Home | Objectives |  Organization | Members | News and Info. | Publications | Products | Interesting Links | Library | Secure ACTIP Bulletin 38 February 2004   Next ACTIP meeting   The next ACTIP meeting will be held in Marburg, Germany   June 3-4, 2004   The two central themes of the meeting will be 'Quality and Safety' and 'Novel downstream processing methods'. By now, you should all have received details of the meeting. If not, please contact the ACTIP Secretariat.       In this issue   Avian flue at root of Spanish flue? News from the Commission The future of research in Europe Innovation scoreboard 2003: EU still behind, and new member states catching up Research News Business news On the web Agenda     Avian flue at root of Spanish flue?   Eight million people died in World War one; worldwide, the Spanish flue outbreak of 1918 caused more than 20 million and maybe even as many as 40 million deaths. The Spanish flue is the most severe (recorded) infection known to mankind. The bubonic plague in the 14th century caused more deaths (50 million) but lasted longer (five years). The Spanish flue was a pandemic. Yet, at the time there was not much information available because of censuring due to the war (50% of American soldiers fighting in Europe died of the flue); Spain, however, was a neutral country and therefore reported freely about the devastating results. Since information about the flue came from Spain, the name Spanish Flue stuck. Probably a better name would have been the Indian flue, since in that country alone more than 12 million people died of its effects. The Spanish flue was exceptional in that a large number of victims were young adults between 15-34 years of age; with a 'normal' flue mostly small children and the elderly succumb. Probably the young adults lacked antibodies which the elderly had thanks to previous exposure to different types of influenza. It is still unknown why the Spanish flue was this severe and where it originated. For a long time, it was suspected that the virus jumped from swine to men. However, increasing evidence suggests that birds may have been the cause. As recent as two years ago, pathologist Jeff Taubenberger and molecular biologist Ann Reid managed to isolate RNA from the lungs of a well-preserved 1918 flue-victim in the Alaskan permafrost. The RNA appeared to be a gene for haemagglutin, a viral coat protein. This year, investigators Ian Wilson and John Sekel managed to express this RNA in a baculovirus. X-ray crystallography of the expressed protein suggests an avian heritage. The Spanish-flue-haemagglutin binds very well to analogs of both human and avian receptors. According to Shekel, the combination of a mutated virus (to which young adults hardly have immunity) plus efficient binding to lung cells was responsible for the extreme rapid spread and lethality of the Spanish flue virus. At present, it takes nearly seven months to produce a flue vaccine in chicken eggs. Many institutes and companies are developing faster methods. Solvay in the Netherlands has made a lot of progress producing flue vaccine in canine kidney cells; Dutch Crucell and French Aventis are developing production methods using human embryonic eye cells; company Baxter already has a cell culture facility up and running in the Czech Republic. This plant is able to produce 50 million vaccine doses per year in monkey kidney cells. At the moment, however, the plant is mainly producing vaccines against small-pox for the US market. Source: Bionieuws, February 13, 2004 and Science, February 6, 2004   News from the Commission   Parliament backs plan for new agency to control infectious diseases The Parliament has given its go-ahead to the establishment of a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The Centre will become operational in 2005, will be based in Sweden and operate on a budget of 48 million euro in its first three years. Outbreaks of the Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome epidemic (SARS) in 2003 and the avian flu in 2004 have prompted the EU to take urgent action to prevent the emergence of epidemics. In July 2003, the Commission proposed legislation for the establishment of a European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. On 10 February 10, the European Parliament adopted a report by John Bowis (EPP-ED, UK) on its creation. The mission of the European Centre will be to enable better coordination of action against the spread of communicable diseases than is currently possible. It will "search for, collect, collate, evaluate and disseminate data" on current and emerging risks, including bio-terrorism. The Centre will be involved in vaccinations, training measures and the promotion of other public health objectives. It will be tasked with the co-ordination of the work of specialists across the Union in the framework of an 'early warning and response system'. Source: Euractiv, February 11, 2004 Date   Wasted talents: female researchers in Eastern Europe New figures show that many promising female scientists in Eastern Europe and the Baltic states are squeezed out of well-funded research opportunities to the benefit of their male colleagues. "A waste of talent" complains the Commission. A new report by the Commission paints a dire