Annual Review 2009
Contents
1_________Welcome 2_ ________From the Dean 4_ ________Teaching 8_ ________Research RAE results Drug discovery Formulation sciences Neurosciences Medicines use and health 20________Physical environment Molecular pharmacy wing opening Entrance hall Signage Library refurbishment 24________Commercial development 26________Collaborations 28________School lectures 30________Honours and distinctions 33________Facts and figures
Annual Review 2009
Welcome
Against the backdrop of a difficult economic climate the School has continued to grow and enhance its reputation. We can look forward to a bright future as one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to Pharmacy.
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Annual Review 2009
From the Dean
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Welcome to the School Review. The School continues to go from strength to strength although the last year has certainly been a demanding one for higher education and pharmacy education in particular. The establishment of Medical Education England (MEE) and the Modernising Pharmacy Careers Programme Board (MPC) has presented a great opportunity to align professional training and education with the needs of the NHS and patients. The MEE’s vision is to place pharmacy, dental and health science education on a par with medicine. This is great news for pharmaceutical education but it brings with it expectation of what more pharmacy and pharmacists can deliver to patient care. The resulting reform of pre-qualification pharmacy education and training will be a complex and challenging process. The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) result feels like old news now, but in academic terms it was superb and bears repeating: 25% of our research was deemed world-leading and
40% was internationally excellent. The combination of the scale and quality of our research placed us first in the power league table for pharmacy. That result was all about the commitment and innovation of the School’s staff. However, like many in the sector found, the funding council’s financial settlement informed by the RAE was less of a cause for celebration. The School has undergone a dramatic physical change in the last 12 months. The focus of this current round of capital spending has been enhancing the student experience. Most obvious, and completed in May 2009 just 24 hours before HRH The Princess Royal visited the School to open the Molecular Pharmacy Wing, is the new entrance hall. Just a little further away is the new internet lounge and now in the heart of the building the brilliant new library. A new clinical skills laboratory and refurbishment of the computer centre and teaching laboratory are planned for summer 2010. Looking ahead there is no doubt that public sector funding and HE funding especially is facing an extremely difficult few years.
Annual Review 2009
The School is fortunate to be in a strong position. Our reputation is extremely high, particularly on the back of the outstanding result in the RAE. The whole HE sector has enjoyed 10 years of growth and capital investment, but this is clearly coming to an end and we all face greater uncertainty. Despite this growth and investment, one third of all HEIs are already in deficit, meaning that their costs each year are greater than their income. With all the political parties talking about how they will reduce the country’s deficit through cuts in public sector spending, there is anxiety throughout the HE sector
about what the future will hold. We anticipate actual cuts in the unit of resource over the next planning period and are working to prepare both for the very hard times ahead and to position the School for maximum advantage when public finances recover. The School is fortunate to be in a strong position. Our reputation is extremely high, particularly on the back of the outstanding result in the RAE. In September the School’s Council undertook a scenario planning exercise in an attempt to predict what our future might look like and to ask what we should be doing now to prepare. We had a very productive discussion involving both the School and external Members of Council. What was clear was there is much we can do to capitalise on our outstanding staff, our location and working with our other world-class neighbours. That was the basis for initiating a strategic options review whereby we’ll gather evidence to inform a number of future options. In the current context it is easy to focus only on the short term and not on longer term goals
and aspirations. Of course, it is clear that if you get the short-term wrong then there isn’t a longer term, but here the School has had a head start on most of the rest of the sector in preparing for the short term because of how it has had to manage the withdrawal of funding for equivalent and lower qualifications. The longer term vision is to be competitive with the best in the world with genuine sustainability across the breadth of pharmacy from major bio-medical science to high quality patient care through our education, research and policy development. The challenge for the future is to sustain the success and development of the past year in what will certainly be a much more difficult funding climate.
The Dean, Professor Anthony Smith
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Teaching
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The School’s commitment to developing and enhancing teaching quality has been recognised in the most recent inspection by the Quality Assurance Agency for Higher Education where we were highly praised for the quality of our teaching and our support for students. All of our students benefit from a curriculum that is fully up to date and from a demanding assessment regime that ensures that their degree is a marker of high academic achievement. We accommodate approximately 1,300 students, including 700 undergraduates studying on the MPharm degree, 85 on full-time MSc degrees and 100 undertaking research leading to a PhD. The remainder are part-time students, pharmacists or pharmacy technicians engaged in continuing professional development. The Master of Pharmacy (MPharm) undergraduate degree is accredited by the Royal Pharmaceutical Society of Great Britain (RPSGB) and is awarded by the University of London. It integrates the pharmaceutical and molecular sciences with clinical
therapeutics and patient care to meet the needs of the next generation of pharmacists in all sectors – community, primary care, hospital, industry, regulatory and academia. Our postgraduate students work alongside academics at the forefront of a range of research fields including cancer medicines, nanotechnology, drug delivery, neuroscience, paediatric medicines, public health, medication error and risk, and medicines-taking behaviour. At the 2009 graduation ceremony 162 MPharm degrees were conferred on graduates. The following students were awarded prizes for excellence in different aspects of the course: Alisha Fiyaz Vira, Sital Sudhir Shah, Saber Naz Hussain, Krupal Patel, Kenny King Long Wong, Shireen Kadam, Roshni Desai, Qahira KanjiVelji, Zuha Abdullahi Shill, Chung Tony Li, Michael Pak Cheun Mok, Jomir Hussain, Alomgir Huayoon Karim, Sejal Ranjit Ranmal, Adelle Elaine Painter, Chun Yu Bosco Yeung, Humphrey Chinedu Ogbuefl, Manish Pankhania and Dhara Pradip Thakar. The Royal Pharmaceutical Society Science Committee Prize for best overall performance was
Lindsey Tara Plant receives the William Morrison prize from Clive Jolliffe
awarded to Lindsey Tara Plant. Lindsey also received the Blandford Prize for Molecular Basis of Disease and the William Morrison prize for Preparation for Practice. With the help of our Preregistration Co-ordinator Nadia Bukhari, our MPharm graduates have proceeded to the one-year pre-registration training that leads to registration with the General Pharmaceutical Council. Our graduate employment records remained consistently high with 100% of our graduates no longer
seeking employment or further training within six months of graduation, in comparison to figures from the Higher Education Funding Council of England (HEFCE), which show that on average 72% of all UK university graduates are in employment within six months of graduation. We offer four taught postgraduate degrees, MSc in Clinical Pharmacy, International Practice and Policy, MSc in Drug Delivery, MSc in Drug Discovery and our new MSc in Pharmacognosy. Our postgraduate
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numbers continued to grow and 78 Master of Science degrees, including the first in Pharmacognosy, were conferred at graduation. We are continuing to expand our postgraduate provision with the introduction of a Master of Research (MRes) degree for 2010. Our PhD students work in four core areas: neuroscience and cardiovascular pharmacology with research into the underlying basis of some challenging human diseases, cancer drug discovery with research into the identification of drug molecules to treat this disease, nanotechnology and medicines development with research into concepts that lead to effective medicines with little or no side effects, and pharmacy practice and medicines management with research into the influence of human behaviour on medicines use. 34 Doctor of Philosophy degrees were conferred in 2009 with the AM Cook Prize for the best PhD thesis being awarded to Eloisa Carta. The continuing professional development of practitioners is also a key concern of the School. The aim of the Postgraduate Diploma in Pharmacy Practice is to equip practitioners with the core skills and knowledge they require to provide pharmaceutical care in a clinical setting. At this year’s graduation 43 Diplomas were awarded. The Certificate in Medicines Management course has been developed to support the continuing professional development of pharmacy technicians. The course was designed by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust, Essex Rivers NHS Trust and London, Eastern and South East Specialist Pharmacy Services jointly with the School. 21 certificates were awarded at graduation.
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The review work so far has demonstrated to us that change is required if we are to deliver the vision of the Pharmacy White Paper.
Professor Sandy Florence CBE at graduation
Former Dean of the School, Professor Sandy Florence CBE has served pharmacy and pharmaceutical sciences for almost 50 years. In recognition of this Sandy was admitted to the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa at last year’s graduation. Pharmacy education in the future
The concept for Medical Education England (MEE) was first put forward by Professor Sir John Tooke in his report Aspiring to Excellence and was wholly adopted into Lord Darzi’s 2008
NHS Next Stage review: A High Quality Workforce. The MEE brings together for the first time pharmacy, dentistry, medicine and health sciences and provides advice to the Department of Health on all matters relating to education. Sitting beneath MEE is the Modernising Pharmacy Careers Programme Board (MPC), which is designed to ensure that the pharmacy workforce has the knowledge, skills and capacity to deliver the high quality services of the future for patients and the public. Professor Anthony Smith, Dean
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of the School, is one of the leaders of the MPC workstream to reform pre-qualification pharmacy education and training. The remit of the workstream is to determine how best to achieve the aims of the 2008 White Paper Pharmacy in England: building on strengths, delivering the future; providing meaningful clinical context to the science of medicines throughout pre-qualification pharmacy education. Last year an MPC project team, led by Professor Smith, and Mr Robert Darracott, Chief Executive of the Company Chemists Association, reviewed the current arrangements for pharmacist education and training. Their review identified many areas of strength such as the provision of an excellent scientific knowledge base upon which registrants can build their professional practice. However, feedback from students, academics and employers, both in the private sector and NHS settings, identified some areas for improvement. Professor Smith commented: “The review work so far has demonstrated to us that change is required if we are to deliver the vision of the Pharmacy White Paper. I do not underestimate the complexity of the process and the logistical difficulties but there is no doubt that we are at the beginning of a long journey and we need to start the planning now. It is clear that a huge amount of science goes in to making a safe and effective medicine and then getting that medicine to the right place at the right time and in the right amount. The reform of education will place this knowledge alongside more professionalism and ethics, judgement and decision making, working with and leading teams, and public health.”
