RECENT NEWS

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.

In partnership with the Nature Publishing Group, Olympus Microscopy has presented the Neurotechniques Collection. This compilation of articles draws together some of the groundbreaking research published recently in Nature Reviews Neuroscience and Nature Methods, and is available free in print and online.

A new interactive website shines the spotlight on five Eppendorf products recognised for their outstanding design and ergonomics. These include Multipette stream and Multipette Xstream, which won both the coveted red dot design award and an Instrument Business Outlook (IBO) Gold Award, and Mastercycler ep realplex, also honoured with the red dot award for product design.

A company in Israel has invented a ‘kidney pacemaker’ that can extend the life of a diseased kidney before solutions such as dialysis or a transplant need to be considered.

While last month saw the much-reported 60th anniversary of the introduction of the National Health Service, it was also the month in which Louise Brown celebrated her 30th birthday.

The Health Professions Council (HPC) has launched its revised Standards of Conduct, Performance and Ethics (SCPE) for all registrants and potential registrants. The SCPE are the fundamental standards the HPC considers essential to protect the health and wellbeing of the public.

Scientists funded by the Wellcome Trust have identified a key mechanism that enables malaria-infected red blood cells to stick to the walls of blood vessels and avoid being destroyed by the body’s immune system. The research, published recently in the journal Cell, highlights an important potential new target for antimalarial drugs.

Following recent elections, the Health Professions Council (HPC) has announced two new members to its Council and two re-elected members. Among the four people appointed is Jeff Seneviratne, who is the new registrant member for clinical scientists.

Laboratory equipment businesses which have products or technologies that could help prevent the spread of methicillinresistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) or similar infections are being asked to come forward to take part in a new NHS programme.

A draft Constitution that enshrines the principles and values of the NHS for the future was published recently. The first of its kind in the world, the Constitution is the result of extensive discussions with staff, patients and the public over the past year.

Scientists at the University of Ulster are using nanotechnology – highly miniaturised technology – to build new DNA biosensors that could be used to identify genetic diseases and dangerous microorganisms, and in cancer research and forensic science.

Leading scientists have called for Europe to invest more funds in the study of lipids that play a crucial role in the function of human cells and which are implicated in a range of diseases including obesity, diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease.

The key finding of a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC)- initiated assessment on the importance and magnitude of vector-borne diseases for Europe is that climate and environmental changes may increase the risk of vectorborne disease outbreaks in the future.