to study people; results are more reliable and avoid the potentially catastrophic consequences of species differences. Aston was the first site in the UK to marry both MEG (employing the UK's only whole-head Magnetoencephalography system) and fMRI, putting the Academy of Life Sciences at the forefront of world scientific endeavour. fMRI can be combined with MEG scanning to increase understanding of the human brain by enabling researchers to clearly track, in human volunteers, not just which areas of the brain are active, but when. Unlocking the secrets of human neurotoxicity In another department at Aston University, the LDF is supporting the work of Dr Michael Coleman to develop new methods for studying neurotoxicity. Neurotoxicity, or nerve toxicity, is a potential side-effect of new drugs. By studying which substances cause neurotoxicity and why, we can gain clues about illnesses such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and Motor Neurone Disease. Most neurotoxicity research is carried out on some two million rodents and over 10,000 primates every year but the LDF is supporting research using human brain cells grown in culture. So far, Dr Coleman and his team have focused on creating a model for a group of cells known as the astrocytes – human brain cells which protect nerves in the CNS from toxins or injury. These cells may play a crucial role in neurodegenerative disease but there has been no model on which to perform tests – but this may be about to change. Dr Coleman's team has identified three human cell lines which might act as a suitable model for the astrocytes – in preliminary tests all behave similarly to astrocytes. Tackling a hospital killer Over the past 20 years, Multiple Organ Dysfunction Syndrome, or MODS, has emerged as a leading cause of death among critically ill patients in intensive care units. Triggered by an excessive and uncontrolled response to illness or injury, MODS causes organs to dysfunction gradually over a period of weeks or even days. Of those affected, 90% of adults and 54% of children die. Conventional MODS research has entailed forcing rats and mice to endure this excruciating disease. However, the LDF is supporting the development of a technique that makes use of artificially grown human tissue. Dr Karl Wooldridge, of the University of Nottingham, and his team have created an artificial human Blood Brain Barrier – a defence mechanism set up by blood vessels to protect the brain.