| The Troy and X-Men star was at the university for a first look around the newly completed Sir James Black Centre, a £21 million facility on Hawkhill, tasked with research into tropical diseases such as African sleeping sickness and diabetes.
The Dundee star spearheaded the fundraising campaign for the building and has appeared at events to promote its work.
He was busy when the building — home to 300 scientists — was officially opened in June, but was keen to see the fruits of his labours first hand.
Brian contacted the university to request a private visit, but his contribution has been such that it was today recognised by the naming of a seminar room in his honour.
Brian said he was delighted to have been involved in such an important project.
He said, “This centre has been very successful in finding treatments for a huge range of third world diseases, notably malaria which kills thousands in the third world every year.
“I suffer from Type 2 diabetes, which is a developed world disease, as opposed to Type 1 which is also known as infantile diabetes, where the pancreas doesn’t work.
“The diabetes has been behaving pretty well recently, but I have to keep monitoring it. I take it easy and watch my diet.
“It can cause little strokes which can affect memory and in turn could affect my work, but because of centres like Dundee the treatments are becoming much better. Treatments that weren’t around 20 years ago.”
Professor Sir Philip Cohen of Dundee University said Brian’s contribution to getting the centre off the ground had been invaluable.
He said, “Brian was really the front man in our fundraising campaign to raise the money we needed for this new building.
“The two main reasons we built this building are still valid — the drug discovery division for tropical diseases and to enhance our work in the area of diabetes.” |
