Drug row sets Pakistan scientists against ministries

Hepatitis B is transmitted through blood and infected bodily fluids

Efforts to produce a cheap local version of a hepatitis B drug have ground to a halt in Pakistan amidst a row between a leading scientist and senior officials from two government ministries.

Officials claim to have evidence that scientists involved in the drug's production have cut corners in carrying out trials, abused resources and misused research funds.

But two of the scientists said they feel they are being deliberately prevented from launching the drug, interferon, because it could undermine the lucrative contracts for supplying it currently held by international pharmaceutical companies.

Viral hepatitis B is endemic in Pakistan, with an estimated seven million people infected,according to research published by the Pakistan Journal of Medical Sciences in 2009.   

The government's claims relate to scientists at the Centre for Applied Molecular Biology (CAMB) in Lahore. The ministry of science and technology commissioned an audit of the centre, carried out by a committee of officials and external auditors, according to sources.

The ministry referred the findings to the Federal Investigation Agency this month (8 December) which will decide whether to proceed with charges. In the meantime, the centre's accounts have been frozen.

Meanwhile, officials in the ministry of health said they are refusing to approve use of interferon produced by CAMB because of alleged irregularities in the clinical trials.

And, in a separate development, an independent petitioner, Batish Mahmood Tipu, filed a petition in the High Court this month (13 December) which has led to the court issuing notices to both ministries.

The notices require them to explain before the court why they are not allowing the use of locally produced interferon that, according to the petitioner, costs 70 Pakistan rupees (around 82 US cents) per injection, compared with the imported version, which costs around US$11.

CAMB trains molecular biologists and specialises in recombinant DNA technology. The centre has a good record of achievements related to Bt (Bacillus thuringiensis) rice, Bt cotton and Bt pesticide formulations. It has obtained more than ten patents. 

The centre received regular funding from the ministry of science and technology for the interferon project and, from 2004 onwards, it also received financial support from Pakistan's Higher Education Commission (HEC).

CAMB also received prize money of US$100,000, in 2008, from the Islamic Development Bank for its outstanding contribution to molecular biology.

Clinical trials criticised

Sheikh Riazuddin, one of five scientists targeted by the government's investigation, was director of CAMB from its establishment in 1985 until June 2009.

Riazuddin was working on a project entitled 'Local Production of Interferon', headed by Javed Akram, a professor at Jinnah Hospital, Lahore, which began in 2000.

According to Riazuddin phase III clinical trials of the local version of the drug were conducted at Jinnah Hospital, a teaching hospital of the Allama Iqbal Medical College, Lahore, and it was ready for final approval in December 2008.

By January 2009, CAMB had patented the drug and produced 100,000 vials of it — which have still not been used.

Sources from the ministry of health said they have not approved the drug because of the omission of two key stages normally conducted in clinical trials: phase I (laboratory testing of the drug) and phase II (safety testing on humans).

But Riazuddin said these stages are not necessary in the case of a 'biosimilar' drug — an exact copy of a drug for which these trials have already been conducted. 

Rauf Khalid, drug registration controller of the ministry of health, toldSciDev.Net: "The approval of hepatitis interferon for commercial release can only be granted when CAMB completes all the requirements, including tests, and shows the capability of its production facilities".   

The ministry of science and technology's audit committee, whose findings have not been made public, has, according to sources, found among other alleged irregularities that Riazuddin had been using CAMB facilities, such as transport and phone, even after he had left the organisation.

The committee has also said it can find no satisfactory answer about where the bulk of the prize money from the IDB has gone.

Khalid Siddiqui, joint secretary of the ministry of science and technology, said: "Irregularities have taken place at CAMB for the last many years and all the findings by our committee have formally been sent to the Federal Investigation Agency for verification.

"We respect them [the CAMB scientists] as researchers but any irregularities identified by the fact-finding committee have to be dealt with according to law." 

Allegations have 'no substance'

Riazuddin confirmed to SciDev.Net that he has been contacted by the [FIA] which informed him that it had received a case against him involving corruption, to the tune of millions of rupees, and misuse of authority — charges he denies.

"There is no substance in the allegations," he said.

He agreed that, even after leaving CAMB, he continued to direct the team and spent most of his time at CAMB.

"I did that not for my sake but to see my brainchild become a reality. I assumed if I do not look after the research I started, that might vanish, rendering many years' effort futile."

Riazuddin and Akram claimed that there have been government moves to try to block the development and production of their drug.

