NO TO MINING AT XOLOBENI In the past, colonnial powers were derided for their plundering of the African continent for its wealth of natural resources - whether minerals, natural produce or wildlife. Now, once again, local people are threatened by foreign industries that plan to cash in on mining deals with South Africa. There is no benefit to South Africans for Australian mining company MRC Minerals to mine an area that spans five estuaries at Xolobeni along the Wild Coast. The Wild Coast has been rightly seen by many as the last remaining jewel in South Africa's crown of untainted indigenous beauty. But if MRC Mining has its way, the CEOs of this company and dealmakers will profit, but local people will be left with a environment poisoned by waste. The few estuaries in South Africa that remain pristine, will be rendered unsustainable by pollutants and the dependence on marine and riverine life that is a leisure activity for some and a livelihood for others will become impossible. Once the ilmenite ore has been mined from the sand dunes along Xolobeni, MRC Mining will have made its money, close the mine and move on, but the damage to the environment and health costs for people will remain. The ore also requires a smelter to be built in Pondoland or East London which will require a vast amount of electricity and will also pollute the surrounding area with toxic wastes. Both mining and smelting require vast amounts of fresh water - a resource that is precious in a dry country like South Africa. There are many poorer people in South Africa who do not have access to clean water and electricity without these resources being wasted on unsustainable industries. The Department of Minerals and Energy (DME) has suggested that tourism will be able to thrive alongside the proposed mining industry, but the intrinsic value of the Wild Coast to tourism - its unspoilt beauty - will be lost as soon as the mining industry begins. This means that the more sustainable tourism industry - one that will be of longer duration, have more value to local residents and use less of South Africa's precious water and electricity resources - will be lost due to mining. Mining industries always promise that they will "rehabilitate" an area once they have closed a mine and moved on. Before they are granted a licence, they vow to be "environmentally friendly" and aware of the threat to indigenous plants, animals and even human beings from industrial pollutants. Unfortunately, the reality in South Africa has been far different from these ideals. The mining industry in South Africa is infamous for its pollutant legacy. The State of the Environment report for South Africa has shown the extent to which soil, atmosphere and water sources have been polluted by toxic wastes from mining. It is also unfortunate that it is not just one area of South Africa - the Wild Coast - that is under threat or already damaged by industry. Richards Bay has been turned from a small fishing village and tourism mecca into an industrial nightmare, with residents suffering poisoning of the atmosphere and toxic spills into the sea and rivers. Port Elizabeth's marine ecology has also been devastated by the Coega industrial development - to say nothing of the threat to the closest impoverished community at Motherwell from proposed smelters there. Once again, these proposed industries demand vast quantities of electricity and fresh water supplies - which South Africa does not have, according to the number of "load-shedding" cut-offs instituted by Eskom (during the summer, not winter season). The main reason given by government departments in granting mining licences has been the "upliftment" of the poor. Yet throughout Africa it can be clearly seen that despite being "mineral rich" a country can remain poor. This has become known as the "curse of natural resources". Despite having a wealth of natural resources, the majority of people in Africa are still "dirt poor". The only ones to benefit from these developments are the few CEOs at the top of the company. Even the jobs on offer are mainly for unskilled labourers who always suffer the greatest impact from mining pollutants. If the aim of the South African government is to "uplift" the poor, they should be asking the community what they really need. Mining is not going to provide for the basic needs of the people of Xolobeni and the Wild Coast region. Local communities have stated that they need the improvement of existing road infrastructure - not the building of a toll road they cannot afford to use. They need access to clean water supplies, electricity, primary health care and education. Those who have lived in the area for generations - and who will be there after the mine has closed down - want jobs that will provide them with opportunities for a healthier future. The mining industry does not have a good safety record in South Africa and miners are not paid enough to risk their lives as they do on a daily basis. There has been little education as to the dangers to health from mining and miners in South Africa are mostly unaware of the illnesses they can contract from pollutants or compensation they could claim. There is the huge health cost to the country purely due to illnesses contracted by miners, Aids spread by a hostel lifestyle and the chemical poisoning of nearby communities. The ecology of the Eastern Cape is still being researched - and valuable information on indigenous plants that are important for pharmaceutical needs is still being discovered. The archaeological remains in the Red Desert are still being researched and this area could prove to be yet another National Heritage Site. Mining would condemn the local ecology and history to be lost in slime pits forever. While the true value of the local ecology may yet be unknown - especially to those who are pushing mining in the area - the loss of it will be inestimable. Indigenous plants are being rapidly lost to science and research as they are harvested for quick and unprofitable sales. The protection and cultivation of local species could be an invaluable and far more sustainable source of income for local people if protected by economic regulations. The historic value of the region to students of ancient cultures could be promoted. What is of far greater value to South Africa than any mineral is education as to indigenous species and the protection of unique local resources and culture. If South Africa's precious sustainable resources of plant and animal life are destroyed, then the people who depend on these are also destroyed. In protecting our environment, we protect our people and ensure a safe future for the children of this country. They are the ones who will have to live with the consequences of decisons made now. That is why it is vital that there be no invasive mining at Xolobeni and instead local communities are provided with sustainable, healthy means of building an economy. Yours faithfully INGELA RICHARDSON

