biomedical sciences research institute - Research - University of Ulster

He has developed a research link with Dr Peter Brooks (University of The Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia) toinvestigate the isolation and characterisation of local natural product pharmaceuticals, from which technology transfercould arise in the discovery of a new anti-MRSA antibacterial, for example. Bioassay-led separation of the activecrude fractions is currently being refined using LC-ESI-MS to lead to the characterisation of individual compoundswith antibacterial activity.Suicide in Northern Ireland is the highest in the UK and it has been suggested that selective serotonin reuptakeinhibitors, which are the most widely used antidepressant drugs, are associated with an increased risk of suicidalbehaviour and self-harm. Professor Smyth, Dr Stephen McClean, Dr Bernie Doherty, Dr Virginia Rodriguez, togetherwith Professor Julian Leslie in Psychology, have developed a technique based on LC-ESI-MS that can detect earlieranti-depressant and other drug use in hair samples. It is intended that this will be used in a pilot study using hairsamples from at-risk young people in North and West Belfast. This will ultimately allow for an investigation into thepossible association between self-harm/suicide and such drugs in these regions.PublicationsDoherty B, O’Donnell F, Smyth WF, Leslie JC, Ramachandran VN, Boyd NS, Hack CJ, O’Kane E and McClean S; A studyof the analytical behaviour of selected psycho-active drugs using liquid chromatography, ion trap mass spectrometry,gas chromatography and polarography and the construction of an appropriate database for drug characterisation;Talanta, 72: 755–761, 2007Doherty B, Rodriguez V, Leslie JC, McClean S and Smyth WF; An ESI- MS/MS investigation of selected psychoactivepharmaceuticals and its application in drug and metabolite profiling by LC-ESI-MS/MS; Rapid Communications in MassSpectrometry, 21: 2031-2038, 2007Smyth WF and Rodriguez V; Recent studies of the electrospray ionisation behaviour of selected drugs and theirapplication in capillary electrophoresis mass spectrometry and liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry; Journal ofChromatography A, 1159: 159-174, 2007Smyth TJ, Ramachandran VN, McGuigan A, Hopps J and Smyth WF; The Characterisation of Nicotine and RelatedCompounds using Electrospray Ionisation with Ion Trap Mass Spectrometry and with Quadrupole Time of Flight MassSpectrometry and their detection by LC-ESI-MS; Rapid Communications in Mass Spectrometry, 21: 557-566, 2007Dr Anne BridgenLecturer in BioimagingContact details:T: +44 (0)28 70324903a.bridgen@ulster.ac.ukDr Bridgen’s research focuses on the molecular biology of a group of exotic viruses, the Bunyaviridae, some of whichare severe pathogens of man and animals. They are negative sense, tri-segmented RNA viruses that are carried by avariety of (mainly) arthropod vectors, particularly ticks and mosquitoes. Her research focuses on three main areas:Pathogenesis of the diseaseDr Bridgen has studied the effects on wild type and immune deficient mice infected with a relatively apathogenicvirus, Dugbe virus in collaboration with Professor John Fazakerley in Edinburgh funded by the Royal Society. Annecontinues to work on a research project in collaboration with Dr Michael Baron of the Institute of Animal Health inPirbright (IAH) with funding awarded by the BBSRC to study one of the serious pathogens in this virus group, Nairobisheep disease virus, using the special containment facilities available at the IAH.63