Biomedical research receives $3m Gates grant
Glasgow University has been given a $3million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to further the development of research into sleeping sickness disease. The sum will be used to develop new models to test the ability of drugs to treat the fatal disease — also known as Human African Trypanosomasis — in the brain.
The study aims to use new technologies to develop versions of the trypanosome parasites that cause the disease, whose presence in the brain can be traced in mice. Professor Mike Barrett, an expert in Biochemical Parasiotology at the University’s Faculty of Biomedical and Life Sciences, welcomed the funding.
He said: “We are delighted with the grant. With this project we hope to be able to reduce the amount of time required to determine the effect of a drug against parasites within the brain from in excess of six months to just a few weeks.”
The grant will be split with the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, who will be carrying out the research in collaboration with the University of Glasgow.
Glasgow links up with Indian universities
Glasgow University has signed an agreement with two Indian universities with the aim of developing closer educational ties between the two countries.
The Indian Institute of Science Education Research (IISER), Pune, and the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Ropar, will work with Glasgow University to develop teaching and research links.
Memorandums of Understanding were signed by Professor Anton Muscatelli, Principal & Vice-Chancellor of the University of Glasgow, along with Professor Krishnan Ganesh, Director of IISER-Pune, and Professor MK Surappa, Director of IIT Ropar, at a ceremony in London.
The agreements will see efforts to develop exchange opportunities for staff and students, and collaborative research projects, as well as looking at opportunities to develop joint degree programmes.
Professor Muscatelli explained the importance of the agreement: “Strong international links are essential to Glasgow University’s success in a global market and we are delighted to forge these new links with Pune and Ropar so that together we can expand our provision of first-class teaching and research.”
