Biotechnology

THERE'S more to brewing than beer. A by-product of the process could be about to give an upgrade to a workhorse building material â€" red clay bricks. By blending in the grains left over from making beer, the bricks can be more environmentally friendly and better insulators. Bricks are often impregnated with polystyrene as a way to enhance their heat-trapping abilities. This is appealing, because the bricks remain strong, and they can be built into energy-efficient buildings, says Eduardo Ferraz of the Polytechnic Institute of Tomar in Portugal. However, EU restrictions on carbon emissions have made it expensive to incorporate polystyrene and other synthetic materials into bricks. Ferraz and his colleagues have now shown that brewery grains can be mixed into clay bricks to enhance their ability to trap heat, without compromising strength. Spent grain for the process should be easily available, because commercial breweries pro...

Org Marketing Statement All over the world, Pfizer colleagues are working together to positively impact health for everyone, everywhere. Each position at Pfizer touches and contributes to the success of our business and our world. That’s why, as one of the global leaders in the biopharmaceutical industry, Pfizer is committed to seeking out inspired new talent who share our core values and mission of making the world a healthier place. Responsibilities Biostatisticians play a critical role in the advancement of new medicines at Pfizer. The right candidate will partner with senior management, clinicians, clinical pharmacologists, translational medicine, and other scientists to support drug development in Pfizer’s BioTechnology Clinical Development (BCD) unit. The statistician will support the development of innovative and efficient plans for developing new medicines in a variety of therapeutic areas. BCD supports early clinical d...

A coordinated army of smart software and pilotless aircraft could help emergency workers save lives and mitigate damage after disaster strikes IN THE aftermath of a disaster like the massive typhoon Haiyan, which devastated the Philippines on 8 November, confusion often reigns and sketchy information abounds. This can leave responders unsure if their efforts are being put to the best effect. A coordinated army of smart software and aerial drones could change that. By gathering information from across an affected area, software agents â€" algorithms that can work with a degree of autonomy â€" will build a picture of the situation and give recommendations for how people should direct their resources to mitigate damage and save lives. The system, called Orchid, is being developed as part of a £10 million project of the same name funded by the UK government. Initial testing has shown promising results, and Rescue Global, a London-base...

Turnips, cress and basil could sprout on the moon in 2015 if NASA's first plan to grow plants on a world other than Earth comes to fruition. The aim is to find out if the crews of moon bases will be able to grow some of their own greens,a capability that has proved psychologically comforting to research crews isolated in Antarctica and on the International Space Station, NASA says. Factors that could confound lunar plant growth include the virtual absence of an atmosphere and high levels of solar and cosmic radiation that bombard the moon's surface. So the space agency is developing a sealed canister with five days' worth of air, in which seeds can germinate on nutrient-infused filter paper. The idea is that water will be released on touchdown and sunshine will do the rest. Over five to 10 days, video cameras will record the plants' sprouting, their rate of growth and their ability to thrive in lunar radiation conditio...

JOB TITLE: Software Engineer DEPARTMENT: Electronics and Software JOB DESCRIPTION: The candidate will design software systems as part of a multidisciplinary engineering team at an ISO certified medical and biotech device development firm. The position will involve designing, documenting, and debugging software systems for instrument control and GUI software. Responsibilities will include defining software requirements, architecting software design, developing and debugging software, software testing, system integration, and documenting the entire software development cycle. JOB REQUIREMENTS: The candidate for this position should have a breadth of experience in software development. The ideal candidate should not only be well versed in multiple programming languages, but should also have experience working in the software development cycle all the way from software requirements development to formal verification of software design. Th...

Stem Cell Manufacturing Scientist - South East An excellent opportunity has arisen for a Stem Cell Manufacturing Scientist to join a leading biotech based in the South East for an initial fixed term contract of up to 12 months. As an organisation their focus is on the development of innovative cell based therapies and with continued growth and success it is an ideal time to be joining them. As a Stem Cell Manufacturing Scientist you will join the Cell Development Group and you will be responsible for cell culture and materials testing activities. You will work in a clean room to manufacture cell banks in support of cell therapy product manufacturing. Key responsibilities associated with this will include maintaining documentation, providing technical support, QC testing of materials and supporting the running of the clean room. To be considered for this position candidates must be educated to a minimum of BSc level in a relevant scientific subject. This educational background will b...

An exciting and urgent requirement has arisen for an Analytical Senior Scientist to join the Analytical Services department within a leading contract manufacturing organisation based in the Berkshire area. ROLE OVERVIEW: The Analytical Senior Scientist will be working within the Analytical Services team. Our client is the provider of choice for high value analytical services to the biopharmaceutical industry; its capabilities and expertise encompasses a wide range of technologies to support all stages of production and process development. KEY DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES: As an Analytical Senior Scientist you will be involved in: 1. Maintenance of the platform, provide technical support to Study Directors, Analytical Product Managers and Customers, lead investigations and play a key role in the future direction of the platform technology. 2. Working on all study types using the full range of technologies and be encouraged to develop into a subject matter expert (SME) in a specific pla...