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Meaningfully Embedding Industry-Relevant Life Science Skills in the Undergraduate Biosciences Curriculum (2023)
Presentation / Conference
Garden, C., Campbell Casey, S., & MacCallum, J. (2023, June). Meaningfully Embedding Industry-Relevant Life Science Skills in the Undergraduate Biosciences Curriculum. Presented at QAA Scotland's 5th International Enhancement Conference, Glasgow

For more than a decade I and colleagues have been working in partnership with the Scottish Lifesciences industry and other stakeholders to develop relevant, industry informed biosciences curricula at Edinburgh Napier University. This work has also be... Read More about Meaningfully Embedding Industry-Relevant Life Science Skills in the Undergraduate Biosciences Curriculum.

Investigating the role of cell fate regulator ASCL1 in driving and maintaining lethal neuroendocrine castrate resistant prostate cancer (2022)
Presentation / Conference
Bruce, I., Pang, L., Poole, A., & Fraser, J. (2022, November). Investigating the role of cell fate regulator ASCL1 in driving and maintaining lethal neuroendocrine castrate resistant prostate cancer. Poster presented at Society for Endocrinology BES 2022, Harrogate

Neuroendocrine castrate resistant prostate cancer (NE-CRPC) is a lethal CRPC subtype that arises as prostate cancer cells transdifferentiate to neuroendocrine cells, evading the potent selective pressure of androgen deprivation therapies (ADT). Curre... Read More about Investigating the role of cell fate regulator ASCL1 in driving and maintaining lethal neuroendocrine castrate resistant prostate cancer.

Efficacy of two Chlamydia abortus subcellular vaccines in a pregnant ewe challenge model for ovine enzootic abortion (2021)
Journal Article
Livingstone, M., Ranjan Wattegedera, S., Palarea-Albaladejo, J., Aitchison, K., Corbett, C., Sait, M., …Longbottom, D. (2021). Efficacy of two Chlamydia abortus subcellular vaccines in a pregnant ewe challenge model for ovine enzootic abortion. Vaccines, 9(8), Article 898. https://doi.org/10.3390/vaccines9080898

Chlamydia abortus, the aetiological agent of enzootic abortion of ewes, is a major cause of reproductive loss in small ruminants worldwide, accounting for significant economic losses to the farming industry. Disease can be managed through the use of... Read More about Efficacy of two Chlamydia abortus subcellular vaccines in a pregnant ewe challenge model for ovine enzootic abortion.

Type 1 diabetes patients increase CXCR4+ and CXCR7+ haematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells with exercise, but the response is attenuated (2021)
Journal Article
Taylor, G. S., Shaw, A., Smith, K., Capper, T. E., Scragg, J. H., Cronin, M., …West, D. J. (2021). Type 1 diabetes patients increase CXCR4+ and CXCR7+ haematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells with exercise, but the response is attenuated. Scientific Reports, 11, Article 14502. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-93886-2

Background: Exercise mobilizes angiogenic cells, which stimulate vascular repair. However, limited research suggests exercise-induced increase of endothelial progenitor cell (EPCs) is completely lacking in type 1 diabetes (T1D). Clarification, along... Read More about Type 1 diabetes patients increase CXCR4+ and CXCR7+ haematopoietic and endothelial progenitor cells with exercise, but the response is attenuated.

A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection (2021)
Journal Article
Morawska, L., Allen, J., Bahnfleth, W., Bluyssen, P. M., Boerstra, A., Buonanno, G., …Yao, M. (2021). A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection. Science, 372(6543), 689-691. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abg2025

There is great disparity in the way we think about and address different sources of environmental infection. Governments have for decades promulgated a large amount of legislation and invested heavily in food safety, sanitation, and drinking water fo... Read More about A paradigm shift to combat indoor respiratory infection.

Can we do better? A guide to pandemics – some Dos and Don'ts for the next one (2021)
Journal Article
Tang, J. W., Kwok, K. O., Loh, T. P., Lee, C. K., Heraud, J., & Dancer, S. J. (2021). Can we do better? A guide to pandemics – some Dos and Don'ts for the next one. Journal of Infection, 83(1), 119-145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinf.2021.04.017

Specific features of any rapidly spread pathogen needs early recognition and assessment for possible pandemic potential. These include: inter-person transmissibility and exponential spread, which results in significant morbidity, mortality. These a... Read More about Can we do better? A guide to pandemics – some Dos and Don'ts for the next one.

