UNMCScience Research Brochure30!08!12

7/30/2019 UNMCScience Research Brochure30!08!12

1/18

Science Research

The University of NottinghamMalaysian Campus

www.nottingham.edu.my/science/research

For general enquiries,please contact:

The Enquiry Centret: +6 (03) 8924 8000f: +6 (03) 8924 8005e: [email protected] (Malaysian) or

[email protected](Non-Malaysian)

w: www.nottingham.edu.my/prospectivestudents


2/18

The University of Nottingham has threeinternational campuses; one in Malaysia,another in China, as well as our UK basedcampus. We are committed to producingworld-leading research and having thatresearch make an impact for the benefit ofindustry, as well as the wider community.

It states in the Universitys mission statement, By boldinnovation and excellence in all that we do, we make bothknowledge and discoveries matter. We believe that ourcampus in Malaysia has a team of dedicated, and skilled,scientists that enables us to deliver on this mission for theuniversity and for the world beyond.

The Faculty of Science comprises six Schools BiomedicalSciences, Biosciences, Computer Science, Geography,Pharmacy and Psychology. Its internationally recognisedresearch is as wide as it is varied. For example, our researchprojects include tracking elephants using GPS for thepurposes of relocation, tracking eye movements for hazardperception and cross cultural differences, the discovery of newdrugs and how to deliver them, research into autism, how toprolong the shelf life of fruits and how we are able to introduceunder-utilised crops into our diets, removing our reliance on themajor foods group such as wheat and rice.

In this brochure, we have tried to illustrate the broad spectrumof research taking place within the Faculty of Science. We

hope that you find it interesting, and we invite you to contact usto talk about our research and how we might be able to worktogether on some of these exciting initiatives.

Professor Graham KendallVice-Provost for Research and Knowledge Transfer

Faculty of Sciencewww.nottingham.edu.my/science/research

By bold innovation and excellencein all that we do, we make bothknowledge and discoveries matter

0201


Biosciences postgraduate researchingthe shelf life of fruit

Introduction 03

Research and KnowledgeTransfer Priority Groups 05UNMC Research Priority Groups in Science 07

Autism Research in Malaysia 09

Drug Discovery and Delivery 11

Intelligent Computation 13

Post-Harvest Biotechnology 15

Sustainable Crops 17

Research Case Studies 19Biodesign 21

Cognitive and Sensory Systems 23The Management and Ecology ofMalaysian Elephants 25

Face Perception 27

Lung immuneregulation in influenzaA virus infection 29

Pharmacognosy, Natural Productsand Asian Medicine and Dietary Herbs 31

Find out more aboutresearch in science 33

MPhil and PhD opportunit ies 34

Contents


3/18


0403


Introduction

The University of Nottingham prides itself asa premier research-led university and thisnotion is upheld at all three campuses.UNMCs Faculty of Science Research Centreshave evolved from the UNMCs ResearchPriority Groups rather than from School-based research.

Each Priority Group maintains strong links withthe Universitys Priority Groups. Individual Schoolswithin the Faculty also have the opportunity ofretaining research themes that are unique tothem, enabling individual researchers to developtheir own research dimensions. This approachhas ensured a varied nature of research themeswithin each of the seven Centres and promoteshigh calibre interdisciplinary research which runs

across Schools and the Faculty.

We are aware that the Faculty is relatively new andhas a significant number of young researchers.Thus, we have in place a system of pump-primingresearch grants, especially for young researchersto help propel their research. Our system of peer-reviews for external grant applications ensures thatthe quality of proposals submitted from the Facultyis of the highest standard.

The Faculty has over 50 research-active academicstaff and this number is expected to grow. Manyof our researchers are recognised both nationallyand internationally. The number and quantum ofresearch grants awarded to UNMC is significant.This funding comes from national and internationalfunding bodies including the Malaysian Ministry ofHigher Education, the European Union, industryand charitable organisations.

Over the coming years, we expect to makesignificant contributions to global issues that havefar-reaching consequences on major areas suchas the environment, health and well-being.

Dr Nashiru Billa

Director of Research, Faculty of Science

In the most recent UK ResearchAssessment Exercise 90% ofall research at Nottingham wasclassified of an internationalstandard and 60% as world-leading or internationally

excellent. The University ofNottingham Malaysia Campusachieved 4* rating (the maximumis 5*) for research activities andpublications in the 2011 MalaysianResearch Assessment Exercise(MyRA).


4/18

The University of Nottingham has established a number ofResearch and Knowledge Transfer Priority Groups. These areareas of key focus, which support the delivery of excellence inresearch and knowledge transfer.AdvancedManufacturing

Aerospace

Biomedicalimaging

CentreforAdvancedStudies

ClinicalTranslationalResearch

DrugDiscovery

Energy

Facilities

GlobalFoodSecurity

IntegratingGlobalSociety

International

OperationsinaDigitalWorld

Science,TechnologyandSociety

Nine Priority Groups are in key thematic areas with the

potential to grow and deliver an i nfluential amount of world-class research and knowledge transfer addressing globalissues and challenges. Four Priority Groups underpincapabilities across the University with the objective ofleveraging significant external funding.

