King's Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases Opens
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
THE COLLEGE NEWSLETTER ISSUE NO 157 | DECEMBER 2004 King’s Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases opens DOMINIC TURNER The Princess Royal meeting Dr Rob Williams, member of the Wolfson Centre and Lecturer in Biomolecular Sciences, in one of the laboratories. To his left is Dr Francisco Molina-Holgado, a Senior Fellow in the Centre. RH THE PRINCESS ROYAL, together and sharing their expertise ages, but at present our ability to Chancellor of the University will help the researchers to answer repair a damaged brain is limited. Hof London, formally opened more complex questions about Now this new centre will bring the Wolfson Centre for Age-Related dementia, Parkinson’s and stroke, together leading clinical Diseases on Tuesday 9 November. and enable research findings to be researchers and basic scientists Based at the Guy’s campus, this more rapidly translated into under one roof, with the aim of groundbreaking centre houses therapies. developing treatments for age- world experts in brain development, The numbers of people suffering related diseases. stem cells, neurodegenerative from stroke and dementia continue diseases and brain repair. Working to rise as the population of the UK Continued on page 2 3 New Dental labs | 4 Profile: Maria Pufulete | 5 175th Anniversary | 6 King's people | 9 Departmental Focus: Wofson Centre for Age-Related Diseaes | 13 Flashback | 14 In the news | 15 Development & Alumni news | 16 Arts News Continued from page 1 DOMINIC TURNER The Wolfson Wing • The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases received coverage in the Guardian’s Education supplement. Reporting on a funding programme for research into ageing being set up by the UK research councils, the article said ‘one way of assuring quality is to bring together experts in a centre of excellence, and this is what has been done at King’s College London’. • The Centre is also the topic for the latest Research TV video news release (see research-tv.com). It has been distributed to television stations around the world. DOMINIC TURNER Above The Princess Royal Right The Princess Royal unveils the plaque with meets the Directors of the Lord and Lady Wolfson right Wolfson Centre Professor looking on Clive Ballard right and Professor Patrick Doherty, with Professors Les Iverson and Bob Hider on the left Professor Patrick Doherty, Head and co-Director of the Wolfson Centre is excited about what the new centre could achieve. ‘We have assembled a team of outstanding scientists who on their own might have had some impact on this problem; but by working together we aim to make a substantial difference,’ he says. leading clinical researchers and basic scientists under one roof Professor Clive Ballard, co-Director of the Centre, explains why it is so important: Dragon Awards ‘Neurodegenerative diseases are a major problem in this ageing society. In the UK alone, OR THE LAST 17 YEARS the Corporation In the end the award went to Lloyd’s of London more than 700,000 people are suffering from of London has presented the prestigious for their new Police Mentoring Programme and dementia. Many of the current treatments only FLord Mayor’s Dragon Awards to the third finalist for this prize was Clyde & Co. control the symptoms of these diseases, but by encourage organisations to become involved in ‘The jury expressed difficulty in reaching understanding more about the brain we might be the local community and recognise socially their decision but commented that they were able to develop therapies that prevent further responsible businesses. pleased to see a university reaching this level in degeneration, or even begin repair the damage.’ Fifty organisations entered the competition this the Lord Mayor’s Dragon Awards,’ comments The Wolfson Centre for Age-Related Diseases year and 15 finalists were shortlisted for five Gjoril Berg, King’s Community Relations Officer. places King’s at the forefront of research into awards. Professor Roger Jones, Head of the this area. Funded by a generous £6 million King’s College Shared Communities Department of General Practice & Primary donation from the Wolfson Foundation, the state- Programme was shortlisted for the ‘Lord Care, and Gjoril Berg attended the Award of-the-art building provides laboratory and office Mayor’s Heart of the City Award for a Dinner in Mansion House on 21 October on space for 25 research groups around an atrium Corporate Community Involvement Newcomer’ behalf of the College. entrance hall. The building was designed by on the basis of the staff volunteering and For more information on becoming involved Watkins Gray International LLP. community involvement events which have in volunteering please contact Gjoril Berg, extn See page 9 for the Departmental Focus on the taken place over the last year. 8074 or [email protected] Wolfson Centre. 