Latest Research News

Gates gives millions to fund British fight against TB and Aids
British scientists working on five ground-breaking projects to fight disease will be named today as recipients of the largest individual research grants in history, awarded by Bill Gates, the Microsoft billionaire. Mr Gates, the world’s richest man and greatest philanthropist, is donating $436 million (£240 million) to 43 laboratory projects vital to the world’s greatest health challenges. A grant of £11 million will go to Imperial College London, for research on tuberculosis therapies. Another London project, to try to develop an Aids vaccine, gets £10.7 million.
The Times, The Daily Telegragh, The Guardian

Women are no longer happy in their work, says study
Women's job satisfaction is in decline for the first time, even though the opportunities open to them are unparalleled, government-funded research showed yesterday. Having historically enjoyed work more than men, women are now just as disillusioned, says a report by Michael Rose of Bath University. Those who work part-time, many of whom combine motherhood with a career, are particularly dissatisfied. Their job satisfaction has "collapsed", he said. Part-time female workers were once thought of as "grateful slaves" in a pin-money underclass, happy to take low-grade jobs for poor pay and conditions, Professor Rose said.
The Daily Telegraph, The Scotsman

New drug offers hope to breast cancer patients
Thousands of breast cancer patients across Scotland are to be offered a new treatment that reduces the chances of the disease returning by 75 per cent. The drug, Arimidex, which has been licensed for wider use from today, has been found to be 26 per cent more effective in preventing cancer returning than the current most commonly used treatment, Tamoxifen. Professor John Toy, the medical director at Cancer Research UK, said: "Research is showing that Arimidex is even more effective than Tamoxifen in reducing the risk of breast cancer coming back after initial treatment.
The Scotsman

Overweight who diet risk dying earlier, says study
Overweight people who diet to reach a healthier weight are more likely to die young than those who remain fat, according to a study. The finding needs to be backed up by further research before sweeping changes are made to public health strategies, the authors warn, but it highlights how poorly the long-term health effects of dieting are understood. It is well proven that losing weight reduces the risk of heart disease and diabetes among the obese, but the new study suggests that dieting also causes physiological damage that in the long term can outweigh the benefits.
The Guardian

Thousands 'could end depression with implant'
Thousands of Britons could potentially have their lives transformed by a “sunshine” implant that can brighten their mood and switch off depression, scientists revealed today. An early trial of the technique in the US has yielded such dramatic results that experts now plan similar research in the UK. It is estimated that around 5,000 to 10,000 British patients with incurable depression could be helped by the treatment, which involves inserting two electric probes deep into the brain. A team from the University of Bristol hopes to set up a centre to conduct its own version of the American work.
The Scotsman

Early experience, not genes, shapes child abusers
Child abuse may be more of a learnt behaviour than a genetic trait, new research on monkeys suggests. If true, the understanding may provide the opportunity to break the cycle of abuse that runs in some families. As many as 70 per cent of parents who abuse their children were themselves abused while growing up. Maternal abuse of offspring in macaque monkeys shares some similarities with child maltreatment in humans, including its transmission across generations. This pattern of abuse has led to speculation that it may have a genetic basis.
New Scientist

Climate change 'to drown Britain'
Sea-level rise caused by climate change could turn Britain into a string of islands, a study published today suggests. Rises could drown the centre of London and leave many low-lying cities and coastal towns waterlogged, including Edinburgh, Newcastle upon Tyne, Scunthorpe, Bristol, Plymouth, Norwich, Peterborough and Bournemouth, according to the Benfield Hazard Research Centre at University College London.
The Independent, The Times