Science Media Centre - Press Briefings

Our briefings for journalists fall into three categories - Horizon Scanning, News-Related Backgrounders and News Briefings.

These briefings fit well with the Centre's brief on a number of levels: helping us to provide the media with access to accurate, evidence based information about controversial subjects; enabling scientists to be more pro-active and on the front-foot about issues likely to arouse public concern; and helping journalists to scan the horizon and get background information on stories they will be covering in the coming months.

Having initially planned to hold a briefing per month, the Centre now has on average one a week. All are well attended by the national media and despite often being offered as backgrounders, most have resulted in positive media coverage. When the Centre solicited the media reaction to our first year's activities, the briefings won a huge vote of confidence with over 20 journalists from the national media saying that the briefings were consistently high quality and extremely useful for background and good stories.

The subjects for these briefings emerge from the on-going dialogue that the Centre's staff have with scientists, science press officers and journalists.

One of the advantages of the Centre's independence is our ability to bring scientists from different scientific institutions onto the same platform. For example our briefing on the science behind waste brought together four scientists funded by four different Research Councils; our briefing on the Hashmi case saw the family sharing a platform with the HFEA, the BMA and the IVF specialist form Nottingham.

For details about forthcoming briefings, please contact Simon Levey smc@sciencemediacentre.org / 0207 670 2980.

Recently, Lord Robert Winston announced that he was being forced to move his xenotransplantation work (involving transplanting cells and tissues from animals to humans to overcome the shortage of human trnsplant material) to California because of the strict regulation of animal research in the UK. This created further controversy when the former head of the HFEA raised concerns about the safety of this field of research. In this briefing, Lord Winston and his maincollaborator discussed their work on breeding transgenic pigs to produce cells and tissues for potential transplantation.

Biofuels has become one of the most hotly debated issues of our time, with opponents arguing that the rise in the production of biofuels has diverted land away from growing crops for food, leading to recent rises in food prices. Bruce Dale, one of the world's leading biofuels experts, argues that this is a red herring, and that other issues are more important, including low crop yields in the third world and the agricultural policiespursued by developed word countries.

Low-copy number DNA is a relatively new technique used to take genetic fingerprints from crime scenes. The technology has been used to provide evidence in more than 1,000 criminal cases where the investigation had run cold, even those that were 30 years old. This evidence has been used to convict more than 100 people, despite sometimes prompting controversy. In this briefing, experts discuss questions including the accuracy of these techniques and what limitations they stil have.

Motor Neurone Disease (MND) is a rapidly progressive, fatal disease that can affect any adult at any time. There are around 5000 people living with MND in the UK at any one time; and half of those affected will die within 14 months of diagnosis. The cause of over 95% of cases is still unknown, and there is currently no cure or effective treatment. In a significant first step, the MND Association have launched clinical trials with lithium, which could provide a promising new treatment avenue.

Foresight, the Government's independent think tank, launched its latest project report, 'Mental Capital and Wellbeing', which presents the findings of an extensive, peer-reviewed two-year study involving over 400 independent experts.

The Advisory Committee on the Safety of Blood Tissues and Organs (SaBTO) is an independent advisory body set up last year by the Government to provide advice on the most appropriate way to ensure the safety of blood, tissues, cells and organs for transfusion or transplantation. One of their concerns is reducing the risk of transmitting vCJD through blood transfusions (which is in itself rare). At this background briefing, members of SaBTO gave their views on the level of risk and what measures SaBTO are taking o reduce it.

Lord Drayson, the new Science Minister, came to the Science Media Centre to meet journalists and set out his views on the current state of British science.

Opponents of GM crops frequently claim that they offer no benefit except to the profit of multinational companies. However, new field trials suggest that drought-resistant crops are one example of GM technology which could have real and tangible benefits in areas such as food crises in Africa. Dr David Dennis, of Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, and Performance Plants, Inc., who is leading the research, came to the SMC to talk about his work and the novel techniques being used.

Several years ago, in response to recommendations from a House of Lords Select Committee, the Home Office commissioned a group of scientists from academia and industry to pilot new ways of measuring the level of suffering felt by animals in the course of research. The aim was to explore whether there are ways of gathering this information which would provide more accurate information to the public about the real level of suffering. This week the key scientists involved in the pilot published their final report which makes recommendations that the Home Office should radically change the way that scientists report and publish their data on laboratory animal suffering.

Building new nuclear power stations in Britain is once again a matter of public policy debate and controversy, yet very little is actually known about current perceptions of nuclear power within communities which have hosted such facilities for an extended period. Following the Government’s recently declared support for new nuclear energy, a new report reveals the results of a five year long research project looking at how local people living near to nuclear power stations feel about their close proximity.