Research Priority Groups will:maximisethevisibilityandimpactoftheUniversitysresearch

securesignificantlevelsofexternalfundingtosupporttheirresearch activities

becomeaninstitutionalchampionfortheirtopic

incorporateinterdisciplinarycollaborationsofinternational quality

provideafirst-classenvironmentforcareerdevelopmentand training

attracthighqualitystaff,postgraduatesandstrategic partnerships

It is envisaged that Priority Groups will hav e a maximum life-span of five years in order to al low for new thematic areas toemerge. These will be dependent on the Universitys evolvingpriorities and changing global challenges.

Find out more about our Global Research Priority Groups atwww.nottingham.ac.uk/research/priorities

Research and KnowledgeTransfer Priority Groups

0605


Professor Sayed Azam Ali, CEO of Crops for theFuture Research Centre (CFFRC), working on the sitewhere CFFRC will be situated.


5/18

0807

Associate Professor of Biosciences, FestoMassawe, researching sustainable crops

The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus has developedthirteen Research Priority Groups, which complement andoverlap with the global priorities of the University. They alsoreflect priorities unique to Malaysia and Southeast Asia. Five ofthese groups are based in the Faculty of Science.AutismResearchinMalaysia

DrugDiscoveryandDelivery

IntelligentComputation

Post-HarvestBiotechnology

SustainableCrops

Our groups range from centres which have an establishedhistory of producing leading research to newly identifiedemerging areas which represent new and excitingdevelopments at the Malaysia Campus.

Through our links with higher education and researchinstitutions in Malaysia, we are raising the profile of Malaysiaas a key player in research that addresses global issues thattranscend national and traditional disciplinary boundaries.

For further information about Research Priority Groups atThe University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus visitwww.nottingham.edu.my/research/priority

UNMC Research PriorityGroups in Science



6/18

Autism Research in Malaysia

1009



Global Priority Group: Biomedical ImagingThe principal purpose of our research is to develop a systemof early diagnosis of autism using eye-movement recordingtechnology and electroencephalogram (EEG), using our state-of-art facility at The University of Nottingham Malaysia Campusneuroscience laboratories.

Another purpose will be to conduct an epidemiological projectto establish a systematic approach to diagnosis of autismin Malaysia. To date, there is a serious lack of knowledgeand expertise in diagnosis in Malaysia, and internationallyrecognised testing instruments are not widely available. Ourepidemiological study will allow a n estimate of the proportionof people who suffer with autism in a large scale programme ofdiagnosis. To our knowledge, this will be the fi rst time that suchwork has been carried out in Malaysia. The w ork will provide avital opportunity for clinicians and researchers in Malaysia tobuild up capacity in clinical testing and epidemiology.

Areas of researchOur research is focused upon investigating aspects of

developmental disorders, especially autism. One strandinvolves basic research to generate a new instrument for earlydiagnosis, using the tools of neuroscience, especially EEG andeye-movement recording technology. Another strand involvesan epidemiological study which will have various benefits. It willraise awareness of developmental disorders, build capacity indiagnostic expertise and will identify children and families whoare in need of help.

Research impact and beneficiariesThe major beneficiaries will be the famili es in Malaysia who arecoping with children who have developmental disorders. Ourresearch will also benefit the health service of Malaysia as wellas the educational establishment. The research could help thefledgling clinical psychology service get off the ground, and itcould also help to establish an educational psychology service.

Partnerships and collaborationsOur partner is the National Autism Society of Malaysia, acharitable organisation that has been doing excellent work inproviding a basic diagnostic service and educational provisionfor children who have autism. Our partnership will enablebetter systems of diagnosis and better methods of intervention.

Strategic objectivesThe centre attracts major grants from the Malaysian ministry aswell as from abroad especially the USA. This f unds cutting-edge research that will make a diff erence to our knowledgeof autism such that diagnosis can be done more reliably andat an earlier point in development before autistic behaviourbecomes well established.

Contact usAcademic champion: Peter Mitchellt: +6 (03) 8924 8237e: [email protected]: www.nottingham.edu.my/Research/Priority/MRPG/Autism

The tools of neuroscience will allow us toidentify autism before abnormal behavioursbecome established. It is better to preventthese behaviours from developing in thefirst place than it is to extinguish abnormalbehaviours that are already established.

Fact

Approximately 1% of the population haveautism, meaning approximately 330,000 peoplein Malaysia may have this disorder.

Measuring brain activitywith EEG equipment


7/18

1211



Drug Discovery and Delivery

Global Priority Group: Drug DiscoveryAt the Centre for Drug Discovery and Delivery (CDDD)we engage in scientific research that covers a spectrumof interrelated disciplines. These include: the identificationof plants; isolation and pharmacological testing of plantconstituents with relevant therapeutic properties;the delivery of these actives using novel approaches;and therapeutic monitoring.

Researchers within the CDDD come from different schoolswithin the Faculty of Science at the Malaysia Campus and workclosely with colleagues in the UK on a number of projects.The CDDD has a very successful track record in attractinga significant number of externally-funded research projectsincluding a recent EU funded FP7 Biodesign grant, ai medat developing scaffolds for bone implants in regenerativemedicine. Other external grants include: Ministry of HigherEducation (FRGS, MOSTI); National Cancer Council ofMalaysia (MAKNA); Ministry of Agric; Nottingham UniversityGrants (MIDAS, MNDP, ECRKT). The centre works incollaboration with industries and internationally renowned

researchers to develop its work.

