the first infectious molecular clone of a HCMV genome that accurately represents the causative agent of disease. Ultimately, in a collaboration with the National Institute for Biological Standards, these reagents were used to develop an international standard for HCMV, so that different kits can be accurately compared.

The World Health Organisation (WHO) Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation commented that ‘strain (Merlin) was chosen as it is well-characterised and more likely to represent a clinical virus than other laboratory-adapted strains’ and recommended adoption of the standard following testing in 32 diagnostic, commercial and research laboratories in 14 countries. Professor Gavin Wilkinson, head of the viral immunology labs in Cardiff said ‘In the UK alone over 252,000 CMV tests are carried out annually at over 58 different centres. All of these centres are now using kits from companies such as Roche, Abbott, ABI, Biomerieux, Chiron, and J&J Diagnostics/Amersham, that have been calibrated using our reagents’.

This work has also been crucial to the research community. Over 120 laboratories worldwide are now using these reagents to understand the way that the virus interacts with the immune system, and to develop novel antivirals, vaccines and diagnostics. Multiple high throughput techniques

including ribosome profiling, proteomics and transcriptomics have been used to analyse Merlin in unprecedented detail, revealing fundamental insights into HCMV pathogenesis. This work has become even more important with the recent demonstration that CMV can be used as a powerful vaccine vector against other diseases – in Rhesus macaque models of HIV, Rhesus-CMV vaccine vectors are uniquely capable of protecting against SIV infection. The reagents produced in Cardiff will provide the strong foundation required for this work to progress into humans.

Dr Richard Stanton, lecturer within the viral immunology labs, said: “The combination of experts in immunology, biochemistry, in-vivo systems, molecular biology, cell biology and virology within the viral immunology laboratories, along with national collaborators in genomics, proteomics and diagnostics, puts us in a unique position to generate these reagents, and to exploit them for patient benefit.”

Figure 1. Immuno-electron micrograph of HCMV strain Merlin, with gold particles decorating novel virion envelope glycoproteins.

MAKING AN IMPACT: DEVELOPING AN INTERNATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC STANDARD FOR HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS



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Excess lipids (or fats) cause disease. But it is their signaling functions that most interest the Cardiff Lipidomic Group, led by Valerie O’Donnell, Professor of Biochemistry, which undertakes discovery research into lipids made by vascular cells. They use state-of-the-art mass spectrometry to identify novel lipids, complemented by clinical studies led by Peter Collins, Professor of Haematology. The Group also analyse lipids for outside groups (led by lab manager, Vikki Hammond), and is based in the Institute of Infection and Immunity and the new Systems Immunity University Research Institute, of which Valerie is Co-Director (with Paul Morgan, Director).

Valerie moved to Cardiff on a Wellcome Trust Career Development Fellowship in 1999, to work with Malcolm Lewis. Her first staff members were Marcus Coffey, Stephen Clarke, and Barbara Coles. They determined biological actions of novel nitrolipids contributing to development of CXA-10, an anti-inflammatory agent, in Phase 1b trials. They also characterised new nitric oxide metabolic pathways in vascular systems. Next, Valerie moved to Medical Biochemistry and Immunology, led by Paul Morgan, and on a Wellcome Trust University Award, continued to characterise the role of lipids in vascular inflammation. In 2005, she set up a mass spectrometry facility, which houses three new generation instruments. The Group

numbers 16-18 staff members,and is interdisciplinary including biochemists, computer scientists, cell biologists, chemists, neuroscientist, bioinformatician and clinical academics. From 2007-2012, several new families of lipid were discovered, made by circulating blood cells, termed HETE-PLs. Four research programmes are ongoing, based around characterisation of these and other lipids involved in inflammation.

In 2011, a Wellcome Trust Programme commenced to determine chemical and biological actions of HETE-PLs in cellular and animal models. The lipids are strongly pro-coagulant and bind complement. They are elevated in antiphospholipid syndrome, associated with an immune response to the lipids, and are deficient in surgery-associated bleeding. Additional lipids termed PGE2-PEs and DXA3 were also discovered. DXA3 is made by platelets, and activates white cells. To synthesise lipids, the Group collaborate with Varinder Aggarwal (Bristol). These studies are being undertaken by Sarah Lauder, Maceler Aldrovandi, Christine Hinz, Andrew Watson and David Slatter, with Phil Taylor, Simon Jones, Meike Heurich and Paul Morgan at Cardiff, Bob Murphy, Denver and Larry Marnett, Vanderbilt.