picture of the situation of women researchers in Central and Eastern European countries and the Baltic states. Although more than one third of scientists in these countries are female (compared to only 27.2 per cent in the EU-15), the report shows that a large proportion of women researchers are employed in areas where R&D expenditure is poor. As a result, women are squeezed out of competitive, high-expenditure R&D systems and the progress of a whole generation of promising scientists is hampered. The younger generation of scientists faces the same dilemma as in many other European countries. In spite of their potential for a scientific career, social and economic factors and structural conditions of the research systems make it difficult for them to pursue their career while having children. According to the findings, men are three times more likely to reach senior academic positions than women. While women represent the majority of teaching staff in universities, their careers tend to stop in lower academic positions. As for EU research programmes, the report shows that a high percentage of female researchers from Eastern Europe participate in the framework programmes. Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin welcomed this fact as one of the objectives of EU programmes is to boost the participation of women in research. Source: Euractiv, February 2, 2004   Commission defends itself against FP6 funding criticisms The European Commission has responded to a European Life Scientist Organization (ELSO) petition calling for a 'new and ambitious European science policy' and the restructuring of the EUs research funding programme. A spokesperson told CORDIS News that while some criticisms are valid, many of the initiatives called for by ELSO have already been launched.   The ELSO petition, which will be presented to the European institutions in the autumn of 2004 is intended to influence the next Framework Programme, due to begin in 2007. The organization believes that there are three fundamental flaws with the way the European research is funded, namely excessive bureaucracy, inadequate emphasis on 'basic research' and a lack of funding.   The Commission spokesperson replied that: the Commission agrees that it is necessary to simplify the procedure. However, strict procedures are also necessary as taxpayers' money is involved.' some of the issues raised by ELSO have already been discussed. Indeed, a new European arrangement characterized by minimum bureaucracy and closely involving the scientific and engineering communities has been declared a priority last February the European Commission has proposed to raise the budget for research by 60 per cent by 2013, and talks are currently underway on a European Research Council for basic research. 'The plan is to model it on the American National Institute for Health (NIH) and National Science Foundation (NSF). There would be grants instead of consortia, while the Framework Programme would continue as it is as we believe it is possible to have both models.' To read and sign the ELSO petition, please visit: http://ultr23.vub.ac.be/petition/ Source: CORDIS News, March 2, 2004     Preliminary conclusions on FP6 instruments mid-term review   Recently, Dr. Hans-Jörg Bullinger, President of the Fraunhofer Gesellschaft and member of the high level panel charged with carrying out a mid-term evaluation on the new instruments in FP6 presented some preliminary findings. While the high number of proposals received is to be welcomed, along with the general acceptance of the new instruments and their integrating objectives, there are issues of clarity, project management and transparency for further analysis.' The number of submitted proposals shows the attractiveness of the programme, particularly IST [information society technologies], but for those that were refused funding, was is said precisely enough what the EU wanted? Many groups face difficulties with respect to management costs (7% of the budget) and management capacity (not enough) A main comprehension problem relates to the Network of Excellence concept. It remains unclear whether such a network should be constructed according to political criteria, ensuring coverage of the whole of Europe, or whether the concept means that only those organizations that genuinely demonstrate excellence should be included. 'Excellence is being impaired by thoughts on cohesion. If a Network of Excellence is really a Network of Excellence, it should be based on excellence,' he said. While welcoming the new instruments as tools which really do encourage integration and collaboration, it is questioned whether such large consortia really fulfill the aims of increasing flexibility and reducing bureaucracy. With so many partners involved in each project, the amount of EU funding received by each partner is often low. For the remainder of FP6, it is proposed that the Commission provides more specific information on what is required in project proposals, and retains the traditional funding instruments alongside the new ones, as 'Networks of Excellence and Integrated Projects are not suitable for all priority areas.' It is also proposed that more money should be allocated to project management, and that the cut to the requested budget upon selection of a project should be less dramatic. As for FP7, the Commission is called to retain the Framework Programmes as the key instrument for supporting European research, but requested higher funding for core areas. There is also a need for preserving continuity and diversity with regard to the funding instruments. Professor Bullinger was skeptical of calls for a new funding initiative for basic research, and called on the Commission not to make a division between basic and applied science. 