By Heather Hobbs


BRINGING YOU THE LATEST NEWS & EVENTS FROM THE SCIENCE INDUSTRY


Call for Entries: Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators 2022


The Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators, endowed with €20,000, is granted annually to an early career scientist in Europe for outstanding contributions to biomedical research. It has been awarded, in partnership with Nature, since 1995.


Researchers in Europe up to 35 years with an advanced degree in the field of biomedical research can apply online between 1 October 2021 and 15 January 2022 at www.eppendorf.com/award/application


The winner is selected by an independent expert committee chaired by Reinhard Jahn (Max Planck Institute for Biophysical Chemistry, Göttingen, Germany).


Full details on the Eppendorf Award for Young European Investigators, the selection criteria, and previous winners can be found on the Eppendorf website.


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/6EwW 56350pr@reply-direct.com 3D Pancreatic Cancer model refines Research


An international research team have created a three-dimensional pancreatic tumour model using patient-derived cells to try and better understand this disease’s growth patterns and responses to chemotherapy drugs. Pancreatic cancer is very difficult to treat, particularly as there are no signs or symptoms until the cancer has spread.


The study was led by Professors Alvaro Mata from the University of Nottingham (UK), Daniela Loessner from Monash University (Australia) and Christopher Heeschen from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (China).


Dr David Osuna de la Peña, a lead researcher on the project, said: “There are two main obstacles to treating pancreatic cancer – a very dense matrix of proteins and the presence of highly resistant cancer stem cells (CSCs) that are involved in relapse and metastasis. In our study, we have engineered a matrix where CSCs can interact with other cell types and together behave more like they do in the body, opening the possibility to test different treatments in a more realistic manner.”


Pre-clinical tests largely rely on a combination of two-dimensional (2D) lab grown cell cultures and animal models to predict responses to treatment. However, these fail to mimic key features of tumour tissues and interspecies differences can result in many successful treatments in animal hosts being ineffective in humans.


The approach of harnessing the process of self-assembly in the 3D model enabled the research team to create a new hydrogel biomaterial that included multiple, specific, proteins found in pancreatic cancer, which could provide more realistic results when considering how this tumour interacted with its environment.


“Using models of human cancer is becoming more common in developing treatments for the disease, but a major barrier to getting them into clinical applications is the turnaround time, said Professor Alvaro Mata. “We have engineered a comprehensive and tuneable ex vivo model of pancreative ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) by assembling and


organising key matrix components with patient-derived cells. The models exhibit patient-specific transcriptional profiles, CSC functionality and strong tumourigenicity; overall providing a more relevant scenario than Organoid and Sphere cultures. Most importantly, drug responses were better reproduced in our self-assembled cultures than in the other models.


“We believe this model moves closer to the vision of being able to take patient tumour cells in hospital, incorporate them into our model, find the optimum cocktail of treatments for a particular cancer and deliver it back to the patient – all within a short timeframe. Although this vision for precision medicine for treating this disease is still a way off, this research provides a step towards realising it.”


More information online: ilmt.co/PL/WQpQ


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Professor Alvaro Mata. Credit: University of Nottingham


Centre for Quantum Technology launches at Glasgow


The University already leads QuantIC, the UK Quantum Technology Hub in Imaging opened in 2014 and contributes to three other Quantum Technology Hubs launched at the same time; Glasgow researchers and are currently working with more than 50 industrial partners. The University’s James Watt Nanofabrication Centre and its commercial arm, Kelvin Nanotechnology Ltd, also provide essential support to the Centre, through creation of components underpinning new quantum technologies in areas including computing, imaging, communications and sensors.


The University of Glasgow announced the opening of a dedicated centre for quantum technology research during the SPIE Photonex + Vacuum Technologies conference on 29 Sept. The University also opened applications for a million- dollar scholarship fund for graduate student recruitment, supported with funding from SPIE, the international society for optics and photonics.


Speaking at the launch of the Quantum centre, Director Professor Miles Padgett, said: “We’re proud to be officially launching the Centre for Quantum Technology at the SPIE Photonex + Vacuum Technologies conference today. Over the last decade, the University of Glasgow has grown a quantum research activity to become one of the largest quantum centres in the UK.


“The Centre aims to further build on these strengths and develop new commercial partnerships, translate fundamental research into new products, and to attract and retain the best researchers and students to the city.


“To that end, we’re delighted to have the support of the


SPIE Endowment Matching Program to help us encourage the next generation of quantum researchers in academia and in industry. We’re looking forward to welcoming the programme’s first inductees to our new Advanced Research Centre, set to open next year, which will be home to many of our quantum research projects.”


The University has received $500,000 (£425,000) from the SPIE Endowment Matching Program, which has been 100% matched by the University, creating a fund worth a total of $1million (£850,000).


The SPIE Early Career Researcher Accelerator Fund in Quantum Photonics supports two new schemes at the University- an annual SPIE Early Career Researcher in Quantum Photonics Scholarship, awarded to an outstanding University of Glasgow graduate student; and the SPIE Global Early Career Research program that will pair several University early-career researchers with counterparts from outside laboratories for six-month-long shared projects.


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