Research Plans for 2010-11

Research Plans for 2010-11

LIRANS’ priority for 2010-11 will continue to be the implementation of the Research Strategy (2009-2014). The focus will be on increased bidding activities, increasing research student numbers and sustaining high level of research output and especially publications.

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  Studies for establishment of protocols for in vitro culture of early stage zebrafish ovarian follicles isolated from ovarian masses and within the ovarian fragments will be undertaken. Further studies on cryopreservation of ovarian fragments and impact of cryopreservation protocol at sub-cellular level will be carried out.
  
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  Studies on mitochondria and cytoskeleton proteins interaction have been carried out in zebrafish ovarian follicles. Preliminary results on the effect of cryoprotectants exposure and cryopreservation procedure on zebrafish ovarian fragments have been obtained. Mitochondria function, actin and tubulin interaction were investigated following the exposure to cryoprotectant and cryopreservation. Further studies on cytoskeleton elements interaction will be considered as this information will assist both on the development of in vitro culture protocols and cryopreservation protocols design.
  
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  Studies will be carried out on mtDNA replication analysis of ZF follicles and embryos together with impact of CPAs and chilling on mtDNA replication.
  
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  Studies on the development and cryopreservation of zebrafish stem cell line.
  
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  Development of cryopreservation protocols for coral oocytes.
  
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  The Fish Cryobank – now holds DNA, blood and viable cell/tissue samples from 120 species of fish, with a total of 620 cryopreserved samples. The UK fish collection now holds 107 species and further collections are planned for late 2010 and 2011. Critically endangered species are being collected for ex situ collections in zoos and aquaria as and when they become available.
  

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  Historically, the Sensor Research Group has had very few research students since most of its funding was from industrial contract research that required skilled and experienced staff able to focus on delivery of results to the customer. The group is committed to increasing significantly the number of research students so as to facilitate the production of data that can be submitted to refereed academic journals.
  
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  LIRANS has been collaborating with the National Physical Laboratory’s Biotechnology Unit to develop bioelectrochemical sensor devices. It is an objective to increase this collaboration from one PhD student (current) to two PhD students.
  
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  LIRANS is forging links with local and international businesses to increase its research and consultancy activities in areas of sensors and measurement.
  
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  The group will continue to make time and other resources available in order to make the ultra-high performance liquid chromatograph and materials characterisation confocal microscope available to generate new funding streams via LIRANS Services.
  
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  Exploitation of bacterial and algal biosensors for monitoring urban river water quality and waste water treatment plant discharges.
  
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  Design and development of sensors for monitoring phase changes (including glass formation) during cooling of media and biological material to -196°C, and during warming/thaw.
  

Biomedicine and Nutrition Research Group

In addition to each member of staff developing further their own research initiatives and collaborations, in the year ahead we must aim to consolidate and expand research income. As part of this effort we must define a limited number of key research projects to provide a greater focus for our researcher staff in Biomedical Science. The first of these areas will be Diabetes where we are able to model aspects of this disease at a cellular and molecular level in vitro using cell culture and could begin to examine changes using molecular, proteomic and metabonomic approaches. Our expertise in neuronal cell death and muscle cell biology is highly relevant to the study of Diabetic Neuropathy (nerve death) where prolonged periods of high blood glucose damage the nerves such as those that allow us to feel pain leading to leg ulcers, problems with the digestive system, eyesight and impotence. Finally, diabetes is the leading risk factor for chronic kidney disease another area of research expertise within our team. Given that complications from diabetes manifest in the elderly and with a progressively longer life expectance in the Western world, the demand to identify novel therapeutic strategies to improve control of blood sugar and limit complications such as Diabetic Neuropathy and Diabetic Nephropathy will markedly increase.

Environmental Monitoring Research Group

Research Plans 2010-11

To undertake a field research survey on Mount Etna in September 2010 collecting data on the impact and response to the 19^th century eruptions of Mount Etna (funded by British Academy). It is intended to finish the research in 2011 and submit for publication (in collaboration with University of Liverpool). It is intended to bid for funding to Treaty of Windsor and EU in partnership with Universities of Azores and Liverpool to continue research in the field of human responses to volcanic eruptions.
Research degrees awarded

Name	Degree	Mode	Reg.	Sub.	Viva	Date of Award	Time to Sub.	Total Time	Title of thesis
Sandra Wilsher	PhD (P)	PT	18-Jul-08	21-Jul-09	30-Jul-09	02-Sep-09	12m	14m	Studies in Equine Reproduction
Yurong Ding	PhD	FT	01-Jun-05	02-Jun-09	19-Aug-09	25-Sep-09	48m	52m	Development of whole-cell based biosensor technique for assessment of bioavailablility and toxicity of heavy metals in soils.
Yuanyang Wang	MSc	FT	03-Jan-08	01-Jul-09	18-Aug-09	21-Oct-09	18m	22m	Electrochemical determination of silver sold for sensor development

Current Research degree programs

Reg No	Surname	First Name	Other name	Institute	Dir of studies	mode	degree
99145633	AHMED	Raju		ANS	Prof Tiantian Zhang	FT	M/P
0607617	AL GHASYAH DHANHANI	Hamdan	Ahmed	ANS	Prof Angus Duncan	FT	M/P
0613274	ALI*	Hossam	El Din	ANS	Prof Mark Lewis,	FT	PhD
0821672	ANIL	Siji		ANS	Prof Tiantian Zhang	PT	M/P
0921423	BADIU	Diana		ANS	Prof Tiantian Zhang	FT	M/P
0414888	CHAUDHRY	Zohara	Latif	ANS	Dr Bushra Ahmed	FT	M/P
0821673	DESAI	Kunjan		ANS	Prof Tiantian Zhang	PT	M/P
0818529	JAHANGIR	Jahanbeen		ANS	Prof David Rawson	FT	M/P
0821306	KUMARSWAMI	Neelam		ANS	Dr Barry Haggett	FT	M/P
0922697	PATRONCINI	Deborah		ANS	Prof David Rawson	FT	M/P
0925523	SALAVATI	Mazdak		ANS	Dr Fataneh Ghafari	FT	M/P
0900673	VISHNOLIA	Krishan		ANS	Dr Emma Spikings	FT	M/P
0924474	YANG	Henian		ANS	Dr Shaobo Zhou	FT	M/P

*Student also based in ISPAR
Prof Tiantian Zhang

Director of LIRANS

Sept 2010

Institute of Applied Social Research

Annual Research Report 2009 - 2010

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