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Research
The School of Pharmacy has a long tradition of excellence in research which characterises our identity as much as our teaching expertise. Our research focuses on advancing and understanding medicines and health care, and in creating new medicines.
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Research Assessment Exercise
Drug Delivery Microparticle
The Research Assessment Exercise (RAE) is the main way that HE institutions measure the quality of their research. Its findings are used as the foundation for the distribution of funding for research by the UK higher education funding bodies. The results of the RAE 2008 were published in December and proved to be excellent news for the School. The combination of the strength of our quality profile and the size of our submission marks us as one of the most important HE centres for pharmacy research in the UK. The quality profile for the School ranks 25% of our research as 4* (world-leading), 40% as 3* (internationally excellent), 25% as 2* (internationally recognised), and 10% as 1* (nationally recognised).
This moves us from sixth to third place in the Pharmacy subject category in those tables that have not considered the size and intensity of the submission. If the number of academics submitted for the exercise by each school is taken into account then the School moves up to the top of the table. The Dean, Professor Smith, commented: “I am delighted with these results. Our research staff is internationally respected and their work is of the highest standard. I am gratified to see this excellence acknowledged in these superb results. Our research has a direct impact on the quality of people’s lives as it focuses on advancing and understanding medicines and healthcare, and in developing new medicines. The School’s RAE submission was over 30% larger than that of 2001 and this signals the growth of our research in these crucial areas.” Unfortunately the excellence of these results was not reflected in the grant announced by the Funding Council. Despite the School’s success, its overall grant has increased by only £152,000 –
It does mean, however, that we have to continue to scrutinise recurrent expenditure ever more carefully, seek additional ways to generate income, fully recover the costs of our research and invest wisely.”
Our drug discovery activities focus on three complementary areas: cancer medicines, antimicrobials and natural products as a source of novel compounds against a range of human diseases. Our work is interdisciplinary, ranging from medicinal and synthetic chemistry to cancer pharmacology, structural biology, proteomics, microbiology and phytomedicines. Cancer medicines
Dividing prostate cancer cells
an increase of 1.86% on this year, compared with a sector average increase of 4.1%. Research funding has increased by 8.0% compared with a sector average increase of 7.8%, and funding for teaching has reduced by 2.2%, compared with a sector average increase of 2.0%. Most of this fall is caused by the ELQ policy, the withdrawal of institutional funding for students studying for an equivalent or lower level qualification, which has removed £300,000 from our teaching income this year.
Professor Smith commented: “The financial forecasts for 2009–10 had always been based on very cautious assumptions, and these have, sadly, turned out to be wise. We are in exactly the financial position forecast for 2009–10 but had of course hoped that our excellent RAE performance would have led to funding that recognised the School’s achievement – as it would have done in earlier RAEs. However, this news does not knock the School off track. We know that we can work with this funding revenue and continue to grow.
In recent years there have been many important advances in cancer prevention – most notably in reducing smoking – and the treatment of established disease. Anti-cancer therapies such as platinum-based medicines, hormonebased treatments and better targeted therapies have, along with improved surgery and more effective radiotherapy, contributed to improved outcomes in many age groups. However, one in three people will still be affected by cancer at some stage in their life. Our Centre for Cancer Medicines aims to foster multi-disciplinary collaborations between those members of the School involved in various aspects of cancer studies, and to enhance links with external organisations and cancer research groups, especially with clinical colleagues. The Centre has laboratories in the new Molecular Pharmacy building at the School, for cancer pharmacology and medicinal chemistry. Two Cancer Research UK
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Focus on drug discovery
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Research Groups are also associated with the Centre. Other work is funded by the Association for International Cancer Research, the EU, EPSRC, BBSRC and industry. Cancer Research UK Biomolecular Structure Group
Much of the work of the Cancer Research UK Biomolecular Structure Group over the last year has been on the discovery of novel agents targeting human telomeres in cancer, and in particular the study of higher-order DNA structures known as quadruplexes. Inside the cell nucleus all our genetic information is located on twisted, double stranded molecules of DNA which are packaged into chromosomes. At the end of these chromosomes are telomeres, zones of repeated chains of DNA that are often compared to the plastic tips on shoelaces because they prevent chromosomes from fraying, and thus genetic information from getting scrambled when cells divide. The telomere is like a cellular clock or fuse, because every time a cell divides, the telomere shortens. After a cell has grown and divided a
few dozen times, the telomeres turn on an alarm system that prevents further division. If this clock does not function correctly, cells either end up with damaged chromosomes or they become “immortal” and continue dividing endlessly leading to cancer or disease. Quadruplexforming sequences occur within telomeric DNA and in promoter regions of a number of oncogenes. In both cases they appear to perform inhibitory actions that can ‘kill’ cancer cells. Therefore, small molecules that selectively bind and stabilise G-quadruplex nucleic acids are of interest as a class of anticancer agents. The Group is involved in determining the three-dimensional structures of these quadruplexes, designing and synthesizing selective small molecules that will bind to them, and in evaluating the biological consequences in a range of cancer cell types. Amongst other findings was the report of a novel class of biaryl polyamides highly selective for G-quadruplex DNA, and with significant cytotoxicity in several cancer cell lines. They also noted that administering certain G-quadruplex-
binding compounds in combination with cis-platin resulted in synergistic behaviour and produced rapid and highly significant decreases in tumour volume. Gene Targeting Drug Design Research Group
The Group’s research goals are to design, synthesise and develop novel anticancer and antibacterial drugs, taking them forward to the first stages of clinical trials. A combination of traditional synthetic chemistry and automated techniques are used to discover novel gene targeting agents capable of recognising specific gene sequences and potentially capable of selectively downregulating gene expression. Further work this year with one of the Group’s drugs, SG2000 (previously known as SJG-136), showed that it formed sequencedependent intrastrand DNA crosslinks and monoalkylated adducts in addition to the previously known interstrand cross-links. Such cross-links are believed to be the source of cytotoxicity of antitumour agents. SG2000 is a highly
potent DNA-interactive molecule that has demonstrated anti-tumour activity in multiple tumour types across a number of preclinical and clinical studies. It will enter into an upcoming US National Cancer Institute-sponsored multi-centre Phase II study in resistant and refractory ovarian cancer. Genetic ‘magic bullet’ that could make it easier to treat cancers
School scientists working with Cancer Research UK have developed a treatment that transports ‘tumour busting’ genes selectively to cancer cells. The technique, which leaves healthy cells unaffected, could offer hope to people with difficult to treat cancers. Using nanotechnology, the researchers were able to package the anti-cancer genes in very small particles that directed the treatment selectively to tumours so that it was only taken up by cancer cells, leaving healthy cells unharmed. Once taken up by cancer cells, the genes enclosed in the nanoparticles force the cell to produce proteins that can kill the cancer. This type of technology is particularly exciting for people with
cancers that are inoperable because they are close to vital organs, like the brain or lungs. These cancers are often associated with poor survival. Now scientists have found a particle that can be used to selectively target cancer cells, they hope nanotechnology can be extended to treat cancer that has spread. Study author Dr Andreas Schatzlein, Reader in Cancer Pharmacology at the Centre for Cancer Medicines said: “Gene therapy has a great potential to create safe and effective cancer treatments but getting the genes into cancer cells remains one of the big challenges in this area. This is the first time that nanoparticles have been shown to target tumours in such a selective way, and this is an exciting step forward in the field. Once inside the cell, the gene enclosed in the particle recognises the cancerous environment and switches on. The result is toxic, but only to the offending cells, leaving healthy tissue unaffected.” Traditional chemotherapy indiscriminately kills cells in the affected area of the body, which can cause side effects like fatigue, hair
loss or nausea. It is hoped that gene therapy will have fewer associated side effects by targeting only the cancer cells. Biodiversity-driven drug discovery
For centuries researchers have been interested in the observation, description, and experimental investigation of indigenous drugs and their biological activities, however, ethnopharmacology as a well-defined field has a relatively short history. As any other area of scientific endeavour, this field requires a critical and engaged discussion about the conceptual basis, the relevant methods and the overall standards necessary for excellence. Professor Michael Heinrich and Dr Sarah Edwards of our Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy contributed to a review of recent ethnopharmacological field studies in order to highlight achievements and future needs for improving the quality of such studies. The review discussed conceptual requirements, methodological standards and ways to quantify ethnopharmacological information.
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Gene therapy has a great potential to create safe and effective cancer treatments but getting the genes into cancer cells remains one of the big challenges.
