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ANIMAL RESEARCH AND AI/BMI HEALTH PREDICTORS: NEWS FROM IMPERIAL

by Samantha Rey, Meesha Patel, Emily Medcalf, Jacklin Kwan, Conrad Duncan,
Corinne Farrell 02 August 2024



view large

Here’s a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial.


BEST PRACTICE IN ANIMAL RESEARCH 

In a world in which animals are still used in scientific research, Imperial has
become a leader in using the 3Rs (replacement, reduction and refinement of the
use of animals in research) to challenge whether their use is essential, and
ensure an ethical approach if it is. 

Following the launch of our 10-year Culture of Care plan in June, we have now
developed the Imperial 3RsHub website, funded by the UKRI Enhancing Research
Culture. 

This resource centre for the Imperial community and beyond features best
practice examples and resources to help students understand the ethics and
regulations around animal research. There are also training videos to help staff
refine research applications. 

Dr Bryn Owen, senior lecturer in endocrinology and Investigative Medicine and
Chair of the 3Rs Advisory Group, said: “Our ethical animal research and 3Rs
activities are world-leading, and now we have a platform to showcase this
excellence. Understanding animal research is essential for an informed public
debate, and I would encourage everyone in our community to have a look at our
new e-module on the topic, which is hosted on the 3Rs Hub website.”


GLOBAL CHALLENGE LAB

Students from around the world have come together to work on solutions for the
UN’s Sustainable Development Goals of creating sustainable cities and effective
climate action.

Teams containing students from more than 20 universities took part in the Global
Challenge Lab this year – a programme run by Imperial Enterprise Lab, the
Technical University of Munich, and Tsinghua University’s x-lab to encourage
international collaboration.

The programme brings together students and recent alumni for two weeks of
entrepreneurship workshops, guest speakers, and mentoring to help them develop
innovative ideas to solve global challenges.

This year’s winning teams were:

 * NaviBuddy – an all-in-one interactive AI personal assistant built to assist
   the visually impaired with seamless navigation.

 * Biocentric – a project to transform grape pomace, a winemaking by-product,
   into medical-grade polymers to reduce single use plastic.

 * Green Cloud – an advanced solution for sustainable computer workload routing
   to cut the carbon footprint of global cloud computing.

Read more about the Global Challenge Lab on the Imperial Enterprise Lab website.


EMBO RECOGNISES INFECTIOUS DISEASE SCIENTIST 

The European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO) has elected Professor Wendy
Barclay, Head of the Department of Infectious Disease to its membership. This is
in recognition of her outstanding achievements in life science research,
including work that has advanced understanding of how infectious disease
spreads. Professor Barclay is a virologist who works on respiratory viruses
which cause flu and COVID-19. Her research group at Imperial College London
studies virus mutations, and how they enable viruses to cross host barriers and
cause new pandemics. 

The EMBO is an organisation of over 2,000 leading researchers that promotes
excellence in the life sciences in Europe and beyond. Its goal is to support
talented researchers in all stages of their career and help create an
environment where scientists achieve their best work. 

Professor Wendy Barclay said: “I’m honoured to be admitted as an EMBO fellow in
its 60th anniversary year and very grateful to all the wonderful people who work
with me in my own lab and in the many collaborations we share.” 

  


LIPID METABOLISM INSIGHTS 

A new study led by Imperial provides new insights into how lipids regulate a
protein complex that is crucial in infectious and inflammatory diseases.  

The research published in Cell Reports outlines the connection between lipid
metabolism and a protein complex called NLRP3 inflammasome. This reveals new
avenues for research in inflammatory and metabolic disease, such as inflammatory
bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, gout and type two diabetes. For example,
new treatments could be created to target this pathway and reduce inflammation,
which is a common driver of these diseases.  

Dr Paras Anand, Senior Lecturer and lead author in the Department of Infectious
of Disease said: “Our groundbreaking research uncovers how the lipid metabolite
palmitate regulates the NLRP3 inflammasome, a key player in several infectious
and inflammatory diseases. By unveiling this crucial link, our study paves the
way for novel therapeutics aimed at mitigating inflammation by targeting lipid
metabolism pathways.” 