Biotech breakthroughs are transforming the worlds of health and agriculture offering the promise of drought resistant plants, new medicines and energy sources. Yet some feel that the current system of intellectual proerty rights is fundamentally flawed. A Montreal-based international team of experts in biotechnology, law, ethics and economics has released a new report which will be presented to UK policy makers and NGOs next week. Drawing on data collected over the past seven years, the study portrays a crucially important but increasingly dysfunctional industry that relies on a business model based on outdated conceptions of intellectual property. The lead author of the report came to the SMC to prevent its main findings.

The energy expert Prof Ian Fells came to the SMC to release a new report on the looming energy crisis in the UK. The report, entitled "A Pragmatic Energy Policy for the UK", has been commissioned by a top industrialist and is backed by high profile energy specialists. It claims to identify the realities facing the UK if urgent action is not taken now, and its timely release is intended to stimulate debate at the forthcoming party conferences.

Bisphenol A is a chemical used around the world in the production of many common plastic products including CDs, drinks containers and sports equipment. As with all industrial chemicals, there have been many rigorous health and safety checks over the use of Bisphenol A. Despite widely publicised concerns over use of the substance, previous scientific studies have not shown any significant health impact. New research published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has found a correlation between high levels of Bisphenol A and both heart disease and diabetes. Authors of the study and leading experts came to the SMC to brief the media.

Earlier this year, several high profile figures including the Prime Minister and the Chief Medical Officer announced their preference to see the UK following Spain in moving towards a system of 'presumed consent' in organ donation, whereby individuals are automatically assumed to have agreed to donate their organs after death unless they specifically opt out, so as to increase the numbers or organs available for donation. However many experts close to the front line of transplant medicine are now raising serious concerns which they feel have not been heard in the debate, and have argued that the evidence from Spain does not in fact support such a move. The Science Media Centre invited three leading experts to brief journalists about their concerns about changing from opting in to opting out.

There has been a predictable public and media reaction to the notion of using human biosolids (i.e. from human waste) as fertiliser to grow food. However, the resulting product is cheap, natural, recycled and energy efficient. Leading scientists came to the SMC to discuss the potential for treating and cleaning raw sewage to be used in this way, and how to overcome the 'yuck' factor.

Run in conjunction with the charity H.E.A.R.T. UK, this briefing introduced the background to the genetic disorder familial hypercholesterolaemia, which affects 1 inn 500 people in the UK and causes exceptionally high levels of cholesterol. However, only 20% of patients are currently diagnosed because there are few, if any, symptoms. Experts addressed questions including what tests for FH are available and how it can be treated.

This briefing, run with the British Geological Survey, unveiled some of the early results from the world's biggest ever geological mapping project, OneGeology, which will produce the first digital geological map of the world on the internet.

With all the recent discussion about human impact on the environment through carbon and the use of fuel, another key resource has often been overlooked: water. Water is becoming increasingly scarce, and there are profound implications for this in the future as the world's population grows. This briefing explored the issues surrounding the strategic importance of this most precious of natural resources.

As Government ministers call for the re-opening of the debate on GM crops, various questions have been raised over whether GM technology can deliver on its potential without a negative impact on biodiversity and the wider environment. After his recent trial of nematode-resistant potatoes was destroyed by anti-GM activists, the SMC invited Prof Atkinson to discuss his work and how his research has been set back by this.

The Home Office, in conjunction with the Science Media Centre, held this briefing to announce the annual statistics on the use of animals in research, including details of the numbers of animals used and the numbers of procedures carried out.

This briefing, run in collaboration with the Institute for Cancer Research, announced groundbreaking research revealing a drug that rapidly treats an aggressive and almost always fatal type of common prostate cancer.

The possible benefits of nicotine, the biological reason why one becomes a drug addict, the link between our genes and the way we behave, and repairing the brain... New research on each of these topics was announced at this year's Forum of European Neuroscience (12 – 16 July), and the researchers came to the Science Media Centre to talk about their research beforehand.

This briefing coincided with a review of the Nutrient Profiling Model, which was set up by the Food Standards Agency to establish a standard to determine which children's foods are healthy enough to be advertised on television. The FSA has set up another panel to carry out this review, and two members of the panel discussed their findings and the broader issues involved.

Sir John Sulston, the Nobel prize-winning geneticist wh lead the UK project to decode the human genome, has, together with bioethicist John Harris, established a new Institute for Science, Ethics and Innovation. The new Institute will address issues surrounding the ethics and commerical treatment of science, and the role of science and innovation in society. John Sulston and John Harris came to the Science Media Centre to explain their current concerns about the commercialisation of science with a particular focus on issues like the use of patents in genetics and other areas of science.