"Some sections in the ministry of science and technology and in the health ministry are playing into the hands of multinational companies who do not want a local launch of this medicine as Pakistan is importing hepatitis drugs worth Rs 4 billion (around US$47 million) annually from those multi-nationals," Riazuddin said.

"This all is to force us into saying goodbye to the local production of interferon," Akram told SciDev.Net. 

"At every step, from release of funds to the approval stages, we faced bureaucratic hurdles so much so that we felt that they do not want local production of hepatitis interferon," Akram added.

Anwar Nasim, patron of the Pakistan Biotechnology Information Centre (PABIC), told SciDev.Net: "It is not shocking to know about corruption allegations in research when the menace of corruption is all around us. An external investigation by the FIA would soon help us know who was in the wrong — the ministry or the researchers".

Global flu warning after UK hit

Continue reading the main storyExperts are urging people to have the vaccine in the UK to protect them against flu viruses

There has been a well-publicised surge of cases in the UK during December with swine flu appearing to be the dominant of the three strains circulating.Northern hemisphere countries are being told by health experts to brace themselves for flu outbreaks.

But the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control warned much of the rest of Europe was also beginning to see increases too.

Meanwhile, parts of the US and Canada have reported higher levels.

Many of those being infected are younger age groups. This is because elderly people have some immunity to swine flu, most probably because of exposure to a similar strain many years ago.

In the UK, the number of people who have died with all types of flu this winter hit 27 this week after another 10 deaths.

The volume of patients going to their doctor with flu-like illnesses also rose, more than doubling to 87.1 per 100,000 in the past week.

Children

Cases have been highest in children aged between five and 14, followed by children under four and then those aged between 15 and 44.

But the UK's Health Protection Agency (HPA) said a very large outbreak was "not likely".

The situation has led to a rise in patients in intensive care beds and also in those using the NHS's phone hotline, NHS Direct.

Health experts said most people with flu would be able to "self-care" by taking plenty of rest, drinking fluids and taking pain relief.

However, those with severe symptoms are being advised to consult their doctor.

Professor John Watson, an expert in respiratory disease at the HPA, said: "The level of flu activity we are currently seeing is at levels often seen during the winter flu seasons.

"Recent research conducted by the HPA has suggested that a very substantial wave of activity associated with the pandemic strain is not likely."

In the UK at-risk groups are being urged to come forward for vaccinations. The numbers getting immunised are still too low, doctors have said.

The rates being seen elsewhere in Europe are not as high as in the UK, but the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control said there was evidence that the winter flu epidemics were "starting".

Russia and the Ukraine are thought to be the worst hit outside the UK.

New solar fuel machine 'mimics plant life'

Continue reading the main storyIn the prototype, sunlight heats a ceria cylinder which breaks down water or carbon dioxide

The machine uses the Sun's rays and a metal oxide called ceria to break down carbon dioxide or water into fuels which can be stored and transported.A prototype solar device has been unveiled which mimics plant life, turning the Sun's energy into fuel.

Conventional photovoltaic panels must use the electricity they generate in situ, and cannot deliver power at night.

Details are published in the journal Science.

The prototype, which was devised by researchers in the US and Switzerland, uses a quartz window and cavity to concentrate sunlight into a cylinder lined with cerium oxide, also known as ceria.

Ceria has a natural propensity to exhale oxygen as it heats up and inhale it as it cools down.

If as in the prototype, carbon dioxide and/or water are pumped into the vessel, the ceria will rapidly strip the oxygen from them as it cools, creating hydrogen and/or carbon monoxide.

Hydrogen produced could be used to fuel hydrogen fuel cells in cars, for example, while a combination of hydrogen and carbon monoxide can be used to create "syngas" for fuel.

It is this harnessing of ceria's properties in the solar reactor which represents the major breakthrough, say the inventors of the device. They also say the metal is readily available, being the most abundant of the "rare-earth" metals.

Methane can be produced using the same machine, they say.

Refinements needed

The prototype is grossly inefficient, the fuel created harnessing only between 0.7% and 0.8% of the solar energy taken into the vessel.

Most of the energy is lost through heat loss through the reactor's wall or through the re-radiation of sunlight back through the device's aperture.

But the researchers are confident that efficiency rates of up to 19% can be achieved through better insulation and smaller apertures. Such efficiency rates, they say, could make for a viable commercial device.

