Chair of SciTech Committee urges the EU and UK to accelerate Horizon Europe negotiations
- Greg Clark MP has urged the EU and the Government to accelerate negotiations on Horizon Europe association, following a letter from the Science, Innovation and Technology Secretary, Michelle Donelan.
- In the letter, the Secretary of State does not confirm whether the £1.6 billion funding allocated to Horizon Europe association, and returned to the Treasury as part of the Supplementary Estimates, will be re-allocated to the Department at the upcoming Budget.
- Mr Clark stated, “I would urge the European Commission and the Government to commence and conclude these discussions without delay, which must address what value remains accessible to the UK in the remaining years of the programme.”
NHS virtual wards are helping to free up the UK’s crowded hospitals
- NHS virtual wards successfully treated over 100,00 patients last year, freeing up thousands of hospital beds for people most urgently needing care
- There are over 340 NHS virtual wards across England, with 58 new wards opened since January 2023.
- Evidence suggests that remaining at home – near friends, family and pets – improves physical health, mental wellbeing and overall recovery rate of certain patients.
British Land announces big life sciences plans for Canada Water
- A stack of factory-made modular labs, with an accompanying roof terrace, has been established in Canada Water and is due to open in late May.
- British Land, the company behind the development, is also announcing plans for a large new research building – leading to hopes of a growing life sciences cluster south of the Thames.
- There is a huge lack of lab space in the ‘Golden Triangle’ and it is hoped that this development will alleviate some of the shortages.
A new blood test to improve epilepsy diagnosis
- Researchers have discovered higher levels of immune proteins before and after an epileptic seizure, which could improve epilepsy diagnosis going forward.
- Currently it is difficult to definitively diagnose epilepsy and current methods are resource heavy.
Collaboration results in novel urine test to detect bladder cancer
- A test for the non-invasive detection of bladder cancer has been launched at the Annual Meeting of the European Association of Urology.
- The GALEAS Bladder test is a urine-based molecular test which can quickly and accurately detect bladder cancer and streamline diagnosis, most importantly, reducing the need for invasive cystoscopies.
- Researchers were able to validate that the biomarker panel was in over 600 patient samples from three UK clinical cohorts and analysis showed high diagnostic accuracy.
New AI method for diagnosing prostate cancer begins trial in Oxford
- An AI software which helps to diagnose prostate cancer is being trialled by researchers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust.
- Testing in a clinical setting, which is currently underway, is a key development in the study
- The pathologists are utilising the AI software to scan biopsy samples which then flag up any malignant cells. It also ascertains the amount of tumour present and how aggressive it is.
