Finnish scientists have reported a breakthrough in the attempts to understand the development of type 1 diabetes. They discovered disturbances in lipid and amino acid metabolism in children who later progressed to type 1 diabetes, also known as juvenile diabetes. The alterations preceded the autoimmune response by months to years.

In the framework of the development scheme 'Central Innovation Scheme for Medium-sized Businesses' of the German Federal Ministry for Economics and Technology (BMWI), clinIT AG, based in Freiburg, Germany, has been awarded a six-figure federal grant in cooperation with the Institute for Informatics of the Albert-Ludwigs-University Freiburg, Faculty for Data Bases and Information Systems.

Medicinal products contribute considerably to the health of EU citizens. They can, however, also have adverse effects. It is estimated that 5% of all hospital admissions are due to an adverse drug reaction (ADR), and that ADR is the fifth most common cause of hospital death.

In recent years European healthcare consumers and physicians have steadily increased their use of the Internet for treatment and product decisions. According to healthcare and pharmaceutical market research company's Manhattan Research's Cybercitizen Health™ Europe v8.0 study and strategy advisory service, over 150 million adults in countries across Europe used online channels to access health information in 2008.

Researchers in Ireland and the UK have found that a lethal fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus, reproduces sexually. The findings represent a major breakthrough in the understanding of this pathogen, which causes death in 50% of infected immune-deficient patients.

Italian researchers have bred mice that exhibit similar deficits to those experienced by people with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, a prion disease similar to bovine spongiform encephalopathy. The EU-funded study, published in the journal Neuron, provides insights that may help to diagnose prion diseases early, when therapeutic intervention may be effective.

A new deal has been reached between the UK's Government and the pharmaceutical industry means that more patients will benefit from a wider range of innovative drug treatments at a fair price to the NHS. The flexible pricing scheme agreed will ensure that medicines fairly reflect their value to patients, branded drugs will see their price cut, and industry innovations will be encouraged and rewarded.