February 2023
We attended the Defence and Security Accelerator (DASA) competition scoping meeting.
December 2023
We attended the £1.55m research and innovation budget, scoping meeting by NHS Scotland Assure.
November 2023
We attended the ICURe Roadshow.
October 2023
It is with both sadness and proudness that we announce Jo’s posthumous paper has now been accepted. She would have been elated ..
J. Hacking, V. Gwenin, R.J. Dacombe, M. Frimpong, R.O. Philips and C.D. Gwenin, A Single Synthetic Lipid Antigen for Improved Serological Diagnosis of Buruli Ulcer, Accepted Public Health Action, 13, 4, 173-178 (2023) DOI: https://doi.org/10.5588/pha.23.0038
This paper is dedicated to Joanne (Binks) Hacking who was without doubt a driving force of energy and enthusiasm; her departure is a loss to the diagnostics industry, academically, but personally her death is one in the eye for ethics and moral decency. She lives on in Sam’s heart and through organ donation to three people, thus far, who will never have the pleasure of meeting her.
September 2023
Exciting times as Jessica Mahajan joins us to begin her PhD.
September 2023
Abertay ranked in UK top 10 for student experience
July 2023
A new position is available as a Senior Lecturer in Nursing why not come and join our friendly team
June 2023
Chris was appointed Interim Head of the Division of Health Sciences within the The School of Applied Sciences which delivers programmes and applied research in the areas of mental health nursing, counselling, biomedical sciences, psychology, forensic sciences, engineering, food science, and sport and exercise sciences. There has been significant growth in the School’s research output in recent years.
May 2023
A two-day celebration of innovative honours projects from Abertay University science graduates took place.
April 2023
We are attending the Innovate Launchpads Network meeting in Belfast
April 2023
Congratulations to the team on the new publication
P. Ball, E. Thompson, S. Anderson, V. Gwenin, A. Ashoorzadeh, J. Smaill and C. Gwenin, The Dinitrobenzamide Mustard Prodrugs, PR-104A and SN27686, for Use in a Novel MNDEPT Cancer Prodrug Therapy Approach, Bioscience Reports 00 1–12. (2023) DOI.org/10.1042/BSR20230627
March 2023
We attended Illuminate Dundee
January 2023
We have a new fully funded PhD available in the area of drug delivery
January 2023
Congratulations to Rizwan who published our first paper for 2023
Recent advancement in sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen using nanomaterials based immunosensors, Surfaces and Interfaces, 102596, DOI.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2022.102596
November 2022
November 2022
We attended the 21st International Leprosy Conference
September 2022
We are honoured to join the Carnegie Trust
July 2022
We attend Scotland’s Innovation-led future – Accelerating the health & social care of tomorrow meeting in Edinburgh
June 2022
We have a fully funded PhD starting on October 2022 at Abertay University in the area of nanoparticles and drug delivery for more information please email for more details
June 2022
We have PhD positions available subject to funding please email for more details
March 2022
We are pleased to say that we are moving over to Abertay on the 1st of April 2022
Jan 2022
July 2021
We have a new fully-funded PhD opportunity within our group please email me for more information, or check out our jobs page
June 2021
Congratulations to Rachel who passed her phd with minor corrections!
Abertay ranked in UK top 10 for student experience
July 2023
A new position is available as a Senior Lecturer in Nursing why not come and join our friendly team
June 2023
Chris was appointed Interim Head of the Division of Health Sciences within the The School of Applied Sciences which delivers programmes and applied research in the areas of mental health nursing, counselling, biomedical sciences, psychology, forensic sciences, engineering, food science, and sport and exercise sciences. There has been significant growth in the School’s research output in recent years.
May 2023
A two-day celebration of innovative honours projects from Abertay University science graduates took place.