Areas of researchKey areas of focus for our research include:Organometallicdrugsynthesisofantibacterialand

anticancer agents

Pro-drugmodellingandactivationinanti-cancertreatmentand novel enzyme-directed pro-drug therapies

EthnopharmacologyofmedicinalplantsintheAsiaPacific,especially plants with anti-cancer, anti-bacterial, anti-fungal,anti-diabetic and antioxidant properties

Enhancementofbio-availabilityoftherapeuticagentsthrough novel delivery approaches including nanoparticulate,transdermal and rectal delivery

Fabricationofscaffoldsforuseintissueengineeringandregenerative medicine

Adversedrugreactions(ADR)andpharmacovigilance,riskmanagement and clinical governance

Key research themesSpecialist key research themes include drug synthesis, drugdelivery, tissue engineering, ethnopharmacology, and naturalproduct chemistry.

Key research units include in the CDDD include the RainforestGroup and the Drug Delivery Group

Research expertiseMain areas of expertise include:Drugdeliveryandbioavailability

Syntheticandanalyticalchemistry

Computationalmodelling

Pharmacognosy

Pharmacology

Adversedrugreaction

Partnerships and collaborationsThe centre works in collaboration with a range of researchinstitutions, universities and industries to increase the qualityand effectiveness of our research. Researchers within CDDDalso work particularly closely with our University of Nottinghamcolleagues in the UK, specifically those within the School ofBiomedical Sciences and the School of Pharmacys Laboratoryof Biophysics Surface Analysis and Division of Drug Deliveryand Tissue Engineering. Key partnerships include:

UniversitiesMonash University, Sunway Campus, Malaysia

School of Pharmaceutical Sciences,University of Science, Malaysia

School of Pharmacy, University of KebangsaanMalaysia, Malaysia

Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences,University Putra, Malaysia

Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Malaysia

Department of Chemistry, University Malaya, Malaysia

Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford, UK

IndustryPharmaniaga Berhad, Malaysia

Carotech Berhad Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Hoe Pharmaceuticals Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Imeks Pharmaceuticals Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

National Cancer Council, Malaysia

VisionOur vision is to realise effective therapies through novelapproaches. The centre aims to strengthen strategicpartnerships with the industry with the hope of evolving into acentre of excellence in the near future.

Contact usAcademic champions: Dr Nashiru Billa and Dr Ting Kang Neet: +6 (03) 8924 8211 / +6 (03) 8924 8209e: [email protected]: [email protected]: www.nottingham.edu.my/Research/Priority/MRPG/

DrugDiscoveryDelivery

Fact

With the recently captured EU FP7 Biodesignresearch project, the DDDC becomes the firstRPG at UNMC to be a part of a major EU grantscheme. This 11m funded research projectinvolves 21 research teams from across Europemade up of leading experts in degenerativedisease and regenerative medicine.

Postgraduate research student working in theCentre for Drug Discovery and Delivery


8/18

Intelligent Computation

1413



Global Priority Group: Operations in aDigital WorldThe Centre for Intelligent Computation focuses on thedevelopment of various computational methodologies andtheir application to a wide range of real-world problems.Our focus is on the use of computational methodologiesto solve problems in an intelligent manner, often drawinginspiration from the natural world.

The group is multidisciplinary, with members from severaldifferent faculties and schools. The main areas of researchinclude operational research, optimisation, meta- and hyper-heuristics, evolutionary computation, machine learning andsupport vector machines, computational neuroscience, agent-based modelling, and hyper-structures for information retrieval.

Areas of researchOperational researchWe are interested in modelling the complexity and uncertaintyinherent in complex, real-world problems across a widerange of application areas including cutting and packing,educational timetabling, network routing, portfolio optimisation,transportation, logistics and vehicle routing, sports scheduling,transportation logistics and vehicle routing. The intelligentdecision support systems that we investigate are able toautomatically aid the design and implementation of moreefficient and reusable search methodologies that can be usedacross a wide range of real-world problems. Our work isunderpinned by the development of mathematical models thatcapture the complexities inherent in the real-world.

Machine learning and support vector machinesThe creation of computer behaviour that is derived from realworld data makes use of statistical techniques that analysedata and recognise patterns. The systems are trained withpairs of inputs and predictions and models are built bymapping these pairs onto multi-dimensional space allowinginferences to be made.

Computational neuroscienceThis is the study of biological nervous system function in termsof information processing, and how they solve computationalproblems. In particular these approaches are used to studycomputer vision and image processing. Nervous systems, andin particular the retina, are modelled the short term aim beingto provide data that helps to understand the retina. The l ong-term aim of this work is to design retinal prostheses that willenable new forms of treatment for blind people.

Hyperstructures for intelligent information retrievalThis research is concerned with the study of the shape ofdata structures, and how they may be used to facil itate theretrieval of information from large corpuses such as the worldwide web. This has many applications from digi tal libraries andelectronic publishing to education.

