News
Would you like to work in the Centre for Infection and Immunity?
We are recruiting at all levels and are looking for dynamic individuals to join our vibrant Centre.
In the Centre for Infection and Immunity we are currently recruiting as part of a general recruitment campaign in the School of Medicine, Dentistry and Biomedical Sciences. We are targeting clinicians who have expertise in respiratory medicine, critical care, immunology, microbiology, rheumatology and neurology.
These clinical disciplines align with strategic scientific programmes within the Centre. We also seek to appoint scientists with a similar background and we are particularly interested in experience in disciplines related to immunology and microbiology in addition to bioinformatics and imaging. If you are interested please get in touch, as we are always happy to arrange informal visits to the Centre.
For Clinical Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor level see advertisement at http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/QUBJobVacancies/AcademicOpportunities/MedicineDentistryandBiomedicalSciences/
For Scientific Lecturer, Senior Lecturer, Reader and Professor level see advertisement at http://www.qub.ac.uk/sites/QUBJobVacancies/AcademicOpportunities/MedicineDentistryandBiomedicalSciences-Scientific/
For post doc level, we advertise current vacancies on www.jobs.ac.uk
The 41st Annual Meeting of the European Histamine Research Society, held jointly with COST Action BM0806 in Belfast on 2nd - 5th May 2012
This meeting, organised by Madeleine Ennis, was attended by 130 delegates from 28 countries, including well known European countries (!) such as Argentina, Australia, Japan, United Arab Emirates and USA. Before the meeting, Rob Thurmond of Janssen, San Diego gave a talk in the Centre for Infection and Immunity entitled: “The role of the histamine H4 receptor in allergy and inflammation”, which made many of our local scientists realise that there is life in the old mediator.
The conference covered all aspects of histamine research from synthetic organic chemistry, through immunology, neurobiology to clinical work. There were 7 invited talks, 27 oral presentations and 40 poster presentations. Dr. Tomas Perecko won second prize in the Young Investigator’s award based on the work he had performed with Madeleine Ennis and Karim Dib during a 3 month placement in Belfast.
Overall it was a great success, with comments such as: “Thank you for a wonderful conference and thank you for allowing me to squeeze in a poster on such short notice...I really appreciate all your help. It was a terrific venue and I had a chance to meet and interact with some terrific potential collaborators." (Ed Holson, The Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard).
Arthritis Research Group Publish Results in Top Rheumatology Journal – June 2011
Dr Sorcha Finnegan, a member of The Arthritis Research Group funded by Arthritis Research UK has recently had her work published in the top international peer-reviewed journal Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases.
The group, lead by Dr Madeleine Rooney carry out research into juvenile arthritis. One in every thousand children in the UK are affected by this illness and it can cause chronic pain, joint damage and disability.
In the paper entitled “Synovial membrane immunohistology in early untreated juvenile idiopathic arthritis: differences between clinical subgroups” Dr Finnegan was able to demonstrate that at very early disease stages before the initiation of any disease modifying treatment there were significant immunohistological differences in the synovial tissue between three different subgroups of the disease. The most important finding was that in one of these disease subgroups, known as extended oligoarticular JIA there were early changes in the synovial membrane cell infiltrate that could possibly be used to predict the extension of this disease, this is important as at present there is no reliable way of predicting disease extension in this particular JIA subgroup.
Dr Finnegan was also chosen to present her work at this prestigious international Annual European Congress of Rheumatology in London this year.
Two of the papers authors Dr Sorcha Finnegan and Dr David Gibson, under the guidance of Dr Madeleine Rooney, are carrying out research which involves discovery and validation of biomarkers from synovial fluid and tissue of children with newly diagnosed JIA, with the ultimate aim that these biomarkers will help clinicians to predict which course the disease might take so that appropriate treatments can be given.
The article can be accessed online at http://ard.bmj.com/content/early/2011/06/16/ard.2010.148635.abstract
Please contact Dr Finnegan at s.finnegan@qub.ac.uk with any queries
Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke Association Conference 2011
Dr. Jeremy Parker (CII, QUB) was awarded the Roger Lowry medal for his presentation at this years NICHSA conference. His presentation covered a recently completed study looking at the role of IL-9 and IL-9 combined with IL-13 (two key cytokines implicated in causing an increase in mucus producing cells and mucus overproduction in asthma) in paediatric well differentiated cultures of bronchial asthmatic epithelium. The findings suggest that the central role attributed to IL-9 in terms of the above characterisitics may not actually be the case. In the study presented, IL-9 was found to have no evident effect on the numbers of goblet cells or mucus production in either normal or asthmatic epithelium. Instead the study suggests a role for IL-9 in the inhibition of differentiation to ciliated cells in the epithelium, another important characteristic of asthma.
PhD Student Wins Award
Dr Donal O'Kane has recently won the prestigious Everett C. Fox, MD award for best presentation of laboratory research at the American Academy of Dermatology 69th Annual Meeting in New Orleans. He also won the best poster presentation at the meeting. Donal presented his research on 'The role of epithelial to mesenchymal transition in scleroderma'.
Scleroderma is an untreatable progressive fibrotic disease of the skin and often internal organs. Donals results support EMT as a pathogenic mechanism for fibrosis in scleroderma and highlight the SMAD signalling pathway as a key therapeutic target. Donal is currently a 2nd year PhD student supervised by Dr Cecilia O'Kane, Prof Danny McAuley, and Prof Stuart Elborn. His work is funded by the Health and Social Care, Research and Development Division.
