Risk gene for cannabis psychosis

Research by King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry suggests that a specific gene called AKT1 may be key in understanding why some people develop psychosis from smoking cannabis when others do not. 

However, the authors point out that further research is needed before the findings can be clinically significant.

Previous research has shown a link between smoking cannabis and psychosis. There is also emerging data that cannabis exposure during adolescence may increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. Predicting who is at risk of developing cannabis psychosis could therefore be used to advise people who smoke cannabis.

Researchers, led by Dr Marta Di Forti at King’s Institute of Psychiatry, studied the AKT1 gene, which is involved in dopamine signaling and known to be abnormal in psychosis. They studied 489 patients with their first episode of psychosis and 278 healthy controls.

They performed genetic tests on all volunteers, and assessed their use of cannabis. They found that cannabis users who carry a particular variant in the AKT1 gene had a two-fold increased probability of a psychotic disorder and this increased up to seven-fold if they used cannabis daily.

Dr Di Forti says: “We found that cannabis users who carry a particular variant in the AKT1 gene had a two-fold increased probability of a psychotic disorder and this increased up to seven-fold if they used cannabis daily. Although using cannabis increases the risk of schizophrenia, most cannabis users come to no harm. It has therefore been suggested that those who develop psychosis may carry some genetic vulnerability.

“Our findings help to explain why one cannabis user develops psychosis while his friends continue smoking without problems. Such findings could also help to design health educational campaigns tailored to reach those young people at particular risk.”

Dr. John Krystal, Editor of Biological Psychiatry says: “While the AKT1 genotype does not rise to the level of a clinically useful test of the risk for cannabis psychosis, it does show that this source of psychosis risk has a genetic underpinning.

“This advance also points to cellular signaling mechanisms mediated by Akt1 as being relevant to the biology of cannabis psychosis. This may suggest research directions for novel therapeutics for cannabis psychosis.”

Full paper: Di Forti, M. et al. “Confirmation that the AKT1 (rs2494732) Genotype Influences the Risk of Psychosis in Cannabis Users” Biological Psychiatry, Volume 72, Issue 10 (November 15, 2012) doi: 10.1016/j.biopsych.2012.06.020

For further information, please contact Seil Collins, Press Officer, King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry, at +44 0207 848 5377 or seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk.

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King's joins London Lung Cancer Alliance

Leading research institutions and hospitals across London, including King’s, will unite to transform the care of lung cancer with plans to invite patients over a population of six million into a pioneering new programme of clinical trials.

The London Lung Cancer Alliance, launched today, is backed by the Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, and by England’s Chief Medical Officer, Professor Dame Sally Davies. The Alliance aims to deliver dramatic benefits for patients in London, nationally and worldwide – through collaboration, coordination and an ambition to give every patient access to a trial suitable for them.

Member organisations plan a programme of research that will ultimately make trials of cutting-edge personalised therapies available to up to 3,000 patients a year newly diagnosed with lung cancer across the capital.

Lung cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK after breast cancer, with 42,000 new cases in 2010. Survival rates in the UK are distressingly low and worse than across much of Europe – less than 10% of patients are still alive five years after diagnosis.

In addition to King’s College London (as part of King’ Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre), the Alliance of research institutions and hospitals includes Imperial College London, Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, Royal Brompton & Harefield NHS Foundation Trust, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust, St George’s Healthcare NHS Trust and Barts Cancer Institute at Queen Mary, University of London.

Patients with lung cancer across London will be included in the unique research programme, which will cover the entire lung cancer pathway from the identification and screening of those at risk through to end-stage disease. The London Lung Cancer Alliance will also link up with five other cities across the UK.

Researchers will genetically profile tumours and test a panel of targeted therapies – many previously untried in lung cancer - in those with particular molecular defects. They will also develop ‘liquid biopsy’ blood tests for patients who are too ill to biopsy, or to monitor whether drugs are working and assess for signs of resistance.

Under the plans, all patients within a six-million catchment area in London, along with those in Newcastle, Southampton, Liverpool, Cardiff and Edinburgh, will eventually be offered gene testing of their cancers at diagnosis. As many patients as possible will then be offered one of a panel of targeted therapies matched to their cancer’s particular molecular defects.

Dr James Spicer, Reader in Experimental Oncology at King's College London, said: ‘The explosion in our understanding of lung cancer biology is at last leading to a growing list of experimental treatment options for lung cancer. ‘Now we need a new level of organisation and collaboration to introduce these drugs to the clinic as soon as possible, and provide these previously disadvantaged patients with new hope. King’s Health Partners is delighted to play a part in making this happen.’

Boris Johnson, Mayor of London, said: ‘London is a global leader in medical research and the life sciences, with world-class hospitals and other institutions investigating treatments for lung cancer. By working together they are multiplying the knowledge and expertise required to develop trials of therapies targeting a disease that affects far too many people living in the capital.’

Professor Dame Sally Davies, Chief Medical Officer for England, said: ‘The launch of this Alliance heralds a brighter future for lung cancer patients across London and more widely and is just the kind of collaborative initiative that we're keen to see National Institute for Health Research infrastructure support. It is only by academia, the NHS and industry working together that we can make real progress against diseases such as lung cancer, where low expectations and poor survival rates have become entrenched.’

All the organisations in the London Lung Cancer Alliance have pledged to allocate funding for the infrastructure required by the initiative, with further funding to be sought from a series of grant-giving bodies, including the Government.

The Alliance plans to work with pharmaceutical companies to make existing targeted cancer therapies available to be tested in lung cancer for the first time.

Some of these drugs are targeted at molecular defects that may only be present in a small proportion of lung cancers, which is why it is so important to include such large numbers of patients in the trial programme. By providing access to a wide range of treatments, it should be possible to match many patients in the trial programme to a potentially effective drug.

The Alliance also plans to focus on screening, early detection and prevention of lung cancer across high-risk groups, including patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Notes to editors

For further media information please contact Emma Reynolds, PR Manager (Health) at King’s College London, on 0207 848 4334 or email emma.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk.

For further information about King's please visit our 'King's in Brief' page.

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New approach needed for nursing flu vaccination campaigns

Future flu vaccination campaigns aimed at nurses and other healthcare workers should be reviewed to address common misconceptions and misgivings, according to new research findings from the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery at King’s College London. The investigation, carried out in partnership by King’s College London and the Second Military Medical University of Shanghai in China, revealed that nurses’ influenza vaccination behaviours are complex and influenced by several factors, including knowledge and risk perception. Concerns about the vaccine’s side-effects and effectiveness remain the two most frequent reasons for refusing the vaccine.

Participants in the survey were asked a series of questions designed to establish their level of knowledge and understanding of seasonal flu and the vaccine, including their perception of the risk and severity of flu; they were also asked for their vaccination history and intent for the current season and for their reasons for accepting or refusing the vaccine.

Professor Alison While, Professor of Community Nursing and Associate Dean of Education and External Affairs at the Florence Nightingale School of Nursing and Midwifery, said:
“Our preliminary findings reveal that the influenza vaccination programme for healthcare workers is more complicated than just targeting those who haven’t been vaccinated this season. Within our sample of more than 500 nurses, we were able to divide those who had been vaccinated into the newly vaccinated and those who have continuously been vaccinated; and the unvaccinated into those who had never accepted the vaccine and those who used to accept the vaccine. It is important that we understand all four groups in order to develop different strategies that target unvaccinated healthcare workers.”

Annual epidemics of seasonal flu result in about 3 – 5 million cases of severe illness and 250,000 – 500,000 deaths worldwide, and healthcare workers can be a key factor in the spread of flu. While vaccination rates among the 522 nurses who were surveyed were higher than previous reports, at 37%, the report authors believe this might, in part, be explained by heightened media coverage of the risk of seasonal flu and H1N1 pandemics in 2009. A further 44.9% reported never receiving a vaccination during the previous five years.

Professor While continued:
“There are several conclusions we can draw from these preliminary research findings to develop future educational and communications campaigns aimed at improving uptake of the flu vaccine among nurses and other healthcare workers. There is a clear group of ‘persistent decliners’ who are in the ‘habit’ of not having the vaccination. Campaigns will therefore need to be persistent, durative and intensive. There also appears to have been an increase in the percentage of vaccinated nurses following greater media coverage of the risk of H1N1 flu, which suggests timing may be crucial to the success of vaccination campaigns.

