CK Science

The University of Hull has concluded the drug Prozac and Seroxat are ineffective at reducing depression. They claim the anti-depression pills actively help only a small percentage of the 31 million British people subscribed to the drug. The researchers accept many people believe the drugs do work for them, but argue that could be a placebo effect. They focused on drugs, which work by increasing levels of mood controlling chemical serotonin ion the brain. Lead researcher Professor Irving Kirsch said: “The difference in improvement between patients taking placebos and patients taking anti-depressants in not very great” How depressing!

Scientists in Germany say that tattoos could be the ideal way of delivering vaccines into the body. The researchers say that in tests undertaken with mice, tattoos were much more effective in provoking a response from the immune system. Tattoos could be a useful way of delivering therapeutic vaccines in humans, including for some cancers. Such vaccines have often failed to produce the expected immune response when delivered using an injection.

John Denham, the secetary of state for innovation, universities and skills is to announce an action plan in an attempt to meet the shortage of scientific skills in Britian. The Skills Council for Engineering and Technology, Semta, surveyed over 170 bioscience and pharmaceutical companies and found that nearly 40% of companies could not fill key posts which is 4 times the national average. These findings raise concerns about Britians position as one of the world’s leading centres for research and development in bioscience, particularly as this industry generates revenues of £3.3bn per year and employs 55,000 people.

The survey highlighted the lack of appropriate company training schemes for recently graduated scientists and the fact that a large number of scientists leave the sector to work in the financial services industries.

CK Science have a number of science roles which offer excellent training programmes. Click here for details

Some very good news has been reported today on the BBC. Apparently the Wellcome Trust is boosting its spending to £4bn over the next 5 years, primarlily focussing on the gentics and development of common fatal diseases.

This news comes as a boost to the long term scientific career prospects.

In November 2005, a broad partnership of European industry associations, including those from the chemical, pharmaceutical, cosmetic, biotechnology, crop protection and detergent sectors, agreed a landmark ‘Three Rs Declaration’ with the European Commission to reduce and replace animal use in testing. This partnership is co-operating on developing alternative approaches to improve and validate alternative methods and to foster innovation in alternative testing.The application of nanotechnology is leading the way in this field and in the spirit of the European Directive an important 2 day conferance is being run by the Institute of Nanotechnology, to examine the role this area of science and other technologies can play in bringing innovation and improvement to alternatives to animal testing and the 3Rs. This field is expected to lead to the creation of a whole new rane of jobs in science and technology.

The conference will investigate the properties of materials at nanoscale to bring new insights into development of in-vitro methods, showcase the most promising alternative methods and strategies based on nano technologies while bringing together the worlds leading experts in the development of alternative.