Gene therapy:the potential applicability of gene transfer technology to the human germline

The theoretical possibility of applying gene transfer methodologies to the human germline is explored. Transgenic methods for genetically manipulating embryos may in principle be applied to humans. In particular, microinjection of retroviral vector appears to hold the greatest promise, with transgenic primates already obtained from this approach. Sperm-mediated gene transfer offers potentially the easiest route to the human germline, however the requisite methodology is presently underdeveloped. Nuclear transfer (cloning) offers an alternative approach to germline genetic modification, however there are major health concerns associated with current nuclear transfer methods. It is concluded that human germline gene therapy remains for all practical purposes a future possibility that must await significant and important advances in gene transfer technology

‘Voyager’: An educational card game

‘Voyager’ is an educational card game involving scientific satellites, developed for use in schools with children aged 9 to 13 years. The idea of the game is to improve pupils’ knowledge about the large number of scientific satellites there are in space in a fun way, while also practising numeracy skills. Several copies of the game were produced using funding obtained from the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council (PPARC) as a Public Understanding of Science (PUS) award. These initial ‘trial’ versions of the game were taken to three different schools where feedback obtained from both pupils and staff was used to produce a final copy of the game that can be distributed to other schools along with a set of companion notes to form the basis of a science lesson. This article reports the findings of the school trials and indicates possible future developments of other scientific card games that could be beneficial to the classroom.http://www.iop.org/EJ/abstract/0031-9120/38/1/30

Evaluation of the economic impact of the iNet

An evaluation of the economic impacts of the iNets (innovation networks) commissioned to assist in the delivery of the East Midlands Regional Innovation Strategy (RIS)