“However, what is also clear is that more research needs to be undertaken to examine the relationship between the content and timing of vaccination campaigns and nurses’ first uptake.”

Professor Ian Norman, Associate Dean for Staff Development at the School, added:
“Since concerns about the vaccine’s side-effects and effectiveness were the two most common reasons given for refusing the vaccine, future campaigns must focus on targeting information to dispel these widespread myths.”

For more information contact:

Allie Johnstone
Communications Officer

Florence Nightingale School of Nursing & Midwifery, King’s College London

T: 020 7848 3062
E: allie.johnstone@kcl.ac.uk

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Embryo development discovery

Expression of the Barx1 gene (red) in early tooth development

Researchers have uncovered a novel mechanism they have termed ‘developmental stalling’, that might explain how errors in the development of human embryos are naturally corrected to prevent birth defects. 

In a study published in the journal, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), researchers from King’s College London’s Dental Institute demonstrate how a key developmental pathway, known as the ‘BMP pathway’ is responsible for ensuring organs correct themselves when growing abnormally in the womb. 

Humans are created from a fertilised egg, which develops into an embryo in a process called embryogenesis. The multitude of processes involved in this transition is extremely complex and prone to error. Errors in embryogenesis can lead to birth defects which occur in three to five percent of human births but, given the complexity of embryogenesis, this low figure is in fact surprising. 

To explore how potential defects are avoided, the team at King’s looked at different shaped teeth in developing mice embryos. They generated a mutation in a gene called Barx1 that is expressed during the development of molar teeth. However, the loss of Barx1 function did not result in abnormal molars as expected,  but rather molar development was ‘stalled’ by 24 hours during embryogenesis. 

This stalling was caused by a reduction in the BMP signalling pathway – a pathway that is already well-established as central to the developing embryo. During this stalling period, the BMP activity then steadily rose to eventually reach levels above the normal threshold, and molar development subsequently accelerated to catch up with the rest of the embryo. 

The researchers suggest that this organ autonomous stalling of development is a way for the embryo to correct errors in cell signalling that might otherwise lead to abnormal development. 

Professor Paul Sharpe from the Department of Craniofacial Development at King’s Dental Institute, said: ‘Developmental stalling may turn out to be a universal mechanism that allows developing tissues and organs to self-correct for any small errors in the complex signalling interactions that drive all developmental processes.

‘We now want to explore and understand the molecular mechanisms behind this process to enable us to see if this happens in the development of other organs. If we can understand how it works, it will give us vital insight into the development of birth defects in humans.’ 

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A sign of things to come

2012 Logo on the side of GSK's headquarters

To celebrate GSK’s scientific contribution to the London 2012 Games, British Olympic Gold medallist Rebecca Romero has unveiled the biggest 2012 logo on the side of GSK’s headquarters in London.  

The sign celebrates GSK’s role in helping organisers ensure the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games will be the cleanest Games possible. As Official Laboratory Services Provider for London 2012, GSK has formed a partnership with King’s College London to operate a World Anti-Doping Agency (WADA) accredited laboratory during the London 2012 Games. Over the course of the Games the laboratory will oversee 6,250 drug tests – the most ever at an Olympic and Paralympic Games.

The sign, which is 41m wide, is on GSK’s building next to the M4 and A4 in Brentford, and will welcome millions of people to London as they travel into the capital from Heathrow and the West of England.

It measures the breadth of five London Routemaster buses and will be visible from miles around. More than 78,000 people will see the sign every day from their cars as they drive in and out of London – that’s more than 0.5 million a week, two million a month and up to 26 million in the year leading up to the Games.

GSK Chief Executive, Andrew Witty, said: ‘We are immensely proud to be a partner of the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games and want to celebrate the role we will play in bringing science to the Games. The sign is the perfect way of doing this as millions of people will see it in the lead up to the Games and during Games time itself. As the UK’s largest pharmaceutical company, we will bring our expertise to running a world class laboratory that will carry out more anti-doping tests than ever before at an Olympics, making London 2012 the cleanest possible Games.’
Team GB cyclist, Rebecca Romero, said: ‘It is a pleasure to unveil a sign that celebrates the contribution that science will make to London 2012 through ensuring it is the cleanest Games possible. Going through anti-doping tests is all part of being an athlete and knowing the measures that are in place to ensure that the London 2012 Games are competed in fairly gives me great peace of mind as I prepare.’

Seb Coe, Chair of the London Organising Committee of the Olympic Games and Paralympic Games, said: ‘Science will play a crucial part in the London 2012 Games, from the training and nutrition programmes which keep the athletes at peak performance to the anti-doping tests which will help to make the Games as clean as possible. It is great to have GlaxoSmithKline on board to deliver the anti-doping test laboratory and the sign launched today is a celebration of their commitment to help make London 2012 the cleanest Games possible.’
Minister for Sport and the Olympics Hugh Robertson MP said: ‘The sign unveiled today by GlaxoSmithKline will help welcome the world to London in 2012. It also symbolises the important part their partnership work with King's College London will play in operating a World Anti-Doping Agency laboratory during the Games. This work is vital in enhancing the UK's reputation as a nation that is robust and effective in tackling drug cheats and sends out the clear message that doping in sport is something we simply will not tolerate.’

For more information on King's, see our 'King's in Brief' page.

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King's wins Industry Interchange Award

King’s College London has been awarded a prestigious Industry Interchange Award from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) to work in collaboration with the Nestlé Research Centre (NRC) to understand the interactions between genes and ingredients in food, and how they can affect human health.

This award – a first for the College – will enable King’s academic Dr Franca Fraternali and colleagues from the Randall Division of Cell and Molecular Biophysics to access the state-of-the-art bioinformatics facilities at NRC in Lausanne, Switzerland. Senior Researcher Dr James Holzwarth from NRC will also spend time in the King’s laboratories learning new techniques in the analysis of Protein-Protein Interaction data developed at King’s.

The genes and their encoded proteins determine important functions for health, such as how efficiently we metabolise food, how we respond to the environment and how we detoxify our body from potentially harmful agents.  Over time, environmental factors can cause genetic variations and may lead to modified proteins, which can display an altered function. The goal of this research is to understand the possible impact of these alterations on human health, diet, exercise and other lifestyle factors.

Dr Silva-Zolezzi, Head of the Functional Genomics group at Nestlé, said: ‘Our main research aim is to understand how certain ingredients can benefit our health. We believe that increasing our understanding of Protein-Protein Interaction networks is very relevant to our nutritional approach and will help guide our research.’

Dr Alison Campbell OBE, Director of Innovation at King’s, commented: ‘We’re delighted to have won this award to work in partnership with Nestlé. This collaboration gives us the opportunity to share particular King’s knowledge and expertise in Protein-Protein Interactions, and further explore their potential to affect our health.’

People movement is considered one of the best forms of knowledge transfer and BBSRC developed the scheme to enable researchers to move in either direction between the science base and industry. Reciprocal access to facilities and expertise can be of great strategic advantage to the UK science base. Long term beneficial relationships may be established and academic scientists are put in a good position to identify opportunities to realise the social and economic impact of fundamental research.

Notes to editors

This project between King’s and the Nestlé Research Centre (NRC) focuses on the analysis of recently published large-scale maps of pairwise Protein-Protein Interactions (PPI), transcription factor-target (TFT) interactions, three-dimensional structure of Protein complexes and other complementary datasets to enable a detailed understanding of the molecular mechanisms at the basis of protein function and its perturbation. In particular, the interplay of PPI and TF in DNA methylation (Epigenomics) will be investigated.

King's College London

King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2010 QS international world rankings), The Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11' and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,500 students (of whom more than 9,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 6,000 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.  King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million. 

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.  King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org

For more information about King’s College London, please visit www.kcl.ac.uk

For further information please contact Emma Reynolds, Press Officer at King’s College London, on 0207 848 4334 or email emma.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk

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Vocational education review

Young people in England on ‘dead-end’ courses that ‘will not lead to jobs’ 

The low-level vocational courses taken by many young people have little or no value in the labour market, suggests an independent review published today by the Department of Education. The report suggests funding should be focused more on high-quality apprentice schemes and that all young people who do not have good English and maths GCSEs should continue to study these subjects. The review was compiled by Professor Alison Wolf, Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management at King’s College London.

