News

In Brief

EC launches research programme into BSE: A three year, 50m ecu (£38.5m; $58m) research programme into all the transmissible spongiform encephalopathies has been launched by the European Commission. The funds will be allocated under three separate programmes--biomedicine and health, biotechnology, and animal health.

Dutch organisation calls for the legal right to suicide: The newly launched Voluntary Life Foundation in the Netherlands is campaigning for drugs to commit suicide to be available to healthy people. The group, which has 150 members, is a splinter group from the 84 000 strong Dutch Voluntary Euthanasia Society.

Transplant operation performed on youngest ever recipient: A 2 hour old infant has had a heart transplant operation after hypoplastic left heart syndrome was diagnosed in utero; the infant was delivered by caesarean section after a donor had been found. The infant will probably remain on immunosuppressants for life, and has been given an 80% chance of surviving to one year and a good prognosis thereafter.

New head of Public Health Laboratory Service announced: Sir Leslie Turnberg is to become the new chair of the Public Health Laboratory Service on 1 January. Sir Leslie has been the president of the Royal College of Physicians since 1992 and takes over from Dr Malcolm Godfrey.

Leptin may exacerbate insulin resistance: Preliminary evidence from cell culture studies shows that leptin, a peptide secreted by fat cells, may contribute to obesity related insulin resistance and some forms of diabetes (Science 1996:274:1185-8). The discovery of an obesity gene two years ago led to the finding that when normal mice are given leptin they lose weight. Clinical trials have now started to see whether leptin could be a useful obesity treatment.

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