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Professor Heinrich and Dr Peter Giovaninni published the results of their investigation into the interface of traditional (generally plant based) medicines and of commercially available pharmaceutical (and related) products. Their case study explored the use and knowledge of medicinal plants and patent medicines among laypeople living in a rural Mazatec indigenous community in Oaxaca, Mexico. Researchers from the Centre also published work reviewing the bioscientific evidence for products derived from Red Lapacho (tabebuia impetiginosa), a canopy tree indigenous to the Amazonian rainforest and other parts of South America. Tabebuia impetiginosa has been acclaimed as a miracle cure for cancer and tumours and has attracted considerable attention in Brazil and Argentina as a ‘wonder drug’. Traditionally, the botanical drug is widely used in local and traditional phytomedicine, usually ingested as a decoction prepared from the inner bark of the tree to treat numerous conditions like bacterial and fungal infections, fever, syphilis, malaria, trypanosomiasis, as well
as stomach and bladder disorders. The botanical (drug) material available on the international markets was found to be of varying quality and composition, making a specific assessment of the products’ therapeutic claims problematic. Focus on Neurosciences
This research covers nervous system regulation and function in health and disease, with a focus on understanding brain circuitry as well as the underlying genetic and neurochemical basis of brain disorders. Zebrafish and startle disease
In August the School sponsored Professor Robert Harvey to attend the ‘Zebrafish Development and Genetics’ course at the Marine Biological Laboratory, Woods Hole, USA. Over the past 15 years, the zebrafish has emerged as an important model system for the study of vertebrate development and disease. Characterising mutant zebrafish (Expander, Quetschkommode, Schlaffi) made by the Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology in Tübingen,
Germany may help uncover new genes involved in startle disease or hyperekplexia in humans. Hyperekplexia is a neurologic disorder in which babies have an exaggerated startle reflex to stimuli; spray a few drops of water on a baby with the rare disorder and its body will stiffen, all its muscles tense, not just for a few moments while it gets used to the chill, but for several minutes at a time. The reaction, which is an extreme version of the ‘fight or flight’ reaction we all experience when taken by surprise, can lead to breathing problems and has been linked to sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS). Targeted cell-specific expression of fluorescent proteins in zebrafish can also help to describe neuronal networks and connectivity. Zebrafish work also forms part of a Bloomsbury PhD studentship project for Victoria James in collaboration with Dr Maya Topf at Birkbeck, University of London. Protein expression linked to epileptic seizures
Approximately 50 million people worldwide suffer from epilepsy and chronic temporal lobe epilepsy
Zebrafish involved in hyperekplexia studies
(TLE) is one of the most prevalent forms of the syndrome. Currently this disorder is largely untreatable with medicines. It often occurs after a traumatic head injury or fits induced by high fever. Using models that replicate many of the features of the human condition, researchers at the School have previously shown that a particular protein, the HCN channel, is persistently reduced in the cortex, an area of the brain involved in seizure generation. Since the expression of many proteins
is altered following the onset of TLE, it was unknown whether the sustained reduction in HCN channel density was an important factor in seizure generation. Research from Dr Mala Shah and Dr Zhuo Huang (in collaboration with Professor Matthew Walker of UCL Institute of Neurology) showed, for the first time, that transgenic subjects lacking the HCN1 protein subtype are more susceptible to seizures and that the onset of chronic TLE in these subjects occurs at a rate six times faster than normal. The study demonstrates that the lack of HCN1 protein causes the normal balance between excitation and inhibition in the brain to be tipped predominantly towards excitation. Since enhanced neuronal excitability underlies seizure generation, this suggests that enhancing protein expression may be beneficial for the treatment of chronic TLE. Investigating protein interactions implicated in Alzheimer’s disease
Amyloid precursor protein (APP) and a neurotransmitter receptor named NMDA, are two proteins in the brain that have long been
implicated in Alzheimer’s disease. When APP is broken down, it forms the toxic protein amyloid that clumps together to form plaques in the brains of people with Alzheimer’s. NMDA receptors can cause an increase in calcium in the brain which, if not carefully controlled, can trigger cell death. Scientists at the School have discovered a new link between these two proteins. They hypothesize that this link can regulate the correct numbers of NMDA receptors, which helps brain cells function properly. If the link is disrupted, it could lead to abnormal processes, resulting in cell death and the development of Alzheimer’s disease. In the study, Professor Anne Stephenson and her team hope to learn more about the mechanism that links the two proteins. They are examining whether APP and NMDA receptors associate directly or via an intermediary protein. They anticipate that further research may reveal important interactions between the proteins. Understanding the link between these two molecules will provide new insights into the function of
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Over the past 15 years, the zebrafish has emerged as an important model system for the study of vertebrate development and disease.
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Purkinje neurones
both proteins. In addition, some of the interactions could become targets for therapies in the future. By studying the proteins and their interaction, the researchers hope to gain an understanding of their role in both normal brain cell communications and communication dysfunctions in Alzheimer’s disease. MRC funding for collaborative project within Neurosciences group
In order to recognise things around us, process information
and respond in a useful, safe and socially acceptable way, the brain performs extremely complex computations. Our brains contain millions of nerve cells (neurones) which process information and transfer it to other neurones via synapses. Since there are many types of neurones, there are many different types of synapse. Even subtle changes at one type of synapse can produce behavioural, or emotional changes and contribute to neurological or psychiatric disease. Inhibitory synapses reduce activity in other neurones, blocking their responses to other inputs. They select precisely which information is processed and control inappropriate perceptions, responses and behaviour patterns. Many drugs affect their function such as anaesthetics, sedatives and anti-anxiety drugs, while changes at some of these synapses caused by changing hormone levels contribute to premenstrual tension, increased epileptic seizure susceptibility and to ‘post-partum blues’. On each side of the synapse proteins cluster into highly specific, complex functional
units. Cleftspanning proteins have recently become recognised as the elements mediating transynaptic recognition and with extensive alternative splicing, may provide the molecular diversity controlling functional diversity. Several proteins specific to glutamatergic, or GABAergic synapses have been identified and their importance in the development and stabilization of synapses demonstrated. However, few studies have attempted to go further and explore synapse specificity at subsets of excitatory or inhibitory synapses. The Medical Research Council has awarded a substantial grant for a major collaborative project to determine the mechanisms underlying synapse-specific clustering of GABAA receptors. The three year project is a collaborative undertaking that involves investigators from throughout the Neurosciences group: Dr Afia Ali, Dr Kirsten Harvey, Professor Robert Harvey, Dr Jasmina Jovanovic, Dr Audrey Mercer, Dr Brian Pearce, Professor Anne Stephenson and Professor Alex Thomson.
Carbon nanotubes
Focus on Formulation Sciences
These research activities focus on the sciences and technologies used to develop and understand the final dosage form of medicines. We work on the major routes of administration (oral, parenteral, pulmonary, mucosal and dermal), and pharmaceutical materials characterisation and processing. Can carbon nanotubes help ‘silence’ lung cancer?
A team from the Nanomedicine Lab, Centre for Drug Delivery
Research in collaboration with Alberto Bianco from the CNRS in Strasbourg, France and Maurizio Prato at the University of Trieste in Italy have demonstrated that carbon nanotubes can be used to achieve therapeutic gene silencing in human lung carcinoma leading to significant suppression of tumour volume, collapse of the tumour mass and, most importantly, prolonged survival of tumour-bearing subjects. This therapeutic outcome was achieved by using carbon nanotubes to deliver small interfering RNA
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(siRNA) directly into the tumour mass. A number of ongoing clinical trials investigating the therapeutic efficacy of siRNA to silence or “switch off” unwanted genes in a variety of diseases are currently underway. In this study, siRNA was used to switch off genes and trigger death of cancer cells by comparing the performance of two possible siRNA delivery systems – carbon nanotubes and liposomes. It showed that weekly injections using carbon nanotubes to cargo siRNA into the cancer cells elicited a therapeutic effect. Carbon nanotubes are nanometer-scale tubes of graphitic carbon with outstanding properties. They are among the stiffest and strongest fibres known and have a structure that can have a lengthto-diameter ratio as large as 28,000,000:1. They can be used as a vessel for transporting drugs into the body and, by targeting its distribution only at diseased sites, reduce side effects and the necessary drug dosage. Professor Kostas Kostarelos, Chair of Nanomedicine and Head of the Centre for Drug Delivery Research, said: “There is a lot of promise and buzz around nanosystems used to transport drugs effectively where wanted, with only a few examples of therapeutic efficacy. We are glad to see carbon nanotubes able to offer alternatives for effective delivery of powerful therapeutic agents, such as siRNA. This is the first time carbon nanotube-based delivery systems have achieved efficacy levels leading to prolonged survival for any disease model. This study should be just the beginning since there is more to come from the use of novel nanomaterials against cancer’’.
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The technology was assessed by analyzing gene expression and cell damage. The technology resulted in efficient in vitro transfection and optimal transfection conditions were able to be determined. Nanotechnology ‘Grand Challenges’
Red blood cells Helios gene gun
Particle bombardment has become increasingly popular as a transfection method, because of a reduced dependency on target cell characteristics. The efficiency of in vitro gene transfer by particle bombardment was evaluated in a study conducted by Emeritus Professor for Drug Delivery Research Oya Alpar and colleagues. In the study transfection was performed by bombardment of the cells with gene-coated gold particles using the Helios Gene Gun.