Vocational qualifications, such as BTEC Diplomas, City and Guilds and OCR Nationals, are taken by 16-19 year olds as an alternative to traditional academic courses. A  majority of over-16s are on vocational programmes. Many lead to higher education and skilled jobs, but many of the lower level qualifications have no labour market value and young people are getting no benefit from them.

Professor Wolf’s review found that vocational qualifications do not always provide good quality workplace training and experience. ‘The system is complex, expensive and counterproductive,’ she says. ‘We have many vocational qualifications that are great and institutions which are providing an excellent education and are heavily oversubscribed. But we also have hundreds of thousands of young people taking qualifications that have little or no value.’

The review recommends that all pupils should study a core of academic subjects until they are 16, and if they do not pass GCSE English and maths, they should be made to continue. More than half of 15-16 year olds currently fail to get good grades in maths and English at GCSE level.

Professor Wolf also highlights the value of quality apprenticeships for young people aged from 16-18, with employers part-subsidised in order to offer the schemes. ‘Doing a good apprenticeship is worth far more to you in all sorts of ways than going and doing a university degree that doesn't interest you very much, and which often doesn't actually have that much value either,’ says Wolf. ‘What they need is to get into the workplace and to get some real skills that will serve them well in life.’

Education Secretary Michael Gove, who launched the review findings today with Professor Wolf, reflected on the value of ‘high-quality vocational courses,’ which he said can provide ‘access to great education and great jobs’. He said it was important to ‘fix the system’ to give all children the chance of these high quality courses. ‘We will reform league tables, the funding system, and regulation to give children honest information and access to the right courses. Implementing these reforms will be hard and take a few years but we cannot afford another decade of educational failure.’

Notes to editors

Department for Education Press release

Download the full report from the Department of Education

Professor Alison Wolf is the Sir Roy Griffiths Professor of Public Sector Management at King’s College London and specialises in the relationship between education and the labour market. She has a particular interest in training and skills policy, and universities. She has been a specialist adviser to the House of Commons select committee on education and skills; is the Council Member for the UK on the Council of the United Nations University; writes widely for the national press and is a presenter for Analysis on BBC Radio 4.

King's College London
King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2010 QS international world rankings), The Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11' and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,000 students (of whom more than 8,600 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 5,500 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org

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Rate of ageing may be determined in the womb and linked to birthweight, study reveals

Scientists have found that key metabolites in blood – chemical ‘fingerprints’ left behind as a result of early molecular changes before birth or in infancy – could provide clues to a person’s long-term overall health and rate of ageing in later life.

Published today in the International Journal of Epidemiology, the study of twins led by King’s College London highlights how a technique called metabolomic profiling has revealed a collection of 22 metabolites linked to ageing. One of these, linked to ageing traits such as lung function and bone mineral density, is also strongly associated with birthweight – a well-known developmental determinant of healthy ageing.

This finding suggests that levels of this novel metabolite, which may be determined in the womb and affected by nutrition during development, could reflect accelerated ageing in later adult life.

Scientists say the findings show it is possible that these markers of ageing can be identified with simple blood tests in the future, which may provide further clues to the ageing process and could pave the way for development of therapies to treat age-related conditions.

Professor Tim Spector, Head of the Department of Twin Research at King’s College London, said:  ‘Scientists have known for a long time that a person’s weight at the time of birth is an important determinant of health in middle and old age, and that people with low birthweight are more susceptible to age related diseases. So far the molecular mechanisms that link low birthweight to health or disease in old age had remained elusive, but this discovery has revealed one of the molecular pathways involved.’

Funded by the European Commission, Researchers from the Department of Twin Research at King’s carried out metabolomic profiling – the study of metabolites that specific cellular processes or changes leave behind in the blood. Analysing blood samples donated by over 6,000 twins, they identified 22 metabolites directly linked to chronological age – the concentrations of the metabolites were higher in older people than in younger people.

One particular metabolite – C-glyTrp – is associated with a range of age-related traits such as lung function, bone mineral density, cholesterol and blood pressure. Its role in ageing is completely novel.

Crucially, researchers found it was also associated with lower weight at birth when they compared the birth weights of identical twins. 

To explore the link between birthweight and the metabolite, the researchers showed via genetic tests that the gene influencing the levels could be modified epigenetically (whereby genes are switched on or off by chemical switches triggered by the person’s environment or lifestyle).  These epigenetic changes may then influence metabolism during a person’s lifetime, which in turn influences their risk of age-related diseases.

Ana Valdes, lead researcher from King’s, said: ‘Human ageing is a process influenced by genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors, but genes only explain a part of the story. Molecular changes that influence how we age over time are triggered by epigenetic changes. This study has for the first time used analysis of blood and epigenetic changes to identify a novel metabolite that has a link to birthweight and rate of ageing.

‘This unique metabolite, which is related to age and age related diseases, was different in genetically identical twins that had very different weight at birth. This shows us that birthweight affects a molecular mechanism that alters this metabolite. This may help us understand how lower nutrition in the womb alters molecular pathways that result in faster ageing and a higher risk of age-related diseases fifty years later.

‘Understanding the molecular pathways involved in the ageing process could ultimately pave the way for future therapies to treat age-related conditions. As these 22 metabolites linked to ageing are detectable in the blood, we can now predict actual age from a blood sample pretty accurately and in the future this can be refined to potentially identify future rapid biological ageing in individuals.’

For further information or a copy of the paper please contact Emma Reynolds, PR Manager (Health) at King’s College London, on 0207 848 4334 or email emma.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk

For further information about King’s visit our 'King’s in Brief' page.

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Charles Dickens: a writing lifetime

‘Our Johnny’ by Marcus Stone. From Charles Dickens: 'Our Mutual Friend'

To celebrate Charles Dickens’s 200th birthday on 7 February 2012, King’s has created a new online exhibition showcasing a selection of writings by, and documents related to, Dickens from the College collections. The exhibition features rare, early and original material – published and manuscript – representing the breadth of his writing career.

Items on display date from all eras of Dickens’s writing life and demonstrate the range of his achievement, including materials from The Mirror of Parliament – a parliamentary journal run by Dickens’s uncle, John Barrow, for whom Dickens worked as a young man as a shorthand transcriber of Parliamentary proceedings; an unfriendly review by a contemporary, concerning Sketches by Boz and Pickwick, and a unique manuscript letter in which Dickens withdraws his son Charley from King’s College School, where the boy had acquired the dangerous killer-disease scarlet fever, causing a traumatic family panic.

Also featured are the first editions of seven of Dickens's major novels and a copy of a fine speech given by Dickens in support of free health care for the poor, as it was originally printed for charitable distribution.

The exhibition has been assembled by guest curator Dr Ruth Richardson, Visiting Senior Research Fellow in English, in association with Stephanie Breen from the Foyle Special Collections Library at King’s.

A second online exhibition is planned for later in the year which will focus on other materials from the Foyle Special Collections Library associated with Dickens and the Victorian poor.

For more information about the exhibition please see: http://kingscollections.org/exhibitions/specialcollections or contact specialcollections@kcl.ac.uk.

For further information about King’s see our ‘King’s in Brief’ page. 

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Genes that control 'ageing' steroid identified

Eight genes which control levels of the main steroid produced by the adrenal gland, believed to play a role in ageing and longevity, have been uncovered by an international consortium of scientists, co-led by King’s College London.

Crucially, some of these eight genetic regions are also associated with other important diseases of ageing, including type 2 diabetes and lymphoma. Researchers say that these findings, published in the journal PLoS Genetics today, provide the first genetic evidence for the ageing role of the steroid, and therefore highlights it as a marker of biological ageing. 

It was already known that the concentration of the steroid dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), declines rapidly with age – it diminishes by 95 per cent by the age of 85. This has led to speculation that a relative DHEAS deficiency may contribute to common age-related diseases or diminished longevity.

