Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre (CUBRIC) has won a major science buildings award beating off competition from shortlisted facilities in the USA, England, Scotland and Ireland.

CUBRIC triumphed in the Life Science Research Building Category at the 2017 S-Lab Awards, which recognise excellence in science buildings, equipment, facilities and management.

Other facilities shortlisted in the category included UCL’s Sainsbury Wellcome Centre and the Allen Institute’s new headquarters in Seattle.

This is the third major award for CUBRIC in a couple of weeks after it won Project of the Year and the Design through Innovation title at the 2017 RICS Awards, Wales in April.

In addition, CUBRIC was runner up in the Buildings that Inspire category of the 2017 Guardian University Awards.

Delivered by CAPITA, IBI Group, and BAM Construction Ltd, on behalf of Cardiff University, the centre is a world leader for research in areas such as psychology, psychiatry and neuroscience.

“A special place”

Cardiff University Deputy Vice-Chancellor Professor Karen Holford said:

“It’s a great honour for Cardiff University Brain Research Imaging Centre to pick up a significant award like this…”

“CUBRIC is indeed a special place. It is home to world leading researchers and a combination of facilities not found anywhere else in Europe.” Professor Karen Holford Professor

“Its work is of global significance as researchers seek a better understanding of the causes of neurological and psychiatric conditions such as dementia and multiple sclerosis, which we hope will lead to the development of better treatments.”

CUBRIC is home to powerful MRI scanning facilities, brain stimulation equipment, sleep laboratories, modern offices and break-out spaces.

The £44m facility was officially opened by Her Majesty The Queen in 2016.

The BRAIN Unit’s Professor of Functional Neurosurgery, Prof. William Gray, successfully performs the first robot-assisted epilepsy procedure in Wales.

Cardiff University is celebrating the landmark stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) procedure, which was conducted at The University Hospital of Wales and is the first of its kind to be carried out with robotic assistance in Wales.

The ‘neuromate’ robot, named by creators Renishaw, a world-leading engineering and scientific technology company, assisted Prof. Gray during the surgery while he used intracerebral electrodes to measure electrical signals in the brain.

Patient Denise Casey, from Neath Port Talbot, was diagnosed with skewen epilepsy when she was 31, suffering up to six fits every day for the past 20 years.

With the robotic arm, it took Prof. Gray 55 minutes to accurately identify and operate on the epileptogenic zone in a procedure that would normally take four hours. Follow-up surgery a week later was performed in the hope of relieving Denise of her epileptic symptoms.

“The Renishaw Robot is a significant step forward for epilepsy surgery in Wales,” said Prof. Gray.

“It will enable us to investigate and treat even the most complex cases to achieve seizure freedom for our patients. In collaboration with the BRAIN Unit, it will also enable us to perform leading research for measuring brain signals and delivering therapies directly into the brain, across many neurological diseases.”

This landmark procedure coincided with BioWales, Cardiff’s annual conference which celebrates Wales’ position as a global pioneer in the life science sector. Andrea Richards, Directorate Manager for Neurosciences at Cardiff and Vale University Health Board, said:

“We are pleased that this collaboration has enabled a number of improvements to be made to patient care.

“Neurosurgical patients will now spend less time in the operating theatre, have a reduced risk of infection and benefit from improved surgical outcomes.”

Dr Abed Hammoud, CEO of Renishaw Mayfield SA in Switzerland, added:

“We are delighted to hear that our expertise in technology and engineering contributed to a positive result at the University Hospital of Wales, and look forward to working closely with the neuroscience department to deliver best possible outcomes for patients in Wales.”

Denise has not suffered any fits since her operations in March, and even appeared alongside Prof. Gray on BBC Wales television to discuss her experience. Watch the interview here: http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-wales-39513139

Dr Emma Yhnell has been included in a list of Welsh women who are at the forefront of scientific innovation.

Emma successfully obtained her PhD in Huntington’s disease research in December 2015.

She has since received competitive research funding and she is currently working on a Health and Care Research Wales fellowship to translate the pre-clinical findings of her PhD into patients who are affected by Huntington’s disease.

She is also a STEM ambassador and member of Speakezee – a searchable database of academic expert speakers.

She said:

“I love the challenge of answering questions which nobody knows the answers to.

“There is no better feeling than finally getting the results of an experiment that you have been working on for two years.

“I also love talking to patients and feeling that I can make a real difference to people’s lives. I get paid to do something I love and I really appreciate that.

“The aim of my research is to find new therapies and interventions to help people who are living with brain diseases such as Huntington’s.

“A hereditary brain condition affecting movement and thinking, Huntington’s disease can leave people feeling isolated, lonely and in need of extra care.

“One of the therapies I’m researching is the use of computer games for improving thinking skills in patients who are affected by Huntington’s disease.

“Although in the past, brain games have been used in other brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, this will be a first for studies in people with Huntington’s disease.

“Based on pre-clinical work and research into other brain diseases we think that computer game brain training has the potential to be beneficial in Huntington’s disease, but we have to test this to be sure.”

Dr Emma Yhnell has been awarded a three-year Health and Care Research Wales Fellowship to investigate a possible therapeutic intervention for people with Huntington’s disease.

A hereditary brain condition affecting movement and thinking, Huntington’s disease can leave people feeling isolated, lonely and in need of extra care. Dr Yhnell, who is based at the University’s Neuroscience and Mental Health Research Institute, is aiming to establish whether computer games can be tailored for individuals with HD, in turn improving their thinking skills.

Although in the past, brain games have been used in other brain diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, this will be a first for studies in people with Huntington’s disease. Dr Yhnell said:

“Using computer game brain training for people with Huntington’s disease has not been done before. Based on pre-clinical work and research into other brain diseases we think that computer game brain training has the potential to be beneficial in Huntington’s disease, but we have to test this to be sure.”

Participants in the study will be using a cognitive training software called HAPPYneuron. At the beginning of the study, participants will be asked to complete a series of tasks which test their memory and attention to determine any specific cognitive impairments. Following this initial assessment, a programme of computer tasks will then be designed and personalised for each participant, with the aim of improving their specific cognitive impairments.

For 12 weeks, participants will complete their personalised HAPPYneuron programme of computer games in their own homes, supported by home visits and email/telephone reminders. Once completed, tests of motor and cognitive skills will be used to determine any benefit of the cognitive training intervention.

“Being able to complete the brain training computer games at home is really important as having multiple research visits can be inconvenient and tiring for research participants,” said Dr Yhnell. “Completing the brain training at home means that only a small number of research visits are necessary.”

With hopes to bring the brain training computer games not only to the annual HD Open morning at Cardiff’s HD Centre but also to Cardiff University’s annual ‘Brain Games’ at Cardiff Museum, Dr Yhnell wants to present this research both to the HD community and the general public. She also aims to visit local schools and colleges in her role as a Science, Technology Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) ambassador.

“Public engagement and involvement in science research is absolutely vital,” said Dr Yhnell.

“Increasing awareness and understanding of Huntington’s disease is something that I am particularly passionate about as this is a relatively rare but devastating disease.”