New Fellows: The Royal Society of Edinburgh
7 March 2008
MRC Human Genetics Unit is delighted to announce that Prof's Ian Jackson and Malcolm Dunlop have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
Prof's Ian Jackson's election recognises his international reputation in mouse genetics and his contribution to a range of major national and international funding bodies.
Prof's Malcolm Dunlop's election recognises his fundamental contribution to advancing the understanding of colon cancer, and developing new concepts in its management and prevention.
The Royal Society of Edinburgh
MRC Centre in Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology
5 March 2008
IGMM scientists are to be involved in the recently announced MRC Centre in Cognitive Ageing and Cognitive Epidemiology. Professor Ian Deary (Department of Psychology, University of Edinburgh) has led a successful bid to the MRC for a prestigious MRC Centre in lifelong health and wellbeing. This very exciting development brings together 34 key researchers into 6 main groupings: cognitive epidemiology, human cognitive ageing, neuroendocrine aspects of ageing, animals models of cognitive ageing and neural health, human and animal brain imaging and the genetics and statistics of brain ageing.
The Department of Psychology,
The University of Edinburgh
Award Winning Images of Science
12 March 2008
MRC scientist James Sharpe has won a Wellcome Trust Image Award 2008, for his ground-breaking image of an 11-day old whole mouse embryo.
While working at the MRC Human Genetics Unit, James developed a new optical computer tomography technique that allows scientists to study the internal structures of organisms.
Heart tissue is stained red, parts of the nervous system are stained green, the blue stain shows areas that what will eventually develop into the brain, spinal chord, the respiratory system and the digestive tract.
Unstained tissue appears grey.
All of the winning images will be displayed in an exhibition at the Wellcome Collection from 12 March to Summer 2008.
Related Links
Wellcome Collection
MRC Corporate Site
Bioptonics
Gene Could Spell New Chapter in Fight Against Gout
10 March 2008
Researchers have found why some people are more susceptible to gout than others.
The scientists looked at the genetic codes of more than 12,000 people after identifying a gene linked to uric acid levels in the blood. The work by the Medical Research Council Human Genetics Unit in collaboration with the University of Edinburgh and Croatian scientists shows that a known sugar transporter, called SLC2A9, is mainly responsible for the transport of uric acid within the body. Variations in the gene that codes for this transporter cause some people to have higher levels of uric acid in their blood than others. Uric acid build-up can lead to gout, a common, painful disease marked by inflammation of joints. The findings are published in Nature Genetics.
Gene could spell new chapter in fight against gout