To explore the mechanisms behind declining levels of the steroid, the researchers carried out an analysis of DHEAS levels and 2.5 million genetic variants in 14,846 people from Europe and USA. They found eight common genes that control the blood concentration of DHEAS, and importantly some of these genes are associated with ageing and common age-related diseases such as type 2 diabetes and lymphoma.

Lead author, Dr Guangju Zhai from King’s College London, said: ‘This is the first large-scale study to unlock the mystery that has always surrounded DHEAS. We have identified specific genes that control its concentration levels, and shown that some of these are also involved in the ageing process and age-related diseases.

‘The findings provide us with the basis for future studies to look into potential mechanisms of exactly how the DHEAS is involved in ageing.  The next important question to try and answer is whether sustained high levels of DHEAS can in fact delay the ageing process and prevent age-related diseases.’

Professor Tim Spector, senior co-author from King’s, said: ‘This study shows the power of collaborative genetic studies to uncover mechanisms of how the body works. For 50 years we have observed the most abundant circulating steroid in the body, DHEAS, with no clue as to its role. Now its genes have shown us its importance in many parts of the ageing process.’

Notes to editors

King's College London

King's College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2010 QS international world rankings), The Sunday Times 'University of the Year 2010/11' and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King's has nearly 23,500 students (of whom more than 9,000 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 6,000 employees. King's is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King's has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.

King's has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King's College London and Guy's and St Thomas', King's College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King's Health Partners. King's Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit:

www.kingshealthpartners.org.

For further information please contact Emma Reynolds, Press Officer at King’s College London, on 0207 848 4334 or email emma.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk

View the original article here

$0.5m donation

Left to right: Professor Brian Millar, Professor Nairn Wilson, Simon Gambold, Dale Cooper

King’s College London Dental Institute’s Flexible Graduate Programme has received recognition with a $548,000 donation from leading health care product provider company, Henry Schein, Inc. The money will fund training, scholarships and awards.

The Dental Institute trains up to 20 per cent of all dentists in the UK and, with its pioneering approach to online learning, also provides professional training to dentists from almost 60 countries worldwide with five flexible learning graduate programmes.

The support presents an exciting opportunity for a five-year partnership with Henry Schein, a Fortune 500® company and a member of the NASDAQ 100® Index, and the largest provider of health care products and services to office-based practitioners.

Professor Nairn Wilson, Dean and Head of the Dental Institute, comments: ‘We are grateful to Henry Schein for its most generous support of the Institute’s innovative Flexible Graduate Programme which is anticipated to include 220 students in more than 30 countries in 2011. 

‘With the support of Henry Schein, the Dental Institute will be able to strengthen greatly its promotion of state-of-the-art clinical practice, widening participation and excellence in its flexible Masters programmes. The worldwide impact of the Henry Schein initiative on the outcomes and benefits of King’s flexible graduate studies in dentistry will be very substantial, with students and their patients being the beneficiaries of the generosity of Henry Schein.’

Together the Dental Institute and Henry Schein will foster international dental leadership and expertise through the Flexible Graduate Programme. Using student support, postgraduate training and professional development, the partnership will focus on the dentist as a lifelong learner and leader. It will provide innovative, integrated health care and deliver the best quality patient treatment.

‘We are very pleased to build further on our collaboration with King’s College London Dental Institute through this exciting program,’ says Stanley M. Bergman, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Henry Schein, Inc. ‘Through this initiative, we share the Dental Institute’s commitment to provide graduate students with the tools they need to succeed, and provide resources to promising students who otherwise may not have the means to achieve this level of education.' 

The donation includes:

•    The supply of a package of dental products and materials to each first-year graduate student commencing the Flexible Graduate Programme

•    Five Henry Schein Scholarships per annum to support graduate students on one of the Flexible Graduate programmes

•    A Henry Schein Events Programme to support professional networking activities

•    The Henry Schein Excellence Award which will honour a Flexible Graduate Programme graduate each year for exemplary application of their new knowledge and understanding.

Professor  Brian Millar, Director of Distance Learning at the Dental Institute, adds: ‘I am delighted to see this collaboration, which will be of great benefit to our blended learning graduate students, now in place. When our dentists attend the face-to-face hands-on sessions as part of their training we teach them with top quality materials. This agreement means that when they return to their practices any where in the world they will receive, at no cost to themselves, a package of the same materials and instruments with which they trained.

‘The Scholarships and Awards offered by Henry Schein are most welcome and show their commitment to dentistry worldwide. We are delighted to be working with them on this.’

At an event on Wednesday 10 November at the Guy’s Campus, the agreement was formally signed by representatives of the Dental Institute and Henry Schein.

Notes to Editors

King’s College London Dental Institute
King’s College London Dental Institute is the largest academic dental centre Europe. The Institute trains 20 per cent of all dentists in the UK and with its innovative approach to online learning, also provides professional training to dentists from almost 60 countries world-wide. The Institute’s excellence in teaching and research is reflected in the top ratings by quality assurance and various external assessment processes.  http://www.kcl.ac.uk/schools/dentistry/

The Dental Institute offers the five qualifications by distance learning to meet the needs of dental and health practitioners. Most programmes offer a blended learning approach, combining online learning with a face to face intensive 9-day residential once a year. Dentists wanting more details go to: www.kcl.ac.uk/distancedentistry

Henry Schein Inc
Henry Schein (NASDAQ: HSIC), is recognized for its excellent customer service and highly competitive prices, the Company’s five  businesses – North American Dental, North American Medical, North American Animal Health, International and Technology – serve more than 700,000 customers worldwide, including dental practitioners and laboratories, physician practices and animal health clinics, as well as government and other institutions. Headquartered in Melville, N.Y., Henry Schein employs more than 13,500 people and has operations or affiliates in 24 countries.  The Company's net sales reached a record $6.5 billion in 2009.  http://www.henryschein.co.uk/default.aspx

King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2010 QS international world rankings), The Sunday Times ‘University of the Year 2010/11’ and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has nearly 23,000 students (of whom more than 8,600 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 5,500 employees. King’s is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.

King’s has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King’s Health Partners. King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

Further information
Public Relations Department
Email: pr@kcl.ac.uk
Tel: 020 7848 3202

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New material could bring sharp clarity to ultrasound imagery

Scientists at King’s College London have developed a new, key material that could lead to considerable improvements in ultrasound technology, enabling the production of high-quality, high-resolution images in biomedical applications.

The researchers have developed an engineered material, known as a ‘metamaterial’, which converts ultrasound waves into optical signals offering significant advantages over conventional ultrasound technology, which relies on generating images by converting ultrasound waves into electrical signals.

The research, published today in Advanced Materials, is led by Dr Wayne Dickson in the Department of Physics at King’s in collaboration with fellow King’s physicist Professor Anatoly Zayats and colleagues at Texas A&M, Queen’s University Belfast and University Massachusetts Lowell.

Dr Dickson said: 'The high bandwidth allows you to sample the change of distance of the acoustic waves with high precision. Greater sensitivity enables you to see deeper in tissue, producing visuals in much greater detail than is currently possible.

'The greater sensitivity and broader bandwidth means we can go from 0-150 MHz without sacrificing sensitivity. Current technology typically experiences a substantial decline in sensitivity around 50 MHz. This means the metamaterial can efficiently convert an acoustic wave into an optical signal without limiting the bandwidth of the transducer, offering exciting potential in biomedical applications.'

The continued development of existing ultrasound technology is constrained by bandwith restrictions and sensitivity limitations, which have up until now been the primary obstacle when it comes to producing high-quality images that can serve as powerful diagnostic tools.

The metamaterial developed by Dr Dickson and his colleagues is not subject to those limitations, primarily because it converts ultrasound waves into optical signals rather than electrical ones. The optical processing of the signal does not limit the bandwidth or sensitivity of the transducer (converter) – an important concept for producing highly detailed images.

This means that this new metamaterial may enable ultrasound devices to see previously undetectable detail, an advancement that could significantly bolster a technology that is employed in a variety of biomedical applications. It is well known in visualising foetuses during routine and emergency care and for diagnostic purposes in incidents of trauma. It can also be a means of breaking up tissue and accelerating the effects of drugs therapies.

While these advances are not yet ready for integration into ultrasound technology, Dr Dickson and his team have successfully demonstrated how conventional technology can be substantially improved by using the newly engineering material created by the team.

