Doctor of Medicine (MD)


Director of Studies: Dr Paul McKean. Duration: 24 months full-time. Entry Requirements: Applicants must (i) hold a medical or dental qualification which is recognised by the General Medical/Dental Council for the United Kingdom, (ii) must have held this qualification for at least three years by the date of submission, and (iii) must be employed during their period of registration in appropriate clinical or scientific work in hospitals or institutions associated with the university, within the local NHS region. Assessment: Original research and thesis. IELTS: 6.5 Funding: See page 213. Further Information: www.lancs.ac.uk/shm/bls/


The Doctor of Medicine Degree scheme provides opportunities for clinically qualified candidates to undertake a two-year (Doctoral Level) research project at Lancaster. Our links with the Division of Medicine at Lancaster, Liverpool Medical School and many NHS trusts provide a wide range of opportunities for medically-related research. Candidates are supervised by both an academic member of staff in Biomedical and Life Sciences, or Medicine, and a clinical supervisor.


RESEARCH AREAS Research within Biomedical and Life Sciences focuses on the study of molecular and cellular aspects of human health and disease, using a range of biochemical and cellular approaches to complement studies in model organisms.


Key areas of research include the molecular pathology of neurodegenerative disease, fundamental mechanisms underlying carcinogenesis, molecular microbiology and medical cell biology.


Neurodegenerative Disease Progressive degeneration of the nervous system is a feature of a number of human diseases characterised by impaired movement or cognition. Researchers in the Division are studying the underlying processes that lead to brain dysfunction and degeneration in conditions such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease and hydrocephalus.


106 School of Health and Medicine


Professor David Allsop, Dr Fiona Benson, Dr Ed Parkin and Dr Jane Owen-Lynch.


Prof Allsop has a long-standing interest in Alzheimer’s disease, particularly studying unusual protein deposits that accumulate in the brain. One aim of his research is to develop methods to enable early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease. Prof Allsop and Dr Benson are also studying the mechanisms of protein aggregation and cytotoxicity, processes that are fundamental to understanding disease progression in Parkinson’s disease and motor neuron disease. The aim of these studies is to develop methods to prevent protein aggregation which may alleviate symptoms of these devastating diseases. Dr Parkin’s interest in Alzheimer’s disease specifically lies in the role of copper and the proteolytic processing of amyloid precursor protein in relation to disease pathogenesis. Dr Owen-Lynch’s interests are at the other end of the age spectrum looking at disorders of brain development, for example hydrocephalus, focusing on the role of cerebrospinal fluid in normal and abnormal development of the cortex.


Cancer Biology Research groups at Lancaster are investigating a number of different aspects of the molecular and cellular biology of cancer including: cellular effects of exposure to carcinogens and ultraviolet light, DNA repair mechanisms, cell cycle control, and the molecular events behind leukaemia.


Professor Trevor McMillan, Dr Jane Owen-Lynch, Dr Howard Lindsay, Dr Fiona Benson, Dr Sarah Allinson, Dr Rachael Rigby, Dr Sue Broughton, Dr Karen Wright, Dr Ed Parkin and Dr Clive Price.


Staff are engaged in various aspects of cancer research, including carcinogenesis induced by UV, ionising radiation and chemicals, and the molecular mechanisms of leukaemogenesis. Dr Benson and Dr Allinson’s research is focused on studying the fundamental mechanisms of homologous recombination and base excision repair employed by human cells for repairing DNA damage, pathways essential for maintaining genome stability. Dr Price and Dr Lindsay study cell cycle control in model organisms such as yeast and Xenopus cell free egg extracts. One focus of this research is to gain a greater


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