Scientists from the School have been responsible for securing two major grants from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC). The EPSRC is the main UK government agency for funding research and training in engineering and the physical sciences, investing around £740 million a year in a broad range of subjects. It aims to fund a number of large scale, integrated, multidisciplinary nanotechnology projects directed towards an area of societal need – dubbed ‘Grand Challenges’. A consortium headed by Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu and Dr Andreas Schatzlein has been granted £1.7M to investigate ‘Technologies for the Treatment of Brain Diseases’, whilst a project by Professor Kostas Kostarelos and Dr Khuloud Al-Jamal has, in collaboration with Swansea University, received a grant of
£1.5M to investigate ‘Point of care nanotechnology for early blood clot detection and characterisation in disease screening, theranostic and self monitoring applications.’ This latter proposal was ranked, after two rounds of evaluations, as the number one proposal nationally among more than 70 proposals received. Stroke, the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to a disturbance in the blood supply to the brain, is the third leading cause of death in the UK. In stroke, the processes of endothelial and vascular damage, activation of the coagulation cascade and decreased fibrinolysis result in abnormal blood clots, often with excessively crosslinked fibrin networks. Professor Kostarelos and Dr Al-Jamal, a Senior Research and Teaching Fellow in Nanomedicine, will develop a device capable of the early detection and characterisation of abnormal clots greatly enhancing the available therapeutic options. The device will be suitable for widespread use outside of hospitals and ultimately will be developed for use by patients at home.
Meanwhile Professor Uchegbu and Dr Schatzlein led a multidisciplinary consortium drawn from academia and industry in a successful bid for funding to address the ‘Grand Challenge’ of the treatment of brain diseases. Scientists from the School, the University of Exeter, King’s College London and GlaxoSmithKline have proposed a new nanoscience based strategy to target drugs to the brain and to cross the blood brain barrier. The blood brain barrier is a metabolic or cellular structure in the central nervous system that restricts the passage of chemical substances and microscopic objects such as bacteria between the bloodstream and the neural tissue, whilst still allowing the passage of substances such as oxygen which are essential to metabolic function. Unfortunately this barrier also does not permit the passage of most drug molecules and has hampered the treatment of brain diseases. This project aims to use recent significant findings to create an optimised nanotechnology brain delivery platform for peptides and
low molecular weight drugs with low brain permeability. Candidate drugs to be used are potential treatments for schizophrenia and for pain and sleep disorders. The total value of the grant is about £1.7M with about £1.35M coming from the EPSRC and £340K from GlaxoSmithKline. Focus on medicines use and health
The central goal of this research is to improve human health by establishing and promoting the best use of medicines. The challenge of making the use of medicines safer and more effective for patients is addressed by three research centres: the Centre for Paediatric Pharmacy Research, a three-way partnership with the School, the Institute of Child Health and Great Ormond Street Hospital, which studies all aspects of medicines for children; the Centre for Behavioural Medicine studies the psychological and behavioural factors explaining variation in response to treatment, and the Centre for Medicines Safety and Service Quality, established with Imperial College Healthcare NHS, conducts research into medication safety.
ADHD treatment prematurely discontinued in some young adults
Some adults with attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) are struggling to get treatment according to a report co-authored by Professor Ian Wong, Director of the Centre for Paediatric Pharmacy Research. The study demonstrated that the prevalence of prescribing by general practitioners to patients with ADHD drops significantly from age 15 to 21. The fall in prescribing is greater than the reported age-related decrease in symptoms; raising the possibility that treatment is prematurely discontinued in some young adults where ADHD symptoms persist. The study also identified that some young adults had difficulty in obtaining treatments after discharge from the paediatric services. Mistakes in drug treatments given to children in hospital
Research conducted across five hospitals in the London area found that errors were made in 13.2% of prescriptions written for children, and that almost one in
Annual Review 2009
Research conducted across five hospitals in the London area found that errors were made in 13.2% of prescriptions written for children, and that almost one in five drugs (19.1%) were prepared inappropriately.
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five drugs (19.1%) were prepared inappropriately. The majority of errors were intercepted by pharmacists and nurses but some were potentially very serious. Professor Wong suggests that the high incidence of error may be because: “Most medicines are made for adult use and doctors frequently need to make complicated calculations to work out the dose for children – particularly for young children. It sometimes takes pharmacists and nurses a longer time to prepare the medicines as; again, it usually involves complicated calculations. This study clearly shows that interventions are needed to prevent errors. Places such as the Great Ormond Street Children Hospital use computer prescribing and this can help to stop some prescribing errors. They also use pharmacists to prepare injections for the wards; the nurses have more time for patient care and it improves safety.” Care home residents put at risk
At the other end of the age spectrum, a study led by Professor Nick Barber of the Centre for
Medicines Safety and Service Quality found that seven in 10 care home residents were victims of some form of medication error. A series of half-day snapshot inspections gathered data on 256 residents in 55 homes and identified mistakes in 178 cases with many the victims of more than one error. Professor Barber said that, although most errors were relatively minor: “It is a cause for concern. Residents are usually taking a cocktail of medicines and are more susceptible to drug side-effects as a consequence of ageing. I think care homes need more help. Pharmacists and GPs should be taking more responsibility and visiting care homes more than they do.” The study resulted in the issuing of an alert by the Department of Health, and a letter to Primary Care Trusts instructing them to address the main findings of the paper. In a matter of months this research engendered a new evidencebased policy that should have a long-term impact on the lives of care home residents.
Boosting asthma expectations to improve quality of life
Asthma UK has awarded funding to a project led by Professor Rob Horne, Director of the Centre for Behavioural Medicine that will conduct interviews with a range of people from diverse backgrounds in order to understand their perspectives of asthma. Professor Horne says: “Our project will address the question of why so many people with asthma appear to tolerate a lifestyle that is more restricted by their asthma than is necessary.” The researchers hope that, in future, their work will lead to new tools to help doctors, pharmacists and nurses overcome their patients’ inappropriately low expectations and other misconceptions about asthma and its treatment, to help them take control of their asthma symptoms. In addition to this project the Centre is collaborating with Asthma UK and Education for Health on a study of Asthma UK members experience of medication side effects. Information needs of patients prescribed medicines for bipolar disorder
The Centre for Behavioural Medicine
Research and will involve ten surgical centres across the UK.
Human Breast Cancer cells
has also been awarded £200,000 from the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) to develop better methods for meeting the information needs of patients prescribed medicines for bipolar disorder. This project will be run by Dr Marcia Kapari and will be conducted in collaboration with Dr Richard Bowskill, at Sussex Partnership NHS Foundation Trust, and the MDF – The BiPolar Organisation, a national user-led organisation and registered charity, for people whose lives are affected by bipolar disorder.
Patient’s perceptions of clinical trial for breast reconstruction
A further grant of £106,000 was awarded by the BUPA Foundation to investigate why women choose whether or not to take part in a clinical trial of breast reconstruction and their experiences of being involved in a randomised controlled trial. This study will be run in collaboration with Dr Zoe Winters at the University Hospitals of Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and the Institute of Cancer
It is very important for formulators to know what children want when it comes to medicines. Asking young people, parents and families their opinions is known as consumer involvement. In order to define taste attributes of medicines that children and young people will like, the Centre for Paediatric Pharmacy Research is working closely with the Great Ormond Street Hospital and the Medicine for Children Research Network, hoping to make it easier for children to take their medicines. Recently, Dr Catherine Tuleu, Senior Lecturer and Deputy Director of the Centre for Paediatric Pharmacy Research gave a science lesson at the Great Ormond Street Hospital school based around activities with children to explain which excipients enter in the composition of their medicines and what role they play. The cohort was happy to share what they disliked about medicines and what tricks they use when it comes to take them, especially tablets of various sizes and shapes. A few children were even able to visit the School where they were shown how tablets are made and how to prepare a sterile product such as an injection or eye drop.
Annual Review 2009
Why won’t children take their medicine?
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Annual Review 2009
Physical environment
An effective working environment is a key enabling factor in an academic community. With this in mind the School has undergone transformational change in 2009 through a number of building projects designed to improve the environment for staff and students.
20
HRH Princess Anne opens Molecular Pharmacy Wing
HRH Princess Anne visiting our new research laboratories
Her Royal Highness The Princess Royal, Chancellor of the University of London officially opened the new Molecular Pharmacy Wing in May. The seven-storey 980m² wing includes five floors housing research laboratories, creating a centre for collaborative research into the discovery, design and development of medicines. Each of the research floors is devoted to a particular discipline: cancer pharmacology (led by Dr Andreas Schatzlein); microbiology and infectious diseases (Professor Peter Taylor); pharmaceutics and nanotechnology (Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu); pharmacognosy and phytotherapy (Dr Deniz Tasdemir); and molecular neuroscience and genetics (Professor Robert Harvey).
