Winner of Venture Out competition

Its Christmas eve. One more day to go!

This will be my last blog before Christmas and I am please to share the news that I have won the University of Manchester Venture Out competition for my idea to turn seawater into energy by desalinating and extracting precious ions. 


Pictures and brief descriptions about other ideas at the event can be seen by following the link below

https://mec.portals.mbs.ac.uk/Newsandevents/tabid/111/ArticleID/108/ArtMID/481/Default.aspx

Merry Christmas everyone and I hope you enjoy the day tomorrow.

Best wishes

Science Way

Patent protection in research regulation

 

Recent medical and biotechnological advances have enhanced innovation that has greatly improved public healthcare. Research regulation ensures medical products have undergone the necessary tests prior to marketing for public use. Regulation is also vital to protect the interests of inventors and industry.

 

Patent protection forms part of the research regulation system. The UK Patent Act of 1977 grants the inventor exclusivity over a new medical product for a limited period of time. The patent holder is normally in a position to gain financially, by setting a higher than competitive price to recover the costs of innovation.

Policies for patent applications have been influenced by the advancement of medical research. The diversity of biological innovations over the past decade have seen more areas of science now patentable e.g. within the fields of biotechnology and genetics. Research into new biotechnology materials such as graphene, saw a total of 8416 published patent applications in the UK by February 2013.

 

Increased patent protection in medical research also has its disadvantages as patents can harm competition within the healthcare market, making it more costly for public services like the National Healthcare Service (NHS) to benefit from the latest healthcare development.

 

This article will explore; the reasons for patent protection and why it is increasingly seen as a pivotal part of the innovation process, the main policy issues of patents and an overview on the recent progress of patent policies in research regulation.

 

 

The importance of patent protection

 

Appropriate regulation of science patents is seen by pharmaceutical companies, governments and inventors as crucial to stimulating research, leading to new products that can improve healthcare. The financial rewards associated with a successfully registered patent is an incentive for researchers and companies to take the necessary risks, through financial investments, to develop novel medicines and implement new solutions into tackling life-threatening diseases.

 

Expired patents can lead to a significant reduction in loss revenues for the patent holder when generic competition becomes available. This was demonstrated by Eli Lilly & Company whose 66% decline in revenues during the final quarter of 2001, was the result of an expired patent on their drug Prozac in 2001. Patents can provide economic stability for inventors, academic institutions and industry. Therefore, it is important for inventors, pharmaceutical companies and institutions to protect new ideas, methods and medical products within the public domain.

 

Main policy issues with patents protection

 

One of the main policy issues in patent protection is the need for an inventor to have their patent validated within each European country. Currently, there is no single universal patent application that covers the 25 countries in the European Union. At present different requirements apply to each European country, for example; the patent proprietor may have to pay fees to the national patent office, comply with various requirements and provide a patent document in the official language of the State. Specific requirements, laws and regulations by governments are considered costly and time-consuming as the inventor, small and large companies comply with the policies of each country. This can impede the public release of novel products in some European countries.

 

The filing of patent protection by individual countries poses further issues, namely the huge backlog of patents being processed. It is estimated that there are 4 million patents waiting to be processed worldwide. According to Cancer Research UK, guidelines on new medicines should be released within six months of licensing. For new cancer medicines this regulatory process is three times longer, delaying the availability of new drugs to NHS patients.

 

Regulations and governance for different areas of medical research in the UK e.g. research ethics in clinical trials, is monitored by the Health Research Authority (established in 2010).  The primary role of the HRA is to oversee research regulation and provide a single point of contact for researchers and the public. Similarly, the EU has recently approved two new regulations to create an organisation that will oversee a single patent application process for all EU countries. This will significantly reduce costs and time-consuming paperwork for the patent proprietors wanting to do business in Europe, whilst providing a set of consistent requirements across all EU states.

 

Major scientific developments have led to a change in patent policies over the past decades. New types of inventions in software, genetics and business models are now deemed patentable. Patent protection is necessary as it provides the incentive for the innovation of new medical products. Currently a simplified patent system within the EU is under development. This will provide greater understanding of patent policies for governments, public and industry experts alike. In turn this ought to give inventors the initiative to continue to develop new effective medicines.

