bioProcessUK, has today presented Dr Stephen Taylor, Business Director of Avecia Biologics, with ‘The Peter Dunnill Award for Outstanding Contribution to UK Bioprocessing’.

The annual award was established following the death of Professor Peter Dunnill, earlier this year, to mark his lifetime contribution to bioprocessing. Professor Dunnill was instrumental in establishing UCL as a global leader in biochemical engineering. He served on the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, the Office of Science and Technology's foresight panel on health and life sciences and the Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Institution of Chemical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Dr Stephen Taylor has been pivotal in driving the bioprocessing agenda in the UK. He was responsible for ensuring bioprocessing was a priority area in the 2003 Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team report, Bioscience 2015, which ultimately led to the creation of bioProcessUK. Stephen has been Chair of the bioProcessUK Strategic Steering Group and is a past Chair of the BioIndustry Association’s Manufacturing Advisory Committee.

Tony Bradshaw, Co-Director of the HealthTech and Medicines KTN, said:

“I am delighted that bioProcessUK can honour Professor Dunnill, whose work at UCL has contributed not only greater understanding of bioprocessing technology for our sector, but also has helped to train many of those employed in this sector.

“Dr Taylor is passionate about the importance of bioprocessing, innovation and skills in ensuring that the UK remains competitive in developing and making biological medicines.”

Dr Stephen Taylor, said:

“I am deeply honoured to receive this award and to be given such recognition by my many talented friends and colleagues in all parts of our industry. Peter Dunnill was a towering and inspirational figure who was instrumental in bringing to the attention of so many key people, the importance to the UK of actually making biotech medicines.

“The ongoing success of bioProcessUK, and fact that development and manufacturing are now firmly on the national agenda, are an enduring legacy. It has been a privilege for me to continue his work and I can’t thank enough all those people who have joined and helped me on our journey.”

Professor Nigel Titchener-Hooker, Head of Department and Director of the Advanced Centre for Biochemical Engineering at University College London, said:

“At the time of Peter’s death I commented that we needed to mark his legacy to global bioproccessing and in particular to the way he pioneered the discipline and forged the landscape in the UK. The bioProcessUK award is a highly appropriate way to recognise in part what Peter achieved and what those who worked with him and learned from him will continue to do in the future.

“I am sure Peter would be characteristically dismissive of having an award named after him but would have endorsed wholeheartedly the choice of Steve Taylor as the first recipient of the accolade. Steve has been a driving force for the sector and an ardent supporter of crucial strategic developments which place the UK in a strong position for the future.”

Congratulations to the first UCL team ever to participate in the International Genetically Engineered Machine Competition (iGEM) for winning a Silver Medal. iGEM is a world-renowned Synthetic Biology competition hosted at a MIT. UCL's inaugural entry was initiated and led by two second year Biochemical Engineers who linked up with a second year Biochemistry student. They competed against over 110 teams of 10-40 members from across the globe. iGEM is an annual event and the intention is to build an even more potent multidisciplinary team for future years. For more go to
http://2009.igem.org/Team:UCL_London

CNN International's programme 'Connect the World,' interviews Dr. Tarit Mukhopadhyay about the different swine flu vaccines ordered by the UK Government.

In the interiew, Dr. Mukhopadhyay outlines the different production methods used, the concerns regarding its safety and if people should take the vaccine. He states , "its of vital importance that people take the vaccine to stop the spread of swine flu."

We are delighted that one of our distinguished alumni and Visiting Professor, Barry Buckland, has been a key player in establishing the India based 'Hilleman Laboratories'. Professor Buckland, who built a world-class Bioprocessing R&D Group in his two decades at Merck, is acting as a Consultant to the new Joint Venture.

Dr. Tarit Mukhopadhyay talks to Sky News about the safety and urgency of the swine flu vaccine. Read the article here.

The Times Higher Education reports Peter's obituary. Click here to read.

Sam Lister, Health Editor of The Times, shares his thought on Peter Dunnill. Click here to read his article. 

I am very sorry to have to give you all the sad news that Professor Peter Dunnill passed away at home on Monday. This has come as a great shock to us all and we are especially mindful of his wife, Pat, at this time.

Peter was an inspiration to us all, a true leader and motivator. He was proud of the Department and of what it had achieved. His charm, modesty, whit and above all his passion and generosity will endure. I hope that in time we can identify some appropriate actions to take in order to set in perpetuity a fitting testament to his rare skills and insight. We are all the better for having had the privilege to work with Peter and to benefit from the fruits of his labours. The reach of Peter's efforts cannot be understated; they were truly global. The sense of loss is all the more acute given Peter's front-line involvement with international issues such as pandemic flu on which he spoke on Radio 4 just last week. Peter gave his total commitment to his work and to his colleagues. Our challenge now is to celebrate his achievements and to build upon that legacy.

Simon Cox investigates the next phase in the swine flu story: the mass vaccination programme. Will the majority of people be persuaded to be vaccinated voluntarily and will countries that need the vaccine be able to get it? Professor Peter Dunnill argues for vaccination and emergency preparedness. To hear the radio programme, click here.