'There is no difference, it is simply a question of a perspective of time,' he said. 'There is research that will give results in 20 years and research that will give results in five years. There is also research for which one cannot say now when the results will be available.   For further information on the mid-term review, please visit: http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/instruments_review Source: CORDIS News, February 18, 2004   The future of research in Europe   R&D central focus in EUs budget plans On February 10, 2004, the Commission adopted a Communication outlining its proposals for the EUs budget plan for the period 2007-2013 (the 'financial perspective'). The financial perspective defines the EUs revenue and expenditure ceilings over a multi-annual period. In its Communication on the financial perspective, the Commission states that in order to "become a beacon of excellence attracting researchers and investments", Member States must continue their efforts to create a genuine 'European Research Area' (ERA). They must also follow up their words with some deeds by to increasing research investment to 3 per cent of GDP by 2010. However, more direct financial research support at EU level is also necessary. The Commission proposes to significantly increase EU research funding, which is currently at 0.04 per cent of GDP. According to the Communication, Community action should focus on five main areas: 1. Providing grants to research teams, which will be selected on a competitive basis at European level; although this is not explicitly stated, this indicates a renewed Commission effort to create a 'European Research Council' along the lines of the US National Science Foundation. 2. Strengthening research infrastructure, education and training and promoting researchers' transnational mobility. 3. Setting up public-private partnerships at EU level in key research areas such as hydrogen & fuel cells, nanotechnology, mobile telecommunication, solar energy etc. 4. Stimulating networking and collaboration at laboratory level to develop 'poles of excellence' through the new instruments of the 6th Framework Programme. 5. Coordinating national and regional research programmes and policies to improve efficiency and avoid duplication of research efforts. The Commission's proposal also emphasizes the need for increased investment in the space and security policy, in which science and technology play a key role. Council and Parliament will have to adopt the proposal before the end of 2005. Source: Euractiv, February 19, 2004   ….and advice how to make research in Europe more competitive According to the current Irish presidency, two areas in research need improvements: making Europe more attractive for researchers and making investment in research more efficient. Of great concern is that 400,000 of Europe's best researchers are currently based in the US and a large majority of them do not want to return to Europe. To tackle the brain drain phenomena, the Irish research minister pointed to the advances made in Ireland in the last decade. He said that Ireland's progress in the field of research was built on financing decisions based solely on scientific excellence and competitiveness which in turn had forced research institutions and universities to focus on the same principles. In July 2003, the Commission adopted a package of measures to stop the brain drain to the US. Steps proposed include the development of a code of conduct for the recruitment of researchers, a common way of evaluating and recording researchers' skills, qualifications and achievements, advanced training tools, access to adequate funding and providing minimum social security benefits for PhD students (see EurActiv, 22 July 2003). Member State Finland is the only one that is meeting and actually surpassing the Barcelona target of investing 3 percent of GDP in research by 2010. According to a Finnish minister this came about by a determined investment in education and research, establishing regional universities and the two funding agencies Tekes and Academy of Finland as well as creation of the Science and Technology Policy Council." Source: Euractiv, April 8, 2004   Council: R&D singled out as priority for competitiveness The EUs Heads of State and Government agreed on 26 March that a focus on just four priorities is necessary in order to enhance European competitiveness - completing the internal market, better regulation, higher rates of research and development (R&D) and effective institutional arrangements. The most important priority is increasing R&D, particularly that relating to life sciences. The Council conclusions include a call on the Member States to improve the general conditions for R&D investment and to