WIREDGOV

The ability for medical researchers to discover and develop innovative healthcare solutions to better diagnose and fight fatal diseases and to improve neo-natal care has been boosted yesterday by a new agreement to work together that has been signed by two of the UK’s leading laboratories.

The ISIS Neutron and Muon Source at the STFC Rutherford Appleton Laboratory near Oxford and the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington (NPL) have agreed to develop closer business and research links to collaborate on commercial offerings for the healthcare industry.

Work at ISIS, which produces beams of neutrons allowing scientists to study materials at the atomic and molecular level, has already enabled researchers to work on developing synthetic versions of antibodies to help fight disease. Neutron scattering is an established technique providing unique insight into atomic structures and molecular interactions by measuring the locations of atoms and the forces between them. This technique has proved particularly useful for the healthcare sector, providing pioneering insight into drug research, cell and membrane interactions and surgical implants.

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