77 Reaching a Wider Audience
As all researchers know, research funders have an interest in ensuring that the work produced is scientifically sound and reproducible. Published papers remain the main channel used to prove this and to communicate data and the latest discoveries.
Tomorrows Technologies
Collaboration, funding and publishing all play crucial roles in the life science research sector. However, they become irrelevant without the correct methodologies and techniques to undertake the research itself. Improvements in instrumentation allow laboratories to focus on delivering results more rapidly and accurately.
With upcoming developments pushing life science research into new areas, many laboratories are feeling positive about adopting new technologies. This includes technologies that we see every day, such as mobile devices.
Recent breakthroughs in communication and informatics technology, such as cloud data storage and wireless devices, have had a dramatic impact on day-to-day laboratory work.
With the increased speed and ease of use of the internet for example, data can be shared and transferred faster than ever before. In addition, while many of us use wireless and mobile technologies every day, the majority of life science professionals do not think they are being used to full advantage in the laboratory itself.
With general agreement that this adoption will allow new research to be explored and completed, scientists are looking to vendors to push the boundaries in technology in order to extend their own limits.
When looking at scientific instrumentation, microscopy has been recognised as one of the most exciting areas to watch within life science research technology.
Panel representatives at the launch of the LifeSight Report at mmc 2014: Baba Awopetu – Marketing Director, EMEA, Leica Microsystem, Dr Julian Heath, Professor Jason Swedlow, Dr Patrick Dixon, Dr Paul Verkade.
Having your name in print can also improve reputation, making funding more likely and opening doors into additional research opportunities. Therefore when it comes to the future of life science research publishing is seen as one of, if not the most important aspect in life scientists working lives.
The feeling within the life science community is that researchers who spend time and effort adding value to their data should be acknowledged. Access to scientific publications, both for professional life scientists and the interested public is a common aim throughout the sector. The rise of online journals makes this an achievable goal.
Furthermore, many feel that the huge amount of investment currently required to access scientific material puts it out of reach of the majority of the population. In 2012, it was reported that British universities pay approximately £200 million a year in subscription fees to journal publishers [4]. In the same year, Harvard University aimed to reduce its own costs for subscriptions by encouraging members to make their research freely available through open access journals. They were also recommended to resign from publications which required payment to view articles [5].
These dramatic figures demonstrate the general feeling towards this topic, which is prompting a rethink of how scientists will publish. Free access to scientific publications is seen as the next opportunity for life scientists and peer recognition.
Until recently, microscopy has had to strike a careful balance between achieving high resolution images and acquiring them quickly. Time efficiency is always a priority within a laboratory, however, this is being increasingly compromised by the demand for large, high quality images, especially when working with complicated biological structures. However, recent developments in technologies, such as Super-resolution microscopy, may help researchers achieve this balance more effectively.
Super-resolution microscopy allows life science researchers to significantly increase knowledge of cellular molecular interactions and dynamic processes. Using this technology, scientists can directly visualise biological samples in exquisite detail and support any information gained from traditional molecular and cell biology approaches.
Recently, two new methods have emerged, producing exciting results - confocal and widefield 3D Super-resolution. The dynamic information with large statistics provided by these techniques opens the door to a range of new applications – from dynamic vesicle movements in the sub-100nm range to fluorescence images of sub-cellular structures, making it an exciting area of development. Many feel this technique can significantly increase our knowledge of cellular molecular interactions and dynamic processes.
The Value of Data
It is not only research techniques which are expected to change, but how we deal with the data once it is generated. Over the last few years, accessing big data – data sets so complex that they are difficult to process using traditional applications - has become simpler and cheaper.
Alongside the exciting opportunity that big data presents, it does come with challenges. This is especially true in the field of visualisation, where there is the question of how researchers will
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