The laboratory which is in Harlow, Essex will be operated by both scientists and leading experts from Kings College London. It will test 6, 250 samples throughout the duration of the Olympic and Paralympic Games, which is many more than have been tested in previous Games.

The new drug testing laboratory will employ over 1,000 staff to work within the anti-doping process, as well as 150 scientists who will carry out the testing. The team will be lead by Professor David Cowan from the Drug Control Centre at King’s College London. The laboratory will be in operation 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Sir Andrew Witty, CEO of GlaxoSmithKline, said: ‘As a science-based organisation, GSK is well placed to help deliver the scale and cutting edge technology required to run an operation like the anti-doping facility for London 2012.

‘We have worked with King’s to put systems in place to enable this laboratory to test more samples than any previous Games and at the same time developing a blueprint for doping operations at future Games.’

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The prototype urine test can reveal what patients have been eating over the past week by identifying chemical fingerprints of substances that have been created by different foods. So far, chemical fingerprints have been found food fruit and veg such as raspberries, orange juice and broccoli.  The team of scientists believe that soon each food group will be identifiable and that a dip stick test will be available within the next five years.

Speaking of the test, Professor John Draper who lead the team of scientists at Aberystwyth university stated, “It should mean that for the first time researchers will be able to say for certain which items of food help protect against specific diseases, and those that can seriously increase the chance of getting a particular disease.”

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The team of scientists were lead by Professor Stefan Schlatt at Muenster University were able to grow sperm cells in a laboratory dish using germ cells – the cells in the testicles that are responsible for sperm production.

This incredible breakthrough could enable infertile men to father their own children. Speaking of the discovery, Stephen Gordon, a leading NHS male infertility consultant stated, “Infertile men naturally want to be the father of their child but at present have to accept that can’t happen. With the mouse discovery, that could now be a possibility.”

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Budding scientists at Cornwell’s Eden Project will be testing their DNA to find out whether or not they have a genetic variation of a certain gene which makes a chemical within Brussels sprouts taste particularly bitter.  Luckily for them, those who don’t have this mutation (it is thought that this is about half the world’s population) don’t taste the bitterness at all, meaning they can take full advantage of the nutritional goodness of the good old sprout.

This national programme is being run for the UK Association for Science and Discovery Centres (ADC) and is supported by the Wellcome Trust. The project aims to give young scientists some hands-on experience of working with DNA.

Talking of the programme, John Ellison, head of education strategy at Eden Project, said: “These workshops use Brussels sprouts and our own DNA to show how humans and plants have evolved together.

“The Eden Project provides the context to connect molecular biology with rainforest research into the plant diversity which is vital for future survival.”

Enjoy your sprouts and Merry Christmas!

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This discovery, which was made in the laboratory has sparked hopes that one day cancer patients’ own skin could be used to help fight their tumours.

The research focused on dendritic cells which are key in organising the immune response as they tell the immune system where to attack by showing identifying markets or antigens.

This study has strengthened previous research by Cancer Research UK as Dr Caeutano Reis e Sousa, and immunology expert, explains, “By showing that normal body cells can be reprogrammed to become a sub-type of dendritic cells with superior activity, this research builds on previous work by Cancer Research UK scientists using blood stem cells as starting material.”

Now this exciting discovery has been made, the real challenge now is to establish whether or not these cells which were made in the lab, can be used for cancer treatments in the clinic.

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The scientists, working from Edinburgh and Bristol University have successfully created millions of red blood cells from stem cells (these are taken from the bone marrow). Scientists know that cells taken from human embryos are most easy to multiply in large numbers. However, researchers have not yet managed to create realistic blood.

Once an effective technique has been developed, this artificial blood will be free from disease and could be given to anyone, regardless of their blood group. Scientists believe that this will improve blood transfusions by preventing hospital shortages. The artificial blood is also hoped to save many lives at road traffic accidents, during surgery and at war.

