DNA Electronics Ltd, a developer of disposable, real-time gene testing at the point-of-care, has been named as the winner of the prestigious R&D prize at the Elektra09 European Electronics Industry Awards. DNA Electronics, a spin-out of Imperial College London, triumphed from a shortlist of five other finalists to be named winner by an independent panel of judges in recognition of its innovative technology and intellectual property strategy. The Elektra09 award ceremony was held on Tuesday 1st December 2009 at the Royal Lancaster Hotel in London.
SMOKERS who light up first thing in the morning have a much greater chance of suffering lung cancer than those who wait till later in the day.
Scientists have found increased levels of harmful nicotine in the lungs of smokers who have their first cigarette minutes after waking.
The researchers said the amount of cotinine - a byproduct of nicotine - among people who smoke first thing in the morning was higher regardless of the number of cigarettes smoked.
Two children considered to be at risk of abuse because they are severely obese have been removed from the protection register after scientists discovered that they carry a newly identified genetic abnormality that explains their weight.
Evidence from a ground-breaking study has convinced social workers that the children’s obesity was not caused by parental neglect or deliberate overfeeding but by a missing segment of DNA. The cases of another two children on the at-risk register have also been placed under review, after research showed them to have the same genetic deletion.
An HIV genetic stowaway that may have come from a related cat virus could help the AIDS virus transmit and replicate in people, U.S. researchers reported on Sunday.
Their finding, which has implications for designing new drugs or a vaccine against the fatal and incurable virus, may also shed light on how other viruses, such as swine flu, spread from animals to people, experts said.
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/wireStory?id=9264450