BBSRC Business winter 2011

Headlines
- Taiwan and the UK BBSRC sign a MOU for biotechnology research cooperation
  On 25 November 2010 the National Science Council of Taiwan and BBSRC signed a Memorandum of Understanding to pursue cooperation in biotechnology research, with a focus on…
- BBSRC Delivery Plan published: response to Science Budget allocation
  BBSRC has published its Delivery Plan 2011-2015. This outlines our priorities, plans and spending commitments, based around the Science and Research budget allocation to BBSRC announced by BIS on 20 December 2010…
- Joint BBSRC/EPSRC response to Dialogue report
  BBSRC and EPSRC have written to everyone who contributed to the Synthetic Biology Dialogue report setting out the actions the research councils will take in response…
- New animal facilities licensed at the Institute for Animal Health
  Further progress on the redevelopment of the Institute for Animal Health's Pirbright Laboratory took place in November when the Institute received operating licences for two large-animal facilities from Defra…
- Institute for Animal Health scientist scoops research award
  It's turning out to be quite a year for Erica Bickerton. The final year PhD student based at the Institute for Animal Health (IAH, Compton Laboratory), an Institute of BBSRC, has made major progress in her work on vaccines…
- Dow agrosciences licenses exclusive novel crop enhancement technology
  The John Innes Centre is pleased to announce an exclusive commercial license agreement for BBSRC-funded technology that enhances the root systems of plants and with important implications for crop improvement…
- New strategic alliance for animal health research in Scotland
  A new animal health partnership platform has been established in Scotland by Pfizer Animal Health and the Easter Bush Research Consortium (EBRC). The collaboration, one of the largest for veterinary research and education…
- Procarta secures major new investment to continue development of novel antibiotics
  Procarta, a spin-out company previously supported by BBSRC and emerging from John Innes Centre science, has secured up to £1.25M funding to continue the development of its novel DNA-based antibiotic technology to…
Features
- From exotic to endemic: a new disease of pigs
  Research is underway to tackle a new and mysterious disease that threatens young pigs in the UK and Europe. Scientists have taken the first steps toward understanding the disease by developing a model to assess the severity of…
- The fungus forecast: protecting crops from attack
  Many countries pursue food security by specialising their agricultural production toward crops that fulfil domestic needs or have high export value. In the UK more than 600,000 hectares…
- Novel catalysts look set to clean up
  Researchers from the University of Manchester have developed a simple, one-step process for the biosynthesis of magnetic nanocatalysts that can be reused and recovered more successfully than their conventional…
- Building on a legacy in antibody research
  With world-class facilities and a vibrant research community, the Babraham Research Campus has recently attracted some of the most exciting new generation antibody companies in Europe…
- Immune system assassin’s tricks visualised for the first time
  Scientists from the UK and Australia have seen the human immune system's assassin - a protein called perforin - in action for the first time. The UK team, funded by BBSRC and the Wellcome Trust…
- Fat cells reach their limit and trigger changes linked to type 2 diabetes
  Scientists have found that the fat cells and tissues of morbidly obese people and animals can reach a limit in their ability to store fat appropriately. Beyond this limit several biological processes conspire to prevent further expansion…
- Historic grain collections helps preserve future biodiversity
  One key to maintaining world food security is to preserve biodiversity in food crop species, as highlighted by a recently published report from the FAO on the State of the World's Plant Genetic Resources…
- Rapid ‘dip and dry’ technology for improved biomaterials
  Sheffield-based researchers have developed a simple, generic platform for altering the surface properties of bioactive materials. Their findings could lead to improved medical implants and devices that can prevent…
- Double win for early-career researchers with top entrepreneurial skills and ideas for food security
  The entrepreneurial skills of a team of early career bioscientists with ideas for food security have earned them top place in a national competition held at County Hall, London last night…
Opinion
- Systems Biology in agriculture – growing more with less
  Stuart John Dunbar from Syngenta discusses how partnering with BBSRC-funded programmes in systems biology can help address the fundamental issues facing agriculture today…

BBSRC Business winter 2011

Headlines

Features

Opinion