 

Uybach

Breaking Barriers and Building Bridges in Cancer Research’

On Wednesday 4^th of December at 6pm, Michael Smith Theatre

 

 

 

Hi Everyone

For those who are in Manchester, You may be interested in the upcoming talk on cancer research organized by Oxbridge.

Registration is free. Details about guess speakers are listed below.

Best wishes

Weebz

 

Come and find out more about how the landscape in cancer research is rapidly changing. The increasing cost-per-unit of new drug development, a diminishing research and development pipeline, an ageing population, and increasing financial pressures on the public sector are some of the major obstacles. Hear what experts have to say about the challenges they face through collaborations between industry and academia to ensure advances in cancer therapeutics!

Join OBR – Manchester  for this heated panel discussion were we will be covering topics from sourcing new industry-academic partnerships, to the translation of discoveries into patient care, we will address how the infrastructure of cancer research is changing to create significant improvements in the collaborative efforts between these groups and ultimately provide more opportunities for patients in the fight against cancer.

Speakers at this event:

Dr. Graeme Smith - Global Product Director in Oncology, AstraZeneca

Dr. Alistair Greystoke - Clinical Lecturer in Oncology, University of Manchester

Dr. Minesh Jobanputra - Global Medical Affairs Physician, GlaxoSmithKline

Dr. Phil L'Huillier - Director of Business Management, Cancer Research Technology

Dr. Donald Ogilvie - Head of Drug Discovery Unit, MCRC

Prof. Catherine West - Professor, Institute of Cancer Sciences

  Register for free now at: http://www.oxbridgebiotech.com/events/breaking-barriers-building-bridges-cancer-research/

Drug pipeline process in the pharmaceutical industry: A simplified version by Novartis

Nanotechnology Researchers Prove Two-Step Method for Potential Pancreatic Cancer Treatment

A new biotechnology method for drug delivery that could improve the treatment of pancreatic cancer.

Pancreatic cancer is a deadly disease and is almost impossible to be detected the cancer is at an advanced stage. Treatment options for it are very limited in number and suffer low success rates.

The dual-wave nanotherapy method employed by Drs. Nel and Meng in their research uses two different kinds of microscopic particles (nanoparticles). The first injection of nanoparticles carries a substance that disrupts the cell signaling pathways and removes the vascular gates (caused by pericytes) that restricts access the pancreatic cancer cells. The second nanoparticle treatment carries the drug that kills the cancer cells.

Nanoparticles have been a popular source of drug treatment recently because it can reduce the toxicities and side effects when treating cancer.

For more information about the science and how they did it please see links below.

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2013/11/131113092126.htm


http://www.globalbiotechrevolution.com/

The Hall marks of Cancer

Hi

Somebody recently ask me about cancer research in cellular biology and what are the essential signs when a cell is cancerous.

Cancer cells have defects in controlling normal mechanisms that govern how often cells divide, grow or differentiate. Cancer often occurs when these mechanisms cannot be properly regulated anymore.

There are five hallmarks of cancer and at least one of these hallmarks will bear fruit if cells become cancerous.

1. Uncontrolled cell growth in absence of growth signals

Normal cells require external growth signals (growth factors like EGFR) to grow and divide. These signals are transmitted through receptors that pass through the semi-permeable cell membrane. When the growth signals are absent, the mechanisms to stimulate cell growth is inhibited and cells stop growing.

Cancer cells can grow and divide without external growth signals. Some cancer cells can generate their own growth signals. For example sarcomas can produce their own tumor growth factor α (TGF-α).


2.Evading apoptosis

Cell apoptosis in biology means 'programmed cell death'. Natural in healthy tissues, cells function for a period of time and then enzymes are release which signals a death of a cell to allow new healthy cells to take over and carry out the intended function.

Cancer cells can avoid the signal to 'programmed cell death' and hence these faulty cells cannot be destroyed.

3. Resistance to inhibitors of cell growth

In normal cells, there are often internal or external growth factors, co-factors or kinases that often stimulate cell growth. There are also a group of co-factors and inhibitors in cells that inhibit cell growth. A healthy cell will generally have a good balance between growth and suppression.

Cancer cells become immune to inhibitors or co-factors which are meant to suppress cell growth, differentiation or induce apoptosis. These cells will grow uncontrollable.