However, many do not agree with technique of extracting stem cells from human embryos in order to advance medical science. Therefore, as Mr Turner from the Wellcome Trust highlights,  ‘There is a lot of regulatory framework to ensure that the cells are being treated with the appropriate respect and being used for genuine scientific and medical reasons and not in a trivial fashion.’

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One of the main challenge when it comes to diseases of the brain is getting treatment across the blood-brain barrier and it is hoped that this new development could be key in treating diseases such as Parkinson’s, Muscular Dystrophy and Alzheimer’s.

The team of scientists at the University of Oxford used exosomes from mouse dentritic cells to cross that barrier. Studies found a 60% reduction in gene’s activity and it is hoped that the method could be modified to treat other conditions across the body. Lead Researcher, Dr Matthew Wood stated,  ”We are working on sending exosomes to muscle, but you can envisage targeting any tissue. It can also be made specific by changing the drug used.”

Research will now test the treatment on mice with Alzheimer’s and see if their condition changes. It is hoped that trials will begin on human patients within  five years.

The company’s chief executive, Andrew Witty announced the news on Sky News. He stated that the scheme was not restricted to scientists, chemists and pharmacists, but will also be available to lawyers, economists and all of the other top class graduates that could help the pharmaceutical company.  He said, “The biggest reason we are doing this is that we want to get the absolute best possible graduates we can to work for GSK,” he told the programme. This is a great way for us to try and ensure we get that next brilliant scientist.”

As of next year, university tuition fees will triple for undergraduates so this is great news for budding scientists who are interested in working in the Pharmaceutical industry.

It is hoped that the announcement of GSK’s scheme will will encourage other companies to follow suit and help their recruits with crippling tuition fees. Thus ensuring that potential top talent will continue with their education.

GSK’s programme will costs them around £3 million per year and trainees will be required to stay with the company for several years until the fees have be repaid.

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This new discovery, by Dr Leo James transforms our previous understanding of our immunity to viral diseases such as the common cold. It ultimately shows that antibodies are able to enter cells, and once inside, can trigger a response. This response it led by a protein called TRIM21 which pulls the virus into a disposal system used by the cell to get rid of unwanted material.

Researchers believe this process happens rapidly – even before the viruses can harm the cell.

Dr James said: “Doctors have plenty of antibiotics to fight bacterial infections but few antiviral drugs.  Although these are early days, and we don’t yet know whether all viruses are cleared by this mechanism, we are excited that our discoveries may open multiple avenues for developing new antiviral drugs.”

Sir Greg Winter, deputy director of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said: “This research is not only a leap in our understanding of how and where antibodies work, but more generally in our understanding of immunity and infection.”

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It is hoped the process will be one day be up-scaled and moved from the lab to the hospital, taking us one step closer to solving the transplant shortage.

Speaking of the new development, Associate Professor Shay Soker of the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, stated, “We are excited about the possibilities this research represents, but must stress that we’re at an early stage and many technical hurdles must be overcome before it could benefit patients.”

“Not only must we learn how to grow billions of liver cells at one time in order to engineer livers large enough for patients, but we must determine whether these organs are safe to use in patients.”

Over 600 liver transplants take place each year in the UK, but unfortunately, it is estimated that more than a fifth of patients die waiting for their procedure. The problem is alleviated due to the fact that many livers have to be discarded as they are too old or damaged to be of any use.

Sarah Matthews, of the British Liver Trust, said: “Technology such as this is much needed. Currently supply isn’t meeting demand, and for every one person who receives a liver transplant, 10 people die.

“Expanding waistbands and heavy drinking habits are having an impact on the quality of donor organs available in the UK, therefore we desperately need developments in liver science. We are encouraged by these results but would also like to warn patients that this technology is a good few years off from becoming available,” she said.

The research was presented at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases in Boston.

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The protest was planned by campaign group, Science Vital, and was in response to a comment by Vince Cable, business secretary stating that 45 per cent of research grants in the UK went towards research that was not considered ‘excellent’, as a result he said that budgets would have to be squeezed.

