Faculty of Medicine & Surgery
Anatomy
- Genetics of Mental Retardation and Fragile X in Malta;
- Screening of Maltese Medicinal and Aromatic Plants for pharmacological activity;
- In-Vitro Testing of extracts from local conifers and flowering plants (Lamiacae And Asteraceae) on human cancer cell lines;
- Effect of trauma on the Petrous Temporal Bone;
- Stem-cell trans-differentiation and expansion;
- Dysmorphology of spontaneously miscarried foetuses;
- Gene Regulation in differentiation and disease;
- Office of medical education and research (OMER);
- Exploratory analysis of medical data using GUHA method;
- Morphbank: an open web depository for biologic material.
Research Projects:
Joint project on the genetics of mental retardation with the Istituto di Genetica, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Roma funded by Grants from the Sixth Italian Protocol and the Sovereign Military Order of Malta (SMOM);
Joint project with the Institute of Agriculture, University of Malta on Maltese Medicinal and Aromatic Plants funded by the National RTDI Programme.
Clinical Pharmacology & Therapeutics
- Pharmacogenetics of drugs used in respiratory disease;
- Pharmacogenetics of anti-epileptic agents;
- Pharmacokinetics of anti-epileptic agents;
- Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of chiral drugs;
- Pharmacology of glucocorticoid use in asthma;
- Neuropharmacology.
Research Projects:
FP6 EPICURE Functional genomics and neurobiology of epilepsy: a basis for new therapeutic strategies;
Grundtvig: Education for PAMs in Epilepsy;
RTDI project funding awarded by the MCST: Pharmacogenetics of novel therapeutic targets in Asthma.
Family Medicine
- Students' perception of Family Medicine and how they rate / compare it with other specialties.
Medicine
- COPD;
- Diabetes Mellitus: epidemiology & genetics, Cerebral Oedema in Ketoacidosis, DiabCare Computer QNet in Europe;
- Basal metabolic rate & body composition in healthy Maltese;
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: epidemiology in Malta;
- Asthma: sports, risk factors; epidemiology of melanoma;
- Issues of compliance in hypertension control; studies on medical undergraduate curriculum.
Research Projects:
MEDINE: Thematic Network for Medical Education in Europe;
Tuning task force.
Obstetrics & Gynaecology
- Reproductive Medicine;
- Menopause;
- Infertility/Polycystic Ovaries;
- Perinatology.
Research Projects:
Polycystic Ovaries;
Perinatal Medicine;
Osteoporosis/Menopause;
Cartilage(Menopause);
Dysmennorrhoea.
The department has an active Postgraduate Training Programme and Research department.
Paediatrics
- Investigation of biopterin deficiency syndromes;
- Meningococcaemia in childhood;
- Genetics of congenital nephrotic syndrome; Epidemiology of epilepsy in children;
- Congenital heart disease;
- Incidence of a-Interferon receptor gene defect in cord blood and in those with atypical infections;
- Amino acid electrophoresis for PKU in cord blood.
Pathology
- Molecular biology of inflammatory disease;
- Experimental haematology;
- Genetics of osteoporosis;
- Mechanisms of tumourogenesis;
- Neuroscience and neuropathology;
- Blood transfusion science.
Research Projects:
Mechanisms of tumourigenesis in collaboration with Erasmus Medical Centre, The Netherlands;
Targeting in cancer cells in collaboration with Erasmus Medical Centre and University of Brussels;
Estrogen receptors in breast cancer;
Genetics of osteoporosis;
Neuropharmacology and neuropathology of Alzheimer dementia;
Hypoxic brain damage in collaboration with Max Planck Institute;
George Washington University, St. Louis.
Pharmacy
- Pharmacist interventions in patient care;
- Validation methods;
- Pharmacoeconomics;
- Information technology and pharmacy;
- Bioeqiuvalence studies and computational chemistry.
Research Projects:
Pharmaclick- eTens;
Intensive Programme Training Course-IP;
Point-of-care testing;
Chronopharmacology;
Computational Chemistry.
Physiology & Biochemistry
- Apoptosis in yeast as a eukaryotic model;
- The role of mitochondria in apoptosis;
- Aspirin and apoptosis;
- Superoxide dismutases and redox potential;
- Neurodegenerative disease;
- Prions;
- Mitochondrial and redox physiology;
- Polyphenols;
- Cell cycle regulatory proteins mainly p21, p53 and p27;
- Transgenic animals;
- Extracellular matrix;
- Integrin biochemistry;
- Cell attachment;
- Cell proliferation;
- Cell death;
- DNA applications including agriculture and forensics;
- Stem cells, biotechnology;
- Genetically modified organisms (GMOs).
Research Projects:
Participation in research project on integrin regulation of Clara cell cycle control;
Redox signaling by the cellular prion protein;
Neuroprotective mechanisms of dietary polyphenols.
Psychiatry
- Epidemiology of Mental Illness;
- Quality of Life in psychiatric patients;
- Bipolar Disorder in Children;
- Cannabis and Psychosis;
- Perinatal Mood Disorders and the Teaching of Comunication Skills.
Research Projects:
Epidemiology of Mental Disorder.
Public Health
- Public Health, Research for planners in Health.
Surgery
- Non acid dyspepsia;
- Sclerotherapy in treatment of haemorrhoids;
- Gastro-oesophageal reflux in patients undergoing laparoscopy.
Research Projects: (in collaboration with the Pharmacy Department):
Introducing guidelines for surgical antibiotic prophylaxis - an impact assessment;
Compiling a register/database of hereditary colorectal cancer in Malta;
Investigating pancreatic amylase in gastric juice.