consider targeted support and incentives to encourage greater investment by business. The Commission's Framework Programmes for research must be simplified, agreed the Council, in order to make it more user friendly, particularly for small and medium sized enterprises and start-ups. Leaders pledged to examine the case for increased funding for basic research, and narrowed down the priorities for the Framework Programmes to promoting cooperation between business and research, boosting future technologies, and supporting basic and applied research. To see the European Council conclusions, please consult the following web address: http://ue.eu.int/pressData/en/ec/79696.pdf Source: CORDIS News, March 29   'We are courageous on paper, but nothing happens,' says MEP in research investment plea On November 18, 2003, the European Parliament adopted a paper on 'investment in research'. The report, by rapporteur Linkohr, claims that the 'trauma of Europe' is that 'we decide, we are courageous on paper, but then nothing happens.' Most likely this is due to a lack of lobbying by the research community: 'Those that have a job don't protest, and those that don't aren't accustomed to protesting. The research community is too polite and simply goes abroad,' Mr. Linkohr said, contrasting the research community with the agriculture community. Mr Linkohr also warned of a 'deadly mood' in Europe. 'Europe consumes and does not invest in the future,' he said. Other MEPs stated that the research system is far more isolated in Europe than in the US, and that more links are needed with society, as well as the private sector. There will be two principal implications to come out of the Parliament's adoption of his report. The first is that, having called for an increase in budget to 30 billion euro for the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7), MEPs should be firm in policy towards the Council,' and truly fight for this increase. The second consequence relates to the creation of a European Research Council (ERC). 'This only makes sense if it is well funded,' i.e. by making available five billion euro over a four year period. Mr Linkohr has asked the Commission to prepare a proposal on how to link an ERC with the Framework Programmes. However, an ERC should remain independent and much more flexible than the Framework Programmes, enabling very small amounts of money to be distributed as and when necessary. Source: Euractiv, November 19, 2004   EURAB advice on long-term European Technology Platforms The European Research Advisory Board (EURAB) has issued a set of recommendations on European Technology Platforms and suggests the principles that should guide their establishment and operations. Essentially, the report sees such platforms as innovation initiatives that draw together all relevant international stakeholders to tackle a major European challenge or need. In the first phase of such an initiative, the members of the platform must develop a vision that leads to the creation of an action plan, or road map. During the second phase, which could last a decade or more, the platform will then oversee and coordinate the implementation of that road map. EURAB sets out five guiding principles for the establishment of European Technology Platforms: (1) The challenge to be addressed must be major, and the response long term in nature. Technology platforms 'are not short term, problem solving devices,' argues the report; (2) A second and related principle states that platforms should only be established when there is a well defined European strategic need for such an instrument. (3) To affect change across national, industrial and technological boundaries, platforms must create strong political support and be highly visible at a European, [and even] a global level, (4) platforms should be driven by actors from the application or 'problem' end of the innovation process, rather than by policy makers. (5) There must be a road map with a longer term vision, a sound strategy for achieving this vision and a detailed action plan for carrying out the necessary activities. EURAB warns that technology platforms must not be considered the answer to everything, concluding that 'If they become simply the fashion of the year, they will lose their value and industry will refuse to participate.' To read the recommendations, please consult the following web address: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/eurab/index_en.html Source: CORDIS, February 24, 2004   CORDIS FP7 service to keep you abreast of research debate CORDIS, the European Community's Research and Development Information Service, has developed a new service to follow discussions on the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) The debate on FP7 started in September 2003 when the Competitiveness Council invited the Commission and Member States to make more effective use of financing instruments, including the EUs Structural Funds, for research and development (R&D). Since then, several stakeholders have contributed to the debate. The most important contributions are available from the FP7 related news section of the new service. The CORDIS FP7 service aims to keep users informed of important developments related to the FP7 debate - where