IFR issues News Releases to inform of new awards, scientific innovations etc. You can subcribe to receive these directly to your email account or subscribe to the IFR's RSS Newsfeed.
We also post our News Releases on AlphaGalileo.org, the Internet Press Centre for European science organisations.
We also post our News Releases on AlphaGalileo.org, the Internet Press Centre for European science organisations.
News releases from Jan 2009 onwards are available at www.ifr.ac.uk/info/news-and-events/latest-news.htm
2008
- Scholarship award for IFR student - A PhD student from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich has received an award from the British Poultry Council for his work on understanding dysbacteriosis, a disease of growing importance in the poultry industry.
- Food physics in action -
IFR has teamed up with the Institute of Physics to produce a funky range of beer mats and sandwich bags.
They feature questions such as ‘How does lipstick affect your beer drinking?’ or ‘How do you make the perfect cuppa?’. If you go to find the answer online, you will be rewarded with pub tricks such as how to turn a full pint glass upside-down without making a mess, and the lowdown on why a packet of Mentos can send a bottle of Coke sky-high.
- Funding for novel 'Superfoods explained' project in Norfolk - A partnership of three Norfolk organisations has gained a prestigious People Award from the Wellcome Trust, worth nearly £30,000. The Garden Science Trust and People First of Norfolk will be working with scientists from the IFR on a year long project to enable adults with learning difficulties to discuss and learn about the potential health benefits of ‘superfoods’.
- Scientists developing food allergy treatment - A team of scientists from across Europe are embarking on new research to develop a treatment for food allergy.
Attempted treatment with allergen-specific immunotherapy, where a patient receives monthly injections with an allergen, fails because it causes anaphylaxis as a side effect. In the FAST project, scientists will use modified variants of allergic proteins that are hypoallergenic and therefore safer.
- Incrops initiative boosts low carbon economy - The Institute of Food Research is a partner in a new multi-million pound scheme based at the University of East Anglia that will develop novel uses for crops to reduce our dependency on man-made products in a bid to tackle climate change.
- Pectin Power -
Scientists from the Institute of Food Research have found a new possible explanation for why people who eat more fruit and vegetables may gain protection against the spread of cancers.They have shown that a fragment released from pectin, found in all fruits and vegetables, binds to and is believed to inhibit galectin 3 (Gal3), a protein that plays a role in all stages of cancer progression.
- New Chief Executive joins UK’s leading bioscience funder - Professor Douglas Kell has today started as the new Chief Executive of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the UK's leading funding agency for academic research and training in the non-clinical life sciences.
- Designer diet for prostate cancer - Eating one or more portions of broccoli every week can reduce the risk of prostate cancer, and the risk of localised cancer becoming more aggressive. For the first time, a research group at the Institute of Food Research led by Professor Richard Mithen has provided an explanation of how eating broccoli might reduce cancer risk based upon studies in men.
- Prebiotic potential of almonds - Recently published work by the Institute of Food Research has identified potential prebiotic properties of almonds that could help improve our digestive health by increasing levels of beneficial gut bacteria.
- Network science for eternal happiness and good business - Norwich scientists are hosting this year’s annual Network Science conference, an international event that brings together the world’s top experts on this exciting and growing subject.
- Providing food science solutions - fast! - The Institute of Food Research in Norwich is internationally recognised for its strategic and applied research on food, diet and health issues. Responding to repeated demand, they have now made their expertise available in the form of rapid contract research services to companies in the food and allied sectors via a new subsidiary, ‘IFR Extra’.
- 'Addicted' cells provide early cancer diagnosis -
IFR scientists
have detected subtle changes that may make the bowel more vulnerable to the development of tumours.
With support from the Food Standards Agency and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council they are investigating whether diet could control these changes and delay or reverse the onset of cancer.
- Hayfever hope - IFR scientists have found that a daily dose of probiotic can change the immune status of people with hay fever. In the first human study of its kind, scientists at the Institute of Food Research found that probiotic bacteria in a daily drink can modify the immune system’s response to grass pollen, a common cause of seasonal hay fever.
- Fish fat find -
A fatty acid from fish may help prevent a pre-cancerous condition from developing further. A high consumption of fish is associated in some studies with a reduced risk of oesophageal cancer. The n-3 fatty acid eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) inhibits an enzyme that is associated with the cancer.
- Popular apple variety harbours unusual cell growth - An IFR scientist has discovered clumps of previously-unreported callus hairs growing in the flesh of mature apples of Fuji and closely-related varieties, which may have storage implications for commercial growers.
2007
- Scientists QUESTION folic acid fortification - 30 October 2007
Scientists at IFR have highlighted possible consequences of fortifying flour with folic acid due to new evidence of how it is absorbed by the body. - Low dose of flavonoid in food lowers heart disease risk - 30 October 2007
IFR Scientists have found that compounds present in the blood after eating a flavonoid rich meal reduce some early signs of heart disease. - Animal food allergens unmasked - 15 October 2007
The relatedness of an animal food protein to a human protein determines whether it can cause allergy, according to new research by scientists from the Institute of Food Research in Norwich and the Medical University of Vienna. In theory all proteins have the potential to become allergens, but the study found that in practice the ability of animal food proteins to act as allergens depends on their evolutionary distance from a human equivalent. - New centre to tackle £20 billion cost of diet-related diseases - 3 October 2007
A new Centre for Preventive Medicine is launched in Norwich to tackle diet related diseases that are costing the NHS up to a quarter of its budget. The Centre brings together basic research from two internationally renowned research institutes, medical research by university scientists and clinical research conducted in a hospital environment. - New research into plant colours sheds light on antioxidants - 2 October 2007
Scientists have made an important advance in understanding the genetic processes that give flowers, leaves and plants their bright colours. The research is highlighted in the new issue of Business from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) - Genome sequence of stable Campylobacter strain deciphered - 17 September 2007
Scientists at the Institute of Food Research and their collaborators at the veterinary pharmaceutical company Intervet have deciphered and published the complete genome sequence of a strain of Campylobacter jejuni. C. jejuni is one of the major causes of gastroenteritis in humans. The sequenced strain was selected because of its previously reported genomic stability over time. The reported sequence will provide useful information for Campylobacter researchers worldwide, and is predicted to be a valuable resource for the research community. - Allergy molecule identified - 2 July 2007
A vital molecule for resistance to food allergy has been identified and offers a potential target for therapy. There is currently no way to treat food allergy and the only way for sufferers to manage the problem is to avoid certain foods and make sure they have injectable adrenaline at hand. Scientists led by Dr Claudio Nicoletti at the Institute of Food Research in Norwich have found that a molecule called Interleukin-12 (IL-12) is absent during allergic responses. Dr Nicoletti suggests that by delivering an allergen in the presence of IL-12, allergic reactions could be brought back under control. - Botulism bug has few genome wrinkles - 23 May 2007
The genome of the organism that produces the world’s most lethal toxin is revealed today. This toxin is the one real weapon in the genome of Clostridium botulinum and less than 2 kg – the weight of two bags of sugar – is enough to kill every person on the planet. - Report on
IFR Science & Governance - 4 May 2007
The Institute of Food Research welcomes the report on its science and future governance published on 4th May 2007 by its parent research council, the BBSRC. - SseL, a Salmonella deubiquitinase required for macrophage killing and virulence - 26 February 2007
IFR scientists have identified all the genes controlled by the important SsrAB virulence gene regulator in Salmonella. This has led to the publication of the discovery of a new type of Salmonella protein.
2000 - 2006 releases
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