Since HETE-PLs regulate several pro-inflammatory pathways, Valerie decided to research their role in atherosclerosis and in 2013, a BHF Programme was

awarded. Keith Allen-Redpath and Saydul Alam showed that mice deficient in the enzymes that generate HETE-PLs are protected against vascular disease and have altered aortic vasoconstriction, and that the lipids support neutrophil phagocytosis (with Keith Channon, Oxford, David Edwards, Phil Taylor, Stephen Clark).

Lipidomics is a relatively new field, about 10 years behind genomics or proteomics. In 2014, the Group decided to establish new methods to map the platelet lipidome. David Slatter, Madhav Mondhe, Anne O’Connor, Patricia Rodrigues and Jade Hawksworth are working on an ERC Advanced Grant that commenced in February 2015. The idea is to define the total number of unique lipids in mammalian cells and how these vary in health and disease. Over 100 new lipids generated by human platelets have been found, and new links between lipid flux control and mitochondrial metabolism identified. Studies will address links between genotype and lipids in atherosclerosis and dementia with Steve Humphreys, UCL and Julie Williams, Cardiff, and determine immune cell lipidomes during differentiation (Phil Taylor, Cardiff, Frederic Geissmann, KCL). Central to this is the development of computational/bioinformatic tools, all generated in-house by David Slatter, Chris Brasher, and Stuart Allen, School of Computing and Informatics.

All the lipids discovered by the group are generated by circulating blood cells, which migrate to sites of injury and wounds. This led to the idea that they also act in the skin. An MRC Research Grant was recently awarded, in collaboration with Paul Martin, Vincent Piguet and James Birchall, to allow Chris Thomas to work alongside colleagues in Bristol, Vanderbilt and Cologne to study the skin lipidome and pro-healing biological actions of HETE-PLs and related lipids.

Some recent publications: Friedman-Angeli et al, Nature Cell Biology, 2014, 16, 1180–1191O’Donnell et al, Circ Res 2014, 114, 1185-1203. Thomas et al, Nature Protocols 2014, 9, 51-63Clark et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA, 2013, 110, 5875–5880

MEET THE TEAM: THE CARDIFF LIPIDOMIC GROUP

(From left to right, back to front)

Dr Sarah Lauder, Dr Anne O’Connor,

Miss Patricia Rodrigues, Dr Chris Thomas,

Miss Christine Hinz, Dr Vikki Tyrrell,

Dr Maceler Aldrovandi, Professor Valerie O’Donnell

Dr David Slatter, Dr Saydul Alam,

Miss Jade Hawkesworth, Dr Keith Allen-Redpath.



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MRC CENTRE RENEWAL TO ‘NURTURE NEXT GENERATION OF WORLD-LEADING WELSH SCIENTISTS’

A School of Medicine research centre examining the genetics of mental illness will ‘nurture the next generation of world-leading scientists’, according to its director

Professor Sir Michael Owen, after receiving renewed funding from the Medical Research Council (MRC).

The MRC Centre for Neuropsychiatric Genetics and Genomics (MRC CNGG), based at the University’s flagship Hadyn Ellis Building, has secured additional funding for the next five years.

MRC CNGG, which was Wales’ first MRC centre, hosts some of the world’s leading experts researching psychiatric disorders

like bipolar disorder and schizophrenia, and neurodegenerative disorders

such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s.

“We are delighted to have secured funding renewal from the MRC to continue our vital work. This is a vote of confidence in the work we’ve done so far and the work we are doing to help facilitate the advancement of our scientists” said Professor Sir Michael Owen.

“We use the latest advances in genetics to understand what puts people at risk of brain disorders, before bringing to bear cutting edge epidemiology and neuroscience to work out exactly how genes affect the operation of the brain.

“Ultimately, this will allow researchers to build up enough knowledge to inform new and better treatments for mental health conditions, which can affect as many as 16 million people in the UK at any one time,” he adds.

Another key element of the work of the MRC Centre is to support its emerging researchers.

Bursaries from the MRC and Cardiff University provide young researchers with the means to develop innovative new ways of treating and diagnosing mental health disorders for the future.

“Being able to encourage, support and nurture is crucial if we are to produce world-leading scientists here at Cardiff,” Professor Owen added.



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PGR INVESTMENT DELIVERS EXCELLENCECardiff School of Medicine is committed to equipping its postgraduate research (PGR) students with the highest quality of provision in the pursuit of excellence in the biomedical sciences and clinical research. The School’s core research themes align with the interests of the NHS and reflect the healthcare needs and priorities of our society. Through PGR, the School aims to connect the brightest minds to help find innovative solutions to the world’s greatest health challenges.

