Knowledge Capital

[jrb]

Manchesteronline.

£2.8m research lab opens in Science Park
Ben rooth
14/10/2008

A PURPOSE-BUILT £2.8m laboratory which will support research into cancer and diabetes was being opened in Manchester Business Park today.

The new premises have been funded by pharmaceutical research company ICON Development Solutions (IDS) and, once fully operational, will employ 50 full-time clinical staff.

IDS is a global provider of development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical industries.

The new lab will also support global research programmes into the central nervous system.

Brian O'Dwyer, vice-president of bioanalytical development at IDS, said: "Manchester was chosen as it is a central hub in Europe for trials and has an international airport.

"The laboratory will play a key role in clinical development globally, and we are delighted to have this expertise in Manchester. This laboratory enables IDS to add greater diversity to the whole process of therapy development."

[jrb]

From Crains.

Renovo shares up after positive broker assessment


Shares in Manchester-based drug developer Renovo jumped more than 9 percent after Goldman Sachs issued a note saying it expects the company to survive the financial turbulence of the next two years.

The broker also said that Renovo (LSE: RNVO) is well funded and unlikely to need to raise additional capital before 2011. It reiterated its buy recommendation on the stock.

The shares were up at 26.5p in early afternoon trading. Prior to today’s gains, the stock had lost almost 82 per cent this year.

Renovo was spun out of the University of Manchester and is developing a treatment to reduce scarring.

[jrb]

From Crains.

Tepnel expands genetics offering
By Claire Shoesmith


Wythenshawe-based Tepnel Life Sciences has expanded its molecular genetic services offering with the acquisition of a new scanning system.

In a statement to the stock exchange, Tepnel (AIM: TED) said it had acquired Illumina’s iScan System, a next-generation scanner that provides researchers conducting genetic variation studies with significantly greater throughput and application diversity, for an undisclosed sum.

The new platform, which can be added to and updated where necessary at a later date, will enable Tepnel to offer a full suite of complementary services from DNA extraction through to bioinformatics, the company said.

David Scott, general manager of Tepnel’s Livingston facility, said: “This new addition to our service opens up the possibility to our customers of whole genome association, focused content analysis, copy number variation analysis, and epigenetics on both human and non-human samples, all within a regulatory compliant environment.”

[flange]

£5.5m college to train new lawyers

Kevin Feddy

21/10/2008

THE College of Law today announced the site of its new £5.5m centre in Manchester.

It will be at 2 New York Street, in the city centre and is due to open next September.

The college, which provides training and development courses for solicitors, unveiled plans in April for its venture, which will employ around 30 staff initially. It will go head-to-head with other training providers, including Manchester Metropolitan University and BPP.

Tricia Chatterton, north west regional director of the college, which also has a centre in Chester, said today: "This is an excellent location for our new centre, in the heart of a dynamic, regenerated commercial quarter with great transport links.

"The college will be investing in the regional economy by retaining prospective legal talent and nurturing the top law professionals of tomorrow."

Major law firms have welcomed the college's expansion into Manchester.

Michael Clavell-Bate, senior office partner at Eversheds in Manchester, said: "The Manchester legal market is extremely competitive and growing. Work that historically would have gone to the City is now being undertaken within the region.

"As a result, the demand for high-calibre graduate trainees continues to grow, and the presence of the College of Law will justifiably enhance the crop of students available in the north west."

Daniel Mouawad, chief executive of pro.manchester, said: "Greater Manchester's legal sector has grown by 25 per cent in the last five years, so there is a clear demand for this new centre.

"Bespoke training, outstanding sector expertise and robust links with the region's top firms will ensure the college is key to the ongoing success of the regional economy."

Nigel Savage, chief executive of the College of Law, said: "The north west is the fastest-growing legal centre in the UK after London. It makes perfect sense for us to strengthen our presence in the region."

The college will be based in a renovated building owned by property giant Bruntwood.

Pannone will introduce a bespoke training programme for its staff at the College of Law's site in Manchester.

http://www.manchestereveningnews.co....in_new_lawyers

[flange]

More about the Law College

Law College picks Bruntwood building

By Simon Binns

The College of Law will take 22,0000 sq ft at Bruntwood’s 2 New York Street in Manchester.

Tricia Chatterton, regional director of the college, said: "This is an excellent location for our new centre, in the heart of a dynamic, regenerated commercial quarter, with great transport links.”

The space had originally been for use as a gym and had been signed over to David Lloyd Leisure, until the company decided against the lease – a decision which cost it £5m in surrender fees.

The Surrey-based college’s new Manchester centre will cost £5.5m and is due to open in September 2009. It also has centres in Chester, Birmingham, London and York.

