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Dr Alan Stewart would like to thank the organisers (Profs. Nicky Lowe, Fernando Lidon and Radostina Alexandrova) of the EU COST Action Meeting (Zinc-Net TD1304) on dietary supplements vs food biofortification and the gut microbiome, which took place on the 22nd/23rd March 2016 in Sofia, Bulgaria. Dr Stewart presented his work relating to the interplay between fatty acids and plasma zinc status and the implications of this dynamic for zinc bioavailability. In addition, he acted as rapporteur (together with Dr José C. Ramalho, Universidade de Lisboa) for the third scientific session on “Zinc Biofortification”.

Congratulations to Mohammed Arastoo on passing his PhD viva today!

In a recent article published in the RNIB (Royal National Institute of Blind People) magazine Julian Jackson, a Senior Adviser at Fight for Sight, argues that scientists working in the field of vision research need to better communicate the work they do to eye health professionals, patients and the public. A link to the article can be found here.

To help to address this Fight for Sight have established a Speaker Network, made up of over 100 academic researchers, clinician scientists and clinicians offering a wide range of expertise and experience. The aim of the network is to target large annual conferences, AGM’s and key optical events as well as regional and local meetings to ensure maximum reach and penetration of the charity’s message about the critical importance of eye research.

Phosphatidylinositol (PhoIns)-specific phospholipase C enzymes (PLCs) are central to the inositol lipid signalling pathways and contribute to intracellular Ca²⁺ release and protein kinase C activation in mammalian neurons. Six distinct classes of PhoIns-specific PLCs are known to exist in mammals (β, γ, δ, ε, ζ, and η), all of which are activated by distinct membrane receptor-mediated events. The Stewart lab previously revealed that expression of the PLC isozyme, PLC-η2 is essential for neurite growth, a process central to normal neuronal differentiation. A new study from the lab has gone a step further and shown that active PLC-η2 is needed for neurite growth to occur. Furthermore, the study also revealed that PLC-η2 interacts directly with LIM Domain Kinase 1, a key cytoskeletal regulatory protein previously implicated in this process. The new findings are published in the journal, Histochemistry and Cell Biology. Full text is available here: DOI 10.1007/s00418-015-1390-7.

Dr Alan Stewart has been appointed to the BBSRC Pool of Experts. The BBSRC is one of the 7 Research Councils that work together as Research Councils UK (RCUK). The BBSRC which funds world leading UK bioscience has an annual budget in excess of £500M. Pool members are appointed based upon an active involvement in high quality UK biological research, and are recruited from a range of scientific backgrounds to assist in the assessment of funding applications.

Dagmara Wiatrek was in attendance at the 29th European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society (EMDS) Meeting in Krakow, Poland. Dagmara presented a poster entitled “Alterations in zinc transporter expression during dendritic cell maturation”. Her trip was supported by a travel award from EMDS.

On 2^nd of September Dagmara took part in Life Sciences event for schools which took place at Perth High School. Her series of workshops on ELISA technique were attended by over 100 pupils aged 12-17.

A BHF-funded PhD studentship characterising zinc-dependent heparin neutralisation by fibrinogen and histidine-rich glycoprotein is available in the laboratories of Dr Alan Stewart And Dr Sam Pitt. Full details and instructions on how to apply are available here.

Dagmara Wiatrek has been awarded £400 from the European Macrophage and Dendritic Cell Society (EMDS) to attend their annual meeting in Krakow, Poland in September. Dagmara will present part of her PhD studies at the meeting relating to zinc transporter expression in dendritic cells .

The Stewart lab has an opening for a Research Assistant in Biochemical Ophthalomology for a period of 24 months. For details of the post and how to apply see the link.