2008-09 JAMES KENNARD
James Kennard and his supervisor have identified a unique series of experiments which are being undertaken by a Professor Aalkjaer at Aarhus University.
There they have tecniques not available in the UK for studying the interaction between nerves and smooth muscles in blood vessels.
His Oxford professor writes "the techniques he can learn in Denmark have not been established anywhere else in the world. We hope that James can learn these techniques at source and bring this experimental approach back to Oxford".
Not surprisingly the Anglo-Danish Society leapt at the opportunity to help fund his stays in Aarhus.
From James Kennard's Report:
Indeed Denmark could be called the home of blood vessel research. In the 1970s, Prof. Michael Mulvany from the University of Aarhus developed the wire myograph which for the first time allowed the investigation of the mechanical, structural and pharmacological properties of small blood vessels. The wire myograph in its now various forms is still the standard method for investigating small blood vessels. It is produced by Danish Myotechnology (DMT) in Aarhus and shipped to researchers all over the world. I was fortunate enough to be able to visit the factory, based at an industrial site on the outskirts of Aarhus, and saw myographs being made. A teaching laboratory and seminar suite has been built in part of the factory which is used to run training courses for researchers in the use of DMT products. Prof. Aalkjaer and his staff frequently lecture and demonstrate at these courses.
During my first visit to Aarhus, I largely spent my time learning how to set up the different types of wire myograph. This required a lot of practice time as it is very delicate work which has to be carried out under a microscope and requires a steady hand. For my second visit, I was able to carry out experiments as part of a collaborative projects between our two laboratories. This was investigating the role of calcium in the release of neurotransmitters, chemicals released from nerves to act on smooth muscle, in small blood vessels. This work allowed me to combine my skills for studying nerves learned in Oxford with those learned in Aarhus for the use of the myograph. I have been able to continue these experiments upon returning to Oxford and we hope to be able to write a joint article in the near future using data collected in both Aarhus and Oxford.
I would like to thank the Anglo-Danish Society for its financial assistance in making my trips to Aarhus possible. I have been able to learn techniques for the study of small blood vessels in a world-leading laboratory, a valuable addition to the skills I have acquired during the course of my DPhil. This has been a great contribution to my research.
