Annual Research Institutes Reports
Download 2.58 Mb.
|
- Navigate this page:
- Research Projects
Research ActivityMuscle Cellular and Molecular Physiology This research group was new to the Institute and University in 2009 after Professor Mark Lewis moved to the University after 15 years being based in biomedical departments. Within a month of his arrival, the great news arrived that Professor Lewis has been awarded a £0.5 million grant that is to develop a model of “laboratory muscle” that can be stimulated (exercised) like a human being. The grant was awarded by the NC3Rs, a Research Council UK group. The group is now applying this expertise and knowledge to questions relevant to the physiology of human exercise. A major component of the NC3Rs grant was to employ a Post-Doctoral Research Assistant and the group was joined in March 2010 by Dr Samantha Passey. After 4 months of planning, the tissue culture facilities opened for business at the beginning of February 2010. The group was joined in September 2009 by University Bursary PhD students Darren Player (How can 3D-bioengineered skeletal muscle be used in sports performance research?) and Neil Martin (Satellite cell activation and its role in resistance training) and in January 2010 by University Bursary PhD student Paul Davies (Molecular mechanisms underlying deterioration of muscle performance with age). Neil and Darren are being supervised by Professor Mark Lewis and Dr Paul Castle whilst Paul is being supervised by Mark and Dr Nick Sculthorpe. In addition, James Tuttle (Contribution of Heat and Mechanical Stress to Heat Shock Protein gene expression) started his PhD in December 2009; his project is collaboration between this research group and Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology. His supervisors are Dr Paul Castle and Mark Lewis. To complete the picture, Krishan Vishnolia (Development and characterisation of a 3D culture system for fish muscle cells to investigate their adaptability to different environmental stresses) and Hossam Ali (Effect of different types of physical exercise on dopamine synthesis in MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s disease) joined as joint students with own Universities LIRANS (Institute of Research into Applied and Natural Sciences). They joined 5 existing PhD students based at UCL where Mark Lewis was appointed as Honorary Professor in October 2009. Two of these UCL students successfully defended their PhD theses in 2010. The group has active collaborations with groups based at UCL, Loughborough University, Cardiff University and University of California, Davis and in this academic year, also developed important links with groups from Cranfield and Chichester Universities. In a busy year of profile raising, the group attended and presented at the annual conferences of the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM; Baltimore, USA), the Tissue and Cell Engineering Society (TCES; Manchester, UK), the Physiological Society (Manchester, UK) and the British Association of Sport and Exercise Sciences (BASES) Main (Glasgow, UK) and Student (Aberystwyth, UK) conferences. Applied Sport and Exercise Physiology The Applied Sport and Exercise Science group have had an exciting last twelve months, delivering research and support work that has had a positive impact on external clients, and made a major contribution to scientific understanding. The recent refurbishment of the heat chamber has enabled team members to work with the Great Britain Disabled Shooting squad, providing them with support for their 2009 World Championships, whilst obtaining unique data on the physiological adaptations of wheelchair athletes to exercise in the heat, which is currently being analysed for future publication. Corporate funding from Maximuscle Ltd has resulted in data which is now being used by the company to support product claims, with an option for future publication. As well as publishing a number of full papers and abstracts in high impact Journals, the team members have also presented at key academic conferences such as the European College of Sports Sciences 2010 Annual Conference, and the 2010 Annual BASES Conference. Physical Activity and Health During 2009-2010 the Physical Activity and Health Research Group were particularly successful in undertaking and developing further research relating to the health of children and adolescents. Firstly, staff and postgraduate students completed a major 2 year intervention study aimed at increasing the physical activity levels of 10-14 year old schoolchildren in Bedfordshire (the Health and Physical Activity Promotion in Youth Study, HAPPY), funded by the Bedford Charity (£84,000 external funding). Some of the early findings from the study were presented at the recent International Congress of Obesity (Stockholm 2010), particularly in relation to the cardiovascular health and potential risk of developing type 2 diabetes, fitness and body composition of the 240 participants. Research was also recently completed to determine the contribution of physical education lessons to moderate and vigorous physical activity levels using objective physical activity monitoring techniques and articles have been submitted to Health Promotion related journals in this field. Both the PE setting research and HAPPY study have included consideration of the psychological determinants of physical activity and such work has recently been presented at the European Health Psychology Conference (Romania 2010), and the Division of Health Psychology Conference (Belfast 2010). Current projects which have attracted external funding (£28,000) include a study to investigate the effectiveness of physical activity and nutritional interventions in overweight post-pubertal adolescents with features of the Metabolic Syndrome. This is in collaboration with the Centre for Obesity Research at Luton and Dunstable Hospital, associated dieticians, and paediatric consultants. Research Projects
Directory: about-us about-us -> Prisoner loan: next-of-kin estimate of monthly income and expenditure about-us -> Optus pre-paid mobile broadband service about-us -> Department of Transport Annual Report 2013-14 about-us -> Optus mobile broadband service about-us -> Optus Pre-Paid Mobile Service Service Description about-us -> Table of Contents 1 Introduction and Background 7 about-us -> Annual Review for 2014 Summary Report about-us -> East Asia regional development cooperation report 2009 October 2010 about-us -> East Asia Regional Organisations and Programs Annual Program Performance Report 2011 Download 2.58 Mb. Share with your friends:
|