Colin Sinclair, chief executive of MIDAS, Manchester's investment and development agency, said: "Manchester is the perfect fit for the expansion of the leading provider of vocational legal education and training in Europe."

http://www.crainsmanchesterbusiness....810219965/1026

[Potato Man]

Hmm.. 2 New York Street, interesting

We all know about 1 New York Street of course, and 'The Exchange' next door has 3 New York Street as it's address.

So I assume we talking about the gym built for David Lloyd, but left vacant for the past 10 years?

More recently marketed (unsuccessfully) as 'The Lightbox'. Presumably with a remodelled entrance/foyer at the corner of NY St and Mosley St.

Can't think where else 2 NY St would be, but that said I thought the gym was a bit bigger that 22k sq ft and I can't see the space making for easy sub division - (do I recall 35k sq ft marketed for the lightbox- but I wonder if that might have included mezzanines to be added?)

Still - it's about time somebody took pity on that steaming turd of a (and I hesitate to use the word) building.

[Potato Man]

Ha, just read Flanges post properly - I could have saved my brain all that thinking had I just moved my eyes down a bit!

[SleepyOne]

A bit previous maybe and a wee bit light on such an extensive topic as it relate to the city but worth posting



http://www.manchestersciencefestival.com

Free Radicals Trail



Oxford Road Science and Innovation Trail

Delve into the special Science Festival podcast and take a self-guided tour around the south of Manchester. Discover fascinating facts, amazing stories and uncover the incidents and moments in Manchester’s past that led to great leaps forward in science, industry and innovation.

Delivered in bite size chunks, the podcast scratches the surface of science and innovation achievements in this most prolific and pioneering of cities. Manchester’s story is a world story. Its innovations across two centuries have been at the forefront of the global march into the technological age we live in today.

And it’s not over. This city is still at the cutting edge of science. Stand quiet for a moment and you can almost hear people thinking, dreaming and planning. Watch this space…

http://www.manchestersciencefestival...ce_Podcast.mp3

http://www.manchestersciencefestival...ce_Podcast.mp3

http://www.manchestersciencefestival...ce_Podcast.mp3

http://www.manchestersciencefestival...ce_Podcast.mp3

http://www.manchestersciencefestival...ce_Podcast.mp3

http://www.manchestersciencefestival...ce_Podcast.mp3

[SleepyOne]

Anyone get along to this?



http://www.manchestersciencefestival...nt.aspx?ID=347

The Joule-Bronte-Chopin Effect: a study in connections



The Joule-Kelvin effect is a physical phenomenon that depends upon direct interaction between particles. The “Joule-Bronte-Chopin” effect is a social phenomenon in which the 'particles' are people and the interaction is mediated via third parties.

19th century Manchester saw the necessary conditions for such an effect: a critical mass large enough to sustain a distribution of gifted individuals but not so large as to preclude mutual familiarity.

In this talk we discover what brought two Bronte sisters and Frederic Chopin to the city in the 1840s (Joule was a resident) and the connections between them.

Speaker: Dr Grenville Jones, University of Salford

[The Longford]

A rather attractive girl stopped me in Piccadilly Station trying to get me interested in .
I was actually interested in it (and her) but i had to catch a train. It looked good.

[SleepyOne]

Yeah, gutted I didn't get along to it myself either. I hope they make a transcript available online.

That interation of science, literature and art (along with politics, industry and commerce) is a fascinating and fertile area of study and there are few better case studies than Manchester.

[jrb]

Clean sweep for Manchester.

From Crains.
Manchester takes prizes in biomedical awards


Winners of the Northwest Biomedical Awards were named at Mere Golf & Country Club on Wednesday night.

Winners were:

Biomedical Project of the Year: “Curapel Project”, The University of Manchester.

Young Biomedical Technologist of the Year: Dr Nick Goldspink, Renovo Plc, Manchester.

Biomedical Start Up of the Year: Conformetrix Ltd.

Healthcare Project of the Year: “Development of Dried Blood Spot testing for HCV, HBV, HIV and Syphilis”, led by Benjamin Brown, Central Manchester & Manchester Children’s University Hospital Trust.

Emerging Technology Project of the Year: “A Lung Function Biomarker”, led by Professor Geoff Parker, Wolfson Molecular Imaging Centre.

Biomedical Company of the Year: DxS Ltd.

Biomedical Personality of the Year: Dr Kevin Cox, Serco Group Plc.

The awards were organised by Bionow, the Northwest Regional Development Agency funded biomedical cluster support group.

[jrb]

From Crains.

University wins role in running National Nuclear Laboratory


A consortium made up of The University of Manchester, Serco Plc and Battelle was today named recommended bidder to run the UK National Nuclear Laboratory (NNL).

