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News

Collaboration in action - from a Pharmacology perspective

Department

As part of the Medical Sciences Division's series on industry collaboration, Pharmacology's Associate Professor Sri Vasudevan shares the important of networking at conferences and listening to a range of views as vital building blocks that can lead to effective commercial partnerships.

Pharmacology scientist awarded Royal Society of Chemistry prize

Department

Professor Angela Russell, who holds a joint appiontment with the Departments of Pharmacology and Chemistry, is one of four scientists from the University of Oxford who have won prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry in recognition of brilliance in research and innovation. The awards are among the oldest and most prestigious research prizes in the world, having recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years.

New molecule found to suppress bacterial antibiotic resistance evolution

Department

Researchers in the Lanyon-Hogg group in the Department of Pharmacology, in collaboration with the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI), have developed a new small molecule that can suppress the evolution of antibiotic resistance in bacteria and make resistant bacteria more susceptible to antibiotics. The findings have been published in the journal Chemical Science.

This image shows a graphical abstract of the new paper from the Akerman group, and illustrates how that the thalamic input received by a layer 4 excitatory cortical neuron in mice is influenced by the neuron’s embryonic progenitor type. Neurons derived from intermediate progenitors receive greater input from higher-order thalamus, which reflects their dendritic morphology and molecular mechanisms specified by the progenitors

New study from the Akerman group reveals the developmental origins of higher-order thalamocortical circuits in the brain

Department

A new paper by the Akerman Group is published in the journal Cell Reports this week and reveals how fine scale synaptic connectivity in the adult brain is shaped by events during embryonic development.

Co-crystallisation of structurally modified inositol polyphosphates and related carbohydrate-based surrogates with inositol 1,4,5 trisphosphate 3-kinase: left-hand panel shows the range of synthetically-modified ligands employed and right-hand panel shows an ensemble of co-crystal structures, showing also associated movements in an active site helix; centre panel shows the standard enzyme reaction.

Study defines novel kinase substrate tolerance and active-site plasticity

Department

A collaborative chemical biology study from the Potter Group, with the Gonzalez Group at CSIC Madrid, deepens understanding of an enzyme acting upon a crucial cellular messenger.

A group picture of the staff and students who showcased brain activities for pupils at Cheney School

Amazing Brain Festival at Cheney Secondary School

Department Outreach

Pharmacology staff and students contributed to a special afternoon of events last week to engage 200-300 students and families on the theme of the brain organised by their school ‘Rumble Museum’. A team of ten members of our department led by Dr Lizzie Burns developed five zones of activities to engage students with different aspects of neuroscience: memory, focus, build-a-brain, illusion and microscopy.

IntraBio trial makes progress on a potential treatment for Niemann-Pick C

Department

A successful Phase 3 clinical trial of N-acetyl-leucine (NALL) in the lysosomal storage disorder Niemann-Pick disease type C has been published this month in the New England Journal of Medicine.

Pharmacology highlights quality of its research at successful Research Symposium

Department

The Lei group in Pharmacology (left-right): Dr Tianyi Sun, Yue Ren, Yu He, Ming Lei, Alexey Lipov and Alex Grassam-Rowe

Lei group discovers catecholaminergic cardiomyocytes with potential endocrine function

Department

Featured in the Nature Communications Editor's Highlights at https://www.nature.com/ncomms/editorshighlights

New Smith/Refsum paper explores link between pollution and dementia

Department

A new study jointly published by Professors David Smith and Helga Refsum confirms that chronic exposure to air pollution in the elderly increases the risk of developing dementia a few years later.

Paolo Tammaro awarded the title of Professor of Pharmacology

Department

The University’s Vice-Chancellor has this week conferred the title of ‘Professor of Pharmacology’ on Paolo Tammaro.

New study from the Akerman group shows that synaptic inhibition changes dynamically to match brain state

Department

A new paper by the Akerman Group is published in the journal Neuron this week, and resolves a fundamental question in the field of neuroscience, by investigating how synaptic inhibition operates under undisturbed conditions. This new study demonstrates that GABA signaling in the brain is dynamic and adapts to control cortical functions depending on the state of the brain.

A still from the animation about Lysosomal Storage Diseases shows families at a conference to find out more about the disease that is affecting their family

New animations target families affected by Lysosomal Storage Diseases

Department

(right) Professor Annette Dolphin is presented with a commemorate plaque, by Professors David Smith and Peter Somogyi and Associate Professor Paolo Tammaro, following her Davd Smith Lecture and (left) Annette answers questions from students in the audience

Professor Annette Dolphin presents 17th David Smith Lecture in Pharmacology

Department

The latest David Smith Lecture in Anatomical Neuropharmacology was held in the Department on Wednesday 14 June 2023. Professor Annette Dolphin from the Department of Neuroscience, Physiology and Pharmacology at University College London presented a highly engaging lecture entitled "Drugs and trafficking: lessons from voltage-gated calcium channels".

Innovative probe to unlock the secrets of a cellular messenger

Department

A collaborative study just published from the Potter group in the Department of Pharmacology, in collaboration with the Butler Group at Loughborough University, reveals the development of a small molecule Europium-based probe that could deepen our understanding of a crucial cellular messenger and potentially facilitate the development of new therapeutic drugs.

Emptage group successful with £1m MRC-AMED award

Department

Congratulations to the group of Professor Nigel Emptage who have been awarded an MRC-AMED grant, worth £1m, in conjuction with the University of Tokyo and the RIKEN Center for Brain Science

Trio of Departmental Members elected to Honorary Fellowship of the British Pharmacological Society (BPS)

Department

An image of a blood clot composed of erythrocytes trapped by long fibrous chains of fibrin - the image shows false coloured erythrocytes (classic biconcave appearance around 5-10 µm in diameter) wrapped by fibrin network

Burton group wins image competition at Oxford BHF CRE Annual Symposium

Department

This image of a blood clot composed of erythrocytes trapped by long fibrous chains of fibrin was judged the winner of the image competition at the BHF CRE 2022 Symposiium, held in December. In this image we can see false coloured erythrocytes (classic biconcave appearance around 5-10 µm in diameter) wrapped by fibrin network.

Members of the Viney group talk about the structure of the brain with A-level students at Didcot Girls School

Understanding the brain at Didcot Girls School Science Club

Department Outreach

A group of researchers and students led by Dr Tim Viney visited Didcot Girls School to run a ‘hands on’ event about the brain at the school’s Science Club.

Wakefulness causes an increase in intracellular chloride level in the cortex. This weakens synaptic inhibition and leads to markers of "tiredness" including high slow wave activity and drops in performance level

Raised intracellular chloride levels underlie the effects of tiredness in cortex

Department

The feeling of being tired is familiar to everyone. As we know from our own experience, an extended period of wakefulness results in a decline in our performance levels, and the desire to sleep becomes almost irresistible. When you then fall asleep, your sleep is deeper and more consolidated than usual. And yet after just one night of uninterrupted sleep, you can feel refreshed and “back to normal”!

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