appropriate, links are also given to other related web sites. The service will provide a comprehensive information platform on this issue. Source: CORDIS News, March 11, 2004 The dedicated website is located at: http://www.cordis.lu/fp7   Building FP7 &endash; where are we now The Treaty establishing the European Community (part 3, title XVIII, art. 166, pag.114) provides for the creation of multi-annual RTD programmes. The Seventh framework programme (FP7) will probably span the period 2006-2010 and will be an important instrument to implement the "European Research Area". On 22 September 2003 the Brussels Competitiveness Council invited the Commission and Member States to make more effective use of financing instruments, including the EUs structural funds, for research and development (R&D). The European Parliament unanimously adopted a report on 18 November 2003 by German MEP Rolf Linkohr calling for the budget of the Seventh Framework Programme (FP7) to be raised to 30 billion euro for the four year period. The proposal on the Commission's future budget between 2007 and 2013 (COM(2004) 101 final), unveiled on 10 February 2004 amongst much controversy, made a claim for higher contributions from the EUs Member States for research and innovation initiatives at EU level (see article above).   Automation is the key to efficient research, claims academic director Europe does not need more research, but more efficient and effective research, if an innovation-based economy is to develop, Academic Director of the animal hygiene department at Munich's Technical University, Walter Gränzer, has told CORDIS News. 'As a first step we do not need additional committees and commissions, but a wide ranging re-engineering of publicly financed research,' said Dr Gränzer. Only through such restructuring will Europe embrace an innovation-based economy and turn around its growth performance, claims Dr Gränzer. He emphasizes that this was also the conclusion drawn in 'An agenda for a growing Europe', the study requested by Commission President Romano Prodi on growth in Europe. 'The Group views Europe's unsatisfactory growth performance during the last decades as a symptom of its failure to transform into an innovation-based economy,' wrote the high level study group. Dr Gränzer claims that this streamlining of European research necessitates 'engineers, machinists, physicists, biologists, physicians, chemists and computer scientists,' and compares their task to that of a car manufacturer. 'They must be able to build and sustain automated research assembly lines. The most important lever for the economic growth in Europe is optimization of the efficiency and effectiveness of research by means of advanced automation in research processes,' he says. Dr Gränzer believes that there is, essentially, no difference between the production of cars and the production of scientific information. He gives the following example: 'The preparation of a defined molecule out of natural material requires many extensive trials numerously repeated with different process parameters in order to find out the correct concentration of a precipitation medium for the protein chemistry. Then we need additional extensive trials in order to verify or to deny the once detected result.' Anticipating criticisms to this approach, Dr Gränzer argues that the flexibility essential for research 'assembly lines' can continue in such a system: 'Each car to be built on the assembly lines is different from the others, it is even possible to build two different models on one assembly line.' Dr Gränzer believes the lack of automation, particularly where publicly funded research is concerned, is responsible for an absence of efficiency and effectiveness. 'Automation', he argues is 'the most urgent task for FP7. Source: CORDIS News, October 30, 2004   Innovation scoreboard 2003: EU still behind, and new member states catching up   The Europe's Innovation Scoreboard 2003 is an annual benchmarking aimed at Europe's innovation potential. The EIS 2003 confirms that &endash; on almost all measures for which comparable data is available &endash; the EUs innovation performance remains significantly weaker that that of the United States. The Scoreboard is based on 12 indicators, including the number of high tech patents, early-stage venture capital, population with a tertiary education, high-tech manufacturing value-added, business R&D expenditures, ICT expenditures, Public R&D expenditures, EPO patents and Science & Engineering graduates. Only on the latter indicator is Europe outperforming the US, with the greatest gap on number of high tech patents and availability of early-stage venture capital. Sobering, at the present rate of improvement, this gap on 10 of the 12 indicators will remain until at least 2010. However, positive developments are Europe's improved performance with respect to the number of science and technology graduates, value-added by high tech manufacturing (still 40% lower than in the US but catching up), and EU spending on information technologies (only 15% below US spending).   