A young lecturer at Bristol University was runner-up in a national poster competition entitled SET For Britain, held recently in the House of Commons. The competition, for aspiring young researchers from the fields of  Science, Engineering and Technology, attracted over 400 entrants.

Denize Atan, a clinical lecturer in Ophthalmology at Bristol University, was one of the 6 runners up behind the overall winner. Her poster was about the research she is conducting at the Bristol Eye Hospital with Professor Andrew Dick and Amanda Churchill.  Her  prize was a cheque for £250 and a certificate.

The competition was judged by distinguished scientists from a number of universities and industry, as well as Dr Evan Harris MP. Posters were judged on the basis of the quality and merit of the research described, as well as the personal contribution to, and understanding of, the work by the researcher concerned.

Denize is researching  ‘uveitis’ an inflammatory disease of the eye, which is one of the major causes of blindness in the working-age population. She explained: “In common with other diseases of our immune system, treatment with immunosuppressive drugs can be effective, but it is limited by severe side-effects over time. 

“So I am looking into how genetic testing can predict the severity of inflammation at the outset of the disease, since knowing that will avoid over- or under-treating patients and ensure everything is done to preserve their vision.  I shall be focusing on the genes that influence the immune system in an attempt to identify specific markers which might then be used to predict the outcome of the disease.” 

Denize Atan is pictured here receiving her prize from Dr Malcolm Skingle, Director of European Academic Liaison, GlaxoSmithKline, who sponsored the awards.