The Courier & Advertiser (Fife Edition)
Groundbreaking work may be lost
The St Andrews University blaze ripped through laboratories where ground-breaking medical research was being conducted.
Years of work is feared to have been lost, with those affected including a team whose research into viruses could lead to development of better treatments.
Flames spread from the third and fourth floor of the biomedical science building to the tissue culture lab of the HughesLab research group
Dr David Hughes, group leader, said he was in “total shock” at the serious blaze which broke out early on Sunday evening.
He said: “Many, many years of people’s work is potentially lost. Let’s hope for the best.”
The group aims to better understand how the body’s cells respond to viral infections and how viruses overcome these responses.
It is hoped their results could be used to develop more effective antiviral therapies, which viruses are less able to build resistance to.
Their work includes scrutiny of childhood infections caused by mumps and measles viruses, and those which have no vaccine – such as parainfluenza viruses.
PhD student Bryony Hockin also saw her lab go up in flames.
She said: “Our lab has been badly affected. A sad day for St Andrews chemistry indeed. I have three years of PhD work in there.”
She is part of the EZC Group, which said that its labs had suffered “very major damage”.
The Biomedical Sciences campus, built in the late 1990s, is shared by the schools of chemistry and biology and houses labs where scientists undertake medically-focused research in organic and synthetic chemistry, virology and microbiology.
It is regarded as a centre of excellence for tackling antibiotic resistance and infectious disease.
Around 100 staff and postgraduate students work in the building.
One student who was in the building as the blaze began admitted he is anxious his PhD research may be lost.
Edward Howe was in the room above where the fire is thought to have begun, working on his organic chemistry studies.
The 26-year old said the “10 to 15” other people he saw in the building were orderly as the fire alarm went off and they evacuated.
He did not see any flames until he was safely outside.
He said: “Most people were calm and just wanted to get out of the building.
“We have several drills a year so everyone knew what to do.
“I am nearly at the end of my PhD. I am very worried about my work, but I am trying not to stress out about it at the moment.
“I think the university will take care of us and will take this into consideration if anyone’s work is lost.”
Edward was looking on at the building’s damage the morning after with friend Yohann Renault, who also studies in the chemistry department.
Yohann said: “I wasn’t in the building at the time but I was worried about my friend [Edward] when I heard.
“I did not really think about the work at the time.
“I just wanted to know that everyone was okay.
“We are not allowed into the building at the moment, of course, so it will be good to find out how long that is going to take.
“We received an email at night telling us not to come in today.
“It’s strange to see your place of work this damaged.”
Physics student Joshua BernardCooper, 20, added: “One of the PhD labs was right above where the fire started and lots of PhD students are panicking about years of work that could have been lost.”