2|COMMENT | December 2004 News Dental labs bring Web researchers together changes HE KING’S WEBSITE has come closer to having a Tnew look now that the new EW LABORATORIES AT THE The move has already inspired facilities for different kinds of design has been chosen. King’s Dental Institute were some of these researchers to microscopy. A new laser-dissection Five design concepts, Nopened on 5 November by foster collaborations with academic microscope will allow researchers developed by web designers Dr Sohaila Rastan, Director of colleagues in other departments. to cut out individual cells from Bang, were available for viewing Science Funding at the Wellcome For example, the state-of-the art developing teeth, and a confocal recently at a series of Trust, and Sir Tim Chessells, mass spectrometer, that can microscope means that, for the roadshows and online. Chairman of Guy’s and St Thomas’ identify bacterial proteins important first time, researchers at the The web team received many Charitable Foundation. in tooth decay, is now also being Institute can look at individual useful comments from visitors to The £3.7 million refurbishment proteins inside living cells. these and the chosen concept programme, financed by the Professor Paul Sharpe, head of was a clear favourite. Wellcome Trust and the Charitable £3.7 million the new Henry Wellcome Bang are currently developing Foundation, has brought more refurbishment Laboratories for Craniofacial the concept further and working College dental researchers programme, financed Development on the 27th floor, closely with the content together under one roof on the welcomed the refurbishment saying, management system suppliers, Guy’s campus. by the Wellcome Trust ‘The opening fortuitously coincided Polopoly, to create templates for Professor David Beighton and and the Charitable with the arrival of 15 new PhD the new design. Dr Gordon Proctor, who were Foundation students to the department. In (See www.kcl.ac.uk/webteam/ previously based at King’s College addition the provision of cabinets in strategy/newsite.html) Hospital, have moved their the corridors has allowed us to As there are some 150,000 research groups to the new Henry used to hunt for proteins that play a display our collection of animal pages on the website it will take Wellcome Laboratories of role in leukaemia and diabetes. skulls that provide a valuable some time to migrate the Microbiology and Salivary Research The refurbishment has provided resource for studies of craniofacial content from the current site to on the 17th floor of the Guy’s Tower. the Dental Institute with dedicated evolution and development.’ the new content management system driven site. MARGARET DELANEY A plan is being developed so that the migration is phased with the top level and most popular pages being migrated first. The Information Providers for those pages have been informed and will be attending training soon. Susan Farrell, Director of Web Services, comments, ‘The project is going well and we are on track for a launch of the new website early in 2005’. There were two competition winners: one for the roadshows and one for online. The roadshows winner was Sandy Gourlay, Consultancy Manager, The Principal Professor Rick KCL Enterprises, and the online Trainor left with Professor winner was Karen Hodge, part- Nairn Wilson, Head of the time Doctorate of Education Dental Institute and Professor Paul Sharpe at the opening student. December 2004 | COMMENT | 3 Profile And this is great, as there is so much to learn from each other. Can you describe your area of research? Maria Nutrigenomics, or the influence of nutrients on the genome, focusing in particular on the role of folate and vitamin B12 on DNA methylation and gene expression in relation to cancer risk, and how individual genetic Pufulete variation affects the response to diet. Dr Maria Pufulete, Lecturer in the Department of Nutrition & How did it feel to win the SET award? Total surprise. I was unaware at the time that Dietetics, was the recent winner of the national SET there was an award for the lecturer of the (Science, Engineering & Technology) Student of the Year winning student; consequently I was Lecturer of the Year Award. unprepared and slightly phased (which was probably evident in my rather perplexed acceptance speech!). My first reaction after was not the ‘model’ student! that was amusement, first because I I returned to King’s in 1995 to do an MSc in sometimes still feel like a student myself (I Nutrition and registered for a PhD a couple of joined the Department in May 2002, nine years later under the supervision of Dr Peter months after completing my PhD) and Emery and Professor Tom Sanders. My PhD secondly because I have little experience of was ten per cent elation and 90 per cent teaching. Then I felt slight guilt at having misery. My story will be familiar to many – cheated a worthier contender out of the months in the lab with no results, disasters at award.