How dirty is your QWERTY? The risk of healthcare pathogen transmission from computer keyboards (2021)
Journal Article
Ledwoch, K., Dancer, S., Otter, J., Kerr, K., Roposte, D., & Maillard, J. (2021). How dirty is your QWERTY? The risk of healthcare pathogen transmission from computer keyboards. Journal of Hospital Infection, 112, 31-36. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2021.02.021

Introduction Healthcare environmental surfaces may be contaminated with micro-organisms that cause healthcare-associated infections (HCAIs). Special attention is paid to near-patient surfaces but sites outside the patient zone receive less attention... Read More about How dirty is your QWERTY? The risk of healthcare pathogen transmission from computer keyboards.

Bacterial Transfer To Fingertips During Sequential Surface Contacts With And Without Gloves (2020)
Journal Article
King, M., López‐García, M., Atedoghu, K. P., Zhang, N., Wilson, A. M., Weterings, M., …Fletcher, L. A. (2020). Bacterial Transfer To Fingertips During Sequential Surface Contacts With And Without Gloves. Indoor Air, 30(5), 993-1004. https://doi.org/10.1111/ina.12682

Bacterial transmission from contaminated surfaces via hand contact plays a critical role in disease spread. However, the fomite‐to‐finger transfer efficiency of microorganisms during multiple sequential surface contacts with and without gloves has no... Read More about Bacterial Transfer To Fingertips During Sequential Surface Contacts With And Without Gloves.

Precision Medicine and the Role of Biomarkers of Radiotherapy Response in Breast Cancer (2020)
Journal Article
Meehan, J., Gray, M., Martínez-Pérez, C., Kay, C., Pang, L. Y., Fraser, J. A., …Turnbull, A. K. (2020). Precision Medicine and the Role of Biomarkers of Radiotherapy Response in Breast Cancer. Frontiers in Oncology, 10, https://doi.org/10.3389/fonc.2020.00628

Radiotherapy remains an important treatment modality in nearly two thirds of all cancers, including the primary curative or palliative treatment of breast cancer. Unfortunately, largely due to tumor heterogeneity, tumor radiotherapy response rates ca... Read More about Precision Medicine and the Role of Biomarkers of Radiotherapy Response in Breast Cancer.

Dynamic Transmission of Staphylococcus Aureus in the Intensive Care Unit (2020)
Journal Article
Adams, C. E., & Dancer, S. J. (2020). Dynamic Transmission of Staphylococcus Aureus in the Intensive Care Unit. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(6), Article 2109. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17062109

Staphylococcus aureus is an important bacterial pathogen. This study utilized known staphylococcal epidemiology to track S. aureus between patients, surfaces, staff hands and air in a ten-bed intensive care unit (ICU). Methods: Patients, air and surf... Read More about Dynamic Transmission of Staphylococcus Aureus in the Intensive Care Unit.

Measuring environmental contamination in critical care using dilute hydrogen peroxide (DHP) technology: An observational cross-over study (2020)
Journal Article
Oon, A., Reading, E., Ferguson, J., Dancer, S., & Mitchell, B. (2020). Measuring environmental contamination in critical care using dilute hydrogen peroxide (DHP) technology: An observational cross-over study. Infection, Disease & Health, 25(2), 107-112. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.idh.2019.12.005

Background The environment has an important role in the transmission of healthcare associated infections. This has encouraged interest in novel methods to improve hygiene in hospitals. One such technology is the use of hydrogen peroxide to decontami... Read More about Measuring environmental contamination in critical care using dilute hydrogen peroxide (DHP) technology: An observational cross-over study.