The new building also provides a teaching laboratory, seminar and meeting rooms and space on the ground floor that provides a bright, modern venue for events. The building was funded by capital grants of £4.1m, with a further £1m donation from the Wolfson Foundation to enable the research laboratories to be equipped and furnished to the highest specifications. The Chancellor viewed poster presentations by PhD students and post-doctoral researchers highlighting the work being conducted by our young scientists. She also visited one of the newly furnished laboratories in the Molecular Pharmacy Wing. The Chancellor concluded her visit by unveiling a plaque commemorating the opening. The ceremony was followed by a research symposium opened by Sir Mark Walport, Director of the Wellcome Trust. The symposium highlighted the range of research conducted at the School including pharmacy practice, molecular neuroscience and genetics, paediatric pharmacy research, anticancer drug discovery and pharmaceutical nanoscience.
provided for the Stores conversion, and Library refurbishment, with the Computer Unit and Wolfson Laboratory refurbishments, plus several smaller projects, to follow.
Another important project for the main building this summer was the implementation of a comprehensive signage system. The project was managed by Jean Goodyear and presented an opportunity to review the existing room numbering which had developed in a somewhat random manner and the decision was made to renumber almost every room in the School, developing a more logical flow. A total of 79 directional signs were installed, 28 of these in the basement. A further 147 special laboratory door signs and 536 individual warning signs have been produced as well as 272 additional door signs and around 180 A4 perspex holders installed to help identify laboratory ownership and incorporate information for the Emergency Services. Library refurbishment The entrance hall project has restored the spatial and material qualities of the original building
Entrance hall project
To the huge relief of everyone involved with the project, the Entrance Hall was handed back to the School on 13 May – 24 hours before HRH Princess Anne’s arrival, and right on time within the planned 12 week contract. The architect was Charles Dokk Olsen, from Shepheard Epstein Hunter and the building work was managed by Terry Tracey, on behalf of Parkeray Ltd. Both firms were appointed after open tender competitions in the winter and worked together to deliver the
project within its £380k budget. All staff and students coped well with the disruption although the efforts of Jerry Cullen and his team of porters deserve special mention. The project has transformed the entrance, removing clutter, concentrating on the experience of students, staff and visitors, and restoring the spatial and material qualities of the original mid-20th Century building. The work was funded from the HEFCE Capital Infrastructure Fund, which requires us to invest in the building and infrastructure. The same Fund is also
The School’s Library first opened in November 1959 and has undergone three extensions since then; however, this latest work funded by CIF monies, the Garfield Weston Foundation and alumni donations is possibly the most transformational. The space has been completely reconfigured and modernised. The architects for the project, Marcus Beale Architects, as well as bringing new concepts to the refurbishment were also very receptive to the School’s needs and spent time seeing and listening to how students, academics and Library staff work as well as visiting other recently completed projects.
Annual Review 2009
Signage
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The completely reconfigured and modernised Library
Inspiration came from a number of libraries, with us benchmarking against the sector, but ultimately the design is very much our own. Many changes have occurred in recent years with increases in student numbers, leaps in technology, increased electronic delivery of materials and developments in learning styles; libraries must now support a range of activities to ensure they work as academic hubs and information commons. To meet these demands proper zoning of areas with the latest acoustic technologies has been implemented. Individual study areas, group study pods with PCs with a range of software including word processing, a bookable group study booth where students can practice presentations and Library staff can hold training sessions, a relaxing current journal area and a group of “quick stop” internet PCs are all available. No learning space can ever remain static so flexibility was one of the key elements requested of the architects when it came to the Library’s design. This has been achieved with free standing furniture, new IT hardwiring and Wi-Fi. Michelle Wake, Head of
Library and Information Services commented: “As soon as you walk into the Library you are struck by how light, airy and welcoming it feels. Feedback for the new Library has been extremely positive and our circulation figures and headcount statistics have gone up vastly on this time last year. Although future proofing is a bit of a cliché, researchers and students will be able to enjoy their new space for many years to come. The School of Pharmacy Library has often been ahead of the field and in recent years has been amongst the first to introduce an electronic institutional repository, to work with academics and students in a Second Life project, introduce e-books and develop virtual tours. Yet again, with the innovative touches incorporated into the new Library, we aim to support our world-class students and researchers with top facilities. New services will continue to be rolled out, so our official opening on Wednesday 9th December with the Vice Chancellor of the University, Professor Sir Graeme Davies, was not the end but the start of a new and exciting phase. May the next fifty years be as innovative and exciting!”
Annual Review 2009
As soon as you walk into the Library you are struck by how light, airy and welcoming it feels. Feedback for the new Library has been extremely positive and our circulation figures and headcount statistics have gone up vastly on this time last year.
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Annual Review 2009
Commercial development
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Pharmovation, our wholly-owned subsidiary company, was formed in 2005 with the aim of promoting the transfer of new technologies and innovations generated by researchers at the School of Pharmacy to industry. During the last year it has signed four new licence agreements, the website has been updated to supply more information to staff through an internal site, and a short course ‘Managing Innovation’ was run for PhD students. The Pharmovation team expanded in 2009 through the addition of Dr Stéphane Méry to the company’s Board. Dr Méry has been Fund Manager of the Bloomsbury Bioseed Fund since November 2000. He is also a Director of Healthcare Investment at Noble Fund Manager. Previously, Stéphane was Associate Director, Worldwide Business Development, for SmithKline Beecham and was instrumental in the assessment and the negotiation of several major in-license deals and acquisitions. The School has an outstanding record for commercialising novel technologies through its spinout companies: Lipoxen, Pharmaterials,
PolyTherics, Spirogen and Therakind. They have survived a tough year and raised more than £3m in additional funding. Lipoxen
Lipoxen PLC is a leading UK based biopharmaceutical company providing specialist delivery solutions to improve the efficacy and performance of drugs and vaccines in a variety of important medical areas. In April, Lipoxen reported positive preclinical results for the delivery of a novel influenza vaccine formulation with enhanced immunogenicity. The Technology Strategy Board, the Government organisation charged with driving UK innovation, has since appointed Lipoxen as lead member of the grant consortium for its controlled-release nanoparticle vaccine research programme, which includes Lipoxen’s influenza vaccine project. Pharmaterials
Pharmaterials provides formulation services to pharmaceutical companies, particularly focusing on problem molecules at early stage development. After winning
The School has an outstanding record for commercialising novel technologies
the Queen’s Award for Enterprise in 2008 the company moved to a new facility in February and has continued to expand its range of services, adding DSC-Raman to its vast array of characterisation techniques and announcing GMP validation for solution calorimetry.
coverage in both Europe and the US, the two largest pharmaceutical markets in the world. Trademarked as TheraPEG™, the technology allows proteins with proven therapeutic efficacy to remain active and potent in the body for longer, resulting in less frequent dosing without loss of biological activity.
PolyTherics
PolyTherics is a drug optimisation company, focusing on enhancement of the properties of bio-medicines. Its third generation PEGylation technology has been given patent
Spirogen
Spirogen is a pioneer in the discovery and development of a unique class of low molecular weight sequence-specific DNA-
Therakind
Therakind is at the cutting edge of paediatric drug technology with expertise in all aspects of the development of paediatric medicines. The European Medicines Agency have agreed the Paediatric Investigation Plan and a clinical trial in Germany for BuccolamTM, a product jointly developed with Auralis Limited and designed for the rapid treatment of children suffering from acute epileptic seizures.
Annual Review 2009
interactive drugs designed to treat gene-mediated diseases, primarily focusing on cancer. Private equity firm Celtic Therapeutics Holdings LP invested sufficient funds in the company to allow its lead anticancer agent SG2000 (also known as SJG136) to move to Phase II clinical trials. SG2000, a first-in-class sequence selective DNA minorgroove binding agent, has recently completed Phase I clinical trials at cancer centres in both the UK (through Cancer Research UK) and in the USA (through the National Cancer Institute), and has shown clinical activity in a number of different tumour types including ovarian, melanoma and leukaemia. The company is based on sequence-selective DNA interactive agents discovered in Professor David Thurston’s laboratory. Professor Thurston said: “Despite these difficult financial times, I am delighted that Spirogen is generating promising results with both standalone anticancer agents and antibody-drug conjugates. This is undoubtedly due to the hard work, skill and dedication of the chemistry team. My hope is that cancer patients will eventually reap the greatest benefit from all of this effort”.
