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Securing a deal for the UK chemistry- based industry
SHARON TODD Executive Director, SCI
A successful science-based industry is essential to any supply chain, underpinning almost every industry that is responsible for commercialising science and innovation. With the chemistry-based industry responsible for 37% of UK manufacturing and adding over £15bn to our economy annually, SCI recognises the need to protect and promote its capabilities now and following Brexit.
With the UK striving to become the
world’s most innovative economy, manu- facturing is vital to the UK’s economic growth and for a sustainable society, driven by the chemical-using industries. We saw recognition of the importance
of industry to the UK in the government’s Industrial Strategy, which also marked the launch of Sector Deals – partnerships between industry and government that will tackle sector-specific issues to improve productivity and skills, and foster innovation. As an integral part of the UK’s science
and innovation economy, SCI has been commissioned by the Chemistry Growth Partnership (CGP) – our close partner in promoting the importance of science- based industries – to support a revised strategy and secure a sector deal. As part of this work, SCI and the CGP
have established an Innovation Working Party with representatives spanning the chemistry-using industries, to help establish core recommendations to government about how they can best support UK science, innovation and industry. This work will build closely on
the SCI/CGP report, Developing a low carbon future for the chemical industry, which championed the importance and quality of the UK’s chemical industry, and its integral role in the success of the Industrial Strategy and securing economic growth. SCI is committed to creating value
from science – from engaging with policymakers to fostering innovation – which stems from continued investment and support, and collaboration between academia, industry and government.
This topic was the
subject of a presentation made at SCI’s Agrisciences group at a meeting in September 2017. Read the full article here:
bit.ly/2EI1t6Y
EVENT REVIEW
Resistance is useless
As with many pest, weed and disease organisms, insect pests present continu- ing problems in agriculture, and their management with insecticides can give rise to resistant strains that are increas- ingly difficult to control. This problem of resistance is becom- ing critical and is exacerbated due to the limitations on the introduction of new effective and safe insecticidal types and increasing concerns on environmental and human toxicology aspects. As a con- sequence, considerable effort has been expended on understanding how insects and related pests become resistant. New understanding of these processes could influence crop pest management and, potentially, many other areas. Traditionally, resistance mechanisms
have been explained by changes at the molecular level, such as enzyme inhibition and enhancement, and at the organelle or tissue levels, such as nerves or membranes. The rapid application of molecular biology methods – especially transcrip-
SAVE THE DATE
48 02 | 2018
tomics – has revealed changes that occur when insects are exposed to insecticides or become adapted to survive in such stressful environments. Any stimulus detrimental to an insect
stresses its constituent cells. The insect response to toxins is no different. The careful dynamic balance of the cell is perturbed and this balance or homeosta- sis needs to be recovered if the insect is to survive. The major components in the cell that maintain proteostasis are the in- tracellular proteases, which interact with the protein synthesis machinery. Stress in the cell results in oxidised
or misfolded proteins that need to be removed. These undesirable proteins are hydrolysed by intracellular proteases, especially the proteasomes, and the resulting peptides and amino acids are recycled to produce the building blocks to make defensive systems. Thus, it is likely that the role of proteases is to help prepare the cell to protect it against stressors, rather than provide a de facto resistance mechanism.
SCI is pleased to announce that the 137th AGM will be held at our London HQ on 4 July 2018
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