Nexxus Scotland

Division of Biological Sciences, University of Paisley

The research carried out within the Division of Biological Sciences is varied and wide ranging, involving collaboration with other University staff as well as with colleagues in industry and other academic institutions. The applied nature of the research, with applications in industry, medicine and agriculture, attracts significant external funding. The aim of sustaining research in the Department is to enable staff to carry out high quality work that is relevant to the research community, and to underpin and extend the quality of the student experience at Honours and postgraduate level. At postgraduate level the Department has a substantial number of research students and research assistants.

Some Central Themes of Research in the Department are outlined below:

• Agrochemicals
• Biosensors
• Cell Biotechnology - Animal Cell Culture
• Ecology, Animal Behaviour and Stable Isotopes
• Enzyme Technology
• Molecular Biology
• Neurovascular Inflammation

Agrochemicals

Agrochemicals research concentrates upon methods for improving the efficiency of pesticide usageand protecting the environment. Much of this work includes collaboration with both industry and other university departments. Work in this area in the Department is concentrated within a Pesticides Research Group. Current research projects within the Group include techniques for the control of pesticide spray drift and an assessment of the effects of pesticides on non-target species on agricultural land. In addition, work is being carried out on the control of cotton pest species, the toxicity of extracts from exotic plants and the control of sea lice on fish farms.

New research areas include the pest management of invasive alien insects, and sustainable biological control of insect pests associated with tropical agriculture.

Biosensors

The multidisciplinary Biosensors Group is involved in the development of biosensors with applications for industry and pollution monitoring. Collaboration exists between the Departments of Biological Sciences, Chemistry and Chemical Engineering and Electronic Engineering and Physics not only for staff research but also with respect to supervision of postgraduate students. The group's work is incorporated within the aims of ScotSense, which is a DTI-funded special interest group that is affiliated to the UK Sensors Group (UKSG), thus enabling maximum exposure and benefit to be attained in this important and novel research area.

Cell Biotechnology - Animal Cell Culture

Extensive research is carried out on animal and plant cell culture including the production of continuous immortalised cell lines which provide useful alternatives to animal tissue for biological studies. A major grant has recently been awarded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to support the validation of immortalised liver cell lines for investigating drug metabolism and for in vitro toxicology. BBSRC is also funding the generation of cell lines for use to detect changes in intracellular signalling pathways. Cultured mammalian hybridoma cells are used in the production of monoclonal antibodies to malaria as part of research work on vaccines.

The Animal Cell Technology Group is the major contributor to biomedical research in the Department, and the University is a founder member of the Scottish Biomedical Research Trust (SBRT), which was established by six universities to develop the commercial applications of biomedical research in Scotland. Departmental involvement with the European Society for Animal Cell Technology (ESACT) helps to keep this aspect of research at Paisley at the forefront of the field in a national and international context.

Ecology, Animal Behaviour and Stable Isotopes

Much of the research undertaken in the areas of ecology and behaviour is co-ordinated through the Environmental Management Unit which looks at environmental assessment, particularly ecological evaluation, in relation to land use and agricultural management. Recent work includes assessment of land types on Islay and an environmental impact assessment study associated with shore birds of the Clyde Estuary. Several research themes have been developed, including studies on mating behaviour in wrens and environmental enrichment for captive animals. A stable isotope processing facility is used for a range of tracer and natural abundance applications. These include the use of doubly labelled water (2H218O) to investigate avian energetics, and nutrient cycling in ecosystems (analysis of 13C, 15N) to assess the impact of fish farming on Scottish lochs, and the impact of sewage discharges on estuarine fauna.

Enzymes

Enzyme technology research work involves the recovery and stabilisation of proteolytic enzymes for use in the modification and upgrading of waste proteins for food use. An example is the enzyme bromelain which is recovered from pineapple stems and is used both in the meat industry for tenderisation of meatand in the brewing industry for clarification of beer. Other work is concerned with the application of lipase enzymes for reduction of fat-based waste in sewerage systems, and for biotransformation of lipids to produce biological surfactants for use in industry and commerce.

Molecular Biology

Molecular biology research is active in areas such as the development of systems for expressing genesin mammalian cells and genetic fingerprinting which has been carried out on birds. Work on mobilegenetic elements in bacteria is also in progress. Collaboration with ecologists in the Department has also taken place to look for evidence of genetic variation through genetic fingerprinting of spider populations from the west coast and the mainland. This emerging field of ‘molecular ecology' is an exciting development that holds much promise for the future.

Neurovascular Inflammation

The Neurovascular Inflammation Group is a multidisciplinary inter-institutional collaboration between the University of Paisley (Biological Sciences) and the University of Glasgow (Centre for Rheumatic Diseases), focusing mainly on investigation of mechanisms regulating the synovial vasculature in normal and inflamed joints. This work spans from basic to clinical levels, and encompasses physiology, pharmacology, molecular biology and clinical science.