New legislation proposed by the European Commission, if enacted in September, could drastically cut the number of compounds permitted for use in agriculture across the EU. Agricultural scientists have expressed concern over the scientific rationale behind the legislation, and the impacts that it could have on food production if compunds that were previously considered safe are banned. In this background briefing, several leading experts discussed the latest science on pesticides and the potential effects of the legislation on food production and pesticide safety.

Multiple pregnancy has long been acknowledged to be the single biggest risk of IVF treatment for babies and mothers. A national strategy, led by doctors, professional bodies and patient organisations, is aiming to reduce the number of multiple pregnancies following IVF, and so reduce the risk to mothers and babies. Experts involved in the programme came to the SMC to talk about multiple births and how the new strategy will help reduce the risks.

The Science Media Centre hosted experts from the World Health Organisation for this briefing on the future of health policy in Europe, timed to coincide with a major conference in Talinn of 52 member states of the EU.

Although most pregnancies and labours proceed without problems, things can sometimes go wrong. Around 10% of mothers experience such a difficult labour that they require an emergency caesarean section; about 50,000 operations each year are carried out on otherwise healthy women in the UK alone. Researchers and clinicians at the University of Liverpool and Liverpool Women’s NHS Foundation Trust, who are working together to improve this situation and create the Centre for Better Births, came to the SMC to discuss the difficulties that modern mothers face and what is being done to make pregnancy and childbirth safer.

Professor Edzard Ernst and Simon Singh, have recently published a new book on alternative medicine entitled Trick or Treatment? Alternative Medicines on Trial. Based on the results from thousands of scientific trials, they presented the latest evidence concerning a whole range of alternative therapies and asked whether each treatment is effective and safe.

Millions of people in the UK suffer from migraines each year. It particularly affects women and is severely disabling, yet relatively little is known about the causes or what can be done to treat the condition. Professor Peter Goadsby, widely acknowledged as being at the very forefront of migraine research, spoke at this background briefing on questions including the causes of migraine, potential new drugs which may be used to treat it, and what other potential treatments may exist.

RNA interference (RNAi) is a process by which genes are prevented from performing their functions at certain times, and has been hailed as a potential breakthrough in areas including medicine and agriculture. This background briefing brought together some of the leading experts in the field to discuss the science of RNAi and its potential applications in these areas.

Type 1 diabetes affects about 350,000 people in the UK, 20,000 of them children. The latest research shows that there are many different genes associated with Type 1 diabetes, making this condition even harder to understand. Experts are going to collaborate in a huge multi-million pound project called the Centre for Diabetes Genes, Autoimmunity and Prevention (D-GAP), and some of the leading experts involved with the project came to the SMC to talk about key issues including the need for screening and the possibility of a cure.

The Science Media Centre hosted the AMS for this briefing on the publication of a major report on the brain, drug addiction and behaviour.

The authors of new research published in Nature Nanotechnology came to the SMC to brief the media on their findings. Their pilot study investigated the effects of introducing carbon nanotubes into the abdominal cavity of mice.

Over 1 billion people live in countries where 20-50% of all marriages are consanguineous (between second cousins or closer relatives). However, there have been few studies of consanguinity and its health impacts. To coincide with the Royal Society of Medicine conference Celebrating 100 Years of Medical Genetics (22-23 May), the SMC invited some of the world's leading experts in this field to brief journalists on consanguinous marriages and their potential risks and benefits.

A Global Summit of HRT experts has met to produce a consensus statement on the risks and benefits of Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT) in early menopausal woman. The reports will be presented at the 12th World Congress on the Menopause (Madrid, 19-23 May). Two of the main authors of the reports came to the SMC to brief journalists on their decisions.

There are estimated to be over half a million people in the UK with autism and yet little is still known about the causes. To coincide with the International Meeting for Autism Research (IMFAR) this week, some of the world's leading experts will come to the SMC to brief the media on autism research and treatment to date, the future of science in this area, and to address the question of whether it is time to give up on a single explanation for autism.

The Nuffield Council on Bioethics is about to launch a public consultation on the ethical dilemmas that are faced by people with dementia and those who care for them. The SMC hosted this briefing on the consultation, ahead of the official launch.

The Advisory Council on the Misuse of Drugs (ACMD) was asked by the Home Secretary in July 2007 to provide advice to the Government on the classification of Cannabis under the Misuse of Drugs Act 1971. The resulting report, 'Cannabis: Classification and Public Health', was published on 7 May, and members of the Committee came to the SMC to brief journalists on their findings.

The Science Media Centre ran this special briefing at the House of Commons, ahead of the start of the Bill's passage through parliament, to bring together journalists, researchers and patient groups to discuss the scientific issues and potential for treatments for incurable disease.

