RECENT NEWS

Applied Biosystems has announced the addition of new members to its software development community by forming relationships with InteRNA Genomics and Biotique Systems. The commercial software solutions offered by these companies are intended to advance data analysis and management for researchers using Applied Biosystems’ SOLiD system, the company’s ultra-high-throughput platform for DNA sequencing and genomic analysis research.

Laboratory autoclave manufacturer Priorclave is celebrating its 20th anniversary. It was founded by Charles Prior, with a staff of six, in February 1988, in a modest manufacturing facility on the former Royal Arsenal site at Thamesmead, London.

The European Space Agency announced recently that it had appointed the SEA Group to lead a team of experts, including members of the Health Protection Agency, to define the requirements and initial concept for a biocontainment facility to handle safely any samples which may be brought back from Mars.

Nobel prizes were first awarded in 1901, after Alfred Nobel, a wealthy Swedish chemist, engineer, armaments maker and the inventor of dynamite, decided to devote his enormous fortune to the betterment of mankind. In his will, he established annual awards in the fields of physical science, chemistry, medical science or physiology, literature and peace (an associated prize was later created in economics).

Groundbreaking research to enable rapid diagnosis of avian influenza,

The Human Tissue Authority (HTA) has launched a consultation on a revised code of practice for post-mortem examinations. The consultation also covers seven revised codes including those on consent and the disposal of human tissue. Under the Human Tissue Act 2004, in England, Wales and Northern Ireland, post-mortem examinations must be carried out on premises licensed by the HTA.

Immediate and accurate tests to diagnose and monitor bleeding and blood clotting disorders could soon be available at every GP’s surgery.

The National Comparative Audit Programme includes a series of audits of the safe and appropriate use of blood. It is operated in collaboration with the Clinical Effectiveness and Evaluation Unit of the Royal College of Physicians. All hospitals in England are invited to participate in the audits, and those in Wales, Northern Ireland and Scotland are invited to participate through the blood services in those countries.

A large-scale survey of Africans in England shows that targeted human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) prevention services are required to improve people’s confidence and skills, in order for them to avoid catching HIV or passing it on.

Existing guidelines for control of Clostridium difficile should be reviewed following recent epidemics in several European countries linked to a new hypervirulent strain, according to a recent European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC) report.

A Kent woman committed to inspiring young people to engage with science has been selected to represent Pfizer in a global initiative to promote the human issues and faces behind scientific research.

“Science improves our quality of daily life, underpins prosperity and increases our readiness to face the challenges of the future,” said Ian Pearson, Minister of State for Science and Innovation, recently.

NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT) has appointed Dr Clive Ronaldson as director of patient services and Andy Young as director of blood donation.

Olympus UK has celebrated the successful implementation of the first UK ‘remote allocation’ blood issuing system at Abergele Hospital, part of the North Wales NHS Trust. The new system uses BloodTrack OnDemand from Olympus, which enables staff to access and monitor blood stocks through remote computer access and intelligent blood storage refrigerators.

Risk assessments are the responsibility of everyone working in an organisation, not just the health and safety manager, and employees have a legal responsibility to cooperate with their employer’s efforts to improve health and safety.

Thermo Fisher Scientific has launched a comprehensive online resource centre for metabolomics researchers. The website provides tools and technical advice to help scientists studying small-molecule metabolite profiles. The Metabolomics Solutions Center enables users to tap into Thermo Fisher’s extensive knowledge of metabolomics in a single, easy-to-navigate location.

The new issue of Lab M’s ‘minicatalogue’ focuses on microbiology in colour, with a review of the transforming effects of chromogenic culture media and highlights from Lab M’s Harlequin chromogenic range.

Syngene has announced that scientists at East Tennessee State University (ETSU) have detected proteins associated with the cytotoxic effects of vitamin E on prostate cancer cells, using Dymension, the company's twodimensional (2D) gel image analysis software.

Sterilin has announced the availability of its rebranded comprehensive catalogue of singleuse plastic and Iwaki tissue culture products.

Lab21, a provider of healthcare diagnostic products and services, has expanded its cancer gene testing service by adding an epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) gene mutation test to its existing range.