1. health and fitness
2. disease

EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
News from Cardiff University’s
School of Medicine
Newyddion o’r Ysgol Feddygaeth,
Prifysgol Caerdydd
INSIDE:
DEVELOPING AN INTERNATIONAL
DIAGNOSTIC STANDARD FOR
HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS
CELEBRATING PGR
EXCELLENCE
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
WELCOME
Welcome to the nineteenth edition of 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.
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.
C21 UPDATE
February saw the official opening of the
new undergraduate medical education
centre at the Keir Hardie Medical
Park in Merthyr Tydfil. This state-ofthe-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
2
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 Bligh
Dean, School of Medicine
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
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
Professor Helen Houston receiving her
Lifetime Achievement Award at the 2015
Surgam event.
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.
CONTACT US: 02920 746735
VISIT US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UK
MAKING AN IMPACT:
DEVELOPING AN INTERNATIONAL DIAGNOSTIC
STANDARD FOR HUMAN CYTOMEGALOVIRUS
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 badlyneeded 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 wellcharacterised and more likely to represent
a clinical virus than other laboratoryadapted 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
Figure 1. Immuno-electron micrograph
of HCMV strain Merlin, with gold
particles decorating novel virion envelope
glycoproteins.
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.”
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
3
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
MEET THE TEAM:
THE CARDIFF LIPIDOMIC GROUP
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-ofthe-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 antiinflammatory 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 proinflammatory pathways, Valerie decided
to research their role in atherosclerosis
and in 2013, a BHF Programme was
(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.
4
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, 1180–1191
O’Donnell et al, Circ Res 2014, 114,
1185-1203. Thomas et al, Nature
Protocols 2014, 9, 51-63
Clark et al, Proc Natl Acad Sci USA,
2013, 110, 5875–5880
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
CONTACT
CONTACT
US: 02920
US: 02920
746735
746735
VISITVISIT
US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UK
US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UK
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 worldleading 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.
EDITION
EDITION
19 - MAY
19 - MAY
20152015
5
5
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
PGR INVESTMENT
DELIVERS EXCELLENCE
Cardiff 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.
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
6
• On completion of his study of the
renewal and genetic control of
tissue macrophages, PhD student,
Luke Davies, won a prestigious
Miriam’s worry: Doing HPV
self-sampling properly
99/100
So I received
one of those
self-sampling
kits in the post
yesterday.
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.
HPV
SELF-SAMPLING
This guide will help you
understand what HPV
self-sampling is and how
easy it is for you to do.
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.
The people testing the
kit would tell you if you
did it wrong, and I don’t
think you could miss
anything if you follow
the instructions.
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.
Do you have any more questions
about HPV self- sampling?
Do not
worry! They are
sending me
another kit.
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
Here we celebrate the Research
achievements of some of our PGR stars:
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.
If you have been affected by cervical cancer
and would like to talk to a charity, please
contact Jo’s Trust on 0808 8028000
99 OUT OF 100
WOMEN 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
r
u
Yokit
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.
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.
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’.
The instructions in your HPV
self-sampling kit will show you how to
do HPV self-sampling.
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
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
CONTACT US: 02920 746735
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
VISIT US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UK
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 laboratorybased 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/
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
7
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
MEDIC IS
MAKING
an IMPACT
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:
8
1
3
2
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 desynchronisation.” This in turn could lead to
the development of new ways to delay the
onset of heart disease in patients.
Maia Tanner, 5th year student,
receives special mention
at recent SURGAM event
in recognition of her exceptional
dedication to patient care and welfare
Whilst 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.”
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.”
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
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.
4
Wales 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.
CONTACT US: 02920 746735
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.
VISIT US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UK
7
Towards more targeted
cancer vaccines
Researchers 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.
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.
“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.”
9
The 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 2015
Brought 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.”
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
9
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
MEDIC people
Dr Duncan Azzopardi
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.
Anna Burt
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.
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!
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!!
10
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.
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
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
CONTACT US: 02920 746735
VISIT US: WWW.MEDICINE.CF.AC.UK
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!
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.
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!
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.
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.
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.
Rebecca Nachiappan
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
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.
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
11
DIAGNOSE THE PAST, RESEARCH THE PRESENT, REPAIR THE FUTURE
SUPERVISORS
NEEDED FOR
RESEARCH
PROJECTS AND
MENTORING
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
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.
Editor: Sarah Hatch, School of Medicine, Heath Park, Cardiff, CF14 4XN
The 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 remedy@cardiff.ac.uk
Cardiff University is a registered charity, no. 1136855
12
EDITION 19 - MAY 2015
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:
cures@cardiff.ac.uk.
Designed & Printed by: Stephens & George Print Group
CARDIFF HOSTS NATIONAL
MEDICAL STUDENT RESEARCH
CONFERENCE
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.