Over 25,000 protestors have now signed the Science is Vital petition which calls on government not to reduce science funding as a result of the Comprehensive Spending Review (CSR), which in a week and a half’s time will reveal the government’s spending plans for the next four years.

Want to find out more? Find out more on the Chemistry World website.

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 Andy Haines, Vice Chancellor of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine stated, “The immigration cap, certainly in my institution, appears to be affecting the overseas students that we’re getting and it’s very serious that it’s coming particularly at the time when we’re potentially financially challenged. It’s misguided to impose an immigration cap, particularly on bona-fide institutions, when actually we’re generating resources for the UK. The students that we train go on to benefit their own countries and our economy. We need to maintain a reputation as a destination for the very highest fliers in the world and if we have arbitrary caps on recruitment of staff from overseas, this will impair that mission.”

These comments came in response to a government briefing organised by the Campaign for Science and Engineering and came a day after the chair of the House of Lords science and technology committee warned of a drain of science talent in the UK.

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Researchers have found that one of the main hurdles facing footballers in a penalty shoot-out scenario is the high-stress situation. Scientists found that the tense atmosphere may result in the footballer to focus more on the goalkeeper- thus unwittingly aiming the football at them. Therefore scientists advice footballers to make a point of focusing on a spot in the goal where they want the ball to go and then kick accordingly – simple really.

Speaking of the research, Greg Wood, a Sports Psychologist at the University of Exeter stated, “During a highly stressful situation, we are more likely to be distracted by any threatening stimuli and focus on them, rather than the task in hand.

“In a stressful situation, a footballer’s attention is likely to be directed towards the goalkeeper, as opposed to the optimal scoring zones just inside the post. This disrupts the aiming of the shot and increases the likelihood of subsequently hitting the shot towards the goalkeeper, making it easier to save.”

The study investigated the eye movements of 14 footballers whilst they took penalties in both stressful and relaxing situations. The stressful sitation was emulated by offering a financial reward for the best penalty taker and by competitively ranking each of the footballers by their scores.

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Sir Roland Jackson, the chief executive of the British Science Association, said he had been impressed by the active role the Aberdeen branch of the association had played in public engagement with science over the years.

The university will host the festival from 4 to 9 September, 2012, at King’s College in Old Aberdeen and at the Foresterhill health campus.

This year, The British Science Festival will be held in Birmingham and will attract 350 of the UK’s top scientists, engineers and commentators together to discuss the latest developments in science and technology. Tens of thousands of visitors regularly attend a wide variety of events – from hands-on family days, to debates on current hot topics and unique opportunities to question the UK’s top scientists. This year the British Science Festival will take place on 14-19^th September 2010.

For more information, click here to visit the British Science Festival website.

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This Recruitment Consultant role is a sales-orientated position with an account management bias and will involve extensive people contact, both face-to-face and by telephone. You will be joining a small, very experienced team of scientific recruiters who specialise in providing permanent and temporary staff to companies employing scientists and technologists in the North of England and in Scotland.

On a daily basis as a Recruitment Consultant you will be liaising with scientists and other technical disciplines, therefore a relevant background in a technical discipline or qualifications in this field would be advantageous. In addition to this, experience in sales or recruitment would be desirable.

The ideal candidate for this Recruitment Consultant position will be an ongoing individual with lots of personality who is hungry for success and will enjoy the satisfaction of providing a quality, professional scientific recruitment service to both clients and candidates. In addition, you will have excellent communication skills combined with self-confidence, a professional approach and highly developed organisational and administrative skills.

For more information, or to apply for this Recruitment Consultant job, please contact Lorna Crombie on 0191 384 8906 or email lcrombie@ckscience.co.uk. Please quote reference DH19256 in all correspondence.

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The prize was awarded to Emily Rivers. Emily completed her placement year at Southend University Hospital. The placement was one that Emily successfully secured herself, and was unpaid.