The announcement was made by the Department for Energy and Climate Change (DECC), which wants the NNL to become an international centre of excellence in nuclear research, to play a central role in cleaning up the UK’s nuclear waste legacy and to contribute to the programme of nuclear new build.

The DECC says it will be “at the heart of delivering the government’s nuclear energy policy as part of creating a low-carbon economy”.

Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: "The University of Manchester has a long tradition of being at the forefront of nuclear research, and we are delighted to be part of the consortium that has been named as Recommended Bidder for the NNL. The NNL already has a highly skilled workforce. Working with our consortium partners, we are committed to ensuring it becomes a world-renowned centre of nuclear science and technology."

The NNL operates at six locations in the UK: Sellafield, Cumbria; Workington, Cumbria; Preston, Lancashire; Risley, Cheshire; Harwell, Oxfordshire; and Stonehouse, Gloucestershire.

Heading the NNL management team will be managing director Mike Lawrence of Battelle. He previously managed the clean-up of Hanford Reservation site in the USA. Battelle Memorial Institute, based in Columbus, Ohio, is a privately owned non-profit applied science and technology development company which managed labs for the US Department of Energy.

[Frodz]

The above reminded me of something i hadn't seen posted before but is quite important.

http://www.mahsc.ac.uk/news/officialstatus

Manchester is recognised as a national leader in healthcare and research

Press release: 9 March 2009

The Manchester Academic Health Science Centre (MAHSC) – a new partnership between the seven leading research institutes - has today achieved official national status, bringing huge benefits to local patients.

£100 million a year is currently invested in health research in Greater Manchester, but this national status will help bring in significant additional investment. It will also enable the Manchester partnership to compete globally with established centres, such as those in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Sweden and the Netherlands.

MAHSC was formed last year and is made up of six Greater Manchester NHS trusts and the University of Manchester. The Secretary of State, Alan Johnson, has announced that just five centres across the country have been designated as an Academic Health Science Centre, with Manchester being the only place outside of London and Cambridge.

Research in Manchester is already leading, both nationally and internationally in areas such as cancer, cardiovascular medicine and respiratory medicine and the new partnership will also include the full range of health research undertaken in hospitals, mental health and in the community.

Professor Alan North is the director of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, and Dean of the Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences at The University of Manchester. He said; “We are delighted to have received formal designation from the Secretary of State for Health. This followed scrutiny of our application by an eminent international panel of experts. It is recognition that our member Trusts and the University have the expertise, the motivation and the vision to lead the delivery of innovation into health care. Most importantly, it is good news for patients and the public in Greater Manchester and the North West who can expect advances in medical science to be more rapidly introduced into improvements in their health."

The Manchester Academic Health Science Centre’s application for national status was particularly praised for its vision over the next ten years. By 2013 it aims to establish a number of internationally competitive health research programmes together with a world class research infrastructure – and by 2020 it aims to ensure Greater Manchester will have become one of the world’s leading health research centres.

The seven members of Manchester AHSC are:
• Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
• Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust
• Manchester Mental Health and Social Care Trust
• Salford Primary Care Trust
• Salford Royal NHS Foundation Trust
• University Hospital of South Manchester NHS Foundation Trust
• The University of Manchester

Notes to editors,

The four other successful centres named today are:
• Cambridge University Health Partners
• Imperial College
• King’s Health Partners
• UCL Partners

http://nds.coi.gov.uk/Content/Detail...6&NewsAreaID=2

NHS patients to benefit as top flight Academic Health Science Centres named

Health Secretary Alan Johnson today announced the successful Academic Health Science Centres (AHSCs) following peer review by an international panel of experts.
The centres, partnerships between world-class Universities and leading NHS organisations, have been recognised as having the potential to compete globally with established centres such as those in the United States, Canada, Singapore, Sweden and the Netherlands.
The centres will be well-placed to compete on the world stage for talent and funding, drawing in economic benefits for the UK as a whole. The selection process was carried out by a panel of internationally renowned clinicians and researchers.

[CDX]

From: englandsnorthwest.com

Grant given to Manchester University for radio astronomy
01/04/2009

A grant of ten million euros (£9.2 million) has been given to scientists at the University of Manchester's Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics, it has emerged.

The money is to come from the European Commission and will go towards supporting RadioNet, a network of radio astronomy observatories throughout Europe.

This will allow physicists to collaborate more closely and for researchers to have access to more facilities needed to generate ground-breaking studies.

Dr Anita Richards, who is to coordinate the sharing of skills and resources, said: "RadioNet funding will help us to inspire and train the next generation of European radio astronomers and engineers."

One of the projects to be funded by the grant is Uniboard, which will see highly complex digital electronics built in order to analyse signals received by radio telescopes.

