This issue of the Norwich Research Park newsletter sees several stories related to studies on the relationship between diet and health. The NRP is one of Europe’s leading centres into the study of the effect of food and environment on human health. Its Norwich Centre for Preventive Medicine brings together scientists from 35 research groups across the park. Their research covers all aspects from the development of crops bred for enhanced levels of component that are important for our health, through research on the effect of specific foods on reducing disease by trials of foods on human subjects to epidemiological studies of human populations. The Institute for Food Research also announced the creation of IFR Extra which is designed to help small and medium sized food companies to access its expertise and facilities.
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IM-Sense, which was established in 2006 as a spin-out from the Department of Computing Sciences at UEA has recently raised £1 million from a consortium of investors. The company, which is currently based in one of the offices of the Norwich Bio-Incubator, has developed a novel technology for automatically enhancing the clarity of digital photographs and videos within cameras and mobile phones. The funds will be used to expand the team developing the technology and bring it to market. The technology is currently being evaluated by a number of companies in the field. Graham Finlayson, Director of IM-Sense was this month awarded the Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award.
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Procarta Biosystems was featured in a previous NRP Newsletter following its Financial Times front page story featuring its novel technology against drug-resistant microbial infections. It now has successfully raised £320,000 from the Rainbow Seed and Iceni Seedcorn Funds to develop their invention and have now moved into the Bio-Incubator.
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In May the Institute of Food Research launched a new subsidiary called IFR Extra which pulls together the capacity of IFR expertise and equipment in food analysis for easy access by companies at an affordable price. It is aimed at small and medium sized businesses as well as being open to the bigger food companies for whom they offer an extended range of services than was previously available. They can undertake short-term applied research, trouble-shooting and specialist analysis as well as providing access to experts on a consultancy basis. IFR extra has its own new laboratories and staff but it can also access the full range of experts and resources of the Institute to put together multidisciplinary teams quickly. They aim to provide a cost-effective, confidential service underpinned by a group of highly-respected consultants covering Microbiology, Authentication, Food Materials Science, Retail Analysis, Product Development, Legislation, Product Marketing, Polymers & Packaging and Nutritional advice.
IFR extra website
NRP-based technology development company PBL was successful in its £1.57 million bid to the Department of Innovation, Universities and Skills Public Sector Research Exploitation Fund. The award will extend PBL's highly successful Technology Development Programme (TDP). It will also strengthen PBL's technology transfer interactions with Babraham Bioscience Technologies Limited (BBT), the commercialisation arm of The Babraham Institute based outside Cambridge. The bid was backed by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, who will contribute £525k to the programme, bringing the total funding to £2.1m. Dr David Hardman, CEO of BBT said “The award of these funds will promote the collaborative development of new bioscience innovations between the BBSRC Institutes across the Eastern Region. It will allow us to build on the facilities and expertise in BBT’s Technology Development Laboratory which provides a proof-of-concept facility for innovators from within the institutes and the region.” PBL develops innovative technologies from public and private sources worldwide - turning ideas into patented, scientifically validated and licensable technologies.
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Ground breaking research at the Institute of Food Research led by Professor Richard Mithen has provided an explanation of how eating broccoli might reduce cancer risk based upon studies in men, as opposed to extrapolating from animal models. Prostate cancer is the most common non-skin cancer for males in western countries.
Men at risk of developing prostate cancer were fed either 400g of broccoli or 400g of peas per week in addition to their normal diet over 12 months. Tissue samples were taken from their prostate gland before the start of the trial and after 6 and 12 months. The activity of all the approximately 30,000 human genes were measured simultaneously using “microarray” technology.
The results of the study suggested that relatively low amounts of cruciferous vegetable such as broccoli, cabbage or cauliflower in the diet – just a few portions per week – can have large effects on gene expression by changing cell signalling pathways. There were more changes in gene expression in men who were on the broccoli-rich diet than on the pea diet, and these changes may be associated with the reduction in the risk of developing cancer.
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Two of Norwich Research Park’s leading scientists, Professors Chris Lamb and Peter Liss, have been elected to become Fellows of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of science. Professor Chris Lamb, director of the John Innes Centre and John Innes Professor of Biology at UEA has made major contributions to our understanding of the molecular basis of how plants defend themselves against disease. Professor Peter Liss, a world expert on environmental chemistry becomes the eighth UEA scientist to be recognized by the Royal Society for his major achievements investigating the interactions between the ocean and the atmosphere. These are critical in understanding climate change as carbon-dioxide concentrations increase. Peter Liss was awarded a CBE in the recent Queens Birthday honours and Dr Phil Smith, who manages the Teacher Scientist Network, was awarded an MBE for his services to science education.