At present, the School’s current postgraduate research community totals 306, with 32% of these coming from outside of the UK. In recent years, the School has achieved record admissions. So far, this academic year, the School has registered 51 PGR students compared with a total of 49 in academic year 2013/14. This positions the School on track for achieving Cardiff University targets to increase PGR student numbers by 30% and a 95% submission rate, currently 89%, by 2017.

The School places huge importance on providing a fantastic learning and training environment, effective mentorship and excellent supervision. Our academics prove that they are highly effective at competing nationally for postgraduate research studentships and the School itself invests in 6 studentships every year. In the most recent Postgraduate Research Experience Survey (PRES), 96% stated they were happy with the training received and the 2014 MEDIC PGR Survey highlights that 88.4 % rated the quality of their supervision as very good or excellent. Indeed, equipped with cutting-edge knowledge, as well as novel and innovative transferable skills, Cardiff School of Medicine PGR students are highly employable for a wide range of careers in, for example, academia, healthcare, industry and other related sectors. A recent next destination survey of Research Degree students, confirms

that 92% of students successfully found employment at the end of their postgraduate training, evidencing how competitive our PGR students are in the job market.

It is recognised that the PGR community not only plays a huge role in contributing to the School’s world class research but it effectively enhances on a more broader scale the School’s clinical innovation, teaching and learning and engagement activity. PGR students within the School play an active role in shaping their research environment and through an engaged and active PGR Committee

contribute a key role in developing a strong and vibrant programme of events including a hugely successful postgraduate research day. This event organised by PGR students for PGR students provides students with the opportunity to present their work to peers in a ‘friendly’ context, to hear inspiring keynote lectures and network with colleagues from across the School of Medicine. In December 2014, this event celebrated its 29th Anniversary with over 200 attendees, industry sponsorship and a keynote lecture delivered by Professor David Colquhoun on the ‘Miscommunication of Science’.

Here we celebrate the Research achievements of some of our PGR stars:

• On completion of his study of the renewal and genetic control of tissue macrophages, PhD student, Luke Davies, won a prestigious

Denitza Williams developed this intervention to help encourage women to HPV self-sample, should this method be incorporated into the cervical screening programme. Denitza is a final year PhD student, supervised by Dr Kate Brain, Professor Alison Fiander and Dr Myfanwy Davies.

This image by Richard Wheat, 3rd year PhD student, supervised by Professor Paul Morgan and Dr Tim Hughes, depicts the basic neural architecture of the cerebellum and was acquired to identify and quantify one of the major pathological features of multiple sclerosis.

The image shown on the front cover of this edition of ReMEDy is by Floriam Madura PhD, supervised by Professor Andy Sewell. This image made it onto the front cover of the European Journal of Immunology and now its found its way onto ReMEDy.

The details behind the image can be found in the published paper: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/25471691



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HPVSELF-SAMPLING

The instructions in your HPV self-sampling kit will show you how to

do HPV self-sampling.

This guide will help you understand what HPV self-sampling is and howeasy it is for you to do.

Your

kit

99 OUT OF 100WOMEN CAN DO HPV

SELF-SAMPLING PROPERLY

Sources of information | [1 ]Rijkaart DC, Berkhof J, Rozendaal L, et al. Human papillomavirus testing for the detection of high-grade cervical intraepithelial neoplasia and cancer: final results of the POBASCAM randomised controlled trial. Lancet Oncol 2012; 13:78–88. [2]* Szarewski, A., et al., HPV self-sampling as an alternative strategy in nonattenders for cervical screening - a randomised controlled trial. British Journal of Cancer, 2011. 104(6): p. 915-92

If you have been affected by cervical cancer and would like to talk to a charity, please contact Jo’s Trust on 0808 8028000

Please ring (Relevant phone number)This leaflet was developed by researchers at the School of Medicine in Cardiff University, with help from Cervical Screening Wales and women living in South Wales.

Do you have any more questions about HPV self- sampling?

Most women worry that they will not be able to do HPV self-sampling properly or that they will miss something. Research has found that 99 out of 100 women are able to do self-sampling properly. You can do it.

Miriam’s worry: Doing HPVself-sampling properly

So I received one of those self-sampling

kits in the post yesterday.

The people testing the kit would tell you if you did it wrong, and I don’t think you could miss anything if you followthe instructions.

I had mine a while a go, thought it was really easy, no trying to get a doctors appointment or finding someone to watch the kids.

