R&D

Join the Largest eHealth Gathering of the Year

11 - 13 May 2015, Riga, Latvia.
Part of the European eHealth Community? Don't miss out on the event of the year. Join eHealth Week 2015 and embark upon three full days of exchanging knowledge and sharing best practices amongst health IT representatives of the highest level from the 28 EU Member States. Featuring the hottest topics from the future of mHealth to patient engagement, eHealth Week 2015 is simply the must-attend event of the year. Taking place during the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union, eHealth Week 2015 comprises of two main events: the High Level eHealth Conference organised by the Latvian Ministry of Health and the Latvian Presidency of the Council of the European Union and WoHIT (World of Health IT Conference & Exhibition) organised by HIMSS Europe.

Pharmaceutical industry regulation undermines NICE drugs appraisal work

Government policies that support UK pharmaceutical science and enhance export income are costing the NHS millions and undermine the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. In an essay published today by the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, health economists Professor Alan Maynard and Professor Karen Bloor describe an inflationary regulatory system that lacks accountability, is not evidence-based and subverts the efficiency of the technology appraisal work carried out by NICE, a target of pharmaceutical industry hostility since it was established in 1999.

Inaccurate reporting jeopardizing clinical trials

The team led by Dr Sheena Cruickshank of the Faculty of Life Sciences and Professor Andy Brass from the School of Computer Science (University of Manchester) analysed 58 papers on research into inflammatory bowel disease published between 2000 and 2014. They found a wide variety in how methods were reported and that vital information about experiments were missing, meaning they couldn't be accurately reproduced in animal or human models. In several instances the gender of the animal used wasn't recorded which can have a bearing on the result as female mice have a stronger immune response to males. How the animals were housed will also impact on the results in experiments about the gut.

Retrogenix wins Queen's Award for Enterprise

UK-based biotechnology company Retrogenix Limited today announces that it has won the Queen's Award for Innovation in recognition of the success of its human cell microarray technology in advancing medical research and speeding up pharmaceutical discovery. The awards, which are made each year by Her Majesty the Queen, are the UK's most prestigious acknowledgement of business performance, requiring the highest levels of excellence to be demonstrated in each category.

Innovative Medicines Initiative Alzheimer's disease projects launch joint platform

Today, the Innovative Medicines Initiative (IMI) and its AETIONOMY, EMIF and EPAD projects are proud to announce the creation of the IMI Alzheimer's Disease Research Platform. The platform will facilitate collaboration between the three projects, helping them to deliver results faster. At the same time, IMI and the Global Alzheimer's Platform (GAP) are announcing their plans to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to accelerate Alzheimer's drug development by building a global, standing, trial-ready platform for Alzheimer's drug development.

High levels of vitamin D is suspected of increasing mortality rates

The level of vitamin D in our blood should neither be too high nor to low. Scientists from the University of Copenhagen are the first in the world to show that there is a connection between high levels of vitamin D and cardiovascular deaths. In terms of public health, a lack of vitamin D has long been a focal point. Several studies have shown that too low levels can prove detrimental to our health. However, new research from the University of Copenhagen reveals, for the first time, that also too high levels of vitamin D in our blood is connected to an increased risk of dying from a stroke or a coronary.

Medical nanoparticles: Local treatment of lung cancer

Nanoparticles are extremely small particles that can be modified for a variety of uses in the medical field. For example, nanoparticles can be engineered to be able to transport medicines specifically to the disease site while not interfering with healthy body parts. The Munich scientists have developed nanocarriers that only release the carried drugs in lung tumour areas. The team headed by Silke Meiners, Oliver Eickelberg and Sabine van Rijt from the Comprehensive Pneumology Center (HMGU), working with colleagues from the Chemistry Department (LMU) headed by Thomas Bein, were able to show nanoparticles' selective drug release to human lung tumour tissue for the first time.

Research & Development

Join the Largest eHealth Gathering of the Year

Pharmaceutical industry regulation undermines NICE drugs appraisal work

Inaccurate reporting jeopardizing clinical trials

Retrogenix wins Queen's Award for Enterprise

Innovative Medicines Initiative Alzheimer's disease projects launch joint platform

High levels of vitamin D is suspected of increasing mortality rates

Medical nanoparticles: Local treatment of lung cancer

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