Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008 - (Page 9)

News Robot assistant to enter biotech labs I n a year’s time a new form of robot, designed to work as a laboratory assistant, could be rolling through biotechnology labs. The life science assistant, LISA, will be able to carefully MOVE from one lab instrument to another, attending to tasks such as loading incubators and measuring equipment with sample trays. A laser-aided navigation system will allow it to orient itself in familiar surroundings, including going through doorways, and it can also navigate around obstacles and people. The developers from the Fraunhofer Institute for Factory Operation and Automation (IFF) in Madeburg (Germany) have specifically made sure that the robot is safe. It is equipped with a sensing gripper arm designed to hold plastic dishes, but not injure humans, and its ‘artificial skin’ can immediately sense and cushion inadvertent jostling. A thermographic camera also registers body heat and can indicate, for instance, if a human colleague’s hand is in the way. The developers — and their project partners — aimed to construct a robot suited for everyday routines. LISA understands entire sentences such as “Get me dish A4 from incubator 8”, and if something is unclear it will seek clarification. Additionally, simple work commands can be entered through a touchscreen and the robot is able to learn new actions easily, which is especially important in life science laboratories where new types of measuring stations are frequently installed or varied work steps are executed. “LISA was tailored precisely to the niche market of life sciences,” says project coordinator Dr Norbert Elkmann from the IFF. “This is the only way its everyday use will soon be possible — we could be that far in about 1–2 years.” www.fraunhofer.de UK prepares life sciences strategy he UK has launched a new strategy for promoting life sciences to enable it to stay ahead of global competition. The UK’s pharmaceutical industry is currently second only to the US but, according to Lord Digby Jones, minister of state for trade and investment, the UK needs to exploit opportunities that new technologies are offering. “Global competition in the life sciences is intense and growing, and we need to ensure we are among the first to make in-roads into emerging markets such as China and India,” says Lord Jones. “This new marketing strategy is a catalyst for T selling and promoting the UK life sciences sectors in new and exciting ways to a global audience. It has been created with full industry involvement and its implementation will continue to involve strong business support and direction.” The strategy includes numerous schemes. The first is to establish a marketing board by spring 2008 made up of business and government leaders, and to develop a shared marketing charter to sell the UK’s life sciences consistently and persuasively around the world to potential buyers and partners or inward investors. Individual marketing campaigns will be put in place for the biotechnology, pharmaceuticals and healthcare sectors, and there will be a partnership and pooling of resources between businesses, trade associations, cluster and research organizations, universities and government to sell the strengths of the UK as the location of choice for investors. “By working together we hope to create an exciting and inspiring platform for the life sciences industries — one that is coherent, professional and unified,” concludes Lord Jones. www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk Patients with rare diseases abandoned ejection by health professionals is a major problem for people living with rare diseases, according to a study carried out by the European Organization for Rare Diseases (EURORDIS). Approximately 6000 people were interviewed across 23 European countries, with 69% saying that the complexity of their disease is the main cause of rejection. Another finding of the study indicated that women were more likely to be discriminated than men. When asked about their needs and R expectations, 95% of respondents considered that sharing information between health professionals was crucial, and 92% said that training of local professionals was also necessary to avoid having to travel abroad to find adapted care. The need for a multidisciplinary approach when addressing rare diseases was another resounding need that came up in the survey. Teams, in which social workers play a key role, have to be made up by professionals from different disciplines to ensure the best care. The Rare Diseases Patient Solidarity Project conducted by EURORDIS and funded by the European Commission is designed to improve the quality of life of rare disease patients and their families, and to give them access to health services and medical care at European level. Rare diseases affect less than 1 in 2000, but this still amounts to 30 million people in the EU — 75% of which are children. Thirty percent will die before they are 5 years old. www.eurordis.org www.ptemagazine.com 9 http://www.fraunhofer.de http://www.uktradeinvest.gov.uk http://www.eurordis.org http://www.ptemagazine.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008

Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008
Contents
Editor's Comment
News
Morpheus
Market Watch
Lagging Japanese Drug R&D
Croatia’s Innovation
Integrating PAT with Biopharmaceutical Development and Manufacture
Q&A

Pharmaceutical Technologist - January 2008