Context-aware software agentsThis research focuses on the modelling and verifying ofcomplex systems using ontology-driven agents that havelogical reasoning abilities.

Key research themesThe main focus of this research is in the practical applicationsof intelligent computation to problems that are of significanteconomic or social concern to Malaysia. These include, but arenot limited to, the manufacturing industry, education, renewableenergy, food safety, water quality, healthcare, and agriculture.

Research expertiseThe research priority group contains world-class experts inoptimisation, hyperheuristics, scheduling and timetabling,support vector machines and machine learning. Thereis also outstanding expertise in evolutionary computing,artificial nervous systems, neural networks, computer vision,hypermedia, educational technology, fuzzy logic andneural networks.

Contact usAcademic champion: Dr Timothy Brailsfordt: +6 (03) 8924 8137e: [email protected]

w: www.nottingham.edu.my/Research/Priority/ MRPG/Computation

Areas of research in intelligent computationat UNMC include transportation, logistics andvehicle routing.

Many of the problems we study are so large that wecannot simply look at every possible solution and returnthe best one as that would take millions, if not billions, ofyears, even on the fastest computers. A game such as Go,for example, has more possible game states than thereare atoms in the known universe.


9/18 1615



Post-Harvest Biotechnology

Global Priority Group: Global Food SecurityIt is a widely known fact that the world population is estimatedto reach 9.1 billion by the y ear 2050. In the current age, wherefood security is already a pressing issue, how wil l we feedthis growing population? The Centre of Excellence for Post-Harvest Biotechnology (CEPB) is striving to find answersto this challenging question. At the CEPB, the issue of foodsecurity is re-addressed as where does all the produced foodgo? In tropical countries an estimate of 4980 per cent ofproduced food is lost during post-harvest. This large-scalewastage impacts on global nutrition as well as the economy,and is especially pertinent for small-scale farmers.

Research into post-harvest technologies to extend shelf lifeand maintain quality is conducted at CEPB to minimise post-harvest losses. The centre makes use of natural chemicals,such as gum arabic and chitosan, as well as innovativetechnologies that include nanotechnology and CerafusionTMion technology. These studies are conducted by a dedicatedresearch team of postgraduate and undergraduate students,operating within a truly global environment. The extensive

research conducted by CEPB is carried out in collaborationwith academic, industrial and governmental bodies worldwide.

Areas of researchKey areas of focus for our research include:Post-harvestphysiologyandbiochemistryof

horticultural produce

Microbiologyandpathologyofhorticulturalproduce

Phytochemicalsfromfreshfruitsandvegetablestoimprovenutrition and human health

Useofnanotechnologyinpost-harvestactivities

Modifiedatmospherepackagingtechnology

Post-harvestqualityandshelflifeofhorticulturalproduce

Bio-activecompoundsfromherbs

Developingediblecoatingsforfruits

Developingtechnologyforstorageoffreshfruits,vegetablesand herbs

Research projectsTo date, the centre has undertaken the following key research

projects:Novelediblecoatingsfromnaturalproductsforenhancing

the storage life of banana ( Musa acuminate L) fruit

Chitosan-basednanoemulsionbiofungicidesforthecontrol of colletotrichum gloeosporioides, causal agent ofanthracnose in dragon fruit plants

Cerafusiontechnologytocontroldecayandphysico-chemical responses of papaya (marica papaya L) fruit

Decaydevelopmentandphysico-chemicalresponsesofselected vegetables using cerafusion technology

Theantifungaleffectsofchitosanagainstfusariumwiltoforganically grown tomatoes

Antifungalactivityofchitosanonanthracnosediseaseinpostharvest banana

Effectsofchitosanincontrollingcolletotrichumgloeosporioides and enhancing the quality of dragon fruit(hylocereus polyrhizus L)

Potentialofchitosantoinduceresistanceinbellpepper(capsicum annum L) against colletotrichum capsici

Evaluationofnoveltechnology(MedKlinn)forsterilisationofsurfaces and biological materials

ApplicationofCerafusionTMTechnologyinpostharvest studies

Research expertiseExtensive expertise in the post-harvest handling of tropicalfruits and vegetables is available at CEPB. Novel ediblecoatings based on natural products have been successfullydeveloped at CEPB to enhance shelf life and maintain thequality of tropical fruits and vegetables. Articles publishedby researchers in CEPB on edible coatings were recentlyrecognised as part of the Top 25 Hottest Articles in theirrespective fields at ScienceDirect.

Partnerships and collaborationsThe centre works in collaboration with a range of researchinstitutions, universities and industries across the globe toincrease the quality and effectiveness of our research. Theseinclude collaborations with: Universities in Malaysia, the UK,Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, Germany, Italy and the USA;

governmental institutes in Malaysia, Canada and Tanzania; andpartnerships with key industrial figures in Malaysia, Thaila ndand the UK. Key partnerships include:

AcademicUniversiti Putra Malaysia (UPM), Malaysiaa

Massey University, New Zealand

Michigan State University, USA

Universita Politecnica dele Marche, Italy

The University of Western Australia, Australia

Royal Holloway, University of London, UK

Albert-Ludwigs Univeritait Freiburg, Germany

University of Kuleuven, Belgium

Atlantic Food and Horticultural Research Centre, Canada

IndustryMalaysian Agrifood Corporation Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

MedKlinn International Sdn Bhd, Malaysia

Jumbo Acacia Co Ltd BKK, Thailand

Syngenta Ltd, Bracknell, UK

GovernmentHorticulture Research Centre (HRC), MARDISerdang, Malaysia

International Institute of Tropical Agriculture, Tanzania

VisionThe centre was established to carry out research into post-harvest handling of perishable fruits and vegetables toovercome problems frequently encountered by the freshproduce market. At CEPB, researchers are constantly strivingto develop technologies that support the reduction of post-harvest losses and prolong shelf life. The centre also aims toenhance the quality and phytochemical content of fruits andvegetables to enhance the value of fresh produce.

