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Development of the human cell GADD45a assay enabled accurate identification of carcinogens in vitro, with a low rate of misleading positives. Through the spin-out company Gentronix, this research is reducing costs to industry and decreasing the use of animals in research. Industrial collaboration has enabled commercial adoption of the technology in many sectors. With a 10-fold increase in orders in 2012 versus 2008, Gentronix is a profitable business employing 17 people and with an annual turnover of £1.88m. During 2008-12, Gentronix released a series of new products, established testing services, and signed a product license agreement with GlaxoSmithKline. More than 100 companies worldwide are using Gentronix kits, including pharmaceutical, agricultural and health and beauty companies, along with manufacturers of food flavourings and household goods. The Gentronix assay is currently being reviewed by the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods.
African Wild Dogs (Lycaon pictus; referred to as `AWDs' hereafter for brevity) have been classed as endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) for 22 years. Large, well-managed captive breeding programmes provide a safety net to restore wild populations. However, the management of the AWD population has been difficult owing to an incomplete family record of captive AWDs, which risks introducing genetic disorders caused by inbreeding. A genetically informed management plan developed by University of Glasgow researchers has provided a genetic measure of diversity and establishes a genetically informed pedigree, which is used in the European Endangered Species Programme for African Wild Dogs. This has introduced a more informed means to manage the captive AWD population, to maintain the genetic diversity of the species across the European zoo network (roughly half the world's captive AWD population), with 53 zoos in 16 European countries (and Israel) currently participating.
Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a major cause of death in older men, in the UK and elsewhere. A large UK trial led by the University of Cambridge evaluated the long-term benefits of ultrasound screening for AAA in men aged 65-74 years. This provided the basis for the introduction of a UK national AAA screening programme in men aged 65; this was announced in 2008, initiated in 2009, and achieved full coverage of England in 2013. Similar screening has started in Sweden, New Zealand and in parts of Italy, and is being actively discussed in Denmark, Norway and Finland.
Research led by Dr Holmes has identified a novel variant of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in livestock. This represents a previously unidentified reservoir of infection which has had impact on the epidemiology of MRSA and its management. This research also impacts on antibiotic use in agriculture and its role in the emergence of antibiotic resistance. As a consequence of these research findings commercial tests and testing protocols have been developed to detect the new MRSA variant, which are now used widely in clinical settings throughout Europe. The discovery has also been used to inform policy decisions at a governmental level in the USA and Europe.
Research by Marianne Odlyha and her group at the Department of Biological Sciences, Birkbeck, University of London, has led to the development of minimally invasive analytical methods and portable tools (dosimeters) for assessing damage to historical artefacts. These dosimeters are now in use at locations around the world, including the Tate Gallery's store rooms, English Heritage properties (Apsley House) and museums in Ghent, Cracow and Mexico. Methods for assessing damage, and for mitigation of pollutant impact on objects in museum enclosures, have been disseminated to conservation professionals through workshops and training courses held across Europe. The assessment and prevention of damage is vital to conserve the cultural as well as the monetary value of artefacts.
Professor William Stimson has led research into rapid diagnostic tests for the food industry from 1996 to the present day. These tests reduce the time for microbiological testing of food pathogens from 2-5 days to within a working day. The new technology is fully automated, uses less material and involves fewer manipulations than previously available kits, leading to a reduction in cost and time. A spin out company, Solus Scientific Solutions Ltd., has attracted €1.36M EUROSTARS funding for further Research & Development, and has created 24 jobs. Sales of testing kits produced revenue of £3.4 million by year end 2012, and have increased since this date.
Research on clinically important red blood cell membrane proteins has helped avoid unnecessary treatment of Rhesus negative pregnant women and enabled the early diagnosis of a rare kidney disease. During the late 1990s, researchers at the University of Bristol, in collaboration with the Blood Service in Bristol, cloned, sequenced and characterised many red blood cell membrane proteins important for transfusion, including the Rhesus proteins and Band 3/AE1 (SLC4AE1 gene). The work on Rhesus proteins facilitated the use of less invasive genetic screening methods to ascertain whether treatment was required to avoid Haemolytic Disease of the Foetus or Newborn (HDFN). In the UK, 5,000 women have been screened since 2001. Within the first six months of implementation of a Danish national screening program in January 2010, 862 women avoided unnecessary treatment. Reducing unnecessary treatment of mothers has saved resources and avoided unnecessary exposure to human derived blood products. In addition, research that has identified specific SLC4AE1 gene mutations that cause the rare kidney disease called distal renal tubular acidosis has enabled the early diagnosis and treatment of the disease, resulting in improved outcomes for patients.
Research by Professors Tamara Galloway, David Melzer, and Michael Depledge at Exeter identified, for the first time, associations between exposure to the widespread environmental contaminant bisphenol A (BPA) and changing incidences of disease. The research showed that higher exposures to BPA are associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease and hormonal changes. The research has influenced policy development worldwide, raised public awareness of environmental chemical health risks, stimulated public debate and critical media analysis, and is stimulating enhanced public, policy-maker and business interest in anthropogenic chemicals in the environment and their implications for human health.
Impact: Animal Health and Welfare, Economics: The BVD vaccine associated with emergence of BNP was withdrawn from sale.
Significance: BNP cases have been reported worldwide. On affected farms, the case fatality rate is very high, with losses of up to 5% of calves in a herd being reported. Despite the vaccine being withdrawn, cases continue to be found in some calves born to dams that have been historically vaccinated. In addition, reporting has increased due to increased awareness and Zoetis subsidising post-mortem examinations. However, as an indirect measure, the number of cases being diagnosed at post-mortem at SRUC fell by 42% between 2012 and 2013.
Beneficiaries: Livestock Industry, Animal Health Company, Farmers.
Attribution: Work performed by University of Edinburgh (Penny, Morrison, Sargison, Bell) and SRUC (Hosie, Howie, Kerr, Caldow) identified BNP as a new disease entity, elucidated the cause, and developed strategies to reduce the incidence. This also involved a collaboration with the Moredun Research Institute (Willoughby)
Reach: BNP is recognised world-wide (a peak of 4500 cases in 2011) including France, Germany, United Kingdom, Ireland, Netherlands, Belgium, Luxembourg, Italy, and Spain. The disease is unknown in countries which do not vaccinate against BVD (Denmark, Austria, and Switzerland)
Postoperative local recurrence affects 20-30% of patients with rectal cancer. Between 1993 and 2013, University of Leeds researchers identified the importance of pathology studies to show a disease-free margin around the excised tumour and how to predict this margin routinely and accurately using simple histopathology and preoperative MRI.
We also used photography in the pathological assessment of the quality of surgery and were instrumental in the adoption of modern techniques by professional organisations around the world.
Following adoption of our techniques in England and Scotland, local recurrence has halved with 10% better survival and cost savings of £60 million. Our methods have also become the gold standard in the treatment of rectal cancer patients around the world.