Vaccine against fatal salmonella moves closer

A vaccine against a fatal strain of salmonella could be developed thanks to research led by Dr Calman MacLennan from the University of Birmingham.

His research team has discovered a protective salmonella-specific antibody that develops in African children that may help them to fight nontyphoidal salmonella, which can kill up to a quarter of infants under two-years-old in parts [...]

Health science centres announced for region

The creation of three academic health science centres (AHSC) in the West Midlands has been announced by West Midlands minister Liam Byrne, MP, during a visit to The University of Warwick’s Medical School.
The AHSC at Warwick will be the first in the Midlands and will bring together all the NHS trusts across Coventry and Warwickshire [...]

First mini medical school launched

Ever wanted to understand more about the human body and the latest treatments for illnesses without the need to spend five years at med school?
Birmingham University has come up with a solution with the first mini-medical school to be run in the UK.
A series of two-hour sessions over the 10-week course will tackle some of [...]

Wanna be a doc?

Interested in becoming a doctor?
Keele University is offering the chance to find out what the job’s like at a medicine careers day on Wednesday, March 12.
It’s aimed at school students aged 15-16 who want to find out more about the career.
For more see Keele University.

Medical students could have gaps in knowledge

A rise in the number of patients refusing to take part in medical education could mean that medical students have gaps in their knowledge, experts at Birmingham University Medical School have warned.
The team of experts say medical students will miss out on important opportunities to conduct patient consultations unless more patients are willing to help with training.
Writing in [...]

Female hospital consultants ‘less productive’ than male colleagues

Female hospital consultants working in the NHS are 20% less productive than their male counterparts, research has shown.
Researchers from the Universities of York and Birmingham highlighted a 20% difference in the number of episodes conducted between male and female consultants.
On average, male consultants completed 160 more episodes of care each year than their female colleagues.
Professor Nick [...]

Light powered platinum to treat cancer.

Researchers at The University of Warwick are using a light-activated platinum-based compound to treat cancers. The process can be up to 80 times more effective than other platinum-based anti-cancer drugs.
According to Warwick:

“The compound could be used in particular to treat surface cancers. Patients could be treated in a darkened environment with light directed specifically at [...]