The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) preserves well-characterised, authenticated human pathogenic viruses in a secure facility. The agents or nucleic acids derived from these viruses are supplied to the scientific community according to national and international guidelines. It remains as the largest and most comprehensive collection of pathogenic viruses in the world. The Collection is primarily comprised of human pathogenic viruses requiring handling at biosafety levels 3 or 4, but has expanded to encompass hazard group 2 pathogens. Most of the material is in the form of cell-cultured virus stocks, but provision has also been made (where desirable or necessary) for selected clinical material and uncultivable viruses to be archived as serum, tissue or other biological samples, or in the form of cloned material. The Collection contains materials which are not readily available to the wider scientific community, particularly in the area of emerging virus diseases. We expect the Collection to be of benefit in the future development and testing of vaccines and antiviral compounds, in the development and validation of diagnostic test systems, and in the conservation of biodiversity. ADDITIONAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY THE NCPV NCPV also stores and carries out viability testing on virus patent deposits on behalf of the European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC). Viruses can be stored with NCPV as safe deposits (not made available to other users of NCPV), providing a safe, secure backup to the customer's own storage facility. The collection also provides information and backup to ECACC, and undertakes any virological investigations they may require. Finally, NCPV undertakes collaborative projects and contract research/developmental work with academic and commercial partners, by providing expertise in handling high containment pathogens. More information regarding the NCPV can be found through the link below. (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)

Molecular Profiles, a global leader in the provision of innovative contract research services to the pharmaceutical, biopharmaceutical and biomedical sectors worldwide, announces the expansion of its Scientific Panel with the appointment of industry guru Professor Lisbeth Illum. [click link for full article]

