Featured Post from Aston University

Citizen Science project set to explore the microbiome of kitchen chopping boards

Nov 24, 2021

3 min


Researchers in the College of Health and Life Sciences at Aston University have been awarded funds to explore the microbiome of the kitchen chopping board with the help of ‘citizen scientists’. The grant is from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Food Standards Agency (FSA) as part of a larger project to investigate food standard challenges.


The new citizen science project plans to recruit participants from underrepresented communities in the West Midlands to investigate levels of foodborne bacteria in the home and produce educational materials for their communities.


Citizen science projects put the public at the heart of the research process. Rather than being the subjects of the research, citizens are actively involved in collecting and analysing data, and even deciding what questions they want to ask and co-developing the approaches with researchers citizen science also gives participants the opportunity to directly contribute to scientific research and influence policy.


The research team in the School of Biosciences will recruit citizen scientists through its students, who will act as ambassadors in their own households and communities. The team will create methods for sampling bacteria from chopping boards and gather their observations with their team of citizen scientists and ambassadors.


This will enable the researchers to identify the bacteria present and determine their antimicrobial resistance (AMR) profiles, providing opportunities for ambassadors and citizens to perform lab research.


The researchers, alongside their ambassadors and citizens, will then co-design and disseminate educational materials on food hygiene tailored to their target communities and based on the findings of the study.


Dr Alan Goddard, senior lecturer in the School of Biosciences and project lead, said:


"Many foodborne infections begin in the home, often through poor hygiene where chopping boards provide an opportunity for raw foods to cross-contaminate.


“This is why this project is an exciting opportunity to work with our students and communities to investigate a microbiological problem that causes significant disease every year. By working with the public, we get privileged access to authentic environments and can ensure our solutions are appropriate."


At present, around 40 per cent of outbreaks of foodborne infections in Europe occur at home, with approximately 2.4 million cases of food poisoning occurring in the UK annually, leading to 180 deaths. A common source of such infections is poor food hygiene, with chopping boards, where raw foods may cross-contaminate, playing a key role in the infection chain. Misunderstandings, or poor food hygiene, may therefore contribute a significant disease burden.


Professor Anthony Hilton, executive dean of the College of Health and Life Sciences said:


“This exciting project brings together the expertise of University researchers with the natural inquisitiveness of members of the public to co-develop and undertake a research project which has the potential for real impact in reducing the burden of foodborne disease in the home.”


The FSA and UKRI have awarded a total of £200,000 to fund six projects in order to bring the public and researchers together to investigate food standards challenges.


All six projects include exploring the bacteria on home grown produce, parents testing the safety of baby formula, and people with food hypersensitivities analysing the allergens in food bought online.


The citizen science projects are all linked to the FSA’s Areas of Research Interest themes, covering issues such as antimicrobial resistance (AMR), food hypersensitivity and food safety and hygiene in the home. The funding was delivered in collaboration with the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Economic and Social research Council (ESRC), both part of UKRI. It is part of a wider effort to coordinate activities and develop a joined-up approach to tackle the challenges of maintaining safe food in the UK.


Professor Robin May, Chief Scientific Advisor for the FSA said:


"I’m delighted that the FSA is supporting these exciting citizen science projects across the country. In addition to delivering invaluable data, these projects will allow the communities we serve to help build the evidence on which policy decisions are made. We are committed to using science and evidence to tackle the latest food-related issues and citizen science is a fantastic way of doing this."


The citizen science project investigating the microbiome of the kitchen chopping at Aston University will start in January 2022, concluding in July 2022.

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Aston University develops novel bone cancer therapy which has 99% success rate