AI-ENHANCED ECGS PREDICT BMI AND CARDIOMETABOLIC RISKS

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be used to predict body mass index (BMI) from
routine electrocardiograms (ECGs) and assess the risk of future cardiometabolic
diseases, according to new Imperial research.

The study introduced a novel measure called delta-BMI, which is the difference
between AI-predicted BMI and measured BMI. A positive delta-BMI, where
AI-predicted BMI is higher than measured BMI, indicates a significantly higher
risk of future heart and metabolic diseases, such as hypertension, diabetes and
lipid disorders. The AI-ECG model can flag patients who are at high risk of
developing these diseases, even if they aren’t classified as obese based on
their BMI.

The approach could, in future, lead to better prevention strategies,
personalised treatment plans, and improved health outcomes for at-risk patients.

Dr Libor Pastika, co-lead author from Imperial’s National Heart and Lung
Institute, said, “Bringing this technology into daily practice could enable
doctors to see who is most at risk and intervene earlier where necessary.” Read
the full paper in NPJ Digital Medicine.


£28.5M AWARDED TO GENOMICS INITIATIVE

Imperial is leading a research cluster as part of a new UK-wide genomics
initiative, which was recently awarded £28.5 million by the Medical Research
Council (MRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council
(BBSRC).

The Human Functional Genomics Initiative seeks to explore how genomic variations
affect human physiology and their implications in diseases. 

Dr Matthew Child

Dr Matthew Child from the Department of Life Sciences at Imperial is leading a
multi-institutional research cluster which leverages Imperial’s
interdisciplinary strength in mathematics, biomedical informatics, digital
chemistry, process automation and proteome engineering, and builds new
partnerships with Queen Mary University of London and the European Bioinformatic
Institute.

“Being able to pull together a diverse portfolio of researchers under the single
umbrella of functional genomics is something unique to Imperial,” said Dr Child.

Dr Child’s team will aim to decode the biological impact of genetic variants
associated with rare diseases. This research, stemming from the Genomics England
100,000 Genomes Project, is pivotal in understanding amino acid and protein
function alterations.


SUPPORTERS

Article text (excluding photos or graphics) © Imperial College London.

Photos and graphics subject to third party copyright used with permission or ©
Imperial College London.


REPORTERS

Samantha Rey
Communications Division

Meesha Patel
Faculty of Medicine Centre

CONTACT DETAILS

Tel: +44 (0)20 7594 7909
Email: meesha.patel17@imperial.ac.uk

Show all stories by this author

Emily Medcalf
National Heart & Lung Institute

CONTACT DETAILS

Email: emily.medcalf18@imperial.ac.uk

Show all stories by this author

Jacklin Kwan
Faculty of Natural Sciences

Conrad Duncan
Communications Division

Corinne Farrell
Communications Division

TAGS:

Healthcare, Infectious-diseases, Artificial-intelligence, Animal-research,
Comms-strategy-Real-world-benefits, Research
See more tags


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FACULTY AND DEPARTMENTAL NEWS HIGHLIGHTS

Single bowel screening test can cut cancer risk by a quarter over two
decades (Faculty of Medicine)

Economics of Pandemic Preparedness: New report highlights key themes  (Imperial
College London's Jameel Institute, Institute of Infection and the Centre for
Health Economics & Policy Innovation)

Komodo dragons have iron-coated teeth to rip apart their prey (Faculty of
Engineering)

 



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--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


FEATURED

 * Dr Bryn M Owen
   Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction
 * Dr Libor Pastika
   National Heart & Lung Institute
 * Dr Paras K Anand
   Department of Infectious Disease
 * Professor Wendy S Barclay
   Department of Infectious Disease

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------


MORE

 * Department of Infectious Disease
 * National Heart and Lung Institute
 * Department of Medicine

 * College and campus
 * Science
 * Health




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