"The chemistry of the material is really well suited to this process," says Professor Sossina Haile of the California Institute of Technology (Caltech). "This is the first demonstration of doing the full shebang, running it under (light) photons in a reactor."

She says the reactor could be used to create transportation fuels or be adopted in large-scale energy plants, where solar-sourced power could be available throughout the day and night.

However, she admits the fate of this and other devices in development is tied to whether states adopt a low-carbon policy.

"It's very much tied to policy. If we had a carbon policy, something like this would move forward a lot more quickly," she told the BBC.

It has been suggested that the device mimics plants, which also use carbon dioxide, water and sunlight to create energy as part of the process of photosynthesis. But Professor Haile thinks the analogy is over-simplistic.

"Yes, the reactor takes in sunlight, we take in carbon dioxide and water and we produce a chemical compound, so in the most generic sense there are these similarities, but I think that's pretty much where the analogy ends."

The PS10 solar tower plant near Seville, Spain. Mirrors concentrate the sun's power on to a central tower, driving a steam turbine

Daniel Davies, chief technology officer at the British photovoltaic company Solar Century, said the research was "very exciting".

"I guess the question is where you locate it - would you put your solar collector on a roof or would it be better off as a big industrial concern in the Sahara and then shipping the liquid fuel?" he said.

Solar technology is moving forward apace but the overriding challenges remain ones of efficiency, economy and storage.

New-generation "solar tower" plants have been built in Spain and the United States which use an array of mirrors to concentrate sunlight onto tower-mounted receivers which drive steam turbines.

A new Spanish project will use molten salts to store heat from the Sun for up to 15 hours, so that the plant could potentially operate through the night.

10 Cool Things to Do with a Laptop

Desktop or Laptop?

• Productivity Tips

Some of us take our laptop computers with us everywhere: to work, to school, to the local coffee shop, and even on vacation. With computing power available to us at all times, it's tempting to work even when we should be enjoying the beach or taking a well-deserved break at home. With a little bit of thought, however, there are plenty of things you can do with a laptop that will actually end up improving your leisure life instead of draining it away. In this article, we'll introduce you to a few ideas that can help you get the most from your laptop.
1. Watch movies while traveling. With a DVD drive on your laptop, you have everything you need to take movie entertainment with you when you travel, on your work commute, or out on the porch. Just buy or rent a movie you like, and pop it into the drive. The movie will start automatically. Just remember to wear earphones to avoid annoying your fellow passengers or others in the vicinity.
2. Connect to your wireless network. Being able to access the Internet as well as printers, shared files like music or video, and other resources at home is a great convenience. The combination of a laptop and a wireless network is all you need. See our article "Build a Home Network" to learn how to get started building the network and "Share Files Between Computers" to learn how to share printers and files over the network once you've built it.
3. Play games anywhere. Computer games are a great pastime, and laptops let you take them with you. Laptops are certainly not the only way to play games on the road, but they're a great option, and there are plenty of choices for every taste, from puzzles to shoot-em-up adventures. See "Your Many Options for Mobile Gaming" for more information.
4. Catch up on the news. Using an RSS (rich site summary) newsfeed reader, you can subscribe to free news services and other Web-based content that will automatically download to your computer so you can read it at your leisure. Depending on the RSS reader you choose, downloading can occur even when you're not connected to the Internet, so you can catch up whenever you have a spare moment. For more information, see the RSS Primer at www.whatisrss.com.