April 2023
We are attending the Innovate Launchpads Network meeting in Belfast
April 2023
Congratulations to the team on the new publication
P. Ball, E. Thompson, S. Anderson, V. Gwenin, A. Ashoorzadeh, J. Smaill and C. Gwenin, The Dinitrobenzamide Mustard Prodrugs, PR-104A and SN27686, for Use in a Novel MNDEPT Cancer Prodrug Therapy Approach, Bioscience Reports 00 1–12. (2023) DOI.org/10.1042/BSR20230627
March 2023
We attended Illuminate Dundee
January 2023
We have a new fully funded PhD available in the area of drug delivery
January 2023
Congratulations to Rizwan who published our first paper for 2023
Recent advancement in sensitive detection of carcinoembryonic antigen using nanomaterials based immunosensors, Surfaces and Interfaces, 102596, DOI.org/10.1016/j.surfin.2022.102596
November 2022
November 2022
We attended the 21st International Leprosy Conference
September 2022
We are honoured to join the Carnegie Trust
July 2022
We attend Scotland’s Innovation-led future – Accelerating the health & social care of tomorrow meeting in Edinburgh
June 2022
We have a fully funded PhD starting on October 2022 at Abertay University in the area of nanoparticles and drug delivery for more information please email for more details
June 2022
We have PhD positions available subject to funding please email for more details
March 2022
We are pleased to say that we are moving over to Abertay on the 1st of April 2022
Jan 2022
July 2021
We have a new fully-funded PhD opportunity within our group please email me for more information, or check out our jobs page
June 2021
Congratulations to Rachel who passed her phd with minor corrections!
June 2021
Our sepsis project made heathcare global
May 2021
Congratulation to Alice who passed her phd with flying colours!
May 2021
Congratulation to Alice who passed her phd with flying colours!
May 2021
Congratulation to Jordan who passed his phd with flying colours!
March 2021
Congratulations to Pat, Rob, Simon, Emma and Van on the publication of their new paper in Pharmaceuticals
P. Ball, R. Hobbs, S. Anderson, E. Thompson, V. Gwenin. C. Von Ruhland, C. D. Gwenin, The YfkO nitroreductase from Bacillus Licheniformis on gold-coated superparamagnetic nanoparticles: Towards a novel directed enzyme prodrug therapy approach, Accepted in Pharmaceuticals (2021)
February 2021
Congratulations to Rizwan Josh and Carol on the publication of their new paper
J. Davies, C. Thomas, R. Mohammad, C. Gwenin, Development of electrochemical DNA biosensor for equine hindgut acidosis detection, Accepted in MDPI Sensors (2021)
January 2021
Congratulations to Carol for her recent publication
C. Thomas and C. D. Gwenin, The role of nitroreductases in resistance to nitroimidazoles, Accepted in MDPI biology (2021)
January 2021
Congratulations to Alice on having her second paper accepted
A. J. Heeroma, J. Toffrey and C. D. Gwenin, Approaches towards the detection of Sepsis: A review, Accepted in International Journal of Biomedical and Clinical Analysis, (2021)
September 2020
Congratulations to Carol Jones who published her first paper in Physiological Reports
C. Jones and C. Gwenin, Cortisol level dysregulation and its prevalence – Is it nature’s alarm clock? Accepted in Physiological Reports (2020)
September 2020
Congratulation to Jo who passed her phd with flying colours!
September 2020
The Gwenin team make the news!
August 2020
A warm welcome to the first three PhD students recruited into the Gwenin team!
All the students will be working on applied interdisciplinary life science projects. Please click on their pictures to view their projects.