Contact usAcademic champion: Dr Asgar Alit: +6 (03) 8924 8219e: [email protected]: www.nottingham.edu.my/Research/Priority/MRPG/Post-harvest

Fact

Between 49 % and 80% of produced foodactually reaches the consumers in developingcountries, the remainder falling as postharvestlosses.

Researchers in the Centre of Excellence forPost-Harvest Biotechnology

It is hoped that the reduction of postharvestlosses will increase food availability andimprove nutritional quality dually throughminimising actual losses and increasing

income from improved market opportunities.


10/18

Sustainable Crops

1817



Global Priority Group: Global Food SecurityThe Centre for Sustainable Crops conducts high-quality basicand strategic applied research to improve crop productivity,promote agricultural diversity and reduce agriculturesenvironmental impact. Our research is focused in both majorand underutilised food crops to generate knowledge thatwill contribute to improving the sustainability of f ood cropproduction.

With global population continuing to grow and f ood demandon the rise, strategic approaches to agricultural production areneeded. Alongside plant and crop physiology, a great deal ofour research is committed to crop and molecular geneticsand breeding.

Areas of researchOur research is focused on the following key areas.Biotechnologyandbreedingfocusingonmolecular

genetics and the use of molecular markers in cropimprovement, genetic fidelity, embryogenesis, tissue cultureand genetic transformation.

Cropphysiologyandbioticstressincludingdroughtresistance, plant-pathogen interactions, molecular pathology,plant diseases and pests.

Bio-pharmingandnaturalproductsinvestigatinggeneexpression in various systems including plants, bacteria andyeast and development of plant-based vaccines.

Nutritionalsciencesincludingprobioticandprebiotic,antioxidant capacities and nutrikinetics.

Underutilisedcrops-focusingonresearchfordevelopmentof underutilised crop plants.

Research impact and beneficiariesThe key beneficiaries of our research will be commercialand subsistence farmers as they continue to feed the everexpanding global population while remaining mindful ofenvironmental degradation and pollution. The work we do willhelp to encourage sustainability of agricultural systems anddiversify our food sources, which will also benefit consumers ofagricultural produce.

Partnerships and collaborationsThe Centre has strong collaborations nationally andinternationally; including with Applied Agricultural ResourcesSdn. Bhd (AAR), an internationally recognised centre in oilpalm plantation research. This collaboration has resultedin a state-of-the-art Biotechnology Research Centre thatprovides facilities for high-profile biotechnology research.Centre for Sustainable Crops works very closely with thenewly established Crops For the Future Research Centre, apremier international centre for research and development ofunderutilised crops. Other collaborators include:FELDABiotechnologyCentre

MalaysianPalmOilBoard

UniversitiPutraMalaysia

MalaysianAgriculturalResearchandDevelopmentInstitute

InternationalInstituteofTropicalAgriculture

FraunhofersCentreforMolecularBiotechnologyUSA

Strategic objectivesWe enjoy close links with The University of Nottingham School

of Biosciences in the UK, enabling researchers to tap into thecombined expertise and facilities that exist between the twosites. The Centre aims to address challenges of global foodsecurity through research that leads to improved efficiency ofcrop production and increased agricultural diversity that wouldencourage the use of crops resilient to adverse conditions.

Contact usAcademic Champion: Dr Festo Massawet: +6 (03) 8924 8212e: [email protected]: www.nottingham.edu.my/Research/Priority/MRPG/Crops/CentreforSustainableCrops

The centre aims to increase cropproductivity, promote agricultural diversityand improve agricultures image through theuse of sustainable strategies.

Fact

Food demand will rise by approximately 50% by2030 and the global population will approach9 billion by 2050. The need for more food must

be met with the same amount of land, but usingless agricultural inputs.

Research in the Centre for Sustainable Cropsincludes the development of more efficient crops.


11/18 2019



Researching the propertiesof star fruits

In addition to the research taking place in UNMCs Research Priority Groups, there are alsoa number of research groups within the Faculty of Science conducting research that has asignificant impact both nationally and internationally. The following case studies cover a widerange of disciplines and highlight some of the ground breaking investigations taking place acrossbiomedical science, biosciences, geography, computer science, pharmacy and psychology.

Research Case Studies


12/18

BiodesignCreating smarter and more effective medicines

2221



The demand for organ transplants is great, but there arefew donors and transplant rejection remains an ever presentconcern. This has led to the development of an interdisciplinaryresearch field called regenerative medicine.