I’m not sure, I’m worried that I could miss something when doing it. I don’t know if I could trust the result.

99/100

Do not worry! They are

sending me another kit.



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Wellcome Trust Postdoctoral Fellowship. While completing his PhD, Luke successfully published his work in 7 publications and attained first authorships in Nature Communications, European Journal of Immunology and more recently in Science. He was a Cardiff ‘125 for 125 scholar’ and won an MRC Centenary Award during his PhD to spend 6 months setting up novel methodologies. Luke will continue to use these methodologies during his postdoctoral fellowship where he will continue to work with macrophages and branch out into his own area of interest.

• James Pearson, a diabetes research student working in Professor Susan Wong’s laboratory, doing a PhD entitled “Analysis of the repertoire of insulin-reactive CD8 T cells in type 1 diabetes” has won a Diabetes UK Fulbright award, which will continue to build on his research experience and focus on the gut microbiome in type 1 diabetes. James also recently won the Raising Awareness award at the Diabetes UK Cymru National Inspire Awards, recognising James’ engagement work with the charity’s local group in the Vale of Glamorgan.

• Gabrielle Stack, who was recently awarded her PhD, is the creator of the striking blue image shown

here. Gabby worked in Dr Ian Humphreys’ laboratory which investigates how infections spread.Many viruses spread from person to person through mucosal secretions including saliva. One such virus is cytomegalovirus – a pathogen that causes congenital birth defects and can lead to severe diseases in

immune-suppressed individuals. Gabby’s thesis documented how cytomegalovirus “hides’ in the salivary glands, and she discovered that CD200 receptor dampens down immune control of cytomegalovirus infection within this site. In the image featured, Gabby noticed that blood vessels expressing CD200 (red) surrounded the (green) epithelial cells in which the virus grows. Therefore this picture suggests that immune cells travelling to infected cells to fight infection may be switched off by CD200. Gabby’s data suggest that cytomegalovirus exploits this regulation to enable it to persist within the salivary gland, allowing the virus to spread through saliva. These findings imply that targeting the CD200 receptor pathway in immunisation strategies may improve mucosal immune responses induced by vaccines and subsequently reduce the spread of harmful viruses like cytomegalovirus through saliva and other mucosal secretions. Using her knowledge of infection models, Gabby has now moved to Yale University, USA to one of the world’s leading laboratories in salmonella research.

TEACHING - PGR students are invited and trained to deliver teaching in the form of tutorials and laboratory-based sessions as part of the Research Experience Student Selected Component for Year 1 undergraduate medical students. This provides an excellent development opportunity for PGR students and in recognition of this invaluable contribution; the School invests in an annual Dean’s Prize. This prize is available to PGR students applying for HEA Associate membership. A maximum of 10 £100 prizes are awarded to cover the membership application fee. All PGR students undertaking teaching within the MB BCh C21 programme are eligible to apply and have the opportunity to highlight additional teaching roles within the application.

ENGAGEMENT - PGR students also support the running of many of the School’s flagship engagement events including Science in Health Live, the

Life Sciences Challenge Quiz and the Laboratory work experience scheme. In this year’s Science in Health Live event, PGR students held talks and workshops to prospective students providing an understanding of the different careers available within the School. Christine Hinz, second year PhD in the Lipidomics group said: “It was the first time for me volunteering at the event. It was a great experience and I enjoyed it a lot. The demonstrations were based on my current work and general laboratory methods. I wanted to show how topics the students learn in school relate and are utilised in research in a bigger approach. To make the demonstration more interesting I compared some laboratory techniques with experiments the students do in school, e.g. paper chromatography and HPLC (high pressure liquid chromatography). I also tried to visualise theoretical topics by showing cultured white blood cells under the microscope.”

At the 2015 MedWales event, 3 PGR students, Carmen Bedford, Hester Nichols and Richard Wheat (photographed above) provided hands on and interactive experience of different technologies such as fluorescent microscopy and flow cytometry as well as an understanding of the practical applications of these technologies. The School will now build on these solid PGR foundations and continue to invest in fostering a community of highly employable PGR students, supported by high quality supervision within an exceptional training environment. The benefits of doing so are clear for everyone to see.

