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3 Photonex: Registration Open
Now in its twentieth year, the Conference Programme for Photonex 2011, (Coventry, UK 18/19 October) includes the popular themed topic: 'High Power Diode Lasers & Systems'.
Advances in diode lasers and diode pumped lasers continue unabated as the range of applications increases enormously. These advances include improvements in the performance - power, range of available wavelengths, brightness and reliability. The advances in diode pump lasers have contributed to many of the recent advances in solid state and fibre lasers. This session is sponsored by the Scottish Chapter of the IEEE Photonics Society, the fourth to be held in conjunction with Photonex and will present outstanding work from industry, research institutes and universities.
Keynote speaker is Dr Robin Huang from TeraDiode in the USA, a spin-out company from MIT, who is speaking on wavelength- multiplexed 1kW direct diode laser systems coupled into fibre. He will also be part of the panel for the executive discussion held at lunchtime on Wednesday 19th. This is open to all visitors and,
among other subjects, will provide insight to the US market and the impact of laser diodes on world markets.
The programme chair is Professor Eric Larkins from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering, University of Nottingham. “Having seen an increase in delegate numbers year on year, we are delighted that we have attracted an impressive group of speakers for this year’s meeting. This is an exciting time for high-power diode lasers, with the unveiling of direct diode laser systems capable of addressing demanding industrial applications, such as cutting and welding sheet metal. At the same time, visible diode lasers are making their way into applications such as displays. We will also hear about emerging applications with the potential for dramatic impact, such as ‘laser fusion’ for green energy and medical applications such as tissue welding.” Contributed posters will be on view and visitors will also be able to join networking sessions and attend the exhibition.
Further information at
www.photonex.org Networking sessions at a recent photonex event TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO.
‘Clamping’ Mechanism Points to New Direction in Cancer Control
Research funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has revealed at the molecular level how thiostrepton – a naturally-occurring cancer-protector molecule – ‘clamps’ a cancer-causing protein called FOXM1, preventing it from working.
FOXM1 is present in greater amounts in breast cancer cells. It attaches to specific stretches of DNA – switching on genes regulating the growth and division of cells. It also causes tumours to spread and triggers the growth of blood vessels which supply tumours with nutrients for growth. Blocking this protein may prevent the development of cancer at an early stage as well as block cancer growth and spread.
Designing drugs to stop proteins like FOXM1 is a huge challenge for scientists. But this new information will allow researchers to design small molecules that mimic thiostrepton – but are even more effective at blocking the cancer-promoting effects of FOXM1.
Lead author, Professor Shankar Balasubramanian, from the Cancer Research UK’s Cambridge Research Institute and the Department of Chemistry, University of Cambridge, said: “Before this research we weren’t aware of any natural product which
could directly target a protein that controls gene activity. Yet intriguingly a molecule in bacteria – which also has strong antibiotic effects – does this very well, switching off cancer- causing genes in breast cancer cells.
“This naturally-occurring molecule doesn’t have all the right properties to be used as a breast cancer treatment itself. But this exciting discovery paves the way for the design of more potent and selective drugs based on the structure of thiostrepton to block the FOXM1 protein.”
Around 48,000 women in the UK are diagnosed with breast cancer each year and around 12,100 UK women die from the disease.
Dr Lesley Walker, Cancer Research UK’s Director of Cancer Information, said: “Survival rates for breast cancer have been improving for 30 years thanks to the development of more targeted treatments. But there is more to be done.
“One huge challenge is how to prevent breast cancer from spreading to other parts of the body – once a cancer has spread it becomes more difficult to treat successfully.
“It’s fascinating to discover how a simple bacteria could hold the key to powerful new approaches to treat breast cancer that is developing and spreading.”
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. Clinical Tests for Medicines Made from Plants
A complete map of active genes in the mammalian brain has been produced for the first time by Oxford University researchers and scientists at the US National Human Genome Research Institute. The map shows which genes are switched on where in the cerebral cortex of mice. It covers all genes from across the whole genome in unprecedented detail.