The metamaterial was developed with exact properties that would enable optical signal processing of ultrasound; no such material like it exists. The material consists of gold nanorods embedded in a polymer known as Polypyrrole (PPy).  An optical signal is sent into this material where it interacts with, and is altered by, incoming ultrasound waves before passing through the material. A detection device would then read the altered optical signal, analysing the changes in its optical properties to process a higher resolution image.

Dr Dickson said: ‘The potential our findings offer is tremendously exciting, as up until now the most sensitive ultrasound detector, despite being based on conventional optical materials, has both been bandwidth limited and difficult to engineer into a real device due to the stringent requirements on the optical alignment.  Conversely, our material operates in a configuration that should prove relatively straightforward to integrate into a working device, heralding the next generation in ultrasound sensors for this extremely important technique in medical diagnostics and therapeutics.’ 

Further Media Information

Dr Wayne Dickson is available for media interview. Please contact Anna Mitchell, PR Manager (Arts and Sciences), on anna.i.mitchell@kcl.ac.uk or 0207 848 3092.

The paper is published today in Advanced Materials and can be found here: http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/adma.201300314/full

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Air pollution app for Games visitors

A breath of fresh air for Games visitors and athletes as scientists launch updated air pollution app

For the first time in Olympic history, Games visitors and athletes will be able to access real-time information about air pollution levels as they travel around the city thanks to an updated app and website developed by scientists at King’s College London.

Environmental science experts at King’s say the recent sunshine and low winds are exactly the conditions that can bring summertime smog to London and these new tools will help visitors to access the latest air pollution information.

The free London Air website and apps provide a map of Olympic venues along with air pollution information updated hourly, enabling people to see at a glance the pollution levels nearby. Hourly updated maps give street-by-street pollution levels to help London visitors to avoid exposure to highest levels of air pollution in the city, particularly if they are susceptible to respiratory problems.

London has the largest and most advanced air quality surveillance systems of any city in Europe. The system is funded by local and central government and run by King’s from an operations centre at the Waterloo campus where researchers combine air pollution science, toxicology and epidemiology to determine the impacts of air pollution on health and the causal factors.

The upgraded web site and apps also include: comparison of London’s air pollution levels to internationally recognised World Health Organisation (WHO) air quality guidelines in real-time; air quality forecasts during the Games period supplied by Defra; information on how pollution can affect health and advice on how to minimise exposure.

Dr Gary Fuller from the Environmental Research Group at King’s College London, said: ‘The effects of air pollution on athletes came to the fore during the 1984 Los Angeles Games, and has remained on the Olympic agenda ever since.

‘For the first time in the history of the Games spectators and athletes will be able to access real-time air pollution information on any mobile device, wherever they are in London. We hope this will be useful for spectators and athletes alike. It will be particularly useful for people who are susceptible to respiratory problems, such as asthma, so they can avoid pollution hot-spots.’

Commenting on the outlook for the week, Dr Fuller said: ‘Wet and windy weather has been good for air pollution this year but the recent sunshine and low winds has led to the greatest concentrations of ground-level ozone since the end of May and may cause some summertime smog over London in the run up to the Games. We will be monitoring air pollution levels extremely closely this summer. Our new apps will ensure people can access air quality information everywhere, every hour.’

The Mayor of London, Boris Johnson, said: 'I have introduced a wide range of measures to improve air quality including the first ever age limit for taxis and record numbers of cleaner buses.

'But it is vitally important people have access to timely information about pollution episodes, especially during hotter, sunnier weather. So I welcome the development of this fantastic new app by the world-leading team at King's College which will provide invaluable information direct to smart phones and other devices.'

During the London 2012 Games, researchers from King’s will monitor  air pollution levels and provide this information to the Health Protection Agency so it can assess potential public health risks caused by air pollution during the Olympic and Paralympic Games.

Athletes are particularly vulnerable to the effects of air pollution as a consequence of their heavy training regimes and high breathing rates during competition, which increases their pollution dose. Monitoring air pollution levels in the lead-up and during the Games is crucial to assess and manage health risks to athletes who will be competing in the Games.

Researchers from King's were also asked to give evidence to the International Olympic Committee about pollution data for London which might affect the 2012 Games. Pollutants such as nitrogen dioxide mainly affect wide areas of London during the winter, but each week in August there is a 10 to 20 per cent chance of ground level ozone exceeding World Health Organisation Guidelines.

Visit the London Air site at www.londonair.org.uk and http://www.londonair.org.uk/LondonAir/2012GamesVisitors/

Get details of the iPhone, Android and Google Chrome apps at www.londonair.org.uk/LondonAir/MobileApps/

For further information or images of the updated apps please contact Emma Reynolds, PR Manager (Health) at King’s College London on 0207 848 4334 or emma.reynolds@kcl.ac.uk

For further information about King’s, visit our ‘King’s in Brief’ page. 

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Drug policies: some effective, some weak, many ill-considered

Decisions on drug policy are too rarely informed by scientific evidence of their effectiveness, according to research led by Professor John Strang, Director of the National Addiction Centre at King’s College London published in The Lancet today.

The comprehensive review is the first of its kind to examine the effectiveness of all types of preventative drug policy worldwide, including policies to control the supply of drugs, prescription programmes to control pharmaceuticals, prevention programmes and health and social services for drug users.

Professor Strang says: ‘Drug policy can actually contribute more. We need to concentrate our energies and resources on interventions which have the potential for large population impact, interventions with strong scientific evidence of effectiveness, and interventions which have close links between their outcomes and Society’s vision of the public good.’

For policies to control the supply of drugs, the research concludes that the effectiveness remains unproven, at best, and that little evidence exists that crop substitution programmes in source countries actually work.

Of the most effective drug policies evidenced in the research, many are successful in maximising the public good - using indicators such as improved individual and public health,and reduced crime and improved quality of life – not only for individuals but also for neighbourhoods and families affected by drugs.

The authors call for drugs policy to increasingly measure success in terms of maximising the public good –a shift in emphasis from a focus on just trying to stem the supply of illegal drugs.  Supply control programmes remain important, if effective, but considerably more must be done to test their effectiveness, particularly in terms of benefiting the public good.

Prof Strang says:‘Scientific research can make important contributions to the construction of more effective drug policy, but final resource allocation involves wider public and political processes of priority-setting.

To watch an interview with Prof Strang on Lancet TV, please click here. 

For full paper: Strang et el. ‘Drug policy and the pubic good: evidence for effective interventions’ The Lancet (6th January 2012) doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(11)61674-7

For more information, please contact Seil Collins (Press Officer) tel: 0207 848 5377 or email: seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk

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£0.5 million for research into human trafficking

Researchers at King’s College London’s Institute of Psychiatry (IoP), in collaboration with the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine and the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust have been awarded £ 449,990 by the Department of Health for research into human trafficking. 

The overarching aim of the PROTECT (Provider Responses, Treatment, and Care for Trafficked People) research programme is to provide evidence to inform the NHS response to human trafficking, specifically in the identification and referral of trafficked people, and safe and appropriate care to meet their health needs.

Professor Louise Howard, the King’s College London IoP study lead, says: 'Trafficked men, women and children frequently experience extreme physical, psychological and sexual violence and social marginalisation, and many suffer from acute and long-term health problems. Currently, we know very little about their healthcare needs, how they access NHS services and how to help healthcare professionals respond optimally to trafficked people under their care.'

Dr Cathy Zimmerman, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine lead, adds: 'Our findings will address this evidence gap and ultimately, help trafficked people receive safe and appropriate healthcare.'

Reports estimate there are 2,600 sex-trafficked women in England and Wales, but measuring the true scale of human trafficking is difficult. People are trafficked for forced sex work, domestic servitude, and into various labour sectors, including agricultural, manufacturing and service industries.  Previous research from King’s and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine revealed that women who had been trafficked for sexual exploitation experienced violence and poor physical and mental health. However, the research also found that there was very little evidence available on the health consequences of trafficked children, men or people trafficked for other forms of exploitation. 