The European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC), one of the largest depositories for cell cultures in the world, are introducing two resources now available to the scientific and research community - the National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses: a secure depository for authenticated pathogenic viruses, and the National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi: the only collection of pathogenic fungi in the UK. The ECACC are also launching a new web service which makes accessing the large range of information, services and resources offered by the ECACC easier than ever before. THE NATIONAL COLLECTION OF PATHOGENIC VIRUSES (NCPV) The National Collection of Pathogenic Viruses (NCPV) preserves well-characterised, authenticated human pathogenic viruses in a secure facility. The agents or nucleic acids derived from these viruses are supplied to the scientific community according to national and international guidelines. The Collection is primarily comprised of human pathogenic viruses requiring handling at biosafety levels 3 or 4, but has expanded to encompass hazard group 2 pathogens. Most of the material is in the form of cell-cultured virus stocks, but provision has also been made for selected clinical material and uncultivable viruses to be archived as serum, tissue or other biological samples, or in the form of cloned material. The Collection contains materials which are not readily available to the wider scientific community, particularly in the area of emerging virus diseases. It is expect that collection to be of benefit in the future development and testing of vaccines and antiviral compounds, in the development and validation of diagnostic test systems, and in the conservation of biodiversity. NCPV also stores and carries out viability testing on virus patent deposits on behalf of the European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC). The collection also provides information and backup to ECACC, and undertakes any virological investigations they may require. THE NATIONAL COLLECTION OF PATHOGENIC FUNGI (NCPF) The National Collection of Pathogenic Fungi (NCPF) is the United Kingdom's only culture collection specialising in fungi pathogenic to humans and animals. Since its inception at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine in 1946 the NCPF has been an integral part of the Mycology Reference Laboratory, which means that the expertise is available onsite for strain authentication. At present the collection holds about 2500 strains, most of which are available for sale and distribution. Current holdings include: Approximately 500 strains of dermatophytes and related organisms from the UK and abroad from human and animal infections including many original type strains Approximately 900 mould strains from sub-cutaneous and deep-seated human and animal infection Approximately 900 pathogenic yeast strains Approximately 140 strains of dimorphic fungal pathogens The NCPF (one of the ten service collections comprising the UKNCC) catalogue is available online. The NCPF maintains close links with its sister collection NCTC at HPA Colindale where all the lyophilisation of NCPF strains is conducted. THE NCTC WEBSITE September 2007 saw the launch of a new NCTC website, which provides easy access to over 5000 reference bacterial cultures, 100 mycoplasmas and more than 500 plasmids, host strains, bacteriophages and transposons. All of these are of medical, scientific and veterinary importance. In addition, the website offers valuable comprehensive resources to customers wishing to search for specific bacterial cultures, their characteristics and DNA sequences together with frequently asked questions, technical support and significant bibliographies. Polyphasic identifications can be performed and nomenclature reviewed. Additional features to the site include an advanced online ordering facility, incorporating an ability to create a personal profile to view the history of previous orders. "This new website will further strengthen the availability of our strains to our customers and provide insight into the identification of new species," states Dr Barry Holmes, Head of NCTC. "The website will be regularly updated with new bacterial strains and news from the NCTC. This will allow customers to easily access specific information or alternatively gain a general understanding of what NCTC can offer," explains Dr Elizabeth Fashola-Stone, project manager, marketing. NCTC was established in 1920 and is the oldest collection of bacterial cultures in the world to offer a supply service. This continues as its prime function today, supplying reference bacterial cultures worldwide to support academic, health, food, veterinary institutes and commercial organisations. In addition to supplying bacterial cultures, NCTC also provides a range of associated services, which includes: Freeze-drying of customer-provided strains International Depository Authority (IDA) patent depository for bacterial cultures Production of cultures and samples for use in European Quality Assurance (EQA) schemes Provision of cultures (in LENTICULE disc format) with defined numbers of cfu/disc ABOUT ECACC The European Collection of Cell Cultures (ECACC) was established in 1984 as a cell culture collection to service the research community and provide an International Depository Authority recognised patent depository for Europe. Over the last 20 years ECACC has expanded and diversified to become one of the premier collections of authenticated cell cultures in the world and this remains the core of ECACCs business. The collections currently hold over 40,000 cell lines representing 45 different species, 50 tissue types, 300 HLA types, 450 monoclonal antibodies and at least 800 genetic disorders. The development and maintenance of such a diverse collection has inevitably produced a high level of specialist knowledge and this combined with the support of the Health Protection Agency, Porton Down has enabled ECACC to position itself as a centre of expertise in all aspects of cell culture. (Source: Pharmaceutical Technology)

While you’ve been tossing and turning, research scientists, pharmaceutical companies and mattress designers have been hard at work on your eternal nocturnal problem. But what exactly is the problem?

Acquisition Will Expand Pfizer's Investment in Vaccines, Broaden Scope of Research in a Number of Key Therapeutic Areas NEW YORK & WELLESLEY, Mass.--(HSMN NewsFeed)--Pfizer Inc (NYSE: PFE ) announced today it has entered into an agreement to acquire Col... Biopharmaceuticals, Mergers & AcquisitionsPfizer, Coley Pharmaceutical Group (Source: HSMN NewsFeed)

Pfizer agreed to buy Coley Pharmaceutical for about $164 million to beef up its vaccine research and improve drug development for Alzheimer's and infectious diseases. (Source: WSJ.com: Health)

Today the European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain (EFIC) and the pharmaceutical company Grunenthal GmbH award five young European scientists with grants to support innovative, exploratory research projects on clinical and human experimental pain research. [click link for full article]

Brazil's strategy of negotiating AIDS drug prices with multinational pharmaceutical companies and producing generic AIDS drugs locally saved that country's AIDS program approximately 1 billion US dollars between 2001 and 2005, according to research published in PLoS Medicine. [click link for full article]

Brazil's strategy of negotiating AIDS drug prices with multinational pharmaceutical companies and producing generic AIDS drugs locally saved that country's AIDS program approximately 1 billion US dollars between 2001 and 2005, according to research published in PLoS Medicine. [click link for full article]

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