Out performance of some new members states The EIS 2003 confirms that all new member states are catching up with average EU Innovation performance &endash; in some cases, very rapidly. Four of the Union's new member states (the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary and Slovenia) are already outperforming a number of EU-15 countries. All have improved their innovation performance more rapidly than the EU-15 average. Countries such as France, the Netherlands, Ireland, Germany and Belgium are on the EU average, while the UK, Finland, Denmark and Switzerland are slightly losing momentum (as are Japan and the US!). Falling further behind are Italy and Bulgaria. Regularly updated information on the Innovation Scoreboard is available at http://trendchart.cordis.lu   Innovation Regions in Europe The Innovation Regions in Europe (IRE) network is part of the Research and Innovation activities within FP6. It aims to facilitate the exchange between regions developing regional innovation policies, strategies and schemes, and to improve their access to good practice. Over 100 European regions are already members. The network is currently being enlarged to include both new thematic networks and regions in Central and Eastern Europe, which will develop their own regional innovation strategies. For more information: http://www.innovating-regions.org Source: 'European Innovation Scoreboard'; Innovation & Technology Transfer, no. 1/04 The full report can be ordered from: http://europa.eu.int/comm/enterprise/informa/index.cfm or ftp://ftp.cordis.lu/pub/focus/docs/innovation_scoreboard_2003_en.pdf   Research News   Speeding up antibody production in plants Until now, vaccines against non-Hodgkin's disease could only be made using animal cell technology. In general, this takes 6 to 12 months. Much faster is the route whereby RNA from a patient's B-cells is isolated and inserted into a plant virus, which then infects tobacco plants. In that case, it only takes a few weeks to harvest active antibodies, providing for a personalized treatment. Even simpler is the system proposed by US company Biolex, which has chosen to produce monoclonal antibodies in Lemna (duckweed). Lemna, properly equipped with the genetic material to produce the antibodies, grows and produces in an aseptic tank, only requiring inorganic salts, carbon dioxide and light. Downstream processing is utterly simple, since the antibodies are secreted into the watery culture medium. A similar production process, using moss, is pioneered by German company Greenovation. These examples demonstrate the vigor of pharmaceutical plant biotechnology. They reflect the increasing commercial interest in the production of biologicals in plants, after which the product is harvested or the plant mass is processed to dosable formulations. The most favorable characteristics of plant production systems are the speed with which is process can be developed and the manufacturing scale. Apart from tobacco plants, duckweed and moss, other potential plant production systems include mais, alfalfa, potato, rice and sunflower. These plants are used to produce antibodies, peptides, vaccines, albumins, factor VIII, lactoferrin and proteins in general. In phase III of clinical development are an anti-caries antibody produced in corn and a non-Hodgkin sc antibody fragment in tobacco; products in phase II include a protein against rheumatoid arthritis produced in tobacco, and gastric lipase produced in corn. Source: Bionieuws, March 12, 2004; Screening, 4/2003   Reversin for stem cell research Stem cell research has been held back by the difficulty of isolating truly pluripotent cells in useful quantities. Recently, scientists Schultz and colleagues report on a molecule, termed reversin, that stimulate dedifferentiation of readily available adult cells into pluripotent or multipotent progenitors. From a screen of 50,000 compounds designed to interact with protein kinases, they isolated a compound that returns a mouse myogenic cell line (C2C12) to a progenitor state. Source: J. Am. Chem. Soc. 126, 410-411, 2004   Resistin maintains glucose levels American investigators have shed new light on the function of the hormone resistin, first described in 2001. The hormone seems to be involved in glucose production by the liver. Knock-out mice lacking the hormone have a lower blood glucose levels following fasting than normal mice. The authors speculate that evolutionary speaking, the hormone's function is regulation blood glucose levels during periods of food scarcity. Resistin is thought to be responsible for insulin-resistance in people with type-II diabetes. Source: Science, February 20, 2004   Reducing pollution from health care drugs More than 3000 pharmaceutical substances are used in the EU. A recent survey estimated that more than 100 tonnes of prescription drugs are used every year in Germany alone. European consumption of antibiotics is on the same scale as the production of certain pesticides. Pharmaceuticals are often persistent and lipophilic, properties which aggravate their polluting potential. In 2000, three EU funded research projects focusing on environmental problems of pharmaceuticals were launched under the key action Sustainable Management and quality of Water under FP5. The results of the studies will form the basis for new regulations of pharmaceuticals under the REACH legislative initiative, which aims to regulate the impact of chemical products