The Biodesign Research Group brings together academicsfrom the School of Pharmacy in Malaysia and the UK. Researchexpertise includes drug delivery, nanopartical formulationand computational modelling. We also work closely with TheUniversity of Nottingham UKs Advance Drug Delivery andTissue Engineering Research Group and the Laboratory ofBiophysics and Surface Analysis (LBSA). Our research is partof the 11m EU funded research project in Rational BioactiveMaterials Design for Tissue Generation where 21 researchteams from across Europe and Asia are working togetherto make medicines smarter and more effective with optimaltherapeutic benefits. Smart medicines ensure safety and moreeffective therapy, especially in chronic illness such as cancer ortissue degeneration.

Current biomaterials are poorly suited to the needs of tissue

engineering and regenerative medicine. The aim of theBiodesign research project is to develop new materials andmedicines that will stimulate tissue regeneration rather thanwait for the body to start the process itself. This, we plan toachieve by fabricating advanced biomaterials that match thebasic structure of each tissue so the cells can take over therecovery process themselves.

Here in Malaysia we are looking at synthesising microparticleswhich can potentially be injected directly into a patient at thesite of injury to promote tissue re-growth. These microparticleswould act as a scaffold to encourage regrowth in bone tissue,skeletal muscle and potentially even cardiac muscle.

This research heralds a step-change in approaches to tissueregeneration and has potential benefits for patients requiringorgan transplants, as well as those with severe burns, muscleinjuries, cardiovascular problems, or broken bones that are nothealing.

Find out moreKey project lead: Professor Stephen Doughtye: [email protected]

Find out more about research in The School of Pharmacy atwww.nottingham.edu.my/pharmacy/research

Associate Professor Andrew Morris with postgraduateresearch students in the School of Pharmacy.

This research will have significant impact onpatients with degenerative tissue disordersand/or cancer, with an added dimension ofthe possibility of incorporating anti-cancerdrugs within the prototype so that tissueregeneration and anti-cancer properties canbe achieved simultaneously

Watch our video to find out moreabout Biodesign:www.nottingham.edu.my/biodesign

Scan the code to watchthis video on yoursmartphone.


13/18


2423

Dr Neil Mennie with seven-year-old Orangutan,Tsunami, and zoo keeper, Sharul, at Zoo Negara

Cognitive and Sensory SystemsInvestigating the neural mechanisms underlying behaviour


The Cognitive and Sensory Systems Group (CSS) was formedin 2011 to bring together the expertise of neuroscientists fromthe Schools of Psychology and Computer Science at TheUniversity of Nottingham Malaysia Campus. Neuroscienceaddresses the questions of how psychological/cognitivefunctions are produced by the brain. The purpose of ourresearch is to investigate the neural mechanisms underlyingbehaviour while at the same time tackling some of the currentproblems that exist in neuroscience.

We use a wide variety of modern techniques, includingcomputational neuroscience, pattern recognition andimage processing, the use of functional and structuralMRI, EEG and eye tracking, as well as neurological casestudies, psychophysics and signal detection theory. Ourcurrent areas of research interest include visuo-tactileintegration and somatic misperception, psycholinguistics andneurodegenerative diseases and cognitive function in elderlypeople, visual attention and working memory, visual perception,active vision and neuroethology. We are also interested incomputational neuroscience and how different biological neural

systems solve different types of computational problems.

Our research in neuroethology endeavours to understandhow the central nervous system translates biologically relevantstimuli into natural behaviour. In collaboration with the NationalZoo of Malaysia, we are looking at the visuo-spatial abilitiesand orienting behaviour of Orangutans in free behaviour. Thisis a novel project that investigates these animals use of visionin conjunction with everyday actions such as tool-use andvisual search with an overall goal of shedding light on the visualstrategies that these critically endangered primates use to helppredict changes in their surroundings.

Current PhD research projects include investigations intocross-modal integration and tactile illusions to examine thetemporal dynamics of illusory tactile and bodily sensations inneurologically healthy individuals, using eye trackers to explorethe role and function of anticipatory eye movements to partsof the environment that will be useful for upcoming actions,and research on the effects of mental attention on subsequentvisual perception of items held in short-term memory.

The CSS collaborates with Nottingham colleagues in the UKand have active links with a number of institutions, includingthe Faculty of Allied Health Sciences at the National Universityof Malaysia (UKM), the Department of Psychology at SunwayUniversity, The National Zoo (Zoo Negara), CercaInsights (aContract Research Organisation), the Brain and Body Centreat the University of Nottingham (UK), and researchers atthe Universities of Yale, Princeton, Ohio State, Manchester,Swansea, Glasgow and Birmingham. We ai m to increaseresearch collaborations with Malaysian Research Institutesand Universities, expanding our research portfolio in Asia whilecontinuing to collaborate on the international stage.

Find out moreKey project lead: Dr Neil Menniee: [email protected]

Find out more about research in The School of Psychology atwww.nottingham.edu.my/psychology/research

Neuroscience is the scientific study ofthe nervous system, especially the brain.Using different tools, neuroscience helpsus understand the senses, thought,emotion, and behaviour of many animals,including humans.