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Annual Review 2009
Collaborations
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International Pharmaceutical Federation Collaborating Centre
The International Pharmaceutical Federation (FIP) and The School of Pharmacy established the first FIP Collaborating Centre (FIPCC). The purpose of the FIPCC for Pharmacy and Health is to serve as a conduit for expertise, research capacity building, innovation and development in collaboration with key stakeholders including FIP Member Organisations, WHO and UNESCO. The FIPCC directs and supports the work of the Global Pharmacy Education Taskforce, a tripartite collaboration of FIP, WHO and UNESCO. The Taskforce is committed to reducing the pharmacy workforce shortage by scaling up and strengthening pharmacy education and seeking to establish a global support network for all aspects of pharmacy education. Professor Ian Bates, Head of Education Development at the School and co-chair of the Centre said: “This represents a significant opportunity to make a real difference at policy level for the global professional community. FIP has demonstrated that it is a progressive organisation
with an active agenda and this initiative will be a big step toward engagement with the major global actors. It comes as FIP and its partners intensify links with UN agencies such as WHO and UNESCO.” London International Development Centre (LIDC)
The London International Development Centre (LIDC) was established in 2007 with a grant of £3.7m from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE), and it now has more than 1,000 staff, students and alumni members from its constituent Colleges: Birkbeck, Institute of Education, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Royal Veterinary College, School of Oriental and African Studies, and The School of Pharmacy. New £232,000 Grant encourages students to become global citizens
Undergraduates studying medicine, pharmacy and veterinary science will learn more about global issues and how their professions can contribute to international development due to
We have sought strategic collaborations with partners to create interdisciplinary teams tackling important questions in drug discovery, development and medicines usage
an unprecedented project. Students from The School of Pharmacy, the Royal Veterinary College, and the Medical School of University College London will be taught about the social, economic and cultural context of the developing world during the three-year scheme run by the Institute of Education’s Development Education Research Centre in partnership with the LIDC. Their experiences and engagement with campaigns against global poverty will also be surveyed
annually as part of the research funded by the UK Department For International Development through its Development Awareness Fund. £3.5m Award to explore nexus between agriculture and health
Researchers coordinated by LIDC have won approximately £3.5m to address the global food security crisis by investigating the neglected links between agriculture and health. The programme, funded by The Leverhulme Trust, bridges traditional
disciplines and aims to create a new holistic paradigm for understanding the relationship between agricultural production and health. Professor Michael Heinrich and Dr Jose Prieto-Garcia led the School’s proposal to participate in the project. The initiative provides for professorial and lectureship positions, as well as postdoctoral researchers and PhD students. All research projects will be designed as joint activities between health and agricultural researchers.
Annual Review 2009
Researchers coordinated by LIDC have won approximately £3.5m to address the global food security crisis by investigating the neglected links between agriculture and health.
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Annual Review 2009
School lectures
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Delivering the alchemist’s dream
Professor Robert Harvey, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and Genetics
The great and good of the pharmacy world gathered at The Royal Society on 26th February 2009 to attend the second School of Pharmacy Lecture, jointly organised by the School and Pfizer Worldwide Pharmaceuticals. Professor Rob Horne, Head of the Department of Practice and Policy, Director of the Centre for Behavioural Medicine and Professor of Behavioural Medicine, used the metaphor of the alchemist’s search for the panacea, the ultimate medicine, as a gateway into the topic of this year’s address: behavioural medicine. The speech addressed the issue of turning pharmaceutical innovation into improved health through changing medicine users’ behaviour. It touched on many of the areas that Professor Horne has researched in the last fifteen years: however, the main thrust of the address was the relationship between patient beliefs and medicine adherence. Professor Horne urged the medical profession to look beyond the stereotypes of patient behaviour and illustrated how his research had shown clear
links between a patient’s beliefs when they enter a clinic and their subsequent behaviour in relation to the medical regimen. The response to the key address was given this year by Mr Nigel Clarke, author of the influential Report of the independent inquiry into a professional body for pharmacy. Mr Clarke acknowledged the importance of Professor Horne’s work and the vital role of such research in the future of pharmacy. He also called for greater trust between the different ‘tribes’ of the medical profession and elucidated his understanding of the role of the new regulatory authority. The speeches sparked a lively exchange reflecting upon a range of issues which was chaired by our Chairman of Council, Lord Tim Clement-Jones. This is the second of our Annual Lectures. The lectures provide an opportunity for us to engage with the wider world of pharmacy. Natural product drugs and herbal remedies: Benefit or bane to society?
Half of Britain uses or would use herbal supplements – yet the debate
Annual Review 2009
Traditional plant-derived medicines continue to offer a rich and largely unexplored source of therapeutic opportunities for the pharmaceutical and food industries.
still rages over how beneficial these natural products are. So claimed Professor Douglas Kinghorn, at the second annual A.Vogel Lecture organised by the Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy. Traditional plant-derived medicines continue to offer a rich and largely unexplored source of therapeutic opportunities for the pharmaceutical and food industries. In recent years, many new health foods and herbal medicinal products have been introduced to the market. Not all are backed by appropriate research on quality, safety and therapeutic effectiveness and yet herbal remedies are a popular choice for healthcare, used by an increasing proportion of the population. The latest figures suggest 25 per cent of the UK currently uses herbal supplements while a further 25 per cent have used or would use them. New developments in recent years have seen more stringent standards brought in for such products. The MHRA recently registered the 45th product under a new scheme that requires herbal medical products to comply with
quality and safety standards as they are used for medicines, in fact making such products medicine. Professor Kinghorn believes leading pharmaceutical companies can see the benefit of natural product drugs, but are reluctant to develop them as it can take decades to bring a product to market. In fact, he argues the current industry model is weighted against natural products – even though some synthetic drugs are modelled directly on them. He said the impact of natural product drugs and ‘biological tools’ has been increasing in importance in recent years, including major plant-derived drugs and semi-synthetic derivatives of plant compounds. New research at the Centre for Pharmacognosy and Phytotherapy has highlighted the importance of, for example, the composition of Echinacea preparations in determining their effect on the human body. Professor Michael Heinrich, head of the Centre, said: “This also shows the need for significant investment by the industry in assessing a product’s quality and safety.”
Inaugural lectures
Professor Andreas Kortenkamp gave his inaugural lecture ‘Ten years of mixing cocktails – reflections on combination effects of hormonally active components’ to mark his promotion to a personal chair. Professor Kortenkamp gave a compelling overview of his research into the effects of mixed chemicals on reproductive health and his efforts to shift the focus of toxicologists and regulatory bodies from ‘YFC – your favourite chemical’ to the more complex issue of mixtures risk assessment. Professor Robert Harvey, Professor of Molecular Neuroscience and Genetics, gave his Inaugural Lecture on 6th March 2009. Professor Harvey outlined his work on glycine receptors/ transporters and hyperekplexia. Hyperekplexia is a neurological disorder that affects newborns and is characterized by noise and touch induced stiffness and apnoea. This can lead to brain damage and sudden infant death. Professor Harvey outlined the link between mutations in the human GlyT2 gene and hyperekplexia.
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Annual Review 2009
Honours and distinctions
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The outstanding achievements of our staff are frequently recognised by the conferment of honours and appointments; a small selection of which are listed below. We also recognise contributions to pharmacy by awarding our own fellowships.
with many members from Asian and American countries. The appointments were taken up in January 2010 and can be read as an indication of the international recognition afforded to the work of Dr Tasdemir and Professor Heinrich. The next GA congress will take place in Berlin in September.
GA elections
The International Society for Medicinal Plant and Natural Product Research (Gesellschaft fĂźr Arzneipflanzen- und NaturstoffForschung e.V.) (GA) elected Dr Deniz Tasdemir and Professor Michael Heinrich as members of their advisory board at its annual meeting held in Geneva. The society is a neutral and independent association of scientists from academia and industry as well as other interested parties engaged in the advancement of research. It is, together with its US equivalent, the ASP, the largest learned society focusing on research in medicinal plants, bioactive natural products and phytotherapy and has members all over the world. In recent years it has become even more international
Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences and Royal Pharmaceutical Society fellowships
Three Fellowships were awarded by the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences (APSGB) this year and all of them went to School staff – Professor Graham Buckton, Professor Jonathan Hadgraft and Professor David Thurston. The Fellowships are awarded based on significant contribution in the field of pharmaceutical science and Fellows provide the APSGB Board with advice and guidance on topics within their area of expertise. These are prestigious awards and it is rare for one institution to get such recognition. Professor Thurston, Head of the Department of Pharmaceutical and Biological Chemistry, was also designated a
Annual Review 2009
Three Fellowships were awarded by the Academy of Pharmaceutical Sciences this year and all of them went to School staff.
Fellow of the Royal Pharmaceutical Society in a ceremony at Lambeth attended by Dr Howard Stoat MP. Speaking engagements
Professor Simon Gibbons, Professor in Phytochemistry was invited to present a seminar as part of the Vice-Chancellor’s Prestigious Seminar Series at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) in South Africa. The selection was based on the standing of the individual, the relevance of the theme of the seminar, the benefit to TUT and alignment with national priorities. Dr Peter Whitton addressed the SPRING (The Special Research Interest Group of the Parkinson’s Disease Society) conference on 20 May. SPRING is an action group dedicated to accelerating research into a cure for Parkinson’s disease; the conference represents an opportunity for researchers to speak directly to a group representing patients and their families. Dr Whitton spoke about ‘Neuroprotective effects of a GLP1 receptor agonist in models of Parkinson’s disease’.