5. Answer email on the train, plane, or passenger seat of a car (don't try this while driving). Most people who work in an office environment get so much email that it's challenging to keep up with it all. Reading and responding to those messages on the go helps get that task out of the way, and with most email programs you don't even need to be connected to the Internet to respond to messages. When you press the Send button, the message will go to your emails outbox and send automatically when you're connected later.
6. Do maintenance wherever you are. OK, this one is boring, but most of the maintenance jobs you really need to do on your computer take quite a bit of time unattended. In other words, the computer needs a lot of time to do the job, but you can be doing something else while it churns away. For more information about the kinds of regular maintenance you should be doing, see "Regular Computer Maintenance".
7. Build music playlists on the go. If you use an MP3 player to listen to music while you're in the car, exercising, or even at work, you already know that playlists make your world better, because you don't need to manually select songs or just listen to whatever comes up in a random "shuffle" mode. Being able to make playlists when you have some spare down time while traveling, commuting, or wherever is a great convenience, and you can load them to your MP3 player on the spot.
8. Download pictures from a digital camera or digital video camera. When you're on vacation or at a family event, gathering everyone around the tiny viewfinder screen on your camera to look at the pictures or video you just took isn't a very good experience. By synchronizing the camera with your laptop, you can share the pictures and videos much better, and even email copies to other people on the spot. A laptop also comes in handy when you run out of space on your camera or digital video camera. Traditional laptop hard drives store much more information than a memory card so you can download your photos, erase your memory card and start over.
9. Work from the backyard. Ah, the good life-sipping lemonade (or your beverage of choice) while you catch up on work, browse the Web, or play a game is a great way to take advantage of a nice day. Stay in the shade, though, because laptop screens are notoriously hard to read in direct sun. And be careful by the pool!
10. Give presentations on the road. Using a program like Microsoft Office PowerPoint or OpenOffice Impress, you can create great-looking presentations to show clients, students, and others. This is a great capability for salespeople, realtors, public speakers, teachers, or anyone else who needs to create dynamic presentations.
For unleashed computing, look for laptops with Intel Inside®.

Reasons to Go Wireless

• Wireless

For years, wires have been holding us down. Want to make a phone call? Go to the room where the phone is. Want to show someone your new vacation video? Better burn it to DVD first. Have a fun new song to share? Again, burn it to a CD.
For many people, all those hassles are a thing of the past, and they could be for you, too. The solution: Unleash yourself from wires completely. That's right—go wireless.
Wireless networking at home
With more people moving to laptops instead of using bulky desktop computers, the wireless home network is becoming quite easy to accomplish. With all your computers getting wireless Web access through a router, you're no longer tied to a particular spot. Now, if you want to email someone from the couch, you can. Want to bring the laptop to the kitchen so you can try out that new recipe, or browse sports scores in bed? It's easy.
But you don't just get Web access throughout the home—you get access to all your peripherals. Share a printer. Share files. It matters less and less where your "stuff" actually is when you can access it from wherever you are.
The most common example of this is probably the wireless entertainment system. Using a computer set up as a media center (connected wirelessly to the home network) and a Bluetooth remote control, you can download and stream videos, music and photos from your computer to your television and stereo.
One reason to go wireless not yet mentioned is probably the most obvious advantage: no wires! Your office and desktop will be that much neater and simpler.
These aren't all the reasons to go wireless, of course, but hopefully this has been enough to whet your appetite and introduce you to the possibilities going wireless has to offer. So take the chance. Cut yourself free from the cords and cables holding you in place. Go wireless and experience the freedom. You won't look back.

Physicists burst bubble mystery

The high-speed footage shows that a bursting bubble will create a perfect ring of "daughter bubbles"

With the help of high speed video, scientists have discovered that there is far more to bursting bubbles than meets the eye.

Under the right conditions, a bursting bubble on a liquid surface does not simply vanish, but creates a perfect ring of tiny "daughter bubbles".
This occurs as the ruptured bubble retracts into the liquid, forming a doughnut shape of trapped air.
You may see a ring of "daughter bubbles" while washing up The scientists reported their discovery in the journal Nature.
In the paper, the team described a "bubble-bursting cascade".
"When one of these daughter bubbles ruptures, a ring of even smaller bubbles forms," the researchers wrote.
Eventually, the daughter bubbles are sufficiently tiny that they rupture to form sharp "jets" that propel small aerosol droplets into the atmosphere.
James Bird from Harvard University, who led the research, explained that his main interest was in the fundamental physics of how bubbles behave. But his discovery could eventually help to fine-tune many manufacturing processes.
"Where small bubbles are detrimental, such as in glass manufacturing, our results provide insight into how the parameters might be tuned to reduce the daughter bubbles," Dr Bird explained.
'Pop science' He said that he happened upon the popping phenomenon accidentally while "playing around in the lab late one night".
"My colleague Laurent and I were trying to see if bubbles behaved like drops when they contacted a surface," he told BBC News.
"Our intended goal failed completely, but instead we were staring at popping hemispherical soap bubbles [and] we noticed this ring of daughter bubbles that neither of us could explain."
High speed footage captured the bursting "cascade" The scientists pointed that the finding could even have implications for health research - aerosol droplets from bursting bubbles have been implicated in the transmission of diseases in swimming pools and hot tubs.
They are also thought to be involved in the exchange of material and heat between the ocean and the atmosphere, so these results could help shed light on those processes.