York Guides

Dr Jamal Nasir of the University of Sheffield Medical School is carrying out research he believes will lead to the creation of new drugs to help millions of people.
His gene-based research aims to speed up diagnosis and treatment of conditions like schizophrenia.
Dr Nasir is a lecturer in genetics who recently secured funding through Yorkshire Forward's Bioscience Yorkshire Enterprise Fellowship programme. It provides academics with up to £30,000, plus an optional £10,000 interest-free loan, to turn their research projects into businesses. So far 29 fellows have been recruited, and it is hoped all of them will go on to set up their own companies.
The funding has enabled Dr Nasir to commercialise his research into therapies that are attracting attention from drug companies.
In a speech to the White Rose Bioscience Forum at the Central Science Laboratory in York, which acted as a showcase for the best of Yorkshire's bioscience industry, Dr Nasir said: "Humans share 99 per cent of their DNA, but it is the differences that make us unique. Unfortunately, these differences also contribute to common diseases such as arthritis, diabetes, psoriasis and mental illness.
"Our increasing knowledge of genetics and genomics is creating a wealth of opportunities, particularly in disease prevention and treatment. Many common diseases have been incurable until now, but the unveiling of the genetic code provides a more precise understanding of these diseases, that could lead to the development of new drugs with better efficacy and fewer side effects."
Dr Nasir revealed his work into possible treatments for schizophrenia was attracting a lot of interest.
"Biotechnology is seen by the Government as key to our future economic development and while the entrepreneurial climate hasn't caught on here as much as in the US, the Fellowship Scheme has provided a refreshing and novel opportunity for academics to move forward with their commercialisation."
"It's a really exciting area to be in at the moment. There are opportunities to develop products that will generate huge economic benefits. This potential is all based on the world-class scientific expertise that already exists in Yorkshire and the calibre of scientists being drawn to the region."
For the past five years, Dr Nasir has been studying dopamine receptor interacting proteins (DRIPS) which are believed to trigger psychiatric problems.
He added: "We know schizophrenia has a genetic component. We have used this strategy to try and identify the genes that might be faulty in people with schizophrenia."
Along with his colleague, molecular biologist Dr Ling Ping Zhan, Dr Nasir hopes to understand at cell level how diseases operate.
"I've always been interested in mental illnesses and disorders of the brain,'' said Dr Nasir. "In the long run we are hoping to find treatments for these devastating illnesses."