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The brewer Adnams and the University of East Anglia's CRed carbon reduction programme have joined forces to launch the UK's first carbon neutral beer. Produced in Adnams’ eco-efficient brewery in Southwold, East Green has been distributed exclusively by Tesco nationwide from April 28.
The innovative new beer has an Energy Recovery System that recycles 100 per cent of the steam created during the brewing process and uses it to heat 90% of the following brew. The beer is made with high-yielding barley, grown in East Anglia, which consequently greatly minimises carbon dioxide emissions from transportation. Boadicea Hops are also used - they are naturally aphid-resistant, cutting the use of pesticides significantly. To ensure their carbon emissions were as low as possible, Adnams worked with UEA's CRed carbon reduction team throughout the project.
CRed made a carbon lifecycle assessment from farm to bottle which helped Adnams target key elements in the process and reduce the emissions of the overall product.
Andy Wood, Adnams’ managing director said “We’ve reduced the carbon, but we certainly haven’t compromised on the flavour. Light golden in colour with subtle citrus and grassy hop aromas, East Green is a beer with all the quality and taste that Adnams is famous for”.
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The Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital NHS Trust won the Ware Anthony Rust Award for the Trust submitting the largest number of competition entries – a total of 12. This was collected by Kath Andrews, R&D Manager for NNUH.
The Siemens Innovation Award for Service Delivery was won by Carrie Wingfield and her team from the NNUH for the suggestion of managing cellulitis of the lower limb through a dedicated dermatology clinic. This innovation is resulting in improved diagnosis and reduced in-patient bed use.
Second prize-winner for Medical Technology was Beatrice Lyons from NNUH who won the Wavesense Innovation Award for her child-friendly Blood Glucose Meter. This is for use with children suffering from Type 1 diabetes and is designed to encourage children to monitor their own glucose levels and come to terms with a long-term chronic illness.
UEA and the Lowestoft-based Centre for Environment, Fisheries & Aquaculture Science (Cefas) have launched a new strategic alliance which will strengthen existing collaboration between the two institutions and establish exciting new areas of joint research. The partnership will include a new joint UEA-Cefas lectureship in marine ecosystem services. The newly appointed lecturer will take up the post in Autumn 2008. The overall aim is to produce high-quality science to support government policy-making, economic development and, ultimately, an improved quality of life. Ongoing work that will provide tangible, practical outcomes includes research into coastal erosion and managed re-alignment of the coast, the impact of climate change on fish growth and stocks in general and nutrient supply from rivers and sediment storage in estuaries.
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In the first human study of its kind, scientists at the Institute of Food Research found that probiotic bacteria in a daily drink can modify the immune system’s response to grass pollen, a common cause of seasonal hay fever. But they are not recommending that sufferers rush to the supermarket shelves just yet. The changes found may not have an immediate effect on symptoms.
“This was a pilot study based on small numbers of patients, but we were fascinated to discover a response”, says research leader Professor Claudio Nicoletti. “The probiotic significantly reduced the production of molecules associated with allergy”. Dr Linda Thomas, head of science at Yakult UK”, who provided the drinks and some of the funding said “These are really interesting results. We are delighted that independent scientists found evidence of this biological activity. The project was part of ongoing research into the benefits of our probiotic strain. The Institute of Food Research is well positioned to do this kind of fundamental research, as it is unique in having the right combination of expertise in microbiology, immunology, flow cytometry and human nutrition research”. Professor Nicoletti’s group intend to perform a similar study in the near future to see if the immunological changes translate into a real reduction in the clinical symptoms of hay fever. They would also like to examine the mechanisms involved.
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A new study on the effect of flavonoids on risk of cardio-vascular disease in post-menopausal women with type 2 diabetes hit the national and international headlines in May. The flavonoids will be supplied in specially formulated chocolate bars created by a Belgian chocolatier to supply a higher dose than found in normal chocolate. Flavonoids have been shown to reduce risk factors for heart disease.
The Diabetes UK funded study, headed by Professor Aedin Cassidy in the Medical School at UEA is a Norwich Research Park wide collaboration including partners at the Elsie Bertram Diabetes Centre, Norwich and Norfolk University Hospital and the Institute of Food Research.
Aedin Cassidy was quoted “Despite postmenopausal women being at a similar risk to men for developing cardiovascular disease, to date they are under-represented in clinical trials. We hope to show that adding flavonoids to their diets will provide additional protection from heart disease and give women the opportunity to take more control over reducing their risk of the disease in the future.”
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