DPhil in Pathology
Course Code | 002060
MSc by Research in Pathology
Course Code | 002070
Famous for the development of penicillin and cephalosporin antibiotics, the Department has an outstanding track record in medical research. It has a highly successful and wide-ranging research programme, consistently gaining the highest possible score in consecutive Research Assessment Exercises (RAE).
In the 2008 RAE the Department’s research received the highest score in the country in its category (Infection and Immunology), with 45% of the researchers rated ‘world-leading’ and a further 40% ‘internationally excellent’.
Currently there are 24 groups doing research in four main areas.
Details of groups leaders and their research on the Pathology website 
Immunology
The Department has an extremely strong tradition of excellence in this field, going back to the discovery of lymphocyte recirculation by Professor James Gowans and of the immunoglobulin superfamily by Professor Alan Williams.
Past and present members of the Department have pioneered the study of regulatory T cells and the molecular basis of pathogen recognition by T cell and macrophages.
Microbiology
Perhaps the best-known achievement of this Department was the purification and therapeutic usage of penicillin. Howard Florey and Ernst Chain were awarded a Nobel prize in Medicine for this work, which they shared with Alexander Fleming.
Subsequently, Edward Abrahams and Guy Newton identified and patented cephalosporin antibiotics, which are structurally related to penicillins.
Together these two families of compounds are the largest group of antibiotics clinically administered today. Presently, the Department has gathered together microbiologists studying viruses, bacteria and protozoan parasites at every level, whether genomic, molecular or cellular.
Molecular Biology
Professor George Brownlee, a pioneer in the field of Molecular Biology, which he brought to the Dunn School in the early 1980s, first cloned and patented the production and clinical use of recombinant human blood clotting factor IX.
Professor Brownlee, now retired, trained and established a very strong group of scientists within the Dunn School studying the transcriptional and translational control of gene expression.
Cell Biology and Pathology (including Cancer and Atherosclerosis)
Cell and Cancer Biology was brought to the School by Sir Henry Harris, a past Head of Department, who discovered eukaryotic cell fusion within its walls, thus pioneering the field of chromosome mapping in higher organisms and uncovering the first evidence for tumour suppressor genes.
Current members of the Department pursue studies in Cell Biology and its interface with Immunology, Pathology, Molecular Biology and Cancer.
How to ApplyThe deadline for the DPhil and MSc (R) courses are 16 November 2012, 4 January 2013 and 8 March 2013. Later
applications will be considered if places are available. Students who require funding should apply by the January deadline. The standard set of materials you should send
with any application to a research course comprises: A detailed research proposal is not required for applicants to the DPhil or MSc (R) in Pathology - please provide a list of research topics & supervisors. Details
of available projects & supervisors are available at the Pathology website. Please follow the detailed
instructions in the Application
Guide, and
consult the Pathology website
for any additional guidance. |
