Progress on alternative approaches to animal testing
The European Partnership on Alternative Approaches to Animal Testing (EPAA) was launched in November 2005 by European Commission Vice President Günter Verheugen and Science & Research Commissioner Janez Potočnik together with the European industry. At a conference in Brussels both industry and the Commission have expressed their strong wish to strengthen this unprecedented collaboration to reduce animal testing as much as possible to avoid unnecessary suffering for animals (the 3Rs Approach) wherever possible.
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International Diabetes Federation drives global action ahead of World Diabetes Day
In many countries, November is diabetes awareness month, with November 14 - World Diabetes Day - the most significant date on the diabetes calendar. The need to increase diabetes awareness grows ever year with the increasing impact of the disease worldwide. The latest data, recently published by the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) in the 4th Edition of the Diabetes Atlas, show that 285 million people worldwide now live with diabetes.
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Oncodesign(R) to Develop Experimental Cancer Models for sanofi-aventis
Oncodesign, a specialist in the identification of novel cancer therapies, has signed a two-year service contract with sanofi-aventis under which it is to supply and develop exclusive, experimental models in different types of cancer for the Paris-based pharmaceutical company. Unlike traditional models, which are derived from cultured cell lines, the models that Oncodesign is developing are based on the use of tumor tissue taken directly from patients, enabling more customized evaluations to be made of new therapies while remaining as close as possible to clinical reality. The financial terms of the contract were not disclosed.
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Enzyme could help regeneration of nervous systems, study finds
A partly EU-funded team of UK and US researchers has identified an enzyme that plays a key role in the regeneration of nerve fibres (axons) after injury. Mammalian sterile 20-like kinase-3b (Mst3b) was shown to increase axon growth in the central nervous system (CNS) as well as the peripheral nervous system (PNS). The research results, now published in Nature Neuroscience, could open up new possibilities for treating stroke, spinal cord injuries and traumatic brain injury.
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A web browser that can understand technical terms in life sciences and automatically find additional resources and services has been developed by European researchers. It could lead to a new generation of intelligent search engines. The life sciences community has built numerous databases - such as for gene sequencing and information about diseases - that are available to researchers as 'grid' services.
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Study reveals deep evolutionary roots of programmed cell death
EU-funded researchers have discovered that parts of the genetic machinery controlling programmed cell death are the same in plants and animals. The findings, published in the journal Nature Cell Biology, suggest that programmed cell death arose before the evolutionary paths of plants and animals split around 1 billion years ago.
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Imperial College London's Institute of Biomedical Engineering Wins Top Prize For Innovation
The Institute of Biomedical Engineering, Imperial College London, has been honoured with a top prize for innovation at the prestigious Times Higher Education (THE) Awards 2009. The Institute was named overall winner in the category of "Outstanding Contribution to Innovation and Technology". The awards were announced at a gala ceremony at the Grosvenor House Hotel in London on Thursday 15th October.
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