The SPC manufacturing waiver: curtailing protection or boosting competition?
Lucy O’Brien, Trainee Patent Attorney, A. A. Thornton & Co.
Supplementary Protection Certificates (SPCs) are a valuable IP asset to most major life science businesses. The ability to extend the term of a patent relating to a...
Contributing to the success of injectable drugs
In an increasingly competitive landscape, pharma companies need to focus on their core competence of drug development. Hence, device manufacturers need to support their customers with a range of services beyond the development and...
Over three million surgical operations and cancer treatments a year in England may become...
New data published by Public Health England (PHE) show that antibiotic resistant bloodstream infections continue to rise in England, with an estimated 35% increase from 2013 to 2017 (from 12,250 in 2013 to...
The hidden way to fill vacancies, train and retain
The BSc (Hons) Biomedical Science (pathology lab based) degree apprenticeship has been developed through consultation with pathology laboratory employers and is co-delivered, meeting the requirements for a Healthcare Science Practitioner (Biomedical Scientist) apprenticeship.
The programme...
Detecting viruses in a pinprick
A novel method of detecting viruses in very small volumes has been developed in a collaboration between scientists at Swansea University, Biovici Ltd and the National Physical Laboratory.
Their work – published in Advanced NanoBiomed...
How do bioscience companies ensure a strong talent pipeline for the future?
The UK science industry is facing a national shortage of highly skilled workers, an issue linked previously to STEM subjects being a less favourable option at A Level.
But the tides are changing; this year...
Genomics leads fight against antimicrobial resistant typhoid
A genomic survey of typhoid fever in Zimbabwe has shown how the bacteria behind recent outbreaks evolved extra levels of antimicrobial resistance.
Researchers from the National Microbiology Reference Laboratory, Quadram Institute and University of East...
MRC Harwell: New opportunities for partnerships
The Mary Lyon Centre at MRC Harwell has developed into a centre of excellence for thecreation, breeding, archiving and phenotyping of the laboratory mouse. It continues toadvance, harnessing new technologies, such as those in...
The end of hand-shaking in healthcare?
One interesting way of avoiding the transmission of pathogens is in changing the amount or the style of hand-to-hand contact - most simply by stopping shaking hands. Researchers at Aberystwyth University trialled alternative greetings...
How intellectual property can help 3D printing support, not harm, medtech
3D printing, or additive manufacturing, is frequently, and rightly, hailed as the next revolution in technology.
Since its inception in 1986, 3D printing has transformed numerous sectors including aviation, manufacturing, and energy, and altered perceptions...
Company announces MSA drug research projects
Drug company Evotec has entered into three novel research projects aimed at coming up with new discoveries for the treatment of Multiple Sclerosis.
Supported by research funds from the German Federal Ministry of Education and...
Next fifteen years could see the biggest breakthrough of all
Many of those involved in the bionics industry say that, impressive as the current breakthroughs are, much remains to be achieved and some of that will rely on the development of new technologies and...
How the brain’s immune system could be harnessed to improve memory
When it comes to memory, immune cells are known as the “bad cops” of the brain. But new research shows they could also be turned into “good cops” to power memory and learning.
Inflammation can...
Biosimilars: should they have a ‘similar’ system to the originator?
The safety of any medicine such as biosimilar is as dependent as much on the system that supports it as the biological properties of the medicine itself. Part of this system rests as proprietary...
An old scientific controversy is resolved… plants do make sounds!
For the first time ever, researchers at Tel Aviv University have recorded and analysed distinct sounds from plants.
The click-like sounds, similar to the popping of popcorn, are emitted at a volume similar to human...
UK accounts for over 12% of global cell and gene therapy clinical trials
The UK and the NHS are providing the right environment and infrastructure to allow innovative cell and gene therapies to reach patients. International companies recognise the appeal of the UK cell and gene therapy...