In order to generate some much needed cash Emily made money by:

• Training as a phlebotomist and working part-time in the clinic
• Working as part-time Medical Laboratory Assistant in the evenings

Emily was holding down 3 jobs during her placement year. Despite this, she still successfully completed her portfolio well within the time period and impressively gained a Distinction at the City and Guilds Licentiateship. Speaking of her achievement, Emily’s supervisor said that she was an asset to the department and had the potential to “take her career far”.

Benefits of the Industrial Placement Year

Completing a placement year is a great way for students to not only gain invaluable work experience but also to  increase your employability. Research shows that 70 per cent of employers prefer students with work experience.

Taking a placement is also a useful way for you to explore possible career opportunities and help you make potentially valuable contacts to help you once you have graduated.

The University of Hertfordshire has a dedicated Graduate Futures Team to help students get placements within the scientific industry. 

Completed an Industrial Placement Year in Science? Register with CK Science Now!

CK Science is a leading independent scientific recruitment agency for science jobs. We successfully help some of the top scientific, chemical, biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies from around the world to recruit high calibre individuals to their science jobs.

We are always on the look out for science graduates who have completed an industrial placement year. If you are an experienced graduate looking for your dream job in science, register with CK Science here.

As Senior Process Technologist your role will involve:

• The introduction of new products
• Prioritising plant preparation and start up activities
• The allocation of tasks to members of the production team
• Accountability for the introduction of new and existing products
• Acting as a focal point for process performance issues

This Senior Process Technologist role also involves managing a small team of document technicians and manufacturing scientists ensuring all documents are compliant with company standards and laboratory scale process development and scale up activities during early stages of technical transfer.

This is a fantastic opportunity to join an exceptional company which offers innovative solutions at the cutting edge of research.

To be considered for this Senior Process Technologist role you must have a proven background in a similar role and be of graduate calibre.

How to Apply

For more information or to apply for this Senior Process Technologist role, please contact Heather Deagle at hdeagle@ckscience.co.uk. Please use reference number DH19448 in all correspondence.

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About CK Science

CK Science is the largest independent scientific recruitment company in the UK. Our team of specialist recruiters are here to help you achieve your career ambitions within the scientific industry. We actively offer you careers advice, help with writing your CV, assistance with interview preparation and up-to-date information about the industry. We pride ourselves on providing an honest, straight-forward and trustworthy service to both our clients and candidates.

In recent years, pharmaceutical companies have come under increasing pressure to change their approach to providing cheap drugs to people in the developing world. Many have faced fierce criticism for their failure to drop prices for HIV drugs while millions died in Africa and Asia, for defending patents. However, it seems the Chief Executive of GSK, Andrew Witty has a plan to fix this problem.

As reported in the Daily Telegraph, GSK is planning to share scientific data and laboratories in a bid to wipe out tropical diseases, such as malaria.  Andrew Witty, the Chief Executive of GSK who recently spent time in some of the world’s poorest continents, including Africa, said the global pharmaceutical company has a “genuine appetite to change the landscape of healthcare for the world’s poorest people”. In fact, it is estimated that Africa carries 70% of the world’s healthcare burden, but only receives 3% of healthcare resources.

In 2009, GSK announced it would create a patent pool for some of its existing products and not-for-profit-pricing on a variety of drugs for the developing world. In addition, the pharmaceutical giant plans to release 13,500 of its compounds that are believed to have the potential to be developed into new malaria treatments.

GSK will also operate an ‘Open Lab’ scheme whereby the company will open one of its laboratories in Tres Santocs, Spain, for non-GSK scientists to use to investigate treatments for other tropical diseases. The lab will accommodate 60 scientists who will benefit from £4.9m of funding from GSK to help with their research.  Speaking of this innovative ‘Open Lab’ scheme, Witty stated, Speaking before leaving for New York, Mr. Witty said: “Malaria is a dreadful disease which stalks the fields and villages of many parts of the least developed world. It has been an intractable problem for decades. Enormous progress has been made through bed net programmes, for example, but a really effective treatment has been somewhat elusive. We need to enlist the help of scientists around the world and to make it as easy as possible for that brilliant scientist, wherever they are, to find that initial spark that could be the breakthrough.”

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