NHS staff have an essential role in identifying and referring trafficked people to other services and receiving and treating people referred for healthcare. Yet, there is extremely limited evidence to inform NHS responses.  Anecdotal reports from post-trafficking services, law enforcement and a small number of provider studies suggest that trafficked people have difficulty accessing healthcare and providers do not feel equipped to identify and provide appropriate care for trafficked people.

The aims of the research are: 

• To gather evidence on the number of trafficked adults and children identify their healthcare needs and experiences and use of healthcare services. 

• To investigate how NHS staff respond to human trafficking, document NHS experience, knowledge and gaps about trafficked people’s health care needs.

• To inform NHS strategy and develop bespoke NHS information and training materials to support NHS staff to identify, refer and care for trafficked people.

Professor Louise Howard, Head of the Section for Women’s Mental Health at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s, and Dr Cathy Zimmerman, Senior Lecturer in Gender Violence and Health at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine are jointly leading the project as Principal Investigators. 

Co-investigators include: Professor Debra Bick, Professor of Evidence Based Midwifery Practice (King’s College London); Dr. Melanie Abas, Senior Lecturer in Global Mental Health (King’s College London); and Dr. Siân Oram, Postdoctoral Researcher (King’s College London); Dr. Rebecca French, Senior Lecturer in Sexual and Reproductive Health (London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine); Professor Nicky Stanley, Professor of Social Work (University of Central Lancashire).

The programme will continue until March 2015 and is funded by a Department of Health Policy Research Programme grant. 

For any further information, please contact Seil Collins, Press Officer, Institute of Psychiatry, email: seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk or tel: 0207 848 5377

About King’s College London

Department of Health:  The Department of Health works to improve the health and well-being of people in England. The Department sets overall policy on all health issues and is responsible for the provision of health services through the National Health Service. The PRP commissions research to support policymaking in the Department.

About the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine:  The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine is a world-leading centre for research and postgraduate education in public and global health, with 4000 students and more than 1300 staff working in over 100 countries. The School is one of the highest-rated research institutions in the UK, and was recently cited as one of the world’s top universities for collaborative research.  The School's mission is to improve health and health equity in the UK and worldwide; working in partnership to achieve excellence in public and global health research, education and translation of knowledge into policy and practice. 

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War Studies celebrates 50 years

Head of Department Professor Mervyn Frost with former heads of the Department of War Studies

The Department of War Studies is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year.

Established in 1962, the Department has since become a world leader in its field with around 100 staff and associated researchers studying all aspects of war, peace and security in the past, present and future.

War Studies now offers 13 MA programmes with over 400 students, alongside over 200 doctoral candidates and a highly popular War Studies undergraduate course.

To celebrate its landmark anniversary the Department held a special event on Friday 27th January - ‘War Studies: a Department and a Discipline, Past, Present and Future’, featuring talks and discussions by current staff and former heads of the Department including Professor Sir Laurence Martin, Professor Brian Bond, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman and founder of the Department, Professor Sir Michael Howard and followed by an evening reception.

Head of Department Professor Mervyn Frost said: ‘The Department is unique in the UK and one of the very few university departments in the world devoted exclusively to the multi-disciplinary study of war as a phenomenon.

‘Wars challenge all aspects of the societies in which they occur and its study, therefore, deserves academic analysis like any other subject to deepen our understanding of war’s complex issues.’

Professor Sir Michael Howard said: ‘This is a Golden Jubilee well worth celebrating. The Department began in 1962 and that it should have grown so much speaks volumes for the dedication of its staff, the quality of its students, the political skills of its leadership and the urgency of the need it was created to fill.

‘I find it astonishing that it is 50 years since we started it all up and equally astonishing that it has grown so enormously.

‘When I was here it consisted of a staff of three and 10 graduate students, and that was it.’

Friday’s celebration offered current students, alumni and staff, past and present, the opportunity to swap memories and experiences of studying and working in the Department and reflect on how much had changed over the past half century.

Fraser Bomford, who graduated in 2003 after studying an MA in International Relations, said: ‘I quite enjoyed that I could dip into different subjects – war in the media, intelligence, international relations – which allowed me to read a broad range of literature.

‘I still go to quite a few talks and have been surprised by the quality of the lectures which are open to alumni.’

Alastair Rosenschein, who studied MA War and graduated in 2005, said: ‘It was the most exciting degree I’ve done. Every subject was really interesting and the passion of all the lecturers was infectious.’

David Bradley, a former MA student who graduated in 1967, said: ‘Today’s 50th anniversary was a most enjoyable day with fascinating presentations and lectures, the opportunity to meet old friends, rounded off by a great reception in the evening.

‘I for one thoroughly enjoyed myself and it was especially gratifying to see how the Department had developed over the years and very encouraging to learn how it was dealing with new subjects and opportunities.’

Chris Woods, a part-time student in intelligence and international security, said: ‘War Studies steps back from the actual mechanics of warfare and is about the concepts, values and systems which underpin it and I think that is a constant which will still be there in 50 years time.’

Kloe Tricot O’Farrell, who is also studying in the Department, said: ‘I feel very privileged to be studying here at King’s this year during the 50th anniversary of War Studies.

‘The course is very relevant and really different from what I’ve previously studied. Schools and universities normally focus on international relations, so studying war itself is a great opportunity’.

For more details contact Anna Mitchell on 0207 848 3092 or anna.i.mitchell@kcl.ac.uk.

For further information about King’s see our ‘King’s in Brief’ page.

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End-of-life debate

'At the End of the Day', a public debate held last night by King's and the Christian Evidence Society, explored the ethical, moral and spiritual questions raised by end-of-life issues.
Brought to the fore by the High Court battle and subsequent death of Tony Nicklinson, a 'locked-in syndrome' sufferer who fought for the right to end his life, the assisted dying debate has received extensive attention in recent months.
Last night at King’s, Lord Falconer, chair of the Commission on Assisted Dying, argued strongly in favour of assisted dying, whilst Professor Nigel Biggar, Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology, University of Oxford, argued for the law to remain unchanged. Addressing members of the public, students and academic colleagues, Lord Falconer expressed his conviction that as everyone dies people should have the choice to decide when and how they end their lives.
Professor Biggar said he had wrestled for years with the complex issues inherent in the debate and had not reached a truly satisfying conclusion, but he affirmed his belief that, as a rule, people should be encouraged and supported to live.
Lord Harries of Pentregarth, the former Bishop of Oxford, chaired the debate.
The Revd Professor Richard Burridge, Dean of King’s College London, said: ‘It was a privilege to host this event with Lord Falconer, Professor Biggar and Lord Harries, and I was glad to see that those attending included students from a variety of different Schools and Departments across the College.’ 
He added: ‘This was an important debate for the College and for the country.’

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Pre-university course in Mumbai

King’s College London, one of the world’s top 30 universities, held a highly popular pre-university programme at the Singapore International School in Mumbai this Diwali. The programme gave the students an exciting insight into teaching at a world-leading university and equipped them with skills that are useful to be successful at a top university such as King's. The course follows a very successful university level programme held in Mumbai earlier this year.
The Pre-University Programme which took place from 10 to 17 November is part of a much broader major initiative to expand the College’s links in India. Engagement with India forms a core part of the College’s international strategy – in order to develop links for research collaboration and encourage the mobility of staff and students. The Principal and President of King's College London recently visited India as well to strengthen the links between King’s and the country.
Dr Alexander Heinz, Deputy Head of International Programmes at King's, said: 'This programme brings King's innovative teaching methods to Indian school students and exposes them to a highly interactive, student-centered learning experience. The King's Pre-University Programme helps school students develop into self confident young people who will make informed choices about their academic future. The course aims to equip them with cutting-edge knowledge and study skills which are crucial for a head start of their higher education studies internationally.'
Michael Bedward, faculty of the Strategic Management course, added: 'I enjoyed working with such fantastic students enormously. I tailored my teaching especially to the student group that I was teaching and used Indian case studies to introduce the students to concepts that are vital in competitive environments, even for the most senior managers, around the globe.'

Notes to editors

For further information please contact Katherine Barnes, International PR Manager, on +44 207 848 3076.

For more on our links with India visit the India Institute web pages.

For further information about King's visit our 'King's in Brief' page.