For further information about PGR at Cardiff School of Medicine please visit the following web link: http://medicine.cf.ac.uk/pgr/



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MEDIC ISMAKING an IMPACT

1Maia Tanner, 5th year student, receives special mention at recent SURGAM event

in recognition of her exceptional dedication to patient care and welfareWhilst on placement at Bronyffynnon Surgery in Denbigh Maia spent time with a local MacMillan nurse and visited an elderly, vulnerable lady who lived alone. Unprompted, Maia stayed with this lady all afternoon and evening until she was finally collected by an ambulance at 8pm. In the interim Maia made this lady a meal and packed her hospital bags. Dr Dyfan Jones, from the surgery, wrote in a letter to Professor Bligh that Maia’s actions went “well above and beyond anything I would expect from any GP, GP trainee or F2 doctor on the staff, let alone a medical student.”

2 Type 1 diabetes vaccine possible “within a generation”Research led by scientists from

Cardiff University School of Medicine, King’s College London and Imperial College London could produce the first working vaccines within the next 10 years. This work is funded by Diabetes UK with support from Tesco and co-funding from JDRF. Professor Colin Dayan said: “This funding has already led to a bold new collaboration between UK diabetes scientists and will provide an immense boost for this field as we work towards new clinical trials and a step change in our ability to halt the loss of insulin in Type 1 diabetes.

“Within a year or two we will see results from studies of more than six potential treatments and within ten years we expect to see the first vaccine therapies delivered to patients in the clinic.”

3 Butterfly effect and computer simulation pave the way for heart disease prediction

In the UK, over a million people live with an arrhythmia, which if left untreated may lead to more serious problems. Research conducted by scientists from Cardiff and Swansea Universities is using the principles of the butterfly effect and computer simulation to explore new ways of predicting and controlling the beginnings of heart disease.

Dr Christopher George describes healthy hearts as being totally dependent on the synchronisation of huge networks of cells working together for a common purpose, while disease, he says, can be defined as a progressive loss of synchronicity whereby communication between individual cells breaks down. Dr George goes on to say that because of a deep understanding of the mechanisms through which synchronisation is lost, “there are points along the way at which it is possible to halt, or reverse, this de-synchronisation.” This in turn could lead to the development of new ways to delay the onset of heart disease in patients.

4Wales Centre for Primary and Emergency Care Research: PRIME Centre Wales

Professor Adrian Edwards, Cochrane Institute of Primary Care and Public Health, along with partners Professors Richard Neal (Bangor University), Helen Snooks (Swansea University), and Joyce Kenkre (University of South Wales) have been awarded £2.7M by NISCHR to lead a new Centre for Primary and Emergency Care Research: PRIME Centre Wales. The Centre will build on the work of the Wales School for Primary Care Research (WSPCR) and the Thematic Research Network for emergency, UnScheduled and Trauma Care (TRUST). The Centre launched in April, and has funding in place for 3 years.

The School of Medicine has

a successful track record

of contributing to society

through its Research,

Learning and Teaching, and

Innovation and Engagement

activity. Efforts by many

staff and students highlight a

rich variety of ways in which

the School is engaging and

benefiting society. Here are

just ten recent examples:



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5 New medical education and training centre opens at Keir Hardie University Health Park

Health and Social Services Minister Mark Drakeford and Education Minister Huw Lewis earlier this year officially opened a new centre, which will support between 60 and 90 medical students each week from Cardiff University School of Medicine as they train in Cwm Taf University Health Board.

Professor John Bligh, Dean of the School of Medicine said: “This teaching centre, right in the heart of South East Wales, is a symbol of the growing partnership between Cardiff University and the NHS in Wales.

Training medical students and young doctors in the environment where they are going to work is motivating, engaging, and above all, deeply effective in recruiting qualified doctors and healthcare professionals.”

6 Student innovative project wins first prize at Cardiff NHS Hack Day

Yousef Ibrahim and Ben Sharif, 5th year medical students, won first prize at Cardiff’s NHS Hack Day earlier this year. Their project, Medboard, was a very practical solution to a specific problem – how do students get to sign up to informal practical / theatre sessions with doctors and surgeons? The solution was essentially a booking and tracking system that pretty much nailed the requirements.

Ben and Yousef are pictured here with James Morgan, Professor in Ophthalmology, Consultant Ophthalmologist and Dr Anne-Marie Cunningham, GP, clinical lecturer and organiser of Cardiff NHS Hack Day.

7Towards more targeted cancer vaccinesResearchers at the School have

collaborated with Diamond Light Source, to generate beams of electromagnetic radiation to visualise for the first time how T-Cells (a type of white blood cells) interact with skin cancer cells, paving the way for the development of more accurate cancer vaccines.

“Visualising receptor molecules is vital to understanding how they work,” said lead researcher Dr David Cole. “Although our results are really important for understanding how T-cells see skin cancer, they also tell us something new about the flexible nature of the T-cell antigen receptor and its exquisite accuracy. We hope that understanding these mechanisms will also have far reaching implications for diseases other than cancer.”