Design of a New Peptide Substrate Probe of the Putative Biomarker Legumain with Potential Application in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis ex vivo (2019)
Journal Article
Mathur, S., Turnbull, A., Akaev, I., Stevens, C., Agrawal, N., Chopra, M., & Mincher, D. (2020). Design of a New Peptide Substrate Probe of the Putative Biomarker Legumain with Potential Application in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis ex vivo. International Journal of Peptide Research and Therapeutics, 26, 1965-1980. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10989-019-09994-1

The lysosomal endoprotease legumain (asparaginyl endoprotease) has been proposed as a putative biomarker in prostate tumours, in which the enzyme is markedly overexpressed. Overexpression, coupled with highly selective specificity for cleavage of sub... Read More about Design of a New Peptide Substrate Probe of the Putative Biomarker Legumain with Potential Application in Prostate Cancer Diagnosis ex vivo.

In situ characterization of nanoscale strains in loaded whole joints via synchrotron X-ray tomography (2019)
Journal Article
Madi, K., Staines, K., Bay, B., Javaheri, B., Geng, H., Bodey, A., …Lee, P. (2020). In situ characterization of nanoscale strains in loaded whole joints via synchrotron X-ray tomography. Nature Biomedical Engineering, 4(3), 343-354. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41551-019-0477-1

Imaging techniques for quantifying changes in the hierarchical structure of deforming joints are constrained by destructive sample treatments, sample-size restrictions and lengthy scan times. Here, we report the use of fast low-dose pink-beam synchro... Read More about In situ characterization of nanoscale strains in loaded whole joints via synchrotron X-ray tomography.

Raman spectroscopy links differentiating osteoblast matrix signatures to pro-angiogenic potential (2019)
Journal Article
Sharma, A., Goring, A., Staines, K., Emery, R., Pitsillides, A. A., Oreffo, R. O., …Clarkin, C. E. (2020). Raman spectroscopy links differentiating osteoblast matrix signatures to pro-angiogenic potential. Matrix Biology Plus, 5, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mbplus.2019.100018

Mineralization of bone is achieved by the sequential maturation of the immature amorphous calcium phase to mature hydroxyapatite and is central to the process of bone development and repair. To study normal and dysregulated mineralization in vitro, s... Read More about Raman spectroscopy links differentiating osteoblast matrix signatures to pro-angiogenic potential.

Hand antisepsis without decreasing efficacy by shortening the rub-in time of alcohol-based handrubs to 15 seconds (2019)
Journal Article
Harnoss, J., Dancer, S., Kaden, C., Baguhl, R., Kohlmann, T., Papke, R., …Kramer, A. (2020). Hand antisepsis without decreasing efficacy by shortening the rub-in time of alcohol-based handrubs to 15 seconds. Journal of Hospital Infection, 104(4), 419-424. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jhin.2019.09.004

Background A previous study among neonatal intensive care unit (NICU) nurses showed that the antibacterial efficacy of alcohol-based handrubs (ABHR) can be achieved in 15 s instead of 30 s with a significant increase in the frequency of hand antisep... Read More about Hand antisepsis without decreasing efficacy by shortening the rub-in time of alcohol-based handrubs to 15 seconds.

Conditional deletion of E11/podoplanin in bone protects against load-induced osteoarthritis (2019)
Journal Article
Staines, K., Ikpegbu, E., Törnqvist, A., Dillon, S., Javaheri, B., Amin, A. K., …Farquharson, C. (2019). Conditional deletion of E11/podoplanin in bone protects against load-induced osteoarthritis. BMC Musculoskeletal Disorders, 20, Article 344 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12891-019-2731-9

Background: Subchondral bone (SCB) thickening is one of the earliest detectable changes in osteoarthritic joints and is considered a potential trigger for subsequent articular cartilage degeneration. In this manuscript, we examine whether disruption... Read More about Conditional deletion of E11/podoplanin in bone protects against load-induced osteoarthritis.

Understanding the attitudes and acceptability of extra-genital Chlamydia testing in young women: evaluation of a feasibility study (2019)
Journal Article
Brown, S., Paterson, C., Dougall, N., Cameron, S., & Wheelhouse, N. (2019). Understanding the attitudes and acceptability of extra-genital Chlamydia testing in young women: evaluation of a feasibility study. BMC Public Health, 19(1), Article 992. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12889-019-7313-0

Background Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis) is the most common bacterial sexually transmitted infection in the UK. Recent studies suggest that in addition to the genital tract, C. trachomatis is found in the throat and rectum, suggesting the n... Read More about Understanding the attitudes and acceptability of extra-genital Chlamydia testing in young women: evaluation of a feasibility study.