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Twenty-First Century Challenges

Explore some of the challenges University of Glasgow researchers are working to address.

From tackling environmental issues such as food, water and energy security, to combating cancer and infectious disease, solving the challenges facing us in the 21st century requires experts coming together, often at the interface of subjects, to find new solutions.

Click on the arrow buttons to scroll through the slides or click on one of the images at the foot of the page.

Eradicating infectious disease

Infectious disease continues to haunt mankind.

The global swine flu pandemic of 2009 caused wide-spread fear, afflicting millions around the world. In 2011, an E.coli outbreak killed many of those infected in Germany. Schmallenberg virus and blue tongue are hitting our farms reminding us of the foot and mouth outbreak of 2001, which cost billions.

New diseases are emerging. HIV/AIDS was unknown until the 1980s, and SARS looked poised to sweep the globe in the early 2000s. Old diseases come back too. Tuberculosis, which still afflicts around a third of the people on the planet, now comes in forms resistant to all known drugs. In the tropics hundreds of millions suffer from malaria and billions endure neglected tropical diseases.

The University of Glasgow has been at the forefront of research into infectious diseases for over a century. Today, the University houses the Medical Research Council’s Centre for Virus Research, and the Wellcome Trust Centre for Molecular Parasitology. Research is underpinning the development of new drugs and vaccines and showing how to thwart drug resistance as we move towards the eradication of infection.

Support our work in Global Health and Biodiversity.

Prevention and treatment of cardiovascular disease

Cardiovascular disease, such as hypertension, heart failure, heart attacks and stroke are the major causes of disability, poor health and death in Scotland. Reasons for this high prevalence are complex and relate to many factors such as genes, poor lifestyle and physiological causes. It is predicted that the number of adults with cardiovascular disease will increase over the next 20-30 years with the potential to reach crisis levels in the 21st century, especially when complicated by diabetes, obesity and high cholesterol. Even more worrying is the fact that the age of patients with cardiovascular disease is getting younger and younger. It will not be uncommon in the near future for children to present at the emergency room at the same time as their parents, all suffering with cardiovascular disease.

Early detection and prevention of these diseases is critical to the overall wellbeing of the community. The Institute of Cardiovascular and Medical Sciences (ICAMS) has a long history in studying cardiovascular diseases. Our scientists have made important discoveries understanding some mechanisms that cause hypertension, heart failure, heart attacks, atherosclerosis and stroke. They have also identified markers of these diseases for early detection and have made important suggestions for improved treatments. Preventing cardiovascular disease by adopting a healthy lifestyle is the best way to ensure a future of wellbeing free of the ravages of cardiovascular disease.

Support our work on the prevention and treatment of Heart Disease

Prevention and treatment of obesity

Obesity levels have reached epidemic proportions in western countries with rates being higher in Scotland than any other European country, and heading towards levels seen in the USA.

Obesity is the main driver for diabetes and contributes to heart disease, dementia, many cancers, and numerous pregnancy complications; it also impairs quality of life and costs the NHS millions of pounds.

Efforts to prevent and treat obesity therefore represent an increasing and major focus of research. To this end, the University of Glasgow has brought together a cadre of young, highly talented researchers who have already made important contributions to national obesity guidelines. Future research into novel ways to prevent the condition by harnessing technology, and to treat it, especially in higher risk, less affluent, communities, are urgently needed. The Glasgow team is ideally placed to make major contributions in the fight against obesity.

Support our work through the Medical Fund.

Stratified Medicine

In prevention and therapy of common diseases such as heart attacks and stroke, clinicians' decisions are often based on data from large clinical and epidemiological studies. A more personalised approach that is not only guided by a doctor's experience but based on additional markers that can be measured could improve clinical care.

In stratified medicine we use novel biomarkers, functional and imaging studies to tell us more about a patient's disease status and their risk for developing complications. In cardiovascular medicine we are developing urine and blood tests, studying the function of blood vessels and scanning the heart, brain and other organs with MRI. Results of these studies can show us that some patients are at higher and some at lower risk than originally thought. In the future this information will help us to tailor treatment more specifically according to the needs of certain patient groups.

Support our work through the Medical Fund.

Rehabilitation

The University's work in rehabilitation technology aims to improve health and quality of life by helping restore or improve our ability to carry out everyday tasks. The Division of Biomedical Engineering has a vision of using sensors and sensory systems for the care of patients with spinal cord injuries and stroke, to help restore functionality and wellbeing.

Our imaginative programme is based on the restoration of motor functions using robotics and the brain computer interface (transmitting signals from the brain via a computer to stimulate the muscle groups of the limbs). The programme extends beyond the control of muscles for walking and into day-to-day spinal injury problems associated with pressure sores as well as the control of bladder, bowel and respiratory functions.

