The National Centre for the Replacement, Refinement and Reduction of Animals in Research (NC3Rs) plus sponsors will invest in collaborative projects that address some of the challenges posed by animal experiments.

This is designed to:

• minimise the use of animals in research
• support the development of marketable products
• improve business processes

Collaborations are encouraged between industry, research organisations and small to medium-sized enterprises (SMEs).

What you need to know

The centre is launching 3 challenges as part of its Crack It initiative.

DARTpaths

This challenge aims to develop an effective data strategy and data management structure to map the developmental and reproductive toxicity (DART) genes of different species. You should compare the effects of toxic compounds across species.

It is in 2 phases. There is up to £100,000 for phase 1. Phase 2 has funding of up to £1 million. Shell and Syngenta are the sponsors.

Dosing for controlled exposure (DoCE)

This challenge aims to improve dosing methods and strategies for in vitro dose-responses and to encourage their uptake, application and use in risk-based decision making. This could offer the potential to eventually replace the need for in vivo animal studies.

It is in 2 phases. There is up to £100,000 for phase 1. Phase 2 has funding of up to £1 million. Unilever and Shell are the sponsors.

RespiraTox

In this challenge the aim is to develop a model that reliably predicts human respiratory irritation to chemicals. It should use in silico-based tools.

This is a single-phase competition. Up to £100,000 is available. The competition is sponsored by Shell.

The background

NC3Rs is an independent scientific organisation that supports the UK science base to find alternative applications to the use of animals in research and improve welfare.

This competition is being run through the Small Business Research Initiative (SBRI).

Competition information

• the competition opens on 11 September 2017
• there are different deadlines depending on the competition you are applying into. These are:
  • 8 November 2017 at midday for the 2-phase DARTpaths and DoCE challenges
  • 15 November 2017 at midday for the single-phase RespiraTox challenge
• there will be a launch event on 7 September 2017 to find out more. You will need to register for the event

This year the world is facing humanitarian crises in greater number and scale than ever before. Extreme hunger is stalking East Africa, pushing millions of families to the brink of starvation.

i readers will be rightly shocked and saddened by the harrowing stories of Somali children and their families. Babies whose bodies are shutting down because they are so starved, mothers who are fighting to keep their children alive.

These people are many miles away and their lives, wracked by conflict and drought, are totally unimaginable from our own. But they are our fellow human beings and they desperately need our help.

The UN suggests that half the population of Somalia is without reliable access to food, and 1.4 million children are acutely malnourished. Of those, 275,000 children are so severely undernourished they could soon die without urgent treatment.

The British Government has acted without hesitation. Earlier this year, I visited Somalia and saw first-hand that all the signs were pointing to famine. In response, the UK quickly stepped up support and right now, food is urgently being shipped into Somalia and distributed across the country – including to Somaliland.

We are giving one million people access to safe drinking water, food and emergency healthcare. This is the difference between a child having something to eat and having nothing; it is the difference between life and death.

The British public have also shown typical generosity; £60 million has been raised by the Disasters Emergency Committee’s East Africa crisis appeal, including £10 million of matching funds from the British Government.

British people are helping to alleviate the suffering but the UK cannot act alone on this. The swift action we have taken to save lives must be matched by others. That is why I have called on the whole international community to play their part to avert tragedy. UN organisations are now on the ground in Somalia developing response plans and scaling up efforts. The World Bank has pledged $50 million to Somalia to help people in drought affected areas access food assistance, water and health services.

To date, over $948 million has been raised for Somalia and this is more than was pledged for the whole of 2016. Over a fifth of this is from the British government alone – totalling £170 million – but more than a third of the humanitarian appeal for 2017 still remains unfunded.

Together, we have so far managed to avert a repeat of the famine which killed 260,000 people in 2011. But the job is far from done. The risk of famine still looms over Somalia; millions of people remain in dire need and hundreds of thousands of lives are at risk. Unquestionably, more people will die if we do not continue our collective efforts.

To maximise our impact, we must focus on the most urgent actions, collaborate properly and improve transparency. Funds must go where the need is greatest.

This is ultimately in all our interests. Somalia is one of the world’s most fragile countries and the humanitarian crisis threatens to undermine recent political and economic progress at a vital time. Meanwhile, extreme hunger is forcing people from their homes and threatens to swell the refugee crisis in Africa and Europe.

The British Government’s support for Somalia is enduring. We hosted a landmark London Somalia Conference in May this year, where we convened global leaders, the UN and key players from Somali government to end this desperate situation and help build a more prosperous, stable and peaceful Somalia for the future.

My message to the rest of the international community is clear: we must all step up our efforts before it is too late to stop innocent people starving to death. International leaders cannot and must not turn their backs or shut their eyes. That would be a stain on our collective conscience.

This article was originally published on the i newspaper.

Details of the prosecution of Mrs Marie Darnborough Published in August 2017.

Details of the seizure of veterinary medicines at the Parcelforce International Hub, Coventry. Published in August 2017.

Paterson, 59, was originally sentenced to 15 years imprisonment when he appeared at Nottingham Crown Court in May after being found guilty of wounding with intent. The Solicitor General, Robert Buckland QC MP, presented this case at the Court of Appeal and successfully argued that the sentence was unduly lenient.

The doctor specialised in cancer diagnosis and treatments of breast conditions, and was revered as the ‘go-to’ specialist. Between 1997 and 2011, Paterson deliberately exaggerated or invented the risk of cancer to vulnerable patients and then carried out unnecessary operations on the victims, including mastectomies.

The surgeries caused serious lasting physical and physiological harm to all the victims. One woman was unable to breast feed her baby as a result.

Speaking after the hearing, the Solicitor General said:

“Throughout our lives, we are told and expected to trust doctors. Paterson woefully abused that trust – he deliberately prayed on peoples worst fears and then mutilated them on the operating table.

“This is a truly sickening crime and my thoughts are with the victims and their families. I hope the increased sentence will help bring some closure for them.”