RECENT NEWS

Teachers and lecturers across the UK now have new resources to help them inspire and develop the next generation of scientists, engineers and mathematicians.

A recent report by the National Audit Office found that navigating complaints systems is not straightforward, particularly for health service users, and handling some complaints takes too long. There is little sharing of lessons learned from complaints or evidence that services are improving as a result.

Researchers at Aberystwyth University have licensed ground-breaking research to a nonprofit product development partnership working to develop new, more effective vaccines against TB.

The Royal College of Pathologists and other specialist organisations are holding the first National Pathology Week on 3–9 November to promote pathology. Over 150 events – including interactive workshops, laboratory tours, stands in shopping centres, art competitions, quizzes and even a touring pathology bus – are being held in hospitals and communities all around the UK.

An independent study published in the Journal of Hospital Infection (Hernández A et al, 2008) has confirmed the rapid efficacy of Tristel sporicidal wipes against Mycobacterium avium.

The Scottish National Blood Transfusion Service (SNBTS) has chosen the CYCLERtest MTAS validation system from Anachem for its thermal cycler and light cycler validation.

Motic has recently supplied an epi-fluorescence BA 400 microscope to King’s College, London, to assist in research into neurodegenerative diseases. The microscope is being used to identify very small structures in fruit fly brains, which are being tested to show how and why motor neuron diseases occur.

A new website – www.waterpurification.org.uk – has been launched to help health service managers and laboratory staff understand and specify water purification technology. The new site, developed by Purite, a leading European manufacturer of water purification systems, provides the detailed information needed by those in medical and healthcare laboratories.

The National Patient Safety Agency (NPSA) issued its Safer Practice Notice: Standardising wristbands improves patient safety to all NHS organisations in England and Wales.

Pall Life Sciences has entered a long-term agreement with the New York Blood Center (NYBC) to support the organisation's transition to a new filtration system that improves efficiency when removing white blood cells from donated blood.

Beckman Coulter has announced that the Borders General Hospital has installed Scotland’s first UniCel DxC 880i Synchron Access clinical system, its integrated work cell designed to consolidate chemistry and immunoassay testing in high-volume laboratories.

JPK Instruments, a manufacturer of nanoanalytic instrumentation, has launched a completely redesigned website (www.jpk.com).

Agilent Technologies has announced that the Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium (WTCCC) will standardise the world’s largest human genomic copy number variation (CNV) study on Agilent microarrays. Agilent has also announced that IMGM Laboratories has achieved Certified Service Provider (CSP) status for the Agilent microarray platform.

CellNass, the Human Tissue Authority-licensed archive management service located in Newtown, Wales, recently completed the development of a new dedicated facility that increases the company’s capacity to archive microscope slides, tissue blocks and other human tissue samples.

The Winston Churchill Memorial Trust offers an opportunity to increase knowledge and experience through overseas travel. Successful applicants receive a grant to cover relevant expenses, and in 2008 the average grant was £5300, covering a stay of four to eight weeks (minimum of four weeks), but it can be longer.

Scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust are to examine what is preventing the H5N1 avian influenza virus from causing a human pandemic and what mutations are required to realise its deadly potential. The research could hold the key to early identification of a potential influenza pandemic, and to developing drugs and a vaccine.

Emerging cryopreservation techniques are increasing hope of restoring fertility to women after diseases such as ovarian cancer that lead to destruction of reproductive tissue.

Virgin Health Bank, the UK’s only licensed and accredited cord blood bank, has welcomed greater government interest and involvement, as health secretary Alan Johnston opened the new cord blood bank at Nottingham Trent University last month.

This year’s Chief Health Professions Officer’s Conference will include an action learning set session to support leadership development, and opportunities for delegates to meet representatives from key high-profile organisations to find out what they have to offer.

The Health Professions Council (HPC) has been commended for being an effective and publicly accountable regulator in a report published recently by the Council for Healthcare Regulatory Excellence (CHRE).