8 Systems Immunity University Research Institute (URI) is launched

This new Research Institute draws together knowledge and research expertise from across the University to develop and apply new ways of studying the body’s immune system with the ultimate aim of developing novel treatments for inflammatory and infectious disorders.

Professor Paul Morgan, Director of the Systems Immunity URI, said: “The failure to regulate inflammation and its transition into chronic diseases like arthritis, dementia and macular degeneration represents one of the largest health challenges in the developed world.

“The new Institute will address this challenge by taking a systems

approach to the immune system using large populations and datasets and applying mathematical and statistical methodologies to better understand the highly interactive systems network that is immunity.”

9The UK Dementias Platform UK receives a total of £53M in funding

The Dementias Platform UK was created in June 2014, following £16m of funding, primarily from the Medical Research Council. In October 2014 a further £37m was awarded to the project through the Clinical Research Infrastructure Initiative. This money will be used to establish three dementias Networks across the UK – Imaging, Informatics and Stem Cells. The networks are striving to raise standards, reduce costs and deliver innovative and coordinated research, making the UK an internationally unique place to study dementia. As part of these plans, Cardiff University will receive almost £2m to refurbish their labs and purchase MR scanners to be used in dementia research. This will form part of the University’s CUBRIC (Cardiff University’s Brain Research Imaging Centre) project, which will open in spring 2016.

1 Python Namibia 2015Brought together international users of this

free open source software to share ideas and help support participants to develop the software for their own and for their country’s needs.

Python Namibia is part of The Phoenix Project, a major initiative between Cardiff University and the University of Namibia. Professor Judith Hall who is leading The Phoenix Project, said: “Cardiff University is working with the University of Namibia to help develop expertise in this field.

“It offers Namibia the opportunity to enter an international community of free software writing that avoids the need to buy in expensive consultants.

“It allows Namibia to develop its own talent and participate on an equal footing with international partners.”



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Dr Duncan AzzopardiMEDIC people

WHAT DO YOU LISTEN TO FIRST THING IN THE MORNING? AB Chris Evans on Radio 2 always puts a smile on my face, apparently I’m too old for Radio 1 now!JW ‘Today’ on Radio 4.DA Usually the sound of my dog’s paws hitting my face telling me I’m late for our 6am walk - BBC Radio 2 Breakfast Show after that.RN The sound of cars and ambulances; I live close to a highway!

AS A CHILD WHAT DID YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GREW UP? AB I always wanted to be in a West End show, the Lion King was my favourite but I’d have taken any! My complete lack of singing ability soon put an end to that dream though!JW I am told I always wanted to be a soldier and a doctor!!

DA Up until Sixth Form College I wanted to be a Vet. I then realised I didn’t actually like farms and work experience at an inner city vet surgery highlighted the endless spaying and neutering that went on and I soon fell out of love with the profession.RN Both my parents are doctors, so I was exposed to the world of medicine from a young age; can’t remember a time when I didn’t want to become a doctor!

WHO ARE YOUR HEROES AND VILLAINS? AB I can’t think of any villains but there are a lot of people I admire for doing amazing things in the face of adversity. One example is Jane Tomlinson who raised nearly £2 million for charity by completing marathons, triathlons, long-distance cycles and a full ironman despite battling terminal cancer.

JW Presently ISIS! I don’t ‘do’ heroes!DA Heroes- the older I get the more I realise how hard working my parents are. They emigrated here from Malta in the early 80’s, managed to secure jobs and raise 3 children at a very young age! I don’t think I have any villains apart from the annoying cats that foul my garden (ALL THE TIME).RN My hero is my mum, and my villain is my sister. Just kidding, I love that girl!

IF YOU COULD CHANGE ONE THING WHAT WOULD IT BE? AB Make healthcare free across the world.JW Get all Faiths to live peaceably together.DA Gabalfa Roundabout – I’d either get rid of it or make it a nicer experience for all.RN Gosh, there are so many things I would like to change… But one thing is for physical, emotional and psychological abuse, against anyone, to stop.

WHAT IS YOUR SECRET AMBITION? (JUST BETWEEN US) AB To visit every continent.JW Two: One is to be able to sing with my Choirs until I ‘drop in my tracks’.The other is to make a success of my new job as sub-editor of the Retired

I AM THE RESEARCH STRATEGY CO-ORDINATOR FOR THE SCHOOL AND I’M INVOLVED WITH THE DAY-TO-DAY RUNNING OF THE RESEARCH OFFICE, AS WELL AS CO-ORDINATING WIDER STRATEGIC INITIATIVES WITHIN THE SCHOOL.

