LAB ROUNDUP 4 June – Cancer ‘breakthroughs’, EU Horizon + supercomputer funding, Northern moves, biomed labs honoured and more…
4 Jun 2023
The NHS has said a University of Oxford led study into the effectiveness of the Galleri blood test, involving nearly 5,500 people, could improve diagnosis and fast tracking of patients for more than 50 types of cancer.
The test identified two out of three cancers among the English and Welsh patients, and managed to pinpoint the original location of the cancer in the case of 85% of those identified. While not sufficiently accurate to conclusively determine the presence of cancer, the test was especially useful in finding those types more difficult to spot such as bowel, pancreatic and throat cancers.
Data and biological health research samples leader UK Biobank is moving to Bruntwood SciTech’s Greenheys, specialised lab and supporting office space at Manchester Science Park. Kath Mackay, Director of Life Sciences at Bruntwood SciTech, said: “Manchester is a world-renowned hub for science and technology, and the ability for UK Biobank to grow here is testament to the quality of talent, innovation and support within the city. The development of Greenheys represents the third phase of our masterplan to grow Manchester Science Park to more than 1 million sq ft of cutting-edge life sciences and tech space which, critically, will support the creation of over 2,500 jobs.”
Sustainable chemistry provider Avantium has received a €1.5 million grant by the EU Horizon Europe programme, in aid of its HICCUPS programme to converting CO2 from wastewater treatment plant biogas into the sustainable plastic material PLGA (polylactic-co-glycolic acid). PLGA with 80% glycolic acid operates an effective barrier against oxygen and moisture and has mechanical properties. Avantium will use its Volta technology to conduct the research.
Research from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has found the most common health conditions in UK Boxer dogs are ear problems, tumours and eye ulcers. The breed represents one in every 100 dogs in the UK. Specific conditions that Boxers are at a substantially higher risk of developing include tumours/cancers (neoplasia), gum mass (epulis) and eye ulceration.
Discovery Park and EKC Group – the first further education provider in the country to be graded ‘outstanding’ by Ofsted for all of its educational centres – have launched a partnership to interest more young people in East Kent to consider STEM careers.
Discovery Park, near Sandwich hosts more than 150 companies and employs more than 3,500 people, while EKC Group supports 15,000 students across six community colleges in Ashford, Dover, Canterbury, Folkestone, Swale and Thanet, plus EKC Training providing apprenticeships, community learning, employability provision and prison education.
A study commissioned by the Water Jetting Association into the management of high pressure fluid injection injuries has been accessed online more than 10,000 times since publication four years ago. An injury treatment guide developed from the research, has been extensively redesigned to make it easier to use. Water jetting is used in oil and gas, petrochemicals and energy plants and precision materials cutting. The research was led by Dr Sancho Rodriguez-Villar, an intensive care consultant at Kings College Hospital, London, and Dr Robert Charles Kennedy (PhD), the WJA's clinical research and development advisor
Biotechnology company Fixed Phage has appointed Dr Neil Clelland as its new Chief Executive Officer (CEO). In addition former Director of Technical Operations Chris Bindon becomes its new COO, and Chairman Simon Hunt becomes Executive Chairman. Clelland, formerly Commercial Director, succeeds David Browning, who took on the role nearly four years ago.
The GW4 Alliance, comprised of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter universities, together with Hewlett Packard Enterprise, NVIDIA and Arm, have been awarded £10 million by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) to develop Isambard 3, the new, TOP500-class supercomputer service for AI and high-performance computing. Its upgraded performance will enable new research in a wide range of areas, including modelling fusion reactors to provide green energy in the future. Collaboration with NVIDIA will also enable Isambard to support cutting-edge research in AI and machine learning. Isambard 3 will support new user communities from AI, life sciences, medical, astrophysics and biotech. The powerful new facility will be hosted in a self-cooled, self-contained HPE Performance Optimised Data Centre at the National Composites Centre on the Bristol and Bath Science Park.
Prescribing late stage lung cancer patients the drug osimertinib after surgery showed a 51% reduction in the risk of death, claims a Yale University study. Its Adura trial, whose results were presented to the American Society of Clinical Oncology annual meeting, examined patients in 26 countries ranging in age between 30 and 86 and suffering from non-small cell lung cancer. Nearly 90% of patients taking a daily dose of the pill were alive after five years, compared to 78% on a placebo.
Biomedical laboratory staff are being honoured for their work on Biomedical Science Day on 8 June. Follow the programme of events via the hashtags #BiomedicalScienceDay2023 and #AtTheHeartOfHealthcare.
The EES annual lectureship has been jointly awarded to Dr Juan-Pablo Correa-Baena and Dr Hans-Georg Steinrück. Correa-Baena is Assistant Professor and the Goizueta Junior Faculty Chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology, while Steinrück is Assistant Professor and the Goizueta Junior Faculty Chair in the School of Materials Science and Engineering at the Georgia Institute of Technology. The award is presented by Energy & Environmental Science and was set up in 2012.
Avacta Group life sciences company has acquired the Belgian firm Coris Bioconcept SRL for an upfront cash consideration of £7.4 million with an earnout based on future business performance, payable in cash, of up to £3.0 million.
