Untangling approaches to management and leadership across systems of medical education

Aims: How future doctors might be educated and trained in order to meet the population and system needs of countries is currently being debated. Incorporation of a broad range of capabilities, encompassed within categories of management and, increasingly, leadership, form part of this discussion. The purpose of this paper is to outline a framework by which countries’ progress in this area might be assessed and compared. Methods: Key databases and journals related to this area were reviewed. From relevant articles potential factors impacting on the incorporation of aspects of management and leadership within medical education and training were identified. These factors were tested via an online survey during 2013 with six members of a European Association of doctors who promote medical involvement in hospital management, including members from countries less represented in the health management literature. Results: A framework for analysing how management and leadership education is being approached within different systems of healthcare is developed and presented. Conclusions: More systematic work across a wider range of countries is needed if we are to have a better understanding of how countries within and beyond Europe are approaching and progressing the education of doctors in management and leadership. Keywords: Medical education, Management, Leadership, Competency framework

Patent license negotiation :best practices

In all areas of the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries, the licensing of intellectual property is in most cases an essential step in the translation of basic research into a commercial product. Negotiating IP licensing agreements and developing the terms of the business transaction involve evaluating numerous factors pertaining to the specific circumstances of the parties and the technology at issue. As the quality of the business relationship after licensing of the intellectual property is heavily influenced by the nature of the transaction, the negotiation process should be approached with great consideration. This article presents an overview of the negotiation process and makes suggestions for each stage

Studies of the properties of human origin recognition complex and its Walker A motif mutants

The eukaryotic six-subunit origin recognition complex (ORC) governs the initiation site of DNA replication and formation of the prereplication complex. In this report we describe the isolation of the wild-type Homo sapiens (Hs)ORC and variants containing a Walker A motif mutation in the Orc1, Orc4, or Orc5 subunit using the baculovirus-expression system. Coexpression of all six HsORC subunits yielded a stable complex containing HsOrc subunits 1–5 (HsORC1-5) with virtually no Orc6 protein (Orc6p). We examined the ATPase, DNA-binding, and replication activities of these complexes. Similar to other eukaryotic ORCs, wild-type HsORC1-5 possesses ATPase activity that is stimulated only 2-fold by single-stranded DNA. HsORC1-5 with a mutated Walker A motif in Orc1p contains no ATPase activity, whereas a similar mutation of either the Orc4 or Orc5 subunit did not affect this activity. The DNA-binding activity of HsORC1-5, using lamin B2 DNA as substrate, is stimulated by ATP 3- to 5-fold. Mutations in the Walker A motif of Orc1p, Orc4p, or Orc5p reduced the binding efficiency of HsORC1-5 modestly (2- to 5-fold). Xenopus laevis ORC-depleted extracts supplemented with HsORC1-5 supported prereplication complex formation and X. laevis sperm DNA replication, whereas the complex with a mutation in the Walker A motif of the Orc1, Orc4, or Orc5 subunit did not. These studies indicate that the ATP-binding motifs of Orc1, Orc4, and Orc5 are all essential for the replication activity associated with HsORC