Watch our video to find out moreabout Cognitive and Sensory Systems:www.nottingham.edu.my/css



14/18

The Management and Ecologyof Malaysian Elephants (MEME)Endangered elephants equipped with GPS and satellite phone technology

2625



A hundred years ago wild elephants on the Malay Peninsulacould be counted in their thousands now there are less than1500.

Using the very latest GPS and satellite phone technology, theManagement and Ecology of Malaysian Elephants researchproject (MEME) aims to track 50 of the remaining elephantsto help the Malaysian Government assess the effectiveness oftheir elephant conservation and management practices.Stripped of their natural habitat to make way for crops, roadsand new building developments and facing wide-spreadpersecution for the so-called human-elephant conflict, Asianelephants are endangered due to the rapid decline a ndfragmentation of their populations.

Researchers will produce information on why elephants movefrom one location to another, how they use landscapes, wherethey find nutrients and how they behave in natural conditions.The project is also looking at techniques to extract informationfrom elephant DNA and hormones.

Understanding elephant ecology and behaviour will helpthe Malaysian Department of Wildlife and National Parks tomanage wild elephant populations in a way that maximises theirwell-being and long-term conservation.

The project has received a donation of RM3.36 from SimeDarby which will fund hi-tech equipment and three PhDstudents.

Find out moreKey project lead: Dr Ahimsa Campos Arceize: [email protected]

Find out more about research in The School of Geography atwww.nottingham.edu.my/geography/research

Elephant numbers on the Malay peninsulahave diminished in the last 100 years

If we lose many elephants, basically we will lose a uniqueelement of the tropical ecosystems. When an elephantwalks in the forest, he walks in a way that no other animaldoes. When they eat, they are modifying the structureof vegetation. They are releasing plant parts that will beconsumed by other animals. They are dispersing seeds.They are promoting and maintaining future generationsof many plant species. All this will be lost. In the end wewill have a much more simplified ecosystem that is lessresilient and has lost a lot of its diversity.

Watch our video to find out moreabout the Management and Ecologyof Malaysian Elephants:www.nottingham.edu.my/meme



15/182827

Dr Ian Stephen conductingresearch on face perception

Face perceptionHow do people use the information in faces to make judgements aboutpeople? And are those judgements correct?



The human face contains a wealth of important information,such as the persons identity, age, gender, ethnic group,emotional state and health status. In the Face PerceptionGroup we are using the latest digital imaging, healthassessment and eye tracking techniques to investigatethe ways in which different groups of people access thisinformation, and the accuracy of their perceptions. Thisincludes looking at whether individuals from different culturesand ethnic groups use facial cues differently i n assessinghealth or recognising faces, if a persons parenting style affectstheir childrens perception of emotion in faces, how healthybehaviours affect the appearance of our faces and bodies andif this knowledge can be used to encourage healthy behaviour,and whether autistic and neurotypical individuals use differentcues to identify people and emotional facial expressions.

The potential benefits of our research are far-reaching. Ourinvestigations into the effects of healthy behaviours onappearance and perceptions of health are being used toencourage healthy behaviours by appealing to vanity. Wecan use computer graphics techniques to show people the

improvement in appearance that they could expect to seeby making achievable changes to their di et, lifestyle choicesand exercise habits. This appeal to vanity has already beenadopted by at least one healthy eating company in the UK. Inaddition, our collaboration with the Cognitive DevelopmentGroup which looks at the different face recognition strategiesused by individuals with autism spectrum disorders may lead tonew methods of helping people overcome their difficulties withrecognising people in their everyday lives.

We also have a number of other collaborative researchprojects. With the School of Biosciences at UNMC we areworking to identify ways in which antioxidant carotenoids fromunderutilised fruits get deposited in the skin and af fect our skincolour. Our work with the University of St Andrews is focusedon establishing how perception of aspects of faces suchas skin colour and masculinity are perceived in differentcultures. Collaborations with researchers at the University ofBristol and the University of Pretoria have established that skincolour is a more i mportant determinant of mens attractivenessthan masculinity and that the amount of disgust people f eelat imagery associated with disease affects their ratings ofunattractive faces, but not attractive faces. We are alsoexamining how consumption of alcohol affects the appearanceof faces.

Find out moreKey project lead: Dr Ian Stephene: i [email protected]

Find out more about research in The School of Psychology at

www.nottingham.edu.my/psychology/research

Growing up in a multicultural societygives Malaysian Chinese an advantagewhe n recognising faces. We have foundthat, where most people find it harderto recognise other-ethnicity individuals,Malaysian Chinese are just as good atrecognising Western faces as Asian faces.


16/18

Lung immuneregulation ininfluenza A virus infectionUnveiling the role of iNKT cells in fighting flu

3029



Influenza A virus (IAV) infection is a recurring threat to thehuman population, and can result in severe lung inj ury. Muchhas now been characterised of the T cell response duringIAV infection. T cells belong to a group of white blood cellsknown as lymphocytes and play a key role in cell-mediatedimmunity. Relatively little is known of the size, kinetics and typeof innate immune response in the lungs, particularly in high-pathogenicity infections. It is also unclear how this arm of theimmune response is controlled to minimise immune-pathology.