A £1.7m cystic fibrosis study is being carried out at Queen's University in Belfast to help improve the quality of life of sufferers.
Read more about it at the link below
http://www.u.tv/News/Belfast-study-into-cystic-fibrosis/dc6dc91d-5e44-4426-a324-b28ab91af1d2
watch the video below
http://www.u.tv/utvplayer/everywhere/player.aspx?vidid=134747&chapid=110041&arti_id=dc6dc91d-5e44-4426-a324-b28ab91af1d2&clientid=100000
Dr. Hani’ah Abdullah a postdoctorial fellow funded by Asthma UK has won the prestigious ‘Michael B.A.Oldstone Neurovirology Lectureship award’ at the USA based ‘International Society for Neurovirology’ (ISNV), held in Milan from 12th -16th October 2010. This was for her oral presentation on work on ‘the effect of virus infection on cough receptors on airway sensory nerves’. This is a collaborative research project with Professor Louise Cosby, Dr. Lorcan McGarvey and Dr. Liam Heaney in the Centre for Infection and Immunity at Queen’s. The work has important implications for the understanding of the mechanism of viral induced cough in diseases such as asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD).
The presentation was made at the Society Gala dinner. One photograph shows Dr Abdullah (centre) with the president of the ISNV Professor Lynn Pulliam (Professor of Laboratory Medicine, University of California, San Francisco) (right). The second photograph shows Dr. Abdullah (third from left with her engraved plaque) and Professor Louise Cosby (4th from left) along with winners of other awards and their mentors.
Meningitis research breakthrough could save children’s lives
Researchers at Queen’s University Belfast and the Belfast Health and Social Care Trust have developed a groundbreaking test for meningitis which could help save lives.
A rapid diagnostic test for meningococcal bacteria that can produce results within an hour has been developed by scientists from Queen’s Centre for Infection and Immunity and the Trust. The speed of this new test is a vital factor in the treatment of young children with meningococcal meningitis and septicaemia who become very ill over a short period.
This research has been supported by the Meningitis Research Foundation (MRF).
Professor Mike Shields, of Queen’s University and the Belfast Trust, explained: “The first symptoms of meningococcal infections are the same as a simple viral infection, making it difficult to diagnose in the early stages. Parents often use the ‘tumbler test’ on their children’s bodies, but the non-blanching rash that is associated with a positive outcome of this test is a late sign and is not always present in children who have meningitis.
“Currently doctors will admit and treat with antibiotics any child that they suspect of having meningococcal disease while they await the traditional test results that take between 24 and 48 hours. Some children are not diagnosed in the early stages while others are admitted and treated ‘just in case’ when they don’t actually have the disease.
“With the development of a small piece of equipment, which resembles a portable home printer, a sample of blood or a secretion such as saliva, can be tested quickly by the machine. This produces a colour reading that determines if the patient has meningitis or not.”
Alongside saving lives, early detection can potentially improve outcomes for meningitis patients who are often left with life-altering conditions such as deafness and cerebral palsy.
The machine is now being trialled in the A&E Department of the Royal Victoria Hospital for Sick Children in Belfast.
Professor Shields explained how the breakthrough is a great example of research benefitting patients.
“There is no other rapid test that can confirm the diagnosis in such a short time. The current tests are expensive and take up to two days to obtain. Speedy identification of the cause of infection can enable doctors to make life-saving decisions about the treatment of patients. If we have the results within an hour we will be able to start the appropriate course of treatment right away.”
The new test is very different to standard culture based detection methods that have been used up until now.
Professor Shields: “In recent years molecular diagnostic tests, that use the DNA finger print from ‘bugs’ for diagnosis, have been developed, but they still require the specimen sample to be transported to the laboratory and takes a considerable time to get the result back to the doctor. This means that doctors have to make clinical decisions before results are available.
“The new test called ‘loop mediated isothermal amplification’ also utilises a molecular method to detect genes that are common to all strains on the meningococcus. The real advantage of the new LAMP test is that it has the potential to be a simple bedside test that is rapid, cheap, easy to use and doesn’t require laboratory trained staff.”
Currently there are 1,200 to 1,500 laboratory confirmed cases of meningococcal disease in the UK each year and it is thought that actual numbers could be higher.
The medical team behind this breakthrough was recognised for its work in June of this year when they won an Elevations Diagnostics idea of the year award, organised by HSC innovators, a panel of experts from industry, healthcare and business support organisations.
Ends.
Media inquiries to Donna McCullough 0044 (0) 28 9097 5391 or 07980013362
Notes to the Editors
Professor Mike Shields is available for interview.
The Research Team:
Professor Shields is Professor of Child Health at Queen’s and Consultant Paediatrician at the Royal Belfast hospital for Sick Children. He is a member of the Centre of Infection & Immunity Research Group and has research interests in childhood respiratory disorders and the rapid diagnosis of infection in children.
Dr Peter Coyle, Head of Virology & Microbiology, Belfast HSC Trust
Dr Derek Fairley, Scientist, Belfast HSC Trust
MRF’s research programme is made possible through charitable donations.
The 2010 recipient of the
lecture award is Prof. James Johnston (CII)
A Web-Cast of his talk is available on the RDS Website at the link below
http://www.rds.ie/cat_webcast_detail.jsp?itemID=353696