I AM CURRENTLY IN THE FIRST YEAR OF MY PHD WITHIN THE INSTITUTE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE

AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE (IPMCN). I AM RESEARCHING THE GENETICS OF ALZHEIMER’S DISEASE

USING PATIENT-DERIVED STEM CELL MODELS.

Anna Burt

REMEDY TALKS TO JACK WINGFIELD, ALUMNUS; REBECCA NACHIAPPAN, UNDERGRADUATE STUDENT; ANNA BURT, POSTGRADUATE STUDENT AND DUNCAN AZZOPARDI, MEMBER OF STAFF, TO ASK THE QUESTIONS WE LOVE TO KNOW THE ANSWERS TO!



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Fellows and Members Section of the Magazine of the Royal College of Obstetricians & Gynaecologists.DA To fly again! Up until a year ago I regularly attended Flying Trapeze lessons at NoFit State Circus in town but had to take time out because of an injury. I haven’t been back since but I’d love to get back into it!RN To cook better, to have a dog and to be happy with the people I love. Nothing scandalous!

WHAT DOES THE SCHOOL OF MEDICINE NEED MORE OF? AB Communication between research institutes, particularly between students.JW I won’t know until I have interviewed the Dean of Medicical Education (Professor Nick Topley) on 23rd April.DA Face-to-face communication!RN Motivated, enthusiastic students who will make wonderful doctors. Oh wait, Cardiff University already has those!

WHICH BOOK DID YOU RE-READ MOST AS A CHILD? AB I was never really a massive reader, reading a whole book once was quite an achievement let alone re-reading!JW Richmal Crompton’s ‘William’. DA I remember being very fond of George’s Marvellous Medicine.RN All the books in the ‘Harry Potter’ series. I’m a definite Potterhead.

WHICH ONE QUESTION WOULD YOU REALLY LIKE TO KNOW THE ANSWER TO? AB If the universe is expanding, what’s it expanding into?JW What is on the other side of ‘the gate’ before I get there in a few years or so.DA What keeps making my printer jam?RN Why are dogs so adorable? I can’t stop myself from petting one the moment I see it.

HOW DO YOU RELAX? AB Nice hot bath, candles and a glass of wine.

JW What is ‘relaxing’??DA I enjoy walking my dog (he’s a very enthusiastic rescue dog so it can often become more like exercise but that’s ok), going to the gym (if the dog hasn’t worn me out) and red wine and cheese (to justify the gym membership).RN Watching television shows and going geocaching with my partner. If you’re not sure what geocaching is, look it up; it’s amazing!! And, erm, sorry for that promotion, I just really, really love it.

IF YOU COULD TURN THE CLOCK BACK, WHAT WOULD YOU DO DIFFERENTLY? AB I would probably make the most of being a child when life was much easier, I don’t think I fully appreciated it at the time!JW Not to have hurt so many people on the way.DA I’d go back and hire a professional to do the DIY/decorating in my house – aesthetically it’s fine but it’s held together with poly-filler and duct tape.RN Be more accepting of people who are different from me in the choices they’ve made in their lives or their sexual orientation, among other things – I was raised in quite a religious environment, and I didn’t know to think any other way. However, being exposed to other cultures has helped me discard that way of thinking.

WHAT IS YOUR BEST HOLIDAY? AB I love active holidays where you really get to explore a new place. My best holiday has to be skiing though, I’ve been with family and friends since I was very young so it has a lot of great memories.JW That’s simple – Skiing!!!!!DA I’m one of those annoying people, who complain when it’s too hot, or when the beach is too sandy, or when the water is too salty so I’m a big fan of city breaks. Paris and Berlin are two places I’d definitely like to explore again (almost everything to do with food and wine).RN One where I can be surrounded by nature, together with all the people I love. But no mosquitoes.