The Jodrell Bank Centre houses the famous Lovell Telescope, which was completed in Cheshire in 1957.

In addition, it operates the UK's national radio astronomy facility, also known as Merlin.

[jrb]

Crains.

NWDA agrees £9.5m funding for new biomedical research centre
By Michael Fahy


The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) has agreed further funding and support for Manchester’s new Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The agency has agreed to up in a further £9.5m to support its running costs and help develop its business plan until 2012.

The agency had already put up £4.1m of funding to support the centre, which is a £35m research institute that will be run by a partnership between the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Manchester. It will be one of a series of institutions designated by the Department of Health as a flagship collaboration between academia and clinical institutions. The aim is to bring both together to drive scientific discoveries in therapeutics, diagnostics and other facilities to support the UK’s pharma and healthcare industries.

The Manchester Partnership and the Department of Health has also provided match funding of £18.8m along with partners including AstraZeneca, Renovo, GlaxoSmithKline and the Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Facility and Manchester City Council.

“The Northwest is the only UK region outside the South East which has more that one BRC (Manchester and Liverpool) and we are delighted to be supporting this project,” said the NWDA’s chief executive Steven Broomhead.

[jrb]

Oube.

A new initiative from Manchester Metropolitan University for the creative, cultural and digital industries. MMU is a major producer of new talent that enriches the creative vibrancy of the region.

http://www.creativemanchester.org/

[jrb]

Crains.

US giant backs new biomedical innovation fund at Manchester University


The University of Manchester has done a deal with a US-based multinational to set up a new biomedical innovation fund.

The University of Manchester Intellectual Property Ltd has signed an agreement with the Johnson & Johnson Corporate Office of Science and Technology (COSAT) to establish a proof-of-principle fund which will help scientists to explore ideas which can have a positive impact on human health.

It may support new developments in regenerative medicine, treatments for chronic conditions as Alzheimer’s or diabetes and new diagnostic markers or medical devices.

COSAT was established in 1978 to support entrepreneurship and assist the exploitation of breakthroughs in science and technology.

Scientific advances have to get through the proof-of-principle stage before they are developed further and eventually taken to market.

The university said in a news release that the new fund would augment its capability for funding innovative projects beyond spin-outs, which are supported by the UMIP Premier Find.

Professor Rod Coombs, vice-president for innovation and economic development at the university, said: “This fund will prove invaluable for scientists as they look to take their research to new levels and could lead to new technology platforms which will underpin new therapies. We are delighted that COSAT has chosen Manchester as a centre of excellence.”

Clive Rowland, chief executive of UMIP, said: “This agreement will allow scientists to make major strides forward in their research as well as help them to develop that research into products with commercial potential. UMIP will make decisions on how to distribute the fund, based on the commercial case of each individual submission.”

[SleepyOne]

thanks jrb - good news.

[jrb]

Originally Posted by SleepyOne

thanks jrb - good news.

No probs Sleep's.

£39m 'superlab' tribute to Nobel hero
Steven Cunliffe

May 07, 2009





A £39m research centre named after a man who rescued academics from Nazi persecution will officially open today.

The AV Hill Building is one of the largest biomedical complexes in Europe, housing 300 scientists.

It is named after Archibald Vivian Hill, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine while he was at Manchester University.

The new centre off Upper Brook Street on the university campus will focus mainly on neuroscience, the study of the nervous system, and immunology research.

AV Hill made outstanding contributions in the field of muscle physiology and was regarded as one of the founders of biophysics.

In the 1930s he played a leading role in the establishment of the Academic Assistance Council, which rescued many German refugee academics from Nazi persecution and provided employment and financial support.

Professor Hill shared the 1922 Nobel Prize with Otto Fritz Meyerhof for work on the generation of heat by muscles.

Disease

The building named after him will house internationally-recognised groups examining novel approaches for treatment of human disease.

Prof Dame Nancy Rothwell's neuroscience research group is investigating the causes and possible prevention of brain damage from stroke. The researchers have found that if the immune system has been stimulated by infection, it can attack the brain following a stroke.

This has important implications for the elderly who are most at risk of stroke and frequently suffer from infection.

The team believe their findings could change the way stroke patients are treated in the future. Dr Kathryn Else's immunology research group has discovered how parasitic worms alter the host's immune system to allow them to survive.

AV Hill's grandson Nicholas Humphrey, a professor at the London School of Economics, and Dr Ralph Kohn, a former Manchester University student and winner of the Queen's Award for Export Achievement, were due to open the building officially.

Professor Humphrey said: "My grandfather loved laboratories. But he could never have imagined a lab of this magnificence."

IMPRESSIVE The AV Hill Building is one of Europe's largest biomedical facilities