Bioactive glasses, doped with gallium developed to create a potential treatment for bone cancer Lab tests have a 99 percent success rate of killing cancerous cells Method could also regenerate diseased bones. Bioactive glasses, a filling material which can bond to tissue and improve the strength of bones and teeth, has been combined with gallium to create a potential treatment for bone cancer. Tests in labs have found that bioactive glasses doped with the metal have a 99 percent success rate of eliminating cancerous cells and can even regenerate diseased bones. The research was conducted by a team of Aston University scientists led by Professor Richard Martin who is based in its College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. In laboratory tests 99% of osteosarcoma (bone cancer) cells were killed off without destroying non-cancerous normal human bone cells. The researchers also incubated the bioactive glasses in a simulated body fluid and after seven days they detected the early stages of bone formation. Gallium is highly toxic, and the researchers found that the ‘greedy’ cancer cells soak it up and self-kill, which prevented the healthy cells from being affected. Their research paper Multifunctional Gallium doped bioactive glasses: a targeted delivery for antineoplastic agents and tissue repair against osteosarcoma has been published in the journal Biomedical Materials. Osteosarcoma is the mostly commonly occurring primary bone cancer and despite the use of chemotherapy and surgery to remove tumours survival rates have not improved much since the 1970s. Survival rates are dramatically reduced for patients who have a recurrence and primary bone cancer patients are more susceptible to bone fractures. Despite extensive research on different types of bioactive glass or ceramics for bone tissue engineering, there is limited research on targeted and controlled release of anti-cancer agents to treat bone cancers. Professor Martin said: “There is an urgent need for improved treatment options and our experiments show significant potential for use in bone cancer applications as part of a multimodal treatment. “We believe that our findings could lead to a treatment that is more effective and localised, reducing side effects, and can even regenerate diseased bones. “When we observed the glasses, we could see the formation of a layer of amorphous calcium phosphate/ hydroxy apatite layer on the surface of the bioactive glass particulates, which indicates bone growth.” The glasses were created in the Aston University labs by rapidly cooling very high temperature molten liquids (1450o C) to form glass. The glasses were then ground and sieved into tiny particles which can then be used for treatment. In previous research the team achieved a 50 percent success rate but although impressive this was not enough to be a potential treatment. The team are now hoping to attract more research funding to conduct trials using gallium. Dr Lucas Souza, research laboratory manager for the Dubrowsky Regenerative Medicine Laboratory at the Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham worked on the research with Professor Martin. He added: “The safety and effectiveness of these biomaterials will need to be tested further, but the initial results are really promising. “Treatments for a bone cancer diagnosis remain very limited and there’s still much we don’t understand. Research like this is vital to support in the development of new drugs and new methodologies for treatment options.” Notes to Editors Multifunctional Gallium doped bioactive glasses: a targeted delivery for antineoplastic agents and tissue repair against osteosarcoma Shirin B. Hanaei1, Raghavan C. Murugesan1, Lucas Souza1, Juan I.C. Miranda1, Lee Jeys2,3, Ivan B. Wall3, and Richard A. Martin1 1. College of Engineering and Physical Sciences. Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK 2. Oncology Department, The Royal Orthopaedic Hospital, Birmingham, B31 2AP, UK 3. College of Health and Life Sciences. Aston University, Aston Triangle, Birmingham, B4 7ET, UK DOI 10.1088/1748-605X/ad76f1 About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming The Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk

4 min

Industry and researchers call for action to tackle climate impact of organic, carbon-based chemicals

Call led by members of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, based at Aston University They highlight that carbon-based chemicals cannot be decarbonised but can be defossilised They want a transition to renewable carbon sources such as biomass, recycled carbon, and carbon dioxide. Director of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, Professor Patricia Thornley Industry experts and university researchers have joined together to ask the government to address the climate impact of organic, carbon-based chemicals. While demand for fossil fuels as energy is expected to fall in the coming decades, the petrochemicals sector is set to grow significantly according to experts and is set out in a 2018 report by the International Energy Agency. Members of the Supergen Bioenergy Hub which is based at Aston University and the Biomass Biorefinery Network believe the issue has yet to receive proper attention and is calling for a strategy that addresses this key component of our greenhouse gas emissions. They want a move to a more circular economy, managing supply and demand levels and transitioning away from fossil feedstocks which are raw materials required for some industrial processes. In their paper Carbon for chemicals How can biomass contribute to the defossilisation of the chemicals sector? they highlight that carbon-based chemicals cannot be decarbonised but can be defossilised through a transition to renewable carbon sources such as biomass, recycled carbon and carbon dioxide. Many products in modern society contain carbon such as pharmaceuticals, plastics, textiles, food additives, cosmetics, and cleaning products. These chemicals are derived from fossil feedstocks, so they are classed as petrochemicals. As a result, they contribute to global greenhouse gas emissions and climate change. Carbon is embedded in organic chemical products and released when they break down at end-of-life, for example through incineration. To address the emissions from carbon in chemicals and accelerate the development of bio-based chemicals, the group want a cross-party consensus to support a sustainable chemical system. Director of Supergen Bioenergy Hub, Professor Patricia Thornley, said: “We need to consider the UK’s future feedstock and chemicals production and use, and how it relates to net zero, agriculture, environment, economy, trade, and just transition policy objectives. There are opportunities here for the UK to lead the way on sustainable chemical production, but we need to carefully plan a roadmap for the transition, that delivers opportunities around jobs and the economy as well as sustainable greenhouse gas reductions. “There is a definite role for biomass here. But it is essential that any future use of biomass in the chemicals sector is underpinned by rigorous, trusted, and enforceable sustainability governance to build confidence, deliver sustainability benefits, and minimise negative impacts. That requires improvements in sustainability governance and regulation. “We think there are real economic and trade opportunities by the UK accelerating sustainable chemicals. At the moment bio-based chemicals, and chemicals derived from other renewable carbon sources, are not being expanded in the UK because there are no explicit incentives that prioritise them over fossil-based production.” The group argues that the UK has significant academic and industrial research expertise to underpin the development of sustainable bio-based products and could be a global leader in bio-based products and sustainability governance. They believe that to date little of this has manifested as UK-based scale-up and manufacturing, whilst there are numerous examples of UK-led research being scaled up elsewhere. The paper was delivered at a webinar on 7 August. Notes to Editors Carbon for chemicals How can biomass contribute to the defossilisation of the chemicals sector? https://www.supergen-bioenergy.net/output/carbon-for-chemicals-how-can-biomass-contribute-to-the-defossilisation-of-the-chemicals-sector-policy-briefing/ Author: Joanna Sparks (formerly Aston University) With contributions from: Cristiane Scaldaferri (formerly Aston University), Andrew Welfle (University of Manchester), Patricia Thornley (Aston University), Ashley Victoria (University of Leeds), Caspar Donnison (Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory), Jason Hallett (Imperial College London), Nilay Shah (Imperial College London), Mirjam Rӧder (Aston University), Paul Mines (Biome Bioplastics), David Bott (Society of Chemical Industry), Adrian Higson (NNFCC), Neil Bruce (University of York) 2018 International Energy Agency report https://www.iea.org/reports/the-future-of-petrochemicals https://www.supergen-bioenergy.net/ The Supergen Bioenergy Hub works with academia, industry, government, and societal stakeholders to develop sustainable bioenergy systems that support the UK’s transition to an affordable, resilient, low-carbon energy future. The Hub is funded jointly by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) under grant EP/Y016300/1 and is part of the wider Supergen Programme. www.bbnet-nibb.co.uk The Biomass Biorefinery Network (BBNet), a phase II Network in Industrial Biotechnology & Bioenergy funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC-NIBB) under grant BB/S009779/1. The aim of the Biomass Biorefinery Network is to act as a focal point to build and sustain a dynamic community of industrial and academic practitioners who work together to develop new and improved processes for the conversion of non-food biomass into sustainable fuels, chemicals and materials. About Aston University For over a century, Aston University’s enduring purpose has been to make our world a better place through education, research and innovation, by enabling our students to succeed in work and life, and by supporting our communities to thrive economically, socially and culturally. Aston University’s history has been intertwined with the history of Birmingham, a remarkable city that once was the heartland of the Industrial Revolution and the manufacturing powerhouse of the world. Born out of the First Industrial Revolution, Aston University has a proud and distinct heritage dating back to our formation as the School of Metallurgy in 1875, the first UK College of Technology in 1951, gaining university status by Royal Charter in 1966, and becoming the Guardian University of the Year in 2020. Building on our outstanding past, we are now defining our place and role in the Fourth Industrial Revolution (and beyond) within a rapidly changing world. For media inquiries in relation to this release, contact Nicola Jones, Press and Communications Manager, on (+44) 7825 342091 or email: n.jones6@aston.ac.uk

