Author Archives: Science Media Centre
experts comment on review on the bacterium A. baumannii, and its profile as a healthcare-associated infection, as published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases
The bacterium has been identified as an emerging cause of infection which is becoming increasingly prevalent in healthcare settings. read more
publication of taskforce on presumed consent
The UK Organ Donation Taskforce has been asked by government to look at whether a move to an ‘opt out’ system would save lives by making more organs available for transplant. The Taskforce’s work involved taking evidence form a wide range of stakeholders, 6 sub committees working on different aspects, a systematic review of all published literature, a comprehensive series of deliberative public events and one to one interviews with 17 different faiths. This report is the most comprehensive investigation into presumed consent ever carried out and the findings were launched at the Science Media Centre. read more
experts comment on the publication of the Taskforce on Presumed Consent
The UK Organ Donation Taskforce was asked by government to review the evidence for moving to a system of ‘presumed consent’, whereby all indivuduals would be automatically presumed to have given consent to organ donation unless they specifically opted out. The Taskforce reached the conclusion that the evidence does not support this move at the present time. read more
experts comment on study in the Lancet discussing failed HIV vaccine
The US trial of a potentially promising new vaccine for HIV ended in failure when it was found to offer no protection against the virus. read more
expert comments on effect of acupuncture on fertility as published in the journal Human Reproduction
The study suggests that acupuncture may reduce the rate of pregnancy when given to patients undergoing fertility treatment. read more
expert comments on new research into the mechanisms underlying Tamoxifen resistance, as published in Nature
Researchers at the University of Cambridge have identified a molecular mechanism for the response to tamoxifen in breast cancer cells, which may provide an explanation for why some women develop resistance to the treatment. read more
experts comment on the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution report: Novel Materials in the Environment: The case of nanotechnology
The report from the influential RCEP set out the issues and concerns surrounding potential releases to the environment from the application of nanomaterials and novel nanotechnologies. read more
expert comments on effect of acupuncture on fertility as published in the journal Human Reproduction
The study suggests that acupuncture may reduce the rate of pregnancy when given to patients undergoing fertility treatment. read more
experts comment on the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution report: Novel Materials in the Environment: The case of nanotechnology
The report from the influential RCEP set out the issues and concerns surrounding potential releases to the environment from the application of nanomaterials and novel nanotechnologies. read more
opening of the University of Oxford Biomedical Sciences Building
The Science Media Centre hosted officials from the University of Oxford for this briefing, which gave an update on progress on the University’s Biomedical Sciences Building, a facility to rehouse animals used in research. read more
launch of new report on nanotechnology
The influential Royal Commission on Nanotechnology has just published a report entitled Novel Materials in the Environment: The case of nanotechnology. The report was prompted by concerns about potential releases to the environment from the industrial application of novel materials, with a particular emphasis on nanomaterials. This briefing was held to launch the report and to set out some of the issues and concerns that it raises. read more
expert reacts to news of opening of Oxford University’s Biomedical Sciences Building, a facility to re-house animals used in research
Dr Simon Festing, Executive Director, Research Defence Society, said: “We believe this research centre will offer world-class facilities for what … read more
experts comment on Greenpeace press release about unpublished Austrian study claiming to link GM maize with infertility in mice
The study was presented as an abstract at a conference in Austria, and did not represent published research. read more
expert comment on research into the use of beta blockers in non-cardiac surgery, as published in The Lancet
The study reviewed the evidence for the use of beta blockers to lower the risk of having a heart attack following surgery, and concluded that the evidence does not support this practice. read more
expert encounter: who’s afraid of xenotransplantation?
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 transplant 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 main collaborator discussed their work on breeding transgenic pigs to produce cells and tissues for potential transplantation. read more
expert encounter: myths and realities about biofuels
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 policies pursued by developed world countries. read more
scientists react to EU directive on animals used in scientific experiments
The European Commission has released a draft directive on the use of animals in research, which, amongst other proposals for changes to the law, advocates the banning of the use of great apes in research. read more
closing cold cases with advanced DNA technology
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. read more
expert comments on new obesity drug
A paper in the journal Cell Metabolism has shown that a new drug demonstrates a protective effect against diet-induced obesity by improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity, and enhances exercise endurance by enhancing fat utilisation in certain target tissues. read more
experts comment on cloning of mice from frozen cells as published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Scientists in Japan have successfully cloned mice that had been frozen for 16 years, raising the possibility that extinct species could be brought back to life. read more