IT WAS THE WELSH NATIONAL SCHOOL OF MEDICINE IN MY DAY! QUALIFIED IN 1959: JUNIOR

JOBS IN CARDIFF AND THE VALE

OF GLAMORGAN: MIDDLE GRADE

JOBS IN CARDIFF AND LONDON: SENIOR REGISTRAR AT CHARING CROSS AND WEST MIDDLESEX UNIVERSITY HOSPITAL AND FINALLY CONSULTANT OBSTETRICIAN/GYNAECOLOGIST AT THE WEST MID/HON. SENIOR LECTURER CHARING CROSS HOSPITAL. I INTRODUCED FETAL CARDIOTOCOGRAPHY AND INTRAPARTUM MONITORING IN MY UNIT (1970), SET UP THE ULTRASONIC SCANNING UNIT WHEN STUART CAMPBELL (SENIOR LECTURER IN THOSE DAYS) BROUGHT THE TECHNIQUE SOUTH FROM GLASGOW (1973), AND STARTED ONE OF THE EARLIEST ENDOSCOPIC GYNAECOLOGICAL SURGERY UNITS IN LONDON. I RETIRED IN 1997.

HI, I’M REBECCA, AND I AM A THIRD-YEAR MEDICAL STUDENT AT CARDIFF UNIVERSITY. I’M AN INTERNATIONAL STUDENT FROM MALAYSIA, AND AM CURRENTLY UNDERGOING MY ROSS (RHEUMATOLOGY, ORTHOPAEDICS AND SURGICAL SYSTEMS) PLACEMENT AT ROYAL GLAMORGAN HOSPITAL.

Jack Wingfield

Rebecca Nachiappan



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The National Student Association of Medical Research (NSAMR) Conference 2015 was hosted in the Michael Griffith Lecture Theatre on March 7th by the Cardiff University Research Society (CUReS). More than 160 medical students and 6th formers from across the UK participated in the event where 10 oral presentations and 50 posters were presented. Plenary talks were given by Professor Sir Michael Owen from Cardiff University, Dr Christian Subbe from Bangor University and Dr Melissa Ashlock of aTyr Pharma. A range of workshops on topics such as women in medicine, the academic foundation programme and international work opportunities were also made available to attendees.

The prize for best oral presentation was awarded to Anna Littlejohns from Leeds while Samuelle Fajutrao Valles from Manchester won the prize for best poster. The widening participation programme gave 6th formers the opportunity to submit an essay on

Editor: Sarah Hatch, School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XNThe Editor wishes to thank all contributors to this edition of ReMEDy.

The Editor reserves the right to edit contributions received. Whilst care is taken to ensure the accuracy of information, this cannot be guaranteed.

Views expressed in ‘ReMEDy’ do not necessarily reflect those of the School. Feedback and items of interest relating to the School are welcome and should be sent to [email protected]

Cardiff University is a registered charity, no. 1136855 Desig

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the challenges of medicine in 2015 where 60 were selected to attend the conference. Additional workshops were made available to showcase the Cardiff Medical School to potential applicants and provide information on application procedures. Diana Shroff’s essay on the Ebola Crisis won the prize for best submission and was featured in the event programme.

The conference was also livestreamed to 10 other UK medical schools thanks to funding made available through INSPIRE and the medical schools in Bristol, Plymouth and Exeter. Medical students from the collaborating schools were able to vote on oral presentations, ask questions and present e-posters from their location. The selected e-poster winners were Iona Talintyre from Oxford and Victoria Husk from Bristol. The next opportunity to present at a CUReS event will be the annual symposium in October 2015 while the NSAMR 2016 conference will be hosted in Birmingham.

CARDIFF HOSTS NATIONAL MEDICAL STUDENT RESEARCH CONFERENCE

SUPERVISORS NEEDED FOR RESEARCH PROJECTS AND MENTORING

There is a constant need for academics and clinicians to supervise medical students and the Cardiff University Research Society

(CUReS) offers a range of different project types. Research budgets can be tight and adding one or more medical students to ongoing work is a great way to gather and analyse more data. Medical students can run a trial project for the idea you have always wanted to look into, but never had the time or funding to do. Hosting a project or mentoring a student is also a great way to show teaching commitment, obtain additional references or have your research reach wider audiences.

CUReS summer projects run for 4-8 weeks after the end of the academic year and are the best option for having a student attached for a longer period of time. It is also possible to get internal and external funding to cover the student during this time.

CUReS also run short duration projects during the academic year where one or more students can be attached to a project for a few hours per week as needed. This is especially useful if the supervisor works in close proximity to a hospital where students are on placement during years 3-5.

All CUReS project supervisors are given the opportunity to choose the student(s) they want to work on their project. 1-day taster days are offered where potential supervisors can meet multiple students interested in their work. A research-mentoring scheme is also available for students interested in academic medicine. Over the past three years CUReS have helped supervisors find more than 300 students for research projects. Interested? Please submit a project proposal form via the website: http://cures.cardiff.ac.uk For further information please email: [email protected].

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