Dr. Tarit K. Mukhopadhyay talks to Sky News about the safety issues of GSK's new dose sparing adjuvant for use in a pandemic vaccine. To see interview highlights, click here.

Professor Peter Dunnill talk to The Times about the international pressures on Britains vaccine deals with manufacturers. To read the article click here.

We held our first Industrial Training Open Day on 12 March 2009 and are pleased to report that it was a great success. We were joined by 20 industrialists including representatives from Applikon, Biopharm, BPL,

Cost-effective process characterisation that fulfils evolving regulatory requirements is a challenge faced by all process development scientists and engineers. UCL’s MBI® Programme has developed a new module to meet the increasing expectations by regulatory authorities to incorporate Quality by Design (QbD) in product registration submissions.

A fundamental strength of the MBI® modules is the involvement of industry expert speakers in their delivery. We make a constant effort to ensure that delegates hear about the latest real world developments and their industry applications and have the opportunity to ask plenty of questions.

Prof. Chris Mason, UCL Biochemical Engineering, comments on pig stem cell
experiment breakthrough - 3 June, BBC Online.

http://newsvote.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/health/8078996.stm

Professor Chris Mason, UCL Centre for Stem Cells & Regenerative Medicine, comments on the issues surrounding 'Stem Cell Tourism' - 18 May BBC Radio 4 'You & Yours.'

To hear the podcast, click here.

'Cheltenham Festivals' is a registered charity that organises four festivals every year in the spa town of Cheltenham, Gloucestershire: Jazz, Science, Music and Literature. The Times Cheltenham Science Festival was formed in 2002 and and has quickly grown to become one of the most significant of its kind in the UK. It attempts to engage in entertaining, challenging and controversial issues, as well as the experiences of famous speakers. Guests in previous years have included Robert Winston, Richard Dawkins, Richard Hammond, Tony Robinson, Jonathon Porritt, Kevin Conrad, Colin Pillinger and Adam Hart-Davis.

Professor Peter Dunnill gives his expert opinion on the outbreak of Swine Flu, assessing its potential to cause damage.

Read the flu article here.

The BBC World Service talks to Tarit Mukhopadhyay, Department of Biochemical Engineering and John McConnell, editor of the Lancet - Infectious Diseases journal about the recent outbreak of Swine Flu.

Listen to the podcast here.

We will be holding an Industrial Training Open Day on the 12th March. There are several activities planned: a presentation on the use of Disposables in training by Prof Gary Lye, a lunchtime poster session presenting the work of our senior MEng, EngD and PhD students, a company networking and information session and interviews for the prestigious Roberts Prizes. It is your input and support that makes such events so valuable to us and the day represents a wonderful opportunity for you to see some of the latest research and training being undertaken here and to meet our students and staff.

Since 1999, the department has hosted an Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) funded Engineering Doctorate (EngD) Training Centre involved in the enhanced doctoral level training of future industry leaders. We are delighted to announce that, on December the 5th 2008, our funding was renewed for this vital activity as part of a £250 million Doctoral Training Centre Initiative launched by the Minister of State for Science and Innovation, Lord Drayson.

Lord Drayson said: “Britain faces many challenges in the 21st Century and needs scientists and engineers with the right skills to find answers to these challenges, build a strong economy and keep us globally competitive. EPSRC’s doctoral training centres will provide a new wave of engineers and scientists to do the job.”

Professor Dave Delpy, Chief Executive of EPSRC, said: “People are the heart of our future strategy. We want to drive a modern economy and meet the challenges of tomorrow by investing in talented people and inspiring the next generation of scientists and engineers.”

The initiative is widely supported by business and industry and this approach to training has been extensively piloted by the EPSRC through a small number of thriving Centres including our own, where more than 70 EngDs have been supported to date.

Our focus is serving UK based companies in the fields of biopharmaceutical and chemo-enzymatic processes and we also address the area of regenerative medicine. Our EngDs focus on achieving the necessary speed in development to win, maintain and grow bioprocessing activity in this country and we have already worked with a wide range of established and start-up companies.

Their views are typified by that of the Technical Director of Lonza Biologics, Professor John Birch “The attraction of the EngD programme to a company like Lonza is the prospect of solving a challenging technical problem cost-effectively, whilst gaining knowledge of the latest technologies in bioprocessing and access to top quality training programmes in the biotechnology field.”

For further information please see www.ucl.ac.uk/biochemeng/industry/engd

We are pleased to announce that we have recently agreed a training collaboration with ERBI. ERBI is Europe's leading regional bio-industry group and has over 300 members. Its objective is to facilitate and accelerate the growth of biotech in Cambridge and the East of England.

The London Development Agency (LDA) is supporting UCL in two initiatives that aim to address the skills required to develop the next generation of pharmaceuticals. This support is directed at SME companies who wish to enhance their employees' capabilities, aiding the provision of specialist training skills and subsequently raising competency levels in bioprocessing. The two initiatives are: