Graduate Entry Medicine to deliver Year Three at Swansea from 2012/13!

On 22nd December 2011, the General Medical Council sent confirmation that the Graduate Entry Medicine course is now fully approved to begin delivering Year Three from the 2012/13  academic year. This is fantastic news and is a testament to the hard work and dedication of all involved, ably led by Judy McKimm. Great thanks are extended to everyone who played a part in this success.

19th January 2012 at 8am in the ILS Seminar Room: ILS BioBreakfast

This months' BioBreakfast - Opportunities for free Swansea University-accredited training - is being run by APT Bioscience, an EU-funded work-based learning initiative providing University-accredited training in the life sciences without charge. The APT team will be on hand and eager to talk to you about the training needs of you or your business.  There will be breakfast and coffee on arrival.  Registration is essential. Contact the ILS Team to book a space.

ehi2 Usability Seminar: An Introduction to Usability Assessment

Thursday 19th January 2012 at the Usability Laboratory, First Floor, Institute of Life Science 2: Introducing ehi2 expertise in usability assessment. ehi2 invites you to attend this usability seminar, which introduces the fundamentals of usability assessment, its importance within the healthcare setting and the various types of assessment offered by ehi2 usability consultant, Niren Basu. Doors open at 11am with the seminar beginning at 11.15am followed by Q&A. For more information, or to reserve your place, contact Emma Hughes.

ILS RCUK Fellow to speak at first SURF Seminar of 2012

Tuesday 24th January, 12.30pm at Fulton House, Swansea University: SURF seminar. In this, the first seminar of 2012, Dr Shareen Doak will be speaking on ‘The DNA damaging capacity of iron oxide nanoparticles’. Iron oxide nanoparticles have great potential in enhancing a number of biomedical applications including magnetic resonance imaging and the targeted destruction of tumour tissue. However, their safety in relation to human health has yet to be established. Iron oxide nanoparticles exist in a variety of forms with differences in their physical and chemical characteristics. Interestingly, these variations demonstrate very specific biological interactions that subsequently influence their biocompatibility, and thus their future clinical use.Lunch is served at 12.30, and staff and post graduate students are welcome. To register, please complete the online form.

ILS research published in Federation of European Biochemical Societies Journal

ILS research from a collaboration with Vanderbilt University Medical School in Nashville, Tennessee has been published recently.  This was supported by a National Institutes of Health (USA) programme grant on natural product discovery in streptomycetes and the functional genomics of their cytochromes P450, as well as by a BBSRC studentship to Suzy Moody.  For further information contact Professor David Lamb.


Moody SC, Zhao B, Lei L, Nelson DR, Mullins JG, Waterman MR, Kelly SL, Lamb DC. Investigating conservation of the albaflavenone biosynthetic pathway and CYP170 bifunctionality in streptomycetes. FEBS J. 2011 doi: 10.1111/j.1742-4658.2011.08447.x. [Epub ahead of print]

Cardiff Medical School seminars announced for January/February 2012

Thursday 19th January, 1pm, UG16, Henry Wellcome Research Building: Dr Nick Timpson, School of Social and Community Medicine, Bristol University (Hosts—Medicine).  For more information, contact Dr James Matthews. 

Thursday 26th January, 1pm, UG16, Henry Wellcome Research Building: UK Biobank is open for business: data access principles and procedures by Dr John Gallacher, Institute of Primary Care and Public Health, School of Medicine, Cardiff University.  For more information, contact Dr James Matthews. 

Thursday 2nd February, 1pm, UG16, Henry Wellcome Research Building: Sexual healing: estrogen’s beneficial role in wound repair by Dr Matthew Hardman, Developmental Biology, Manchester Immunology Group, Faculty of Life Science at Manchester University (Hosts—CITER).  For more information, contact Dr James Matthews. 

Thursday 9th February, 1pm, UG16, Henry Wellcome Research Building: Professor Richard Gibbons, Professor of Cancer Genetics, MRC Molecular Haematology Unit at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford (Hosts—Pathology).  For more information, contact Dr James Matthews.

Thursday 16th February, 1pm, UG16, Henry Wellcome Research Building: Networks and nodes altered by epigenetic therapies in myeloid malignancies by Dr Matthew Hardman, School of Medicine, Dentistry & Biomedical Sciences, Centre for Cancer Research & Cell Biology at Queen’s University, Belfast. (Hosts—Haematology).  For more information, contact Dr James Matthews.

Thursday 23rd February, 1pm, UG16, Henry Wellcome Research Building: Looking at signal transduction problems with biophotonics by Professor Mark Cannell, Physiology & Pharmacology, School of Medicinal Sciences, University of Bristol (Hosts—Cardiology).  For more information, contact Dr James Matthews.

Charity seeks applicants for industrial research grants

Science and engineering graduates are invited to apply for several £80,000 grants to help pay salaries and fees for three years. A UK charity, which aims to promote innovation and creativity in British industry, is inviting applications for its Industrial Fellowships, each worth up to £80,000. The Fellowships, awarded by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, are aimed at science and engineering graduates carrying out research in industry or being sponsored by a company to do an Engineering Doctorate (EngD). About eight Industrial Fellowships are awarded each year to graduates with a good first degree in engineering, science or medicine who wish to work towards a higher degree by developing a product or research project of future commercial value based jointly in industry and a university. The Fellowships will fund half of an applicant's salary for three years, as well as their university fees and travel expenses. The closing date for applications is Thursday 26th January 2012. Please see the Commission's website for more information.

If you are interested in finding out more about what has been happening at the College of Medicine and its Institute of Life Science, visit the News and Events Archive.

February's ILS BioBreakfast announced

16th February 2012 at 8.00am in ILS Seminar Room: Do you know what your employees say about you? The legal implications of social media.  Introducing specialist legal firm JCP Solicitors, who will be on hand to share and discuss the issues that can arise from the use of social media in your business.  Breakfast and coffee on arrival. Registration is essential. Contact the ILS Team to book a space.

Former student awarded Conrad Lewin Junior Prize

The College of Medicine would like to offer its congratulations to one of its former students, Ms Rhiana Newport, who has recently been awarded the prestigious Conrad Lewin Junior Prize from the British Association of Clinical Anatomists (BACA). The award was presented during a tripartite meeting between BACA, the Anatomical Society and the Institute of Anatomical Sciences for a piece of work Rhiana completed on “Cervical Osteophytes: an anatomical contribution to Dysphagia?” Rhiana started her medical training in Swansea in 2009 and is currently in her fourth year of the course in Cardiff University where it is anticipated she will qualify in 2013.

Welsh Crucible receives further funding

It has been revealed that the St David's Day Group of HEIs were so pleased with last year's Welsh Crucible that they have agreed to fund it this year. The programme plans to launch a call for applications in the coming weeks. Dr Sarah Rodgers, Lecturer in Spatial Epidemiology at the College of Medicine, is heavily involved in the Welsh Crucible - a programme of personal, professional and leadership development for highly promising research leaders of the future who are building their careers in Wales. Sarah's work, which focuses on ‘Where you live can affect health in many ways’, was recently featured in the Western Mail's Health Wales supplement. Visit the Welsh Crucible website to read the article.

ILS delighted to welcome APT Bioscience to BioBreakfast Series

At last week's BioBreakfast, the first for 2012, APT Bioscience came in force to present opportunities for free Swansea University-accredited laboratory and ecology training. APT Bioscience aims to equip professional learners with practical skills and specialist knowledge to enhance and supplement their existing laboratory or field skills. The initiative is part of the Work-Based Learning programme funded by the EU’s Convergence European Social Fund, through the Welsh Government, and courses are free to eligible Welsh companies. For the full range of courses and more information, please see the website or dowload the APT Bioscience BioBreakfast Presentation

ILS Research published in Antimicrobial Agents and Chemotherapy

In collaboration with the University of Lausanne Hospital Centre and the University of Porto, research has confirmed that resistance to the multi-billion pound azole antifungal drugs can be through a mechanism proposed by two decades ago and that this resistance mechanism does not reduce virulence of the candida pathogen. This supports as well the proposal by Prof Steve Kelly in 1989 on the mode of action of azole antifungal drugs in treating candidiasis. For more information, contact Professor Steven Kelly.

Vale-Silva LA, Coste AT, Ischer F, Parker JE, Kelly SL, Pinto E, Sanglard D. Azole resistance by loss of function of the sterol {Delta}5,6-desaturase gene (ERG3) in Candida albicans does not necessarily decrease virulence.Antimicrob Agents Chemother. 2012 Jan 17. [Epub ahead of print]

Annual Fight Night a success with over £1250 raised for Interburns

The 4th annual Surgical Society Fight Night, in aid of Interburns, took place at the end of last year at Retros, in Swansea (kindly donated for this very worthwhile event). On the night, Mr Tom Potokar gave a real insight into Interburns and the great work that the charity does in so many countries around the world. It was great to see the various projects, and gain a better understanding of where the money raised will be going. There was a fantastic line up of clinicians, some back for a second year, some new on the scene. The whole night was brilliantly compered by second years Katy O’Shiel and Richard Allen, and with a veritable army of volunteers to keep the night running smoothly we were able to raise a phenomenal £1256.52! This incredible total could not have been achieved without the support of everyone who bought a ticket to the event, voted on the night and made it such a success. The Surgical Society hope to see you all next year when we celebrate our 5th year of running this event!

Opportunity to sit on College of Medicine e-Learning sub-committee

Academic and teaching staff at the College of Medicine are invited to sit on the College e-Learning sub-Committee. This sub-Committee covers all aspects of teaching and learning using electronic methods within the College, with the potential of involvement in wider University projects. Meetings are not frequent, so if you are interested please contact Jess Murtagh by email or on extension 2359, who chairs the sub-Committee.

Charity seeks applicants for industrial research grants

Science and engineering graduates are invited to apply for several £80,000 grants to help pay salaries and fees for three years. A UK charity, which aims to promote innovation and creativity in British industry, is inviting applications for its Industrial Fellowships, each worth up to £80,000. The Fellowships, awarded by the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851, are aimed at science and engineering graduates carrying out research in industry or being sponsored by a company to do an Engineering Doctorate (EngD). About eight Industrial Fellowships are awarded each year to graduates with a good first degree in engineering, science or medicine who wish to work towards a higher degree by developing a product or research project of future commercial value based jointly in industry and a university. The Fellowships will fund half of an applicant's salary for three years, as well as their university fees and travel expenses. The closing date for applications is Thursday 26th January 2012. Please see the Commission's website for more information.