Immuneregulation is concerned with how the immune system isbeing regulated or modulates. Research in immuneregulation atThe University of Nottingham Malaysia Campus draws togetherexperts from a variety of disciplines, namely microbiology,molecular biology, immunology, cell culture, and genomics. Italso involves collaboration with the University of Putra Mala ysia,the Australian Organic Honeys Group and a close link wi ththe Human Immunology Unit, University of Oxford. Our mainresearch focus is on immuneregulation in the lungs and theimmunomodulatory properties of natural products such ashoney and plant extracts. Immunomodulators are agents that

can either enhance or supress our immune system.

Recent work done in Oxford has identified a role of iNKTcells in controlling inflammatory monocytes in the lungs anddecrease immune-pathology during severe IAV infection.Invariant natural killer T cells (iNKT), a unique populationof T cells that share some characteristics with natural killer(NK) cells natural killer cells are crucial part of the immunesystem, providing rapid responses to virally infected cells.iNKT cells are CD1d restricted and produce a wide range ofcytokines upon stimulation which affect immune cells. Thisresearch will have a huge impact on advancing the therapeuticmanipulation of treatment to infectious or deadly disease.

Find out moreKey project lead: Dr Wai Ling Koke: [email protected]

Find out more about research in the School of Pharmacy atwww.nottingham.edu.my/pharmacy/research

Postgraduate student in themicrobiology laboratory

Centre for Disease Control and Prevention(CDC) estimated that about 36,000 peopledied of seasonal flu-related cases eachyear. During the severe 1918 Spanish flupandemic, at least 50 million people died.


17/183231

Separation of crude extract using SephadexLH20 to obtain active compounds.

Pharmacognosy, NaturalProducts and Asian Medicineand Dietary HerbsSecuring humans supply of safe and efficacious medicinesderived of plants



Pharmacognosy is the discipline covering all areas ofmedicinal plant research, a field of study which relies ondiverse methods, but is unified by an interest in securinghumans supply of safe and efficacious medicines derived ofplants. Such medicines may be used as a pure compound oras a complex extract. The Pharmacology, Natural Productsand Asian Medicine and Dietary Herbal Research Groupcombines classical ethnopharmacological methods withmodern biology and pharmacology and draws on expertise inbotany, ethnoparmacology, natural products, pharmacology,pharmacokinetics, toxicology, herbalism, pharmacognosy,nutrition, biological assays and agriculture.

The uses of plants in indigenous cultures are multiple andvery diverse. For many people plants still form the economicbasis, and are used as medicine. Over the last 16 years, wehave conducted ethnobotanical studies in Asia with the aimof contributing to the development of under-utilised Asianmedicinal or dietary plants into pharmaceutical, cosmetologicaland food products. This research enables a fuller evaluationand development of Asian medicinal or dietary plants andaddresses the demand of the EU and US herbal and healthfood market for new high quality health supplements.

Some of our research has been undertaken in collaborationwith colleagues at The University of Nottingham UK, UniversitiKebangsaan Malaysia, Songkla University and local andinternational businesses. Key areas of interest include theherbal potential of dietary plants, the herbal, pharmaceutical,cosmetological and neutraceutical potentials of medicinalplants, toxicological evaluation and marketing assessmentof herbs, natural products and dietary products, and thedomestication of wild herbs as crops. We are also engagedin phytochemical analysis, in vitro and i n vivo substantiationof medicinal or dietary herbs, and pharmacokinetics of naturalproducts, in addition to consultancy and public engagement.

Find out moreKey project lead: Dr Christophe Wiarte: [email protected]

Find out more about research in the School of BiomedicalSciences atwww.nottingham.edu.my/biomedicalsciences/research

Billion USD are spent each year ina growing medicinal plant market.


18/18

33


Find out more aboutresearch in science

MPhil and PhD opportunities

Biomedical Sciences: www.nottingham.edu.my/biomedicalsciences/research

Biosciences: www.nottingham.edu.my/biosciences/research

Computer Science: www.nottingham.edu.my/computerscience/research

Geography: www.nottingham.edu.my/geography/research

Pharmacy: www.nottingham.edu.my/pharmacy/research

Psychology: www.nottingham.edu.my/psychology/research

There are a number of MPhil and PhD opportunities withinall Schools in The Faculty of Science. If you are interestedin doing an MPhil or PhD a t The University of NottinghamMalaysia Campus we recommend that you contact the relevantresearch supervisor to discuss your research project proposalin the first instance. You will find a list of academic staffmembers on each Schools website. Visit our applicationspage to find out how to apply atwww.nottingham.edu.my/applications

Connect with NottinghamWe use the latest technology to bring Nottingham to life and to ensure you can experienceand interact with the University community anytime, anywhere in the world.

Social media

www.facebook.com/uonmalaysiacampus

www.twitter.com/uonmalaysia

www.youtube.com/uonmalaysia

Instant access with QR codes

You may have noticed these intriguing black boxesthroughout our brochure:

These are QR (or Quick Response) codesand weve introduced them to give you instantaccess to our students experiences.

To watch the videos on your smartphone, download any QRcode reader (there are lots of free ones, like BeeTagg andRedLaser), and scan the codes. Each code will direct yourmodile browser to the relevant video.

Documents

UNMCScience Research Brochure30!08!12