2 min

Aston University expert explores sustainability in SME supply chains in new book

Professor Prasanta Kumar Dey is a co-author of Supply Chain Sustainability in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises The book provides a comprehensive roadmap for SMEs to achieve sustainable supply chains Using real world case studies, it offers practical guidance and expert insights for researchers and industry practitioners. An expert in sustainable supply chain operations and the circular economy at Aston University has co-authored a new book focused on the sustainability of small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs). Dr Prasanta Kumar Dey, professor of operations management at Aston Business School, has written Supply Chain Sustainability in Small and Medium Sized Enterprises alongside Dr Soumyadeb Chowdhury of Toulouse Business School and Dr Chrisovalantis Malesios from the Agricultural University of Athens. This comprehensive book examines the sustainability of supply chains in SMEs across developed and emerging economies. It draws on contributions from experts and examines case studies from countries including Thailand, Bangladesh, France, Spain, Austria and Greece. The book offers practical guidance for researchers and industry practitioners. It explores the trade-offs between economic, environmental and social aspects of sustainability, the current state of sustainable supply chain practices and critical success factors across various industries. The book highlights the experience of SMEs on the decarbonisation journey, from the concept to the implementation of the energy efficiency measures. This experience helps not only to standardise the customers’ journey towards decarbonisation but it also facilitates the undertaking of cost-benefit analysis for decarbonisation measures. Professor Prasanta Dey said: “Small and medium-sized enterprises are the backbone of economies worldwide. “Through this book, we aim to provide a comprehensive roadmap for SMEs to achieve sustainable supply chains, balancing economic growth with environmental stewardship and social responsibility. “The selection of the most effective enablers across facilities, operational processes and logistics for decarbonisation is made easier through the case studies of the book. “By learning from real-world case studies and expert insights, businesses can navigate the complexities of sustainability and drive impactful change. These help to develop a comprehensive reporting template for communicating energy audit outcomes to specific company for their further actions. The book also helps SMEs to develop implementation plan for decarbonisation measures. “Adopting a carbon footprint tool and business modelling technique from the book helps a decarbonization project identify energy-efficient strategies that reduce emissions and enhance economic, environmental and social performance.” You can purchase a copy of the book here.

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