Dr Catherine Duggan was an invited speaker at the Lancet’s first Health of the Nation Summit on 4th February. Catherine was the only pharmacist to address the conference and she also contributed evidence to the Royal College’s working party report. The main outcome from the report was that The Royal College recognised the roles of pharmacists and the evidence that supports their contribution in the healthcare team. Wellcome Trust-NIH PhD studentship
Caroline Anderson, a School MPharm student was offered a prestigious four-year Wellcome Trust-NIH Ph.D. studentship. Caroline was interviewed at the Trust by a panel of ten UK and NIH researchers. Only five studentships are funded per annum. Caroline is undertaking a collaborative project between Professor Robert Harvey at The School of Pharmacy and Dr Craig Blackstone at NIH, Bethesda entitled: The roles of the Parkinson’s disease proteins PINK1 and Parkin in the regulation of mitochondrial fission and fusion. Commenting on the studentship, Caroline said: “I am very excited about it. I have
been interested in undertaking a PhD since I was studying at the School, and I am really looking forward to it. Especially being able to work both at the School with Professor Harvey and at the National Institute of Health based in America and on such an interesting topic as Parkinson’s Disease.” Professor Harvey commented: “This is a unique opportunity for Caroline to participate in an exciting joint project on Parkinson’s disease with Dr Craig Blackstone at the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). She will also benefit from the extensive support and training provided by the NIH Graduate Partnership programme” Dr Blackstone said: “We look forward to welcoming Caroline to our laboratory as part of this exciting partnership with the Wellcome Trust. We are excited by this joint project with Professor Harvey’s laboratory, not only for the science itself but also for the fact that it continues the rich history of collaboration between the US National Institutes of Health and top universities in the UK.”
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Annual Review 2009
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The Wellcome Trust provides support for the student’s stipend, PhD fees, college fees and a contribution towards research costs. NIH provides awards to students that include a level of financial support and applicable travel costs. It is envisioned that the student will spend an equal amount of time in both laboratories, although the specific division of time will be dictated by the nature of the research project. Students funded under this scheme will be integrated with the NIH Graduate Partnership Programme, and will have access to the excellent support and benefits that the programme provides. Images of excellence
David McCarthy and Annie Cavanagh won two more imaging awards “Images of Excellence” at the tenth Wellcome Image Awards presented in London. The awards celebrate the best new images acquired by the Wellcome Images picture library in the past eighteen months. David and Annie’s images are amongst nineteen extraordinary images chosen by a panel of judges based on the ability of the picture to
communicate the wonder and fascination of science. School Fellowships
The School recognised two distinguished individuals for their contributions to pharmaceutical sciences at the annual Fellows’ Dinner. Professor Duncan Craig was awarded a Fellowship for his ‘distinguished work in pharmaceutical materials science’ whilst Mr John Farrell was recognised with an honorary fellowship for ‘his distinguished work in advancing and innovating NHS pharmacy services’. Professor Craig obtained a BPharm at Bath (1984) and PhD at The School of Pharmacy, University of London (1989). From 1988 to 1999 Duncan held a range of posts from Teaching and Research Assistant to Reader at the School. In 1999 he moved to a Chair in Biophysical Pharmacy at Queen’s University Belfast and in 2003 became the Head of Pharmacy and Chair in Pharmaceutics, School of Chemical Sciences and Pharmacy, University of East Anglia. His research is focused in the study
of drug delivery systems. He has published around 140 research papers. He has won numerous prizes including the RPSGB Science Award (1995), the Controlled Release Society Young Investigator Award (2003) and the GlaxoSmithKline International Achievement award (2007). He was British Pharmaceutical Conference Science Chairman (2005) and was a member of Pharmacy RAE 2008 sub-panel. Mr John Farrell graduated from Brighton University in 1979 and quickly accelerated his pharmacy career. After only 3 years he was promoted to his first position of responsibility as Dispensary Manager at the Middlesex Hospital, followed three years later as District Pharmacist. In 1991 he became Head of Pharmacy Services based at the Royal Free Hospital, where he now has responsibility for three acute NHS Trust hospitals. In particular, his development of pharmaceutical services for Primary Care Trusts, HIV/ AIDS services and mental health are recognised models of innovation and advancement of pharmacy-led healthcare.
The School
• has invested over £6m in research facilities in the past five years • will have invested over £3m in its building and infrastructure between 2008 and 2010 • employs about 125 academic and research staff and 245 staff in total • has around 900 fte (full-time equivalent) students (95 studying for a PhD, 80 masters and over 700 undergraduates) of whom about 220 are from countries outside the UK and Europe • had £21.8m turnover in 2008–09, including £6.8m in research grants and contracts The summarised results for the year are as follows: Income Expenditure Surplus transferred to endowment fund Surplus retained in general reserves
2008–09 £’000 21,806 20,353 0 1,453
2007–08 £’000 18,987 18,892 (20) 75
The School has returned a surplus of £1,453k, an improvement of £1,378k on last year’s surplus. The accumulated reserves at 31 July 2009 stand at £4,182k. Income and Expenditure Account for the year ended 31 july 2009 Income Funding Council Grants Academic Fees and Support Grants Research Grants and Contracts Other Operating Income Endowment and Investment Income Expenditure Staff Costs Depreciation Other Operating Expenses Interest payable on loans not wholly repayable within five years Surplus on continuing operations after depreciation Surplus transferred to accumulated income in endowment funds Surplus for the year retained within general reserves The above results relate wholly to continuing operations.
2009 £ 9,631,389 4,568,709 6,863,361 589,864 152,924 21,806,247
2008 £ 8,661,846 3,799,754 5,641,817 484,689 399,107 18,987,213
11,367,056 1,573,123 7,402,963 10,272
11,021,647 1,154,825 6,688,297 27,011
20,353,414
18,891,780
1,452,833 (129)
95,433 (20,147)
1,452,704
75,286
Annual Review 2009
Facts and figures
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Annual Review 2009
Balance sheet as at 31 July 2009
34
Fixed Assets Tangible Assets Investments Endowment Asset Investments
2009 ÂŁ 11,505,308 116,115 11,621,423 604,207
2008 ÂŁ 10,791,451 112,127 10,903,578 589,620
Current Assets Stocks Debtors Short Term Deposits Cash at Bank and in Hand Creditors: amounts falling due within one year Net current assets/(liabilities) Total assets less current liabilities
14,852 810,513 5,641,480 881,259 7,348,104 (6,427,863) 920,241 13,145,871
9,493 961,876 2,594,032 1,047,520 4,612,921 (5,916,967) (1,304,046) 10,189,152
Creditors: amounts falling due after more than one year Bank Loan (271,391) Net Assets 12,874,480
(410,719) 9,778,433
Deferred Capital Grants
8,088,681
6,463,913
407,296 196,911 604,207
385,998 203,622 589,620
14,026 4,167,566 4,181,592 12,874,480
10,038 2,714,862 2,724,900 9,778,433
Endowments Permanent Expendable Reserves Revaluation Reserve Income and Expenditure Account Total
Notes to the Financial Statements
MPharm (Total 715)
1 Funding Council Grants Block Recurrent Grant
46 116 19
Male 277
Female 438 534
Certificate in Medicines Management for Pharmacy Technicians (Total 21)
2009 £ 7,913,107
2008 £ 7,210,499
292,981 38,842 541,142
299,988 38,842 601,763
Deferred Capital Grants Released in Year: Building Works – Depreciation Equipment and Furniture – Depreciation
517,614 327,703 9,631,389
353,761 156,993 8,661,846
3 Research Grants And Contracts Research Councils UK Charities UK Central Govt Bodies UK Industry, Commerce and Public Corporations Overseas Sources Other Sources Released from Deferred Capital Grants Indirect Costs Recovered Recovery of indirect costs relating to prior years
2009 £ 1,498,235 1,704,890 634,673 540,494 900,321 235,366 333,959 5,847,938 818,136 197,287 6,863,361
2008 £ 1,263,422 1,378,264 541,136 744,979 800,507 210,831 115,877 5,055,016 586,801 – 5,641,817
61 64 36 22 31 8 6 228
61 63 30 20 29 9 10 222
Specific Grants: Higher Education Innovation Fund Learning & Teaching Development Strategic Development Fund
Male 1
Female 20
21
MSc full time (Total 89) 9 9 Male 29 71
Female 60
Part time Diploma/MSc Pharmacy Practice and PgDipGPP (Total 450) 6
22 10
Male 81
412
Female 369
PhD full and part time (Excludes writing up) (Total 100) 37
35
Male 33 28
Female 67
Incoming visiting students (Total 86) 2
15 Male 21
69
Female 65
Home European Union Overseas
Equivalent or Lower Qualification
6 Staff Average Staff Numbers (full time equivalents) by category Academic Research Grants and Contracts Academic – Related Technical Clerical, Secretarial and Computer Operators Manual and Ancillary Other
Annual Review 2009
Student Numbers by Course
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Annual Review 2009
36
Grants and contracts
Awarded to the school in the year to 31 October 2009. The School makes grateful acknowledgement of the following, which includes major new grants (£3,000 and over) awarded to members of the School during 2008–09:
Acacia Pharma Ltd £6,400 Dr M Lane Feasibility studies on bethanechol in model membranes
Elan £20,964 Dr A Schatzlein Transfer of funds held by University of Glasgow.
