Centre for Physical Activity and Life Sciences (PALS)

Centre for Physical Activity and Life Sciences Leadership

• Professor Tony Kay – PALS Research Centre Leader
• Professor Karen Anthony – MB Special Interest Group Co-Leader
• Associate Professor Jamal Nasir -MB Special Interest Group Co-Leader
• Dr Tony Baross – SEM Special Interest Group Leader
• Dr Declan Ryan – IPAHP Special Interest Group Leader

View our other University Membership on Pure.

The Centre has ongoing partnerships with several regional healthcare, cultural, governmental, and physical activity organisations including Northampton General Hospital, Public Health Northamptonshire, Delapré Abbey Preservation Trust, General Practice Alliance, Northamptonshire Sport, Trilogy Leisure, Northamptonshire Healthcare Foundation Partnership, and West Northamptonshire Council.

RNA processing of the brain dystrophin isoform Dp71 

Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a fatal childhood genetic disorder. It is caused by the body-wide absence of a muscle protein called dystrophin. Alongside muscle symptoms; the loss of dystrophin in the brain leads to intellectual disability and conditions like autism. But what does a muscle protein do in the brain? We understand very little about how dystrophin is made in the brain and what it does there. Our project will use cell models of the nervous system as well as patient cells and data to fill this urgent gap in knowledge. To achieve the best possible quality of life we need to tackle every element of Duchenne. This project will inform the development of effective brain-targeting treatments.

Promoting physical activity participation within green and blue spaces in a COVID-19 era. 

This research investigates the effect that a new formalised walking and running route within a public park has on the local community’s physical activity participation and self-rated health and wellbeing. The role of the built and natural environment to improve population health and wellbeing has had an increased policy focus in recent years (Sport England, 2019; MHC&LG, 2019; Public Health England, 2016). The findings from this research will identify whether a retro-fit built environment intervention has merit to be scaled-up across the county’s public parks to improve visitation, physical activity participation, and health and wellbeing. Northamptonshire Public Health have already identified the potential benefits that this research could bring to their policy, strategies, and investment decisions.

DLAB: Digital Learning Across Boundaries 

The project addresses the need to align European educational practice with ways in which digital technology is changing how and what we learn, and how we apply this in education. The purpose of this project is to promote digital learning across the boundaries of physical spaces, across curriculum subjects and across languages and cultures, to facilitate collaborative learning across national boundaries. Over three years we have adopted three ‘learning across boundaries’ themes:

1. Technology Outdoors: bridging formal and informal learning by extending learning beyond traditional classroom spaces and supporting learners with disadvantaged backgrounds by managing transitions positively through collaborative outdoor learning experiences.
2. Stem to SteAm: adding the Arts to the integrated study of Science, Technology, Engineering and Maths creating inter-disciplinary challenge-based online learning resources.
3. Technology Enabled CLIL: using curriculum contexts to teach language competencies and cultural sensitivity with aim of meeting the language needs of a diversity of learners, including learners for whom English is an additional language (EAL/EFL).

Find out more about our Centre’s projects.

An Investigation into Helmet Use, Perceptions of Sports-Related Concussion, and Seeking Medical Care for Head Injury amongst Competitive Cyclists. Hardwicke, J., Baxter, B. A., Gamble, T. & Hurst, H., 1 Mar 2022, In: International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health. 19, 5, 2861.

An investigation into masculinity amongst competitive road cyclists. Hardwicke, J., 17 Mar 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Emerging Sport Studies.

A Survey of Machine Learning Approaches Applied to Gene Expression Analysis for Cancer Prediction
Khalsan, M., Machado, L., SALIH AL-SHAMERY, EMAN., Ajit, S., Anthony, K., Mu, M. & Opoku Agyeman, M., 18 Mar 2022, In: IEEE Access.

Changemakers as digital makers: Connecting and cocreating. Whewell, E., Caldwell, H., Frydenberg, M. & Andone, D., 24 Jan 2022, In: Education and Information Technologies. 23 p.

COLLAGEN GENE POLYMORPHISMS PREVIOUSLY ASSOCIATED WITH RESISTANCE TO SOFT-TISSUE INJURY ARE MORE COMMON IN COMPETITIVE RUNNERS THAN NON-ATHLETES
Dines, H., Lockey, S., Herbert, A., Kipps, C., Pedlar, C., Day, S., Heffernan, S., Antrobus, M., Brazier, J., Erskine, R., Stebbings, G., Hall, E. & Williams, A., 13 Mar 2022, (Accepted/In press) In: Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.

Concussion-associated gene variant COMT rs4680 is associated with elite rugby athlete status
Antrobus, M., Brazier, J., Callus, P., Herbert, A., Stebbings, G., Day, S., Kilduff, L., Bennett, M., Erskine, R., Raleigh, S., Collins, M., Pitsiladis, Y., Heffernan, S. & Alun, W., 29 Mar 2022, (E-pub ahead of print) In: Clinical Journal of Sport Medicine.

View more of our Centre’s Publications.