4. Angiogenesis

Angiogenesis is the process by which new blood vessels are formed. Cancer cells promote this process, ensuring that such cells receive a continual supply of oxygen and other nutrients, thus starving these essential nutrients to normal cells where it is most needed.


5. Invasion into other tissues and organs

Cancer cells has the ability to break away from the original site and spread into the surrounding organs, tissues and cells.

http://www.onclive.com/publications/targeted-therapies/2012/june-2012/Cancer-Research-Moves-Beyond-the-Original-Hallmarks-of-Cancer

 

Ras - The engine of Cancer

Hi All

I decided to write a fun article about my project. Hope you like it.

 

7am! Start of the morning rush hour. We’ve all been there; flight delays, train cancellations, and if you’re really lucky, getting stuck in the infamous M6 traffic jam. Everyday as though on autopilot we habitually follow our set route to various destinations, without noticing the stress and strain on the transport networks that we so heavily depend on. Our cells operate much like transport networks and these networks are used to execute specific functions. A train signal failure can make us late home for tea, but a fault in the cellular network can often become a deadly disease. This disease can take away the closest things to us; friends, family and even your life. This is CANCER.

Cancer – a disease which defies the rules of biology by stripping away the regulatory mechanisms that dictate when our cells are destroyed and when new cells are created. In normal cells, signalling information is transferred down the signalling network and passes through various checkpoints, like a train stopping at stations before it reaches its final stop. Certain proteins control the signalling network by interacting with its downstream partners to ensure the cell’s intended function is achieved. Cancer occurs mainly as a result of malfunctioning proteins involved in normal cell growth, causing sporadic cell growth that becomes harmful to the body.

Collectively known as ‘Ras proteins’, H-Ras, K-Ras and N-Ras, were amongst the first proteins described as having the capacity to control signalling networks that are involved in cell growth. Ras proteins are the hub of the cellular network and act like a switch. When the switch is ‘on’ Ras is activated, triggering a controlled cascade of signalling information along the pathway to activate proteins to function. The activity of Ras is partly regulated by the binding of a protein known as Son of Sevenless (Sos). 

Three decades have passed since the initial identification of Ras tumors and despite 30% of all human tumours known to have Ras mutations, there still remains no effective commercial therapeutic treatment for Ras mutant tumors. Understanding the mechanism of Ras activation via interactions with Sos remains unclear, and poses a challenge for effective drug designs. The aim of my research is to understand the interactions of the Ras: Sos complex using techniques such as Nuclear Magnetic Resonance (NMR) spectroscopy. NMR spectroscopy is a technique similar to MRI, but is mainly used to detect the structural changes of a protein at the binding site interface of protein-protein interactions.

The NMR spectrum of a protein gives rise to NMR signals that are then assigned to a specific position of the protein. These NMR signals can be imagined as tube stations of the London underground. Each station represents a unique location in London. Similarly, each NMR signal represents a specific position in the protein. If you need to go from the Northern line to the Piccadilly line, you will need to identify a specific station where both lines are linked together. Equally, the NMR signals allows me to identify specific regions of Ras where an interaction with Sos occurs. We have observed and assigned 99% of NMR signals from all of the functionally significant regions of K-Ras, the variant most strongly implicated in human malignancies. This work could be a significant step towards understanding how Ras controls many of the important signalling networks, which have been associated with cancer.

Why does this matter? Well the harsh reality is, that not only will cancer affect 1 in 3 of us during our life-time, but creating new and effective drugs is becoming more challenging and expensive. Cancer services alone cost the NHS around £5 billion annually. My PhD project will involve using a new NMR technique to monitor the direct binding between Ras and Sos proteins simultaneously, under the same conditions when a drug compound is added. This new technique will aid our endeavours in identifying potential drug compounds that disrupt the Ras:Sos interactions. I believe the technique can be commercially applicable by providing a simple and fast approach to filter out problematic compounds, making the pharmaceutical industry pipeline more cost-effective in the long term.

It might take a while to resolve a train signalling problem and like those working towards curing cancer, we believe there is light at the end of the tunnel. Understanding how Ras proteins are regulated is fundamental towards creating new anti-cancer therapies. My project aims to solve this problem. If successful, my project may influence new anti-cancer treatments to cure and improve the quality of life for cancer sufferers and their families.