Max Critchlow
Yihan Wang
Tong Ji
August 2020
Congratulations to Pat and team on their new paper
P. Ball, J. Halliwell, S. Anderson, V. Gwenin, C. Gwenin, Evaluation of two Xenobiotic Reductases from Pseudomonas putida for their suitability for a novel MNDEPT cancer prodrug therapy approach, Accepted in MicrobiologyOpen (2020) https://doi.org/10.1002/mbo3.1110
July 2020
Congratulations to Alice on having her first paper accepted
A. J. Heeroma and C. D. Gwenin, Development of solid-phase RPA on a lateral flow device for the detection of pathogens related to Sepsis, Sensors, 20(15), 4182, (2020) DOI.org/10.3390/s20154182
July 2020
XJTLU appoints Chris as Head of Department from September 2020
As lockdown eases in the UK, thoughts turn towards the Gwenin teams next stage of the journey. Chris will take up his new role of Head of Department (Sept 2020) alongside his Professor of Research role (started in May 2020) at XJTLU; heading a team of international staff from across the globe. This is an exciting appointment for the group to branch out into new areas of research, blended teaching and to absorb and learn from a new culture. Three PhD students are now in the system awaiting approval from the doctoral school; thus, the team is beginning to form.
June 2020
A fully-funded PhD is available in the area of biochemistry please email if you’re interested
June 2020
XJTLU Chemistry makes the news!
May 2020
The first contracted day in XJTLU begins – whilst I’m locked down in the UK
April 2020
Bangor University has offered facilities for large scale support for COVID-19 testing for the NHS in our laboratories.
March 2020
Bangor labs have now closed and the team are working from home please bear with us!
March 2020
Two fully-funded PhDs are available please email me for details
March 2020
Chris sets out to form his first Chinese research group
March 2020
Dr. Gwenin leaves Bangor
I have thoroughly enjoyed my 15 years in a full-time capacity working for Bangor, but I feel it is time for a change. This is not a decision I have taken lightly and is one I have come to after much deliberation. I will always be grateful for the opportunities Bangor has provided throughout my career but it’s time to spread my wings.
February 2020
€5 million of additional funding announced for Ireland-Wales innovation project that is driving life science sector growth across the two countries
The Celtic Advanced Life Science Innovation Network (CALIN), which is supported by the European Regional Development Fund through the Ireland Wales Cooperation programme, was established in 2016 and supports research and development in life science SMEs in West Wales and East and South Ireland.
So far, the CALIN project has assisted more than 100 companies and established 36 short and medium-term collaborative projects. The cross-border initiative teams a Welsh and Irish university with an SME to deliver developments in the life sciences, which lead to new life science products being launched onto the market.
CALIN support has led to more than 5 million euros of R&D investment from businesses and the creation of 20 new jobs.
In keynote addresses at Swansea University’s Collaborate 2020 conference, CALIN directors Prof Shareen Doak and Prof Steve Conlan announced that the project had been awarded the additional funding and will now continue until 2023.
Prof Conlan said: “The additional funding will enable the CALIN Partners to continue to drive research and development within life science SMEs across Wales and Ireland.”
Prof Doak added: “The CALIN approach to innovation is not only delivering tangible results for SMEs in Ireland and Wales but also establishing sustainable partnerships between business and academia in the two countries that will ensure continued sector growth for the foreseeable future.”
Counsel General and Brexit Minister Jeremy Miles, who is responsible for EU funding in Wales, said: “We’ve already seen how successful the CALIN project has been in bringing top academics from Wales and Ireland together with businesses to help develop new life science products. This is so important, not only to the economy, but in jointly developing ground-breaking, world-class products to launch to the market, creating jobs and business opportunities on both sides of the Irish Sea.
“I’m delighted to see this funding extended until 2023. Wales-Ireland collaborative projects are widening our understanding in so many vital areas. This project is another practical example of the close and productive research relationship between Wales and Ireland. It shows our nations collaborating to take real action to respond to real issues, supporting innovation and growth and making the most of creative solutions.
“We greatly value our research collaborations with Irish partners and look forward to building further success together.”
Want to find out more about the CALIN project? Visit us at www.calin.wales.
Are you an SME involved in the life science sector in Wales or Ireland? If you would like to be part of the growing number of businesses that have benefited from the expertise of the CALIN network, we would welcome your interest. Please get in touch.
Applied Research in Chemistry and Health 