Data from the findings*has been made freely available as an online research resource. The resource is expected to assist future studies seeking to understand the way the mammalian brain is organised.
“The brain is the most mysterious of organs. If we are to understand the way it works, we must understand its complex structure,’ said Professor Chris Ponting of the MRC Functional Genomics Unit at Oxford University, who led the work with Professor Zoltán Molnár, also at Oxford, and Dr Elliott Margulies of the National Human Genome Research Institute.
‘Cells in different layers of the brain do different things, and this organisation contributes to our levels of cognition. We’ve completed a massive sequencing effort to map out which genes are active and in which layers of the cortex. In doing so, we’re shining a light on to cognitive processes.”
The researchers used RNAseq sequencing technology, which works not by sequencing DNA to read our static genetic code – but by sequencing all the RNA molecules in a tissue sample to detect which genes are active. These active genes can indicate
which biological processes are occurring and are important in those cells.
“It’s a step change in our ability to look at when and where genes are being expressed with exquisite detail from small amounts of tissue, explained Professor Ponting. In the past, we might have looked in the lab at a few select RNAs, or used microarray chips to look at the activity of many genes that may be of interest. Here we use the latest techniques to look at absolutely everything without making any presuppositions about what we should be looking at.”
The findings make it possible to look at where genes previously associated with susceptibility to different diseases act indicating the new research avenues that are opened up by the study. Professor Ponting sees this work as a step towards getting finer and finer detail about gene activity in the brain, as sequencing becomes possible with smaller and smaller samples.
“We can look to move from structural layers to different types of neuronal cells and perhaps down to individual neural circuits and cells,” he suggested.
The researchers now hope to do similar studies with human brain tissue samples. The study was funded in the UK by the Medical Research Council, the Wellcome Trust and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and the National Institutes for Health in the USA.
*Published in the journal Neuron TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 9 7 6 Eppendorf Young Investigator
Award 2012: Call for entries! Until 15 January 2012, young researchers working in Europe who are not older than 35 years are invited to apply for the Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators. This highly prestigious prize was first established in 1995. It acknowledges outstanding contributions to biomedical research in Europe based on methods of molecular biology, including novel analytical concepts. The winner is selected by an independent expert committee chaired by Kai Simons (Max Planck Institute for Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Dresden, Germany).
The award winner 2012 will receive; • prize money of 15,000 Euro;
• an invitation to the prize ceremony at the EMBL Advanced Training Centre in Heidelberg, Germany, on 9 May 2012; • an invitation to visit Eppendorf AG in Hamburg, Germany; and • coverage of his/her work by Nature in print and in a podcast
Full details on the Eppendorf Award, the selection criteria and past award winners can be found at
www.eppendorf.com/award. Potential prize winners will find all relevant information for a successful application.
Only online applications are accepted. The official online registration portal can be found at
www.eppendorf.com/award/application.
The Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators is presented in partnership with Nature.
TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. Separation Science
Europe 2011 Oct 10-11, 2011
Venue: The Royal Institution, London, UK
Separation Science Europe 2011 Conference and Exhibition is a genuinely international scientific event aimed at scientists, engineers and technical experts from the diverse analytical instrumentation industries.
This two-day, single-stream event will comprise a world leading scientific programme covering issues of vital importance to application chromatographers and analytical chemists working in pharmaceutical, food analysis, environmental, petrochemical and clinical laboratories.
Taking place at the world famous Royal Institution of Great Britain, London, Separation Science Europe 2011 represents a genuine learning experience for all analysts looking to improve their knowledge and skills in sample preparation, chromatography, electrophoresis and mass spectrometry.
For more detail contact David Hills, Scientific Director, Separation Science Europe 2011
david.hills@sepscience.com LUDED IN OUR NEXT ISSUE, SEND ALL YOUR RESEARCH AND EVENTS NEWS STORIES TO HEATHER@INTLA TO FIND OUT MORE CIRCLE NO. 10 8
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