Name of the host organisation: bield housing association limited

Making the Most of Masters – Project Proposal Form
Name of the Organisation: James Hutton Institute
Study Area: Biological Sciences/Biotechnology
Title of proposed project:
Examining interactions between seaweed components and digestive enzymes -
synergies with pharmaceuticals

Project outline
Previous work at JHI has shown that extracts from edible seaweeds rich in
polyphenols can inhibit crucial enzymes involved in starch and fat digestion1 and
potentially modulate glucose and fat levels in the bloodstream after meals. This could
have benefits for glucose control in patients with type 2 diabetes and for the control of
lipid levels, calorie intake and obesity respectively. Indeed, drugs used to modulate
blood levels in type 2 diabetics, e.g. acarbose, inhibit the same enzymes as the
polyphenols and polyphenols also inhibit lipase, the target for current anti-obesity
drugs, such as Orlistat.
The project will also investigate possible synergy between the inhibition of digestive
enzymes by seaweed extracts and these pharmaceuticals. The project will focus on
the interaction between drugs and polyphenols in inhibiting a-amylase (involved in
starch digestion) and lipase (involved in lipid digestion). We will seek to discover how
the polyphenols act on the enzymes and understand structure-function relationships.
This project will continue work initiated in previous projects which suggested that
polyphenols called phlorotannins were the active components but will also investigate
the role of other, as yet unidentified, components in this inhibition. If successful, the
envisaged work should form part of a paper.
As well as obtaining experience in experiment design, data analysis, classical
chemical extraction techniques and biochemical enzyme assays, the student will
receive training in a range of state of the art analytical techniques with an emphasis
on the use of liquid chromatography mass spectrometric methods.
Making the Most of Masters – Project Proposal Form

Study Area: Marine Science

Title of proposed project:
Use of tidal stream areas by mammals linked to tidal state
Project outline and intended outcomes:

Outline comes from the MEYGEN project in the inner sound of Stroma where
there is interest in examining the use of tidal stream areas by mammals, and
linking it to flow rate, or state of tide. The basic data has been collected from a
series of monthly boat-based surveys giving time- and date-stamped records
of sightings. The hypothesis would be that tidal state had no influence on
density of mammals in the tidal flow area. Evidence from Strangford Lough
suggests that the hypothesis will fail.
MEYGEN have informally said that they will make sightings data available,
and should also be able to link sightings to tidal state and perhaps even to
tidal current velocity as input to the project. Similar data sets could be derived
for EMEC Falls of Warness, and possibly Sound of Islay, but would need
much more working up. Main species to examine at Stroma would be grey
seals and porpoise. The student would need to be fairly numerate, and not
afraid of large spreadsheets.

Source: http://www.mastersprojects.ac.uk/upload/casestudies/Biololgy%20and%20Marine.pdf