Special Report - Healthcare & Life Sciences

Dec 11 2006 By Dr Ian Robson, The Journal

National recognition for Bionet student

Earlier this year, Bionet celebrated the success of one of its PhD students at an awards ceremony in the Houses of Parliament.

Through the Bionet Industrial Studentship scheme, Victoria Christie carries out stem cell research to understand the bio-molecules involved in neural cell formation.

Victoria was among 170 people attending the national event, which showed off the work of some of the UK's brightest young bioscientists - and she was one of the few to receive a commendation for her work.

She said: "I was extremely proud to have been asked to attend this event, and grateful to CELS and Bionet for providing the funding to make it possible. It was a great opportunity to meet other young scientists from all over the country, and to represent the North-East's bioscience sector."

Ian Robson, business development director of CELS, said: "Victoria's commendation reflects the high calibre of young scientists in the region and is typical of the work being undertaken by Bionet to link industry with academia".

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ReInnervate

Reinnervate is a new biotechnology company spun out of Durham University.

The company is developing ways to manage the growth and function of cultured mammalian cells. Its technologies have many applications and will be particularly relevant to the control of stem cell differentiation.

Founder and chief scientific officer Stefan Przyborski has been deeply involved with Bionet over recent years.

"Bionet is a network where you can be as involved as you wish. I feel the more you put in, the more you get out. It has a stem cell working group that holds regular meetings - so I joined the working group and have been able to propose meetings that have been held, and have also benefited by attending those developed by others.

"In addition to running a company, I manage a large university research group, so time is precious - and the great thing is that the Bionet team simply takes up most of the organisational workload and makes the events happen. The resulting meetings benefit both my research group and my company."

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Smoke free law 'the most important public health measure for a generation'

Smoking is the most significant cause of health inequalities that exists between North and South and the reason why we have the highest rates of cancer and heart disease in the country. The introduction of the new smoke free law will not only protect people from the harmful effects of secondhand smoke but will also encourage and help smokers who wish to quit.

The North-East has the highest percentage of smokers in the UK (28%) and as many as 35 people under the age of 65 die every year from exposure to secondhand smoke in their work place - nearly 6,000 die because of their direct smoking.

Exposure to secondhand smoke increases the risk of lung cancer by 24%, heart disease by 25% and significantly worsens chest problems such as asthma, emphysema and bronchitis. Secondhand smoke can cause a higher risk of cot death, an increased risk of meningitis in children as well as increasing a child's risk of asthma attacks and chest infections.

These are just some of the reasons why the introduction of a smoke free law in workplaces and enclosed public places is the biggest breakthrough for the health of people in the North-East region.

The new legislation will come in to effect in the summer of 2007 and Sir Liam Donaldson, the Government's Chief Medical Officer, has described the measure as the "most important public health measure for a generation", and the North-East should see a substantial health improvement in the wake of the law.

Although the North-East has higher than average levels of smoking, surveys have indicated that about two thirds of the region's smokers would like to quit, and the local NHS Stop Smoking Services are anticipating an increase in demand for their services over the next year as people prepare to quit smoking.

Ailsa Rutter, Director of Fresh, Smoke Free North East, comments: "It is clear that this law will lead to significant benefits of the health of people in the region and it is important that all businesses prepare fully for this whether they are a large or small business, community centre, entertainment venue, garage, a business with company vehicles or one where staff use their own private vehicles for work purposes, etc.

"Many businesses are unaware of how important this new legislation is and may think that they are exempt or already covered by their policy."

The law does not just apply to all pubs and clubs, it applies anywhere where people work or where the public might visit, and managers of businesses need to start planning too. The law also applies to vehicles that are used as workplaces or for carrying passengers.

The law will ensure that all workers, regardless of their place of work, will be protected from exposure to secondhand smoke and guaranteed the right to smoke free air.

Preparation is key. Businesses need to ensure that staff and customers are aware of changes and are required to display official signage and they need to ensure that their employees, customers and visitors fully understand the requirement not to smoke in workplaces or work vehicles and that disciplinary action will be taken against those who light up. Owners could also be fined - up to £2,500 - for allowing smoking to take place within their premises.

While confirmed details on the legislation are awaited, Ailsa Rutter comments: "We urge businesses to get more information now and be fully prepared. To help them with this we have produced a free factsheet explaining the main principles of the law and have already distributed over 50,000 to local businesses.

"We are also spreading the awareness of the strong health rationale for this legislation and have been using a Fresh TV commercial which demonstrates the harm caused by secondhand smoke in a range of workplaces."

Thousands of businesses throughout the North-East have already gone smoke free and have been awarded a National Clean Air Award, and it's not too late for other businesses to receive free practical help to go smoke free now.

Once this new legislation is in place, Fresh, Smoke Free North-East estimate that, based on new Italian research, there could be a reduction in hospital admissions for heart attacks of 11%.

According to the North-East Public Health Observatory, within this region alone there are more than 5,000 heart attack emergency admissions a year, so this would mean a reduction of over 550 cases in the North-East.

For more information, advice and support concerning smoke-free legislation, the National Clean Air Awards or the local NHS Stop Smoking Services visit www.freshne.com or email info@freshne.com  Businesses can also register now with the Smoke Free England Helpline on 0800 169 1697 for free signage and implementation guidance.

Page 5: Helping improve the health of the nation