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Innovator of the Year
Professor George Lomonossoff (2nd from left) of John Innes Centre with co-applicant Dr Frank Sainsbury (far left) of Laval University, Canada is presented with his award by Dr Vince Cable MP, Dr Celia Caulcott, Dir of Innovation and Skills at BBSRC and Professor Douglas Kell, BBSRC Chief Executive. Photo credit : BBSRC
Professor George Lomonossoff has won ‘Most Promising Innovator’ and the overall ‘Innovator of the Year’ prize at this year’s national BBSRC Innovator of the Year Awards, for his work with Dr Frank Sainsbury on the development of a system for the rapid production of vaccines and pharmaceutical proteins in plants. The technology allows plants to be used as mini factories, manufacturing beneficial proteins that can be used for medicinal and biotechnology purposes. The technique is faster than current methods and so it offers an extremely effective way of creating vaccines. His work is already being used by Medicago, a Canadian biotechnology company, to develop a vaccine for the H5N1 avian influenza virus. It has also been used by other research groups at JIC and in other laboratories to help understand many aspects of fundamental plant biology and to rapidly evaluate new vaccines for application in humans and animals. Professor Lomonossoff of the John Innes Centre, which receives strategic funding from BBSRC, and former JIC PhD student Dr Frank Sainsbury, of Laval University in Canada, received their prize and trophy from Business Secretary, Vince Cable, who spoke at the final in London. Dr Cable said: “I would like to congratulate the winners on their success. Their innovative ideas highlight the vital role that scientific knowledge plays in driving growth in important sectors like healthcare, food, and pharmaceuticals. “The UK is a world leader in the biosciences and it is vital that we capitalise on this strength to deliver the maximum social and economic benefit. All of the finalists have gone to impressive lengths to ensure that the impacts of their research are felt well beyond the scientific community and this is truly worth celebrating.”
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£11 Million Cleft Research Study will Have Global Impact
The largest ever research programme into cleft lip and palate that will bring huge potential benefit to patients around the world has been launched in the UK. Cleft is one of the most common congenital abnormalities in the world, affecting 1,200 children born in the UK every year, but little is known about its causes, with opinion divided on best treatments. The £11 million, five-year programme – called The Cleft Collective – will draw on expertise from across the UK. The Healing Foundation charity will be providing £5 million towards the project, with additional funding coming from universities and NHS partners. The Universities of Manchester and Bristol will lead the programme, in partnership with the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, the NIHR Medicines for Children Research Network Clinical Trials Unit at the University of Liverpool and the University of the West of England. In Manchester, researchers will run a programme of clinical studies, while in Bristol scientists will host a cleft gene bank and cohort study. Professor Bill Shaw, lead researcher for the Manchester team, said: “Even today, we neither know the cause of cleft nor the best approaches to treatment. Here in Manchester we will be coordinating a nationwide programme of research in order to improve the treatments available and reduce the burden of care on children and their families. The benefits of our collaborative work will be felt by patients and their families worldwide.” Acting Chief Executive of The Cleft Lip and Palate Association (CLAPA) Sue Carroll added: “We at CLAPA welcome this new and exciting research programme which, over the next five years, will provide huge insights into cleft lip and palate. We urge as many people as possible nationwide to get involved.”
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MRC PPU Scientist Wins Investigator Award
The British Biochemical Society has chosen Dr Kristopher Clark (pictured right) in the MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit (MRC-PPU) at the University of Dundee to receive an Early Career Development Award in 2013. These prizes are presented annually to four young scientists for work carried out in the United Kingdom in recognition of the impact of their research. Only scientists who have been awarded their PhD degrees within the last five years are eligible. Each awardee will present their Medal Lecture at a Biochemical Society conference in 2013, when they will also receive an honorarium of £1000 and the medal. The lecture will be published in the journal Biochemical Society Transactions. Dr Clark was selected by Theme Panel V, which covers the field of Signal Transduction. This topic represents a major aspect of current biochemical research. Over the past two years, Dr Clark has identified how the immune system defends the body against infection by bacteria and viruses without overproducing substances called ‘cytokines’, which are a major cause of lupus, psoriasis and arthritis. His research has also identified ways in which improved drugs to treat these autoimmune diseases might be developed. Commenting on his award, Dr Clark said, “I am thrilled to have won this award from the Biochemical Society. It is a great honour to have my research recognised by my peers in this way. Dundee
has provided me with a great opportunity and stimulating environment to address key questions in the innate immune system and my research would not have been possible without the support of many people within the College of Life Sciences. I now look forward to presenting my Medal Lecture next year.”
Find out more circle no. 512 Nottingham to Partner in Carbon Capture Centre SEND ALL YOUR
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Nottingham University will play a key role in the new UK Carbon Capture and Storage Research Centre (UKCCSRC), a £13 million initiative announced by the Government, which will lead research into safe storage of greenhouse gases produced from power generation. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) will invest £10 million in the Centre over a five-year period, with funding of £3 million from the Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) to establish new capital facilities that will support innovative research. This forms part of the Research Councils UK Energy Programme, which is led by EPSRC. DECC has also launched its CCS Commercialisation Programme and Roadmap, setting out the Government’s vision for achieving commercial deployment of CCS in the UK in the 2020s, including investing £125 million in CCS research and development between 2011-2015. A key priority will be to support the UK economy — by driving an integrated research programme focused on maximising the contribution of CCS to a low-carbon energy system for the UK. Dr Trevor Drage, Associate Professor in Clean Fossil Energy at The University of Nottingham, said: “Nottingham is one of the key partners in the new UK CCS Research Centre. Academics at the University lead and are involved in a number of multidisciplinary research projects on CCS, for example projects on developing novel capture technologies funded by EON and EPSRC, as well as collaborative research projects with China and recently a funded project on carbon capture from natural gas. “The centre also compliments the Efficient Fossil Energy Technology EngD centre which aims to train the research and industry leaders of the future in clean fossil energy and CCS. The UKCCSRC is an exciting development and through the collaboration Nottingham academics and researchers will continue to undertake world leading research and be a key partner in the programme to commercialise CCS in the UK.”
Find out more circle no. 513 Magnificent Microbes on Show
Microbiologists from the University of Dundee were on hand to show visitors the wondrous world of ‘Magnificent Microbes’ at an event held last month at Sensation, Dundee Science Centre. Although most microbes are invisible to the naked eye, our bodies contain millions of them; they help shape our environment, and we use them without knowing it everyday. Among the little known facts about these little ‘creatures’ are that: Ants can use the bacteria that live on their bodies to produce their own antibiotics. Bacteria can be used to fight pollution. Like something from a sci-fi film, microbes can glow in the dark. Lots of commonly consumed food and drink products
are made using fungi or bacteria. Dr Nicola Stanley Wall, a lecturer in microbiology at the University of Dundee, said: “Because of their size, people don’t realise just how interesting and important microbes are so we wanted to hold an event where people could come and see how fascinating they really are. People don’t realise how broad the range of functions are that microbes play a role in. Microbes, especially fungi, are used to make a massive range of food and drink products. “We hope that we’ll be able to give people a better understanding of what microbiology is. With some of the youngsters, it might even persuade them to pursue a career in science.”
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