Although the reality of climate change has now been accepted, there remains considerable uncertainty in predictions of the magnitude and patterns of future warming. So how do politicians and businesses get the kind of reliable regional climate predictions that they need in order to devise sound adaptation strategies? The SMC invited three of the world's leading climate modellers to brief journalists ahead of the World Modelling Summit for Climate Prediction, beginning on 5 May.

The market for so called 'cosmaceuticals' – cosmetics sold on the basis of their supposed scientific credentials - has increased rapidly in recent times. But there are questions over their effectiveness and the physiological effects of their active ingredients. Some of the UK's leading skin scientists came to the Science Media Centre to discuss some of the more pressing issues in skin care research.

The creation of stem cell-derived 'artificial' gametes has opened up several promising, and controversial, areas of research. As well as providing potential treatments for infertility, there is speculation that they could be used to allow same sex couples to have a child genetically descended from both parents, a question that is being debated in the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill. Leading bioethicists and embryologists came together to discuss the scientific and ethical issues involved in this area of research.

On Tuesday 15th April the Renewable Transport Fuel Obligation (RTFO) comes into play. It will state the amount of renewable fuel that has to be used for transport, putting biofuels back at the top of the news agenda. Some of the leading scientists in this field briefed journalists on the science behind biofuels and the wider issues, including their impacts on the environment.

The Science Media Centre hosted this briefing to coincide with a Lancet special issue.

Anticancer drug trials can be stopped early if short-term results are good, but a dramatic rise in early closure of studies could prevent proper evaluation of the long-term risks and benefits of the treatments. New research to be published in the journal Annals of Oncology has assessed all trials published in the past 11 years that were stopped early because they showed benefit to patients. Scientists involved with the research came to the Science Media Centre to discuss their findings and the wider implications.

With the UK National Stem Cell Network holding the country's first ever national stem cell research conference next week (9-11 April), and with the recent public and political debate surrounding the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Bill, leading stem cell scientists came to the Science Media Centre to talk about issues for the future of stem cell science, including the role for induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell research.

The Science Media Centre hosted the Met Office for a briefing on seasonal forecasting, its strengths and limitations, and the prospects for the coming summer.

Speaking ahead of the publication of an editorial in the British Journal of Psychiatry titled 'Models as a high-risk group: the health implications of a size-zero culture', Janet Treasure from the Institute of Psychiatry came to the Science Media Centre to discuss the risk factors for and consequences of eating disorders, why models are particularly at risk, and the latest advances in eating disorder research.

Journalists were briefed by the authors of a new study which used a revolutionary technique in order to silence microRNA in monkeys, allowing them to lower blood cholesterol levels. There is hope the new technique will have therapeutic value in areas such as cancer and infectious disease.

Four of the UK's leading paediatricians came to speak to journalists about whether recent high-profile court cases involving paediatricians and allegations of parental harm have created a climate of fear in hospitals.

Representatives from the British Computer Society (BCS) came to the Science Media Centre to brief journalists on the results of their Data Guardianship Survey.

Experts came to talk to journalists about the launch of a five-year project to create an autonomous, shape-changing artificial life form, from swarms of robots linked together to share energy and computational resources.

Researchers from the British Society of Animal Science came to the Science Media Centre to brief journalists on the environmental, nutrirional and welfare issues surrounding meat production.

Representatives from the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (CEH) came to the Science Media Centre to brief the media on their report into the summer floods of 2007.

Experts in cancer research came to the Science Media Centre to brief journalists on the new developments in research that could turn ovarian cancer into a chronic survivable condition.

Experts from Westlakes Scientific Consulting came to brief journalists on the results of their new large-scale study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, investigating the health of nuclear power station workers in the UK.

Representatives from Institution of Mechanical Engineers came to the SMC to brief the media on their report concerning low carbon mobility and sustainable transport.

Research published in Science has provided new clues as to the cause of motor neurone disease; researchers at King's College London have found mutations in a gene that causes the disease, allowing scientists to understand the mechanisms that initiate disease, which they hope will help identify new therapeutic targets.

Experts from three of the UK's leading food science institutions were invited to brief journalists on the truth behind processed convenience foods, and whether these are always less healthy than home-cooked meals.

In a joint briefing with the Wellcome trust, journalists spoke to experts involved in a new £1.4m study into the effects of nutritional supplementation on levels of antisocial behaviour in young offender prisons.

The Science Media Centre invited journalists to meet with Professor Bill Stirling, Director General of the European Synchotron Radiation Facility, and recipient of the Institute of Physics Glazebrook Medal, who talked about the importance of continuing investment in synchotron research.

Experts in the fields of stem cell research and leukaemia came to the Science Media Centre to speak to journalists about the recent discovery of a stem cell population that could be key to the development of better treatments for leukaemia and other cancers.