on the environment. The three projects were grouped in a Pharma Cluster to encourage data sharing and dissemination of research results. The three projects are looking at three main facets of the problem of waste of medicinal origin: Eravmis: concentrates on the impact of veterinary antibiotics, with production running at over 5 000 tonnes/year. Rempharmawater looked at the impact of a wide range of human medicines at the point of exit from sewage treatment plants (the effectiveness of the treatment is highly variable) Poseidon studies the different water treatment technologies currently available. The following websites give detailed information: Eravmis: www.silsoe.cranfield.ac.uk/ecochemistry/research/project/evk1-ct.htm Rempharmawater: www.cds.unina.it Poseidon: www.eu-poseidon.com   Source: RTD Info no 40, February 2004   Business news   The danger of systems biology Ronald Plasterk, renowned scientist at the Hubrecht Laboratory in Utrecht, the Netherlands, has dared to attack a hype: systems biology. It is well known that systems biology exerts an attractive pull on those providing subsidies. Dr. Plasterk argues that systems biology is nothing new, that what makes it worthwhile is not new, and what is new is untrue. His arguing: In essence, systems biology starts with an entire biological system (say a cell, a rabbit or a sunflower). This biological system is then exposed to different conditions, after which a large number of variables are measured, for example, levels of gene expression or production of metabolites. The information gathered is processed in sophisticated computer systems, who will present solutions how this particular life form functions. This approach is faulty since it is impossible to deduce the functioning of life from a limited set of variables (an analogy: you cannot deduce the functioning of a piano by studying the sound that is produced). Striving to create a model of i.e. a cell before all possible mechanisms have been elucidated is a totally futile exercise, since all still to be discovered phenomena will be missed. So why the enthusiasm and the hype? Possibly, biologists embrace the term in an effort to gain more sympathy for biology. Politicians champion a so-called new area of science, and young scientists are lured by the hype and excitement of working on a complex problem. But according to Plasterk, all biology is systems biology, and anyone calling himself a systems biologists surely must be a charlatan. Source: Bionieuws, September 16, 2003   Views invited on draft re harmonization tissue engineered products Tissue engineering is a fast-growing sector, which holds a lot of promises for improved treatment opportunities and enhanced quality of life across Europe. In order to develop this potential and to ensure the highest level of safety for European patients, the European Commission is preparing legislation harmonizing the rules on the authorization of tissue engineered products. The Enterprise DG has prepared a consultation document to obtain the views of stakeholders on key aspects of the future proposal. Interested parties are invited to provide comments by the end of April. More information on this public consultation can be found at: http://europa.staging.entr.cec.eu.int/comm/enterprise/consultations/list.htm   New US regulation for human tissue and cellular products The US FDA in January implemented regulations to promote safety for companies that handle reproductive tissue and human cellular products, including stem cells derived from various blood sources such as umbilical cord blood. Now, all tissue banks (150-200) will have to register with the agency and list each of their cell or tissue product. The agency also announced that heart valves and dura mater, currently classified as devices, would be considered tissues once the tissue regulatory framework is completed. Source: Nature Biotechnology, vol 22, nr 3, March 2004, pp 262   Pharming back In September 2001, Dutch transgene company Pharming experienced serious financial problems. The company, which employed 250, had seven products in the pipeline but was still at least two years away from any market introduction. As a result, costs became too high and the project's development was too slow. Under new management the company has been turned around significantly: debt has been reduced from 55 m_ in 2001 to hardly 1 m_ in 2003, the number of employees has been reduced to 40, the number of locations was reduced from 6 to three, production facilities were sold and the number of projects was reduced. By now, Pharming is once more a healthy company, focusing on a C1-esterase inhibitor for the treatment of HAE (hereditary angioedema). Other projects have been slowed down, with human fibrinogen and collagen the most promising ones in the pipeline.   