Alizyme Therapeutics Ltd £34,603 Dr A Basit Extension of collaborative project on evaluation of drug delivery systems. Amgen GmbH (Europe) £10,000 Prof R Horne Research in area of bone loss prevention Asthma UK £43,835 Prof R Horne Understanding patients’ perception of asthma control BBSRC £382,315 Dr A Mercer Role of the CA2 region in the hippocampal circuitry. British Council £3,379 Dr S Gaisford Researcher Exchange Programme (RXP) grant for Dr D Traini British Society for Antimicrobial Chemotherapy £44,556 Prof P Taylor Optimisation of the DNA cross-linking capacity of antibacterial pyrrolobenzodiazepine dimers. Cancer Research UK £366,993 Prof S Neidle Programme grant (year 1): Structure & recognition of nucleic acid motifs. Cancer Research UK £106,399 Prof S Neidle Annual renewal award Cancer Research UK £103,885 Prof S Neidle Personal award – support for salary costs Cancer Research UK £70,092 Prof D Thurston Studentship years 3&4: targeting proteinprotein interactions for cancer therapy Cancer Research UK £45,263 Prof S Neidle China Fellowship: Synthesis & chemical biology of novel telomeric quadruplex targeting agents.
Cancer Research UK £32,312 Prof S Neidle Studentship year 4: In-situ Click Chemistry – G-Quadruplex stabilising ligands Central Research Fund, Univ. of London £6,185 Dr P Long & Ms S Heidelberger Study of bioproduction of mycosporine-like amino acids for human healthcare applications. Central Research Fund, Univ. of London £5,000 Dr R Smyth Phosphoproteomic study of the regulation of acetylCoA-carboxylase 2. Consortium of AstraZeneca UK, SanofiAventis, GlaxoSmithKline, F.Hoffmann-La Roche, Novartis Pharma. £150,000 Dr C Tuleu European Paediatric Formulation Initiative (EuPFI) Convatec Ltd £30,000 Dr S Gaisford & Dr P Stapleton Contribution to EPSRC CASE project. CRUK £525,000 Prof D Thurston Discovery of novel proteinprotein interaction inhibitors of HIF and STAT signalling. DEFRA in collaboration with the University of Birmingham £13,707 Prof S Gibbons Do efflux pump inhibitors prevent avian colonisation by Salmonella and Campylobacter? Dr PJ Brown £45,000 Prof D Taylor Donation in support of PhD project on sustainable future models for community pharmacy EAC Executive Agency via Vrije Universiteit Brussel as coordinator £50,000 Prof I Bates PHARMINE Multilateral Project. Economic & Social Research Council (part of grant of £516K to Univ. of Bristol) £33,247 Prof M Heinrich Migration, Nutrition & Ageing across the lifecourse in Bangladeshi families (MINA)
EPSRC £630,211 Prof K Kostarelos Point of care nanotechnology for early blood clot detection & characterisation in disease screening, theranostic & self monitoring applications. EPSRC £63,789 Dr G Wells Industrial CASE studentship. EPSRC (in collaboration with University of Exeter) £54,949 Prof I Uchegbu Development of heterodyne coherent anti-Stokes Raman scattering microscopy for monitoring nanoparticle drug delivery. EPSRC (part of a total grant of £1.67m in collaboration with King’s College, Exeter University and GSK.) £758,194 Prof I Uchegbu & Dr A Schatzlein Technologies for the treatment of brain diseases. European Commission £604,000 Prof A Kortenkamp CONTAMED: Contaminant mixtures & human reproductive health – novel strategies for health impact & risk assessment of endocrine disruptors. (The School is one of 8 partners that will receive a total contribution of €3,494,352.) GlaxoSmithKline Services Unlimited £56,231 Dr M Lane Project on improved formulation of retapamulin. GSK Research & Development Ltd £15,000 Prof M Heinrich CASE studentship additional funding Imperial College £5,000 Prof S Neidle Support for biological work Institute of Child Health £40,000 Prof I Wong Annual contribution to Centre for Paediatric Research (£20,000 p.a.) Islington PCT £7,500 Prof D Taylor Evaluation of Islington’s pharmacy based vascular risk assessment programme.
ISP Management Co Inc £36,000 Dr M Lane & Prof J Hadgraft Part funded PhD studentship project on delivery efficacy of topical formulations
National Institute for Health Research £21,049 Prof I Wong Support for staff costs on CASCADE project.
Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceutical Research & Development £84,391 Dr A Constanti Further characterization of the mechanism of anticonvulsant action of carisbamate on cortical neurones in vitro.
National Institute for Health Research (extension of original award) £35,000 Prof S Brocchini BMRC support for joint Ocular Pharmaceutics Initiative between the School, the Biomedical Research Centre for Ophthalmology, Moorfields Eye Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and UCL Institute of Ophthalmology.
Maplethorpe Trust, Univ. of London £47,000 Prof S Neidle 2nd year extension: Novel medicinal chemistry approaches to the treatment of human cancers. Maplethorpe Trust, Univ. of London £45,000 Prof M Heinrich One year extension of Maplethorpe Fellowship. Maplethorpe Trust, Univ. of London £45,000 Prof D Thurston Maplethorpe Fellowship: Total synthesis & biological evaluation of Proximicins A, B & C as novel potential antitumor agents (replaces original award to Prof A Stephenson). MRC £545,284 Prof P Taylor Pharmacological evaluation of synthetic galloyl catechin analogues with antistaphlyococcal properties. MRC £398,643 Dr A Ruiz (in collaboration with UCL Institute of Neurology) Presynaptic ion channel dysfunction in the forebrain. MRC – in collaboration with Institute of Ophthalmology, UCL £237,297 Prof S Brocchini & Dr HE Jones Development Pathway Funding Scheme: Novel Tissue implantable slow release tablet therapy to prevent scarring National Institute for Health Research £121,270 Prof R Horne Improving satisfaction with information about medicines for bipolar disorder
National Institute for Health Research (in collaboration with Paediatric Medicines Research Unit, Leicester) £9,000 Dr C Tuleu Assessing the bioequivalence of unlicenced liquid Captopril formulations used in the treatment of children with heart failure. Neonatal & Paediatric Pharmacy Group £4,613 Prof K Taylor & Prof F Smith Medication management in chronic conditions: supporting young people across the homeschool interface. Pfizer Ltd £25,000 Dr C Tuleu Contribution to studentship: Defining age-specific dosage form requirements for paediatric medicines. Pharminox Ltd £21,263 Dr G Wells CASE studentship: Synthesis & evaluation of cyclohexadienone compounds with atypical antioxidant activity. Polyphenon E International, Inc £31,000 Prof P Taylor Part funded studentship: Characterisation of the antistaphylococcal activity of synthetic catechin gallates. Royal Society £13,400 Dr S Hilton Small equipment grant Shire Development Inc. (in collaboration with Kings College London) £100,311 Prof I Wong Epidemiology of ADHD pharmacological treatments in children & adults in UK primary care.
St George's Hospital Medical School & Wyeth Pharmaceticals £64,190 Prof I Wong & Dr P Long PhD studentship project: Impact of Prevenar on the burden of disease due to Otitis Media in children in the UK Teva UK Ltd £7,500 Dr A Basit Investigation of properties of modified release mesalazine Tillotts Pharma AG £112,056 Dr A Basit Postdoctoral research project UKCPA £15,000 Prof I Bates Developing a platform for research & audit in pharmacy via UKCPA Union Life Sciences Ltd £48,226 Prof S Gibbons & Dr J Malkinson Isolation and characterisation of novel antibacterial compounds form Hypericum. Univ. of Birmingham & the Health Foundation £20,992 Prof N Barber Case-note review for the evaluation of the Safer patients Initiative – extension. Wellcome Trust £379,725 Prof A Stephenson & Prof A Thomson (joint lead PIs) & Prof R Harvey, Dr A Ruiz & Dr M Shah (co-PIs) Establishing an advanced imaging facility for neuroscience. Wellcome Trust £325,590 Dr M Shah Role of axonal Kv7 channels in regulating hippocampal granule cell and mossy fibre excitability. Wellcome Trust £114,262 Dr K Harvey Mutations in the LRRK2 Roc-COR tandem domain link Parkinson's diseaseto Wnt pathways. Wellcome Trust £70,000 Prof R Harvey PhD studentship project: the roles of Parkinson's disease proteins PINK1 and Parkin in the regulation of mitochondrial fission and fusion.
Annual Review 2009
37
Council 2008–09 Chair: Lord Tim Clement-Jones Vice-Chair: Mr Nicholas Wood (retired 31.07.09) Mr Ashok Soni ( from 20.09.09) Honorary Treasurer: Mr James Gemmell Dean: Professor Anthony Smith Chief Operating Officer and Secretary to the Council: Ms Maureen Boylan Members: Professor Nick Barber (retired 31.07.2009), Dr Susan Bews, Ms Mollie Bickerstaff, Dr Simon Campbell (retired 31.07.2009), Mr Jeremy Cullen ( from 1.08.09), Mrs Irene Dougherty (to 31.07.2009), Dr Simon Gaisford ( from 01.01.09), Mr Terry Hanafin ( from 01.09.08), Mr Steve Harris ( from 01.09.08), Mr Jeremy Holmes, Professor Rob Horne ( from 01.01.09), Mr Amila Lokuge, Professor Quintin McKellar, Mr Julian Morris, Ms Ciara O’Brien, Dr Brian Pearce, Mrs Jane Ross, Professor Kevin Taylor, Professor David Thurston, Mr Lincoln Tsang, Sir David Watson
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