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Mild cognitive impairment in L. America, China and India

One of the first studies to investigate the prevalence of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in low and middle income countries finds that MCI does not depend on socio-demographic factors, and is associated with disability and neuropsychiatric symptoms. 

The research was led by the 10/66 Dementia Research Group based at the Institute of Psychiatry at King’s College London and published today in PLoS Medicine. 

MCI is an intermediate state between normal signs of cognitive aging, such as becoming increasingly forgetful, and dementia, and may be linked to an increased risk of dementia, 

The research group interviewed roughly 15,000 people aged over 65 years who did not have dementia in eight low and middle incomes countries—Cuba, Dominican Republic, Peru, Mexico, Venezuela, Puerto Rico, China, and India. 

Their mental and physical health, cognitive function were also assessed and their relatives and carers interviewed for further details about any memory loss, any other decline in cognitive function or the presence of any neuropsychiatric symptoms. 

The prevalence of MCI ranged quite widely, from 0.8% in China to 4.3% in India. They found that age or level of former education did not seem to be linked to MCI and that men had a slightly higher prevalence of MCI than women. The authors found that MCI was associated with disability, anxiety, apathy and irritability but not with depression. 

Dr Robert Stewart, senior author of the paper at the IoP at King’s says: ‘By 2050, it’s estimated that more than 115 million people will have dementia, and much of the expected increase will occur in low and middle income countries where the population is rapidly ageing.

‘I hope that the information on MCI in low and middle income countries we report in this study could help inform health care and social service planning in these rapidly ageing and highly populated regions of the world.’

The authors added that more long-term studies are needed to investigate whether MCI can be used as a reliable marker for further cognitive decline and dementia, and into the associations with disability and neuropsychiatric symptoms. 

Dr Stewart adds: ‘It is also worth considering whether cultural influences may impact upon the identification of MCI – it may be that people in certain countries may be more or less likely to admit to memory difficulties. Whilst this may help in part explain the variation between countries, the association between MCI and disability remained constant throughout.’

The 10/66 Dementia Research Group is supported by the Wellcome Trust (UK), the World Health Organization, the US Alzheimer’s Association and the Fondo Nacional de Ciencia Y Tecnologia, Consejo de Desarrollo Cientifico Y Humanistico, Universidad Central de Venezuela (Venezuela). The lead author is funded by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Specialist Biomedical Research Centre for Mental Health at the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust and Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College London. 

For full paper: Sosa, A.L. et al. ‘Prevalence, Distribution, and Impact of Mild Cognitive Impairment in Latin America, China, and India: A 10/66 Population-Based Study’ (7th February 2012) PLoS Medicine doi: 9(2): e1001170. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1001170

For more information, please contact Seil Collins (Press Officer) email: seil.collins@kcl.ac.uk or tel: 0207 848 5377

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Henry III documents brought to life

The Fine Rolls event

A project to translate and digitalise documents drawn up for Henry III to record money and favours owed to him, is nearing completion. The ‘Fine Rolls’ of Henry III are written in Latin on parchment, with one for every year of his 56 year reign, some containing more than  35,000 words, and measuring up to three metres  in length.
This three-year project has brought to life remarkable material which is now freely available to everyone. The rolls, containing two million words in 40,000 separate entries, have been translated into English and encoded electronically, creating indexes and search facilities.

The website (www.finerollshenry3.org.uk ) has digitized images of all the rolls and it is possible to look through them membrane by membrane and zoom in on a particular entry.

With funding of £1 million from the Arts & Humanities Research Council, the project, formally known as ‘From Magna Carta to the Parliamentary State: The Fine Rolls of King Henry 1216-1272’  has been a joint venture between scholars at three institutions – King’s College London, The National Archives and Canterbury Christ Church University. The pioneering technical work has been carried out by the Centre for the Computing in the Humanities Department at King’s.

Leading this project is David Carpenter, Professor of Medieval History at  King’s College London, who comments:  ‘The project is a perfect example of a collaborative enterprise that develops and exploits the latest technology in order to open up a major a historical source to a wide community of users, public as well as academic.’

The Fine Rolls of Henry III (1216-1272) are preserved in the National Archives at Kew, and, as well as recording ‘fines’ - which are essentially an agreement to pay money for a concession - they contain a wealth of other material. Examples include the taxation of towns, the seizure of lands into the King’s hands because of rebellion, and even Henry III’s sense of humour.

One element of the website is the ‘Fine of the Month’ feature which offers regular comment on discoveries in the rolls. This began in December 2005 so there are now 60 of them.

Professor Carpenter explains: 'Fines of the Month have been about places across the country,– from  Nunney in  Somerset  to Mansfield in Nottinghamshire, and have furthered the impact of the project, enabling it  to establish contact with local communities. They deal with the development of general taxation and the emergence of the parliamentary state.’

The latest for November is an entirely new exposition of Archbishop Langton’s role in creating the Magna Carta. Others deal with the persecution of the Jews, peasant uprisings and the position of women after Magna Carta.

Dr Louise Wilkinson, a Senior Lecturer in Medieval History at Canterbury Christ Church University, who is one of the project’s co-directors and has been closely involved in managing the project since its inception in 2005, says: ‘One of the most rewarding things about working on this project is the way in which it has not only greatly enriched our understanding of thirteenth-century politics and society, but also yielded valuable information for local communities who are interested in uncovering information about their past.’

To celebrate the completion of this work a reception was held last night (Wednesday 24 November) in the Maughan Library of King’s College London, which is a most appropriate setting as it has links with Henry III. The building is on the site of the house for converted Jews which he founded in 1232, and his statue is above the gateway. In addition, the present building was home to the Public Record Office  where the rolls were held for over a century before their move in the 1990s to their new home in the National Archives at Kew. Guests  include Lord Douro, Chairman of King’s College London, Professor Rick Trainor, Principal of King’s College London, Professor Sir Alan Wilson, AHRC Chairman, Professor Rick Rylance, AHRC Chief Executive and Professor Jan Drucker, Senior Pro Vice-Chancellor of Canterbury Christ Church University. 

[Image by Naresh Verlander: Professor David Carpenter, AHRC Chief Executive Professor Rick Rylance, AHRC Chairman Professor Sir Alan Wilson, Lord Douro and the Principal, Professor Rick Trainor].

Notes to Editors

King’s College London
King’s College London is one of the top 25 universities in the world (2010 QS international world rankings), The Sunday Times ‘University of the Year 2010/11’ and the fourth oldest in England. A research-led university based in the heart of London, King’s has nearly 23,000 students (of whom more than 8,600 are graduate students) from nearly 140 countries, and some 5,500 employees. King’s is in the second phase of a £1 billion redevelopment programme which is transforming its estate.

King’s has an outstanding reputation for providing world-class teaching and cutting-edge research. In the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise for British universities, 23 departments were ranked in the top quartile of British universities; over half of our academic staff work in departments that are in the top 10 per cent in the UK in their field and can thus be classed as world leading. The College is in the top seven UK universities for research earnings and has an overall annual income of nearly £450 million.

King’s has a particularly distinguished reputation in the humanities, law, the sciences (including a wide range of health areas such as psychiatry, medicine, nursing and dentistry) and social sciences including international affairs. It has played a major role in many of the advances that have shaped modern life, such as the discovery of the structure of DNA and research that led to the development of radio, television, mobile phones and radar. It is the largest centre for the education of healthcare professionals in Europe; no university has more Medical Research Council Centres.

King’s College London and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts are part of King’s Health Partners. King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC) is a pioneering global collaboration between one of the world's leading research-led universities and three of London's most successful NHS Foundation Trusts, including leading teaching hospitals and comprehensive mental health services. For more information, visit: www.kingshealthpartners.org.

Canterbury Christ Church University
Canterbury Christ Church University has, since its foundation by the Church of England as a teacher training college in 1962, developed a wide range of taught programmes, research and educational services.

It continues to be the largest centre of higher education in Kent for the major public services. The University has around 18,000 students based in five Faculties: Arts and Humanities, Business and Management, Education, Health and Social Care, Social and Applied Sciences.  Our 1,500 staff also contribute to the University's life and work at our five campuses: Canterbury, Broadstairs, Folkestone (in partnership with the Creative Foundation), Medway (in partnership with the Universities of Greenwich and Kent with Mid-Kent College) and Tunbridge Wells.

