The University of Birmingham has always had a central role in the life of the West Midlands. We were founded with the purpose of training the city’s – and the world’s – future business leaders, as well as undertaking research that improves lives, societies and industries. Our wealth of global expertise puts us at the forefront of technological, medical and social innovation today.
Key research from 2011
Scientists at the University of Birmingham have discovered a modified form of the drug MDMA - commonly known as Ecstasy - which has 100 times more cancer-busting properties than the popular recreational drug it self and which they hope may be able to be produced in a safe form to treat patients. Research results published online on August 18 in the journal Investigational New Drugs show significant success in ‘redesigning the designer drug’ for potential use as a cancer-killing agent in the treatment of leukaemia, lymphoma and myeloma.
A simple test to measure blood oxygen in newborns has been shown to identify babies with life-threatening congenital heart defects, a major cause of infant mortality in the developed world, according to researchers from the University of Birmingham and Birmingham Women's Hospital. The PulseOx study is the largest UK investigation into screening newborns for congenital heart defects, which occur in 1 in 160 births in the UK.
Materials scientists at the University of Birmingham have devised a way of making stainless steel surfaces resistant to bacteria in a project funded by the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. By introducing silver or copper into the steel surface (rather than coating it on to the surface), the researchers have developed a technique that not only kills bacteria but is very hard and resistant to wear and tear during cleaning.
An international team of asteroseismologists, led by the University of Birmingham, has used data from the NASA Kepler Mission to sample the 'stellar music' of 500 stars similar to the Sun, according to research published on April 7 in the journal Science. The team used the information from these natural resonances, which is coded in pulses of starlight, to measure the properties of the stars and will now be able to compare their findings with predictions based on models of the Milky Way galaxy. The Kepler spacecraft is monitoring the brightness of more than 150,000 stars in the Cygnus – Lyrae constellations of our galaxy. Its data are being used to search for planets and also to monitor the natural oscillations of the stars, the field of asteroseismology. The oscillations lead to miniscule changes or pulses in brightness, and are caused by sound trapped inside the stars.
Climate researchers have turned to the Allied bombing raids of the Second World War for a unique opportunity to study the effect thousands of aircraft had on the English climate at a time when civilian aviation remained rare. The study, published in the International Journal of Climatology, reveals how civilian and military records can help assess the impact of modern aviation on the climate today.
Comment areas from 2011
The University has been prominent in commenting on a number of the key news stories affecting the UK and beyond, the Arab Spring, the global financial crisis, the future of health and social care and the riots affecting British cities.
Western leaders have breathed sighs of relief and contentment at the unexpectedly swift breakthrough of rebel forces in Western Libya, which was a prelude to their march into Tripoli. At long last, the NATO-backed Libyan National Transitional Council has found a way of breaking Gaddafi’s stranglehold.
Last week thousands of young people spontaneously rioted in a number of English cities for no apparent reason. In the aftermarth of the riots there have been many calls for the renewal of public and private virtues. We appear to want to change people for the better and so improve the quality of public life.
Now that the dust has somewhat settled after the initial euphoria, triumphalism, gloating, and relief that followed Barack Obama's announcement of the death of Osama Bin Laden, more sober analysis is beginning of the broader implications of the end of a 15-year manhunt.