We want to develop simple, user-friendly, cost-effective wireless technology on platforms developed in the gaming industry to enable therapeutic applications on smart phones, for use by the individual in their own home. The work will also impact on the developing world, where life expectancy after entering a wheelchair is less than two years. Developing low-cost sensory systems coupled with actuators will help to alleviate this suffering and societal burden.

Support our work in Engineering or contact us to find out more about supporting our work in rehabilitation.

Drug discovery

Previously the exclusive preserve of pharmaceutical companies, the identification and validation of drug-like chemicals that have the potential to develop into new medicines is a challenge the University of Glasgow has embraced actively.

From new approaches to the treatment of cancer, via novel insights into conditions as wide ranging as psychotic disease, heart failure and diabetes, to strategies to tackle parasitic diseases that ravage emerging regions of the world, we link outstanding basic science with deep clinical insight.

Identification of compounds that alter the function of target proteins or pathways highlighted in this way, are underpinned by extensive infrastructure and equipment investment in centres including the Glasgow Polyomics Facility and the Translational Research Centre.

Support our work in Chemistry.

Renewable energy

Fossil fuel is running out, carbon dioxide emissions continue to soar and the need for energy is increasing dramatically. These issues are perhaps some of the most pressing for humanity today.

In Glasgow we are leading an international research initiative, “Glasgow Solar Fuels”, which aims to generate and develop the most advanced technology for the production of solar fuels stemming from an integrative approach to solar energy harvesting, water splitting and carbon dioxide fixation. By working towards carbon dioxide activation rather than just carbon dioxide capture and storage, we can imagine a closed carbon cycle where tomorrow’s sunlight is used to replace the carbon fuel burnt today.

The groups of Lee Cronin and Richard Cogdell, with collaborators in Glasgow, elsewhere in the UK, and internationally, are developing three routes to solve this problem using (i) synthetic biology, (ii) hybrid synthetic biology and inorganic devices, (iii) artificial photo and electro-catalytic systems. By aiming at photosynthesis and beyond we wish not only to use sunlight but also wind energy to produce new chemical fuels that take the fossil out of the fuel.

Water security

One of the key growing challenges facing humankind at a global scale over the next few decades is that of access to enough clean and safe water. This not just a matter of various climate change scenarios affecting global water supply, but also of increased demand from a growing world population. Demands from that population will increase as living standards rise in some parts of the world.

The significant inequities which already exist at a global scale will continue to widen unless action is taken now. At Glasgow we are approaching this challenge within an interdisciplinary framework, bringing together the skillsets of both physical and social scientists to provide us with more integrated solutions which meet the needs of society in general.

Support our work in Geographical and Earth Sciences

Inorganic biology

Where did life come from? Is life abundant in the Universe? Can biology be based upon an alternative chemistry set? Is matter evolvable? These are perhaps some of the most profound questions facing humankind. Technologically, the development of new routes to ‘inorganic-biology’ would constitute a revolution in the materials world mirroring that of synthetic biology today.

In Glasgow we are aiming to develop new inorganic-living-technologies that can be harnessed to convert solar energy, clean up pollution, sense in the urban environment, and also model complex chemical systems. The use of inorganic-robots for medical diagnostics including cell-by-cell repair and imaging seems like science fiction but is a very real possible outcome of this research.

Cancer

Cancer remains one of the greatest challenges in global health care, with approximately 12.7 million new cases diagnosed worldwide annually, and around 7.6 million deaths per year.

Glasgow is home to several centres of cancer research excellence, ranging from chemistry and basic biological science to translational and clinical medicine. We aim to:

increase the understanding of the molecular and cellular basis of cancer development and progression;
exploit this knowledge to develop better strategies for early detection and prevention of malignant disease;
take ideas from laboratory programmes and develop these into clinical studies;
develop and evaluate novel therapeutic strategies with the use of biological markers to optimise, target, and individualise treatment in order to improve the success rates in developing new therapies for patient benefit.

Laboratory programmes are based on understanding the regulation of cancer cell invasion, cancer cell proliferation and growth, cancer cell death and survival, control of cellular senescence, epigenetics, leukaemia & cancer stem cells, and radio-biology. These programmes are supported by a Drug Discovery Programme, structural biology programme, a major investment in laboratory cancer models under-pinned by world-class imaging.

Translating these ideas through to clinical studies for patient benefit is one of the major themes of the research at the Institute of Cancer Sciences.

Food security

National governments across the planet have recognised the challenge of food security for their populations. We have seen escalating world food prices over the last 5-10 years which have put increased pressure on consumers, and especially those living in the global south. However, any response that we make to this has to be interdisciplinary in nature. To blame food insecurity solely on climate change scenarios focuses only on a small part of the problem, and there needs to be a much broader approach adopted.

Here at the University of Glasgow, we are engaging across the disciplines, with plant scientists, vets, medics, nutritionalists, geographers, earth scientists, political scientists, economists, among others, collaborating with each other to develop novel and deeper ways of thinking about this challenge which is in the here and now.