USDA expands BSE surveillance programme With the discovery of a BSE-positive cow in Washington State last December 2003, the US has lost its BSE-free status. Part of the US Department of Agriculture's (USDA) plan to eradicate BSE is an increase in surveillance testing. On February 9, the USDA ended its search for cattle exposed to the same feed as the BSE infected cow. The agency had failed to locate 11 of the 25 cows that were likely to have eaten the potentially infectious feed. In addition, the fate of the meat of the BSE infected cow, which was mixed with the meat of 19 other cows, remains unknown. Since there was two weeks between slaughter and the alert and recall, it is likely that some of the meat was eaten. Obviously, the recall system is faulty. An increase in diagnostic testing, coupled with the new 'test and hold' policy, should prevent meat from tested cows from being processed until test result come back negative. The only test used by the USDA is immunohistochemistry (IHC). However, rapid tests have been very effective as well. Implementation of rapid testing will be an important part of improving the USDAs surveillance programme. A USDA appointed panel of experts recommends testing of all downers, of all animals older than 30 months and strengthening of the passive surveillance system. Source: IVD Technology News, March 2004. Download the full text at: www.devicelink.com/ivdt   China allows cloning On January 16, 2004, China released its first written regulation that allows therapeutic cloning. The guideline prohibits any research on human reproductive cloning, but allows therapeutic cloning subject to strict conditions. The stem cells used for research can be obtained either from spare embryos from in vitro fertilization, or from naturally aborted embryos with the informed consent of the donor. The regulation specifically forbids the trade of human gametes, germ cells and embryos. Source: Nature Biotechnology, vol 22, nr 3, March 2004, pp 259 On the web   The interactome Less well defined than the genome and the transcriptome, as different communities use the term protein interaction to refer to anything from physical interaction to broadly defined functional interactions, such as neighbors in metabolic networks. Even if restricted to physical interactions, it is important to discriminate between stable interactions and transient interactions. Lars J. Jensen, Peer Bork, Quality analysis and integration of large- scale molecular data sets. Drug Discovery Today: Targets, 3(2): 51-56. This term can be found in CHI's -Omes & -omics glossary www.genomicglossaries.com/content/omes.asp To view all glossaries, please visit www.genomicglossaries.com   Review on Proteomics A review which discusses the current status of proteomics research in two major market segments: proteomics for drug and biomarker discovery, and proteomics for drug development and manufacturing. To view the complete article, as well as previous articles, click here . (www.healthtech.com/genomelink.asp) Agenda   Paul Ehrlich Institute hosts Euregenethy: Gene therapy 2004 April 15-16, 2004, Langen (Frankfurt), Germany Information: http://euregenethy.org   cGMP Training for the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical Industries in Europe April 22-23, 2004, London, United Kingdom Information: www.spi.pt/seminar/events Boston Hotel | Boston, Massachusetts   The Pharmaceutical Alliance Management Congress 2004 April 15-16, Princeton, NJ, USA Direct: (617)630-1342; eglazer@healthtech.com   Structure-based drug design April 26-27, 2004, Boston MA, USA Information: lisac@healthtech.com   Laser Capture Microdissection: Enabling High-Throughput Molecular Fingerprinting for DNA, RNA & Protein Analysis April 28-29, 2004 Boston, Massachusetts Information: lisac@healthtech.com   5th Annual Recombinant Antibodies, Inaugural monoclonal antibodies April 28-29, April 30, Cambridge MA, USA Information: jenniferl@healthtech.com   EC conference: Human genetic testing, what implications? May 6-7, Brussels, Belgium Information: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/conferences/2004/genetic/index_en.html http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/genetic2004.html   Biomarker Discovery by Mass Spectrometry May 14, 2004, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Information: www.hetcongresbureau.nl   EMBO 40 years of success 1964-2004 June 18-20, 2004, EMBL Heidelberg, Germany Information: www.embo.org   Biologic 2004 June 22-24, 2004, Geneva, Switzerland www.lifescienceworld.com   Managing Projects & Resources: Best Practices and Strategies to Increase R&D Efficiency June 24-25, 2005 in Princeton, NJ. Information: eglazer@healthtech.com   Workshop on Applied Functional Genomics, 20-23 August 2004, Aarhus, Denmark Information: http://www.mbio.au.dk/~clark/workshop/homepage.htm   Genomics Momentum 2004 August 30-September 1, 2004, Rotterdam, The Netherlands Information: www.genomicsmomentum2004.org   Quality on the move: Dynamics of the European Pharmacopoeia 4-6 October 2004, Hilton Hotel, Budapest, Hungary Information:www.pheur.org   5th International Conference on Systems Biology October 9-13, 2004, Heidelberg, Germany Information: www.ICSB2004.org   3rd Recombinant Protein Production - A comparative view on host physiology November 11-14, 2004 Tavira, Algarve, Portugal Information: IBET, Alexandra Azevedo www.ibet.pt/3rdRecProtProd/ e-mail: xana@itqb.unl.pt   phone: +351 21 4469362 (direct);   World Life Sciences Forum, BioVision April 11-15, 2005, Lyon, France Information: www.biovision.org   Back To Top.   Home | Objectives |  Organization | Members | News and Info. | Publications | Products | Interesting Links | Library | Secure © ACTIP 2004