AHRC
The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) supports world-class research that furthers our understanding of human culture and creativity. Each year the AHRC provides approximately £112 million from the Government to support research and postgraduate study in the arts and humanities, from languages and law, archaeology and English literature to design and creative and performing arts. In any one year, the AHRC makes approximately 700 research awards and around 1,350 postgraduate awards. Awards are made after a rigorous peer review process, to ensure that only applications of the highest quality are funded. The quality and range of research supported by this investment of public funds not only provides social and cultural benefits but also contributes to the economic success of the UK. http://www.ahrc.ac.uk/Pages/default.aspx

National Archives at Kew
The National Archives is the UK government's official archive, containing over 1,000 years of history. They give detailed guidance to government departments and the public sector on information management and advise others about the care of historical archives. http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/

For more information

Email: pr@kcl.ac.uk or Tel: 0207 848 3202.

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Renewal of Johns Hopkins collaboration

Paul Rothman signing the agreement with Professor Sir Robert Lechler.

Last week King’s Health Partners and Johns Hopkins Medicine in the United States agreed to renew an international collaboration in research, education and clinical services, as well as the successful staff exchange programme between the two organisations.

On Tuesday 16 July and Wednesday 17 July King’s Health Partners welcomed to London three guests from Johns Hopkins Medicine, Baltimore. The delegation included Paul Rothman, Dean and Chief Executive Officer of Johns Hopkins Medicine; Landon King, Vice Dean for Research at Johns Hopkins Medicine; and Szabolcs Dorotovics, Managing Director of Johns Hopkins Medicine International.

The group met with a wide variety of staff, academics and clinicians as well as the King’s Health Partners Board to find out more about the Academic Health Sciences Centre and discuss how to develop and enhance the collaboration. They toured the Clinical Research Facility at Denmark Hill, the Biomedical Research Centre at Guy’s Hospital and spent time in the historic Gordon Museum of Pathology at King’s College London.

The visit culminated with King’s Health Partners and Johns Hopkins agreeing to continue their partnership at a signing ceremony. The historic links between the organisations were first established in 1947.

Professor Sir Robert Lechler, Executive Director of King’s Health Partners, said: 'Collaborating with Johns Hopkins Medicine offers great opportunities for discovery and improvement. Although our approaches in some areas are quite different, both our organisations are committed to pioneering excellence in research, education and patient care, and there is much that we can learn from one another. I look forward to strengthening our collaboration and seeing the fruits of the work we carry out together.'

The renewed partnership includes an exchange programme that will allow small delegations of staff each year to visit each organisation and spend time learning and sharing information in specific areas of research, education and clinical care.

Johns Hopkins is based in Baltimore, Maryland and is a $6.5 billion integrated health enterprise and the first healthcare system of its kind to combine excellence in research, teaching and patient care in an academic health sciences model.  

Notes to editors

For further media information please contact the Public Relations Department on 0207 848 3202.

Find out more about Johns Hopkins Medicine.

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Brain Cancer vaccine trial

A brain cancer trial that uses a patient’s tumour to develop their own personalised vaccine is being piloted for the first time in the UK.

King’s College London and  King’s College Hospital  – both part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre – will be the first in the UK to jointly trial the DCVax® therapy which is already significantly extending life for patients in a US trial.

From July, King’s will begin recruiting patients newly diagnosed with Glioblastoma mulltiforme (GBM) - the most common and most aggressive primary malignant form of brain cancer.

Current survival time in the UK following Glioblastoma diagnosis is around 12 -18 months. However, in two initial clinical trials in the US, the vaccine delayed the recurrence of the tumour to two years, and extended patients’ average survival to three years – without toxic side effects.

Patients with suspected Glioblastoma undergo immediate surgery to remove as much of the tumour as possible. Patients on the trial will have the same surgery but the removed tumour will be sent to a specialised facility at King’s College London. There, experts will use each patient’s tumour to develop a personalised vaccine using the DCVax® immune therapy.

Following six weeks of standard combined radiotherapy and chemotherapy, the first personalised vaccine will be administered as a simple injection under the skin in the arm. There will be up to ten injections in total, administered over a two year period.

Mr Keyoumars Ashkan, Lead for Neuro-Oncology at King’s College Hospital said: 'We are pleased to be leading the way in bringing these novel immune therapies to patients in the UK. Brain cancers are some of the most lethal cancers, and there is a great need for new and better treatments.

'The positive data from the clinical trials in the US were very encouraging in delaying disease progression and extending survival times, without significant toxic side effects. We are hopeful that similar results will be seen in the large, randomised clinical trial which we are now helping to bring to the UK.'

King’s sees and treats hundreds of Glioblastoma patients each year, many of whom are in their 40’s and 50’s. Symptoms of Glioblastoma include severe headaches, nausea, vomiting, fits, dizziness and speech problems.

Farzin Farzaneh, Professor of Molecular Medicine and head of cGMP cell product manufacturing at King’s College London, said: 'We are excited to be undertaking the manufacture of the vaccine here at King’s. Such immune therapies represent an exciting new class of products, and we are pleased to apply our expertise and facilities for cell therapy to help bring DCVax® immune therapies to the UK and to collaborating centres in Europe.'

DCVax® is a personalised immune therapy developed by US company Northwest Biotherapeutics. 

Patients interested in being involved in the trial can email patients@nwbio.com for further information.

For further information about King’s, visit our ‘King’s in Brief’ page.

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Capturing the Craftsman

Almost 70 years since World War II, a Master's student from the Department of Defence Studies has previewed her film which depicts a soldier heading into battle with the enemy, in an act that, ‘undoubtedly saved considerable casualties and damage', according to his commendation for the Military Medal.

Lt Col Anna-Lee Johnston, who is studying on the Defence Studies MA programme at the Joint Services Command and Staff College in Shrivenham, hosted a preview of the film Above and Beyond: The Craftsman at King’s with her partners from Ivory London. Among the invited audience was guest of honour, the subject of the film, Sergeant Wally Harris MM.

Sergeant Harris MM served with the Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (REME) during World War II and is the only REME veteran to be given a gallantry award for direct enemy action. As an engineer Sergeant Harris was a non combat soldier who should never have gone into battle. With his unit of craftsmen, Sergeant Harris‘ task was to maintain self-propelled guns as 231 Brigade pushed through France and ultimately liberated Europe from the grip of Nazi Germany.

On 3 September 1944, with his unit stuck behind a column of vehicles that was backed up through the town of Mons-en-Pevelle, Sergeant Harris decided to go on ahead, through the village, to find an alternative route. As he made his way through the streets, he turned a corner and came face to face with a German 88mm artillery gun unmounting.

He had only a moment to make a decision that would affect his and the lives of many of his comrades.

Sergeant Harris takes on the enemy with a .30cal Browning machine gun, cannibalised on D-Day from a drowned Sherman, with his friend and colleague Cpl. Swann. It is a defining moment in both their lives.

Now, Sergeant Wally Harris’ story has been preserved in Above and Beyond: The Craftsman, by Anna-Lee and her collaborators, Rowland Kimber (Executive Producer), Richard Canavan (Executive Producer and Composer) and Peter King (Director) who have written Wally’s story directly from his first hand account.

Anna-Lee said: ‘Wally’s story is so special. We are so pleased to be able to tell it and preserve it. We must capture others like it while we still have the chance to be with people who actually experienced the Second World War. If we don’t record these remarkable accounts now, they will be lost to history forever.’

Wally, who is now 90, offered his military expertise to the production team and was on location, on Salisbury Plain, during filming to advise on the events that unfolded nearly 70 years ago.

Wally said at the preview: ‘History tells us about the Battle of Britain and what those brave lads did out there – ‘the few’ as Churchill called them. But what they did, defeating the Germans, made them realise that we were much stronger than they thought.’

Former Head of the Department of Defence Studies, Professor Matt Uttley, said before the screening: ‘This is such an important piece of oral history that must be preserved, so we can reflect on the past and inform the future.’

For further media information contact Anna Mitchell on 0207 848 3092 or at anna.i.mitchell@kcl.ac.uk.

For more information about King's see our 'King's in Brief' page.

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