BES 2004 with EFES is just around the corner!
Now March has arrived, it is only three weeks until the BES/EFES meeting. The lively seaside town of Brighton on the South coast of England is the setting for this year's instalment of the tri-annual joint meeting of British and European Societies. Highlights will include a medal lecture on 'Adipose tissue as an endocrine organ' by J Flier (Boston, MA) and the visiting professor lecture on 'Prediction and prevention of autoimmune thyroid disease' by W Wiersinga (Amsterdam).

An exciting addition to the conference is the open meeting on Sunday night. Coinciding with the end of the UK's National Science Week, there will be a public debate on 'Stem Cell Research: what will it do for us?'. Everyone is welcome to attend and free tickets can be booked online, where you can also see all the details of the meeting: http://www.endocrinology.org/SFE/confs.htm

Now you can submit to EJE online!
The European Journal of Endocrinology has launched online submission and peer review, making it quicker and easier to submit your articles to EJE. The ESPERE (electronic submission and peer review) system enables authors to submit their articles as PDF files by registering on the site at http://www.eje.org/eje/onlinesub.htm. Users are given advice on creating their files and guided step-by-step through the submission procedure.

Authors submitting through ESPERE should benefit from more rapid publication than with the paper-based system. In addition, they are able to view the status of their manuscripts throughout the review process, their submission history and can also submit additional files, such as their revised manuscript.

More details and submission instructions are available at http://www.eje.org/eje/onlinesub.htm

EFES News - are you getting yours?
If you are a member of any of the European national endocrine societies, you should receive a free copy of EFES News (http://www.euro-endo.org/news.htm) each spring and autumn. If you are not receiving this and would like to, please send your full name and address to: jane.shepley@endocrinology.org

The latest issue of EFES news (Spring 2003) is now available on the EFES website at: http://www.euro-endo.org/issue9.pdf.

EFES Website
Please add the EFES website home page to your favourites http://www.euro-endo.org. Navigate through the pages and give us your feedback and suggestions. Please send any websites you would like to see added to EFES Links to: jane.shepley@endocrinology.org

The EFES Executive Committee sincerely appreciate your time and look forward to hearing from you.

Supporting visionary research in the EU
New and emerging science and technology (NEST) is a new activity within the 6th Framework Programme, supporting unconventional and visionary research with the potential to open new fields for European science and technology. It will also support research on new potential problems uncovered by science and help to consolidate European efforts in emerging fields of research.

A distinctive feature of NEST is its flexibility: researchers will be given the freedom to develop and prove their idea within the broadest limits.

For more information visit: http://www.cordis.lu/fp6/nest/htm

NIH call for submissions: Bone anabolic hormones, their receptors and signal transduction pathways details
The objective of this initiative is to elicit grant submissions that focus on systemic hormones, local growth factors and bone-active cytokines with potential bone anabolic effects. The signal transduction pathways recruited by the receptors of these hormones and growth factors are of particular interest. Although the primary focus is on basic research, the long-term objective is to identify potential targets of therapeutic value in the treatment of diseases that adversely affect bone including, but not limited to, osteoporosis due to loss of gonadal steroids, aging, use of glucocorticoids and immunosuppressive drugs, hyperparathyroidism, excessive thyroid hormone replacement, or tumour metastasis to bone. Grant ref: PA-03-008

Next deadline for applications: 1 June 2004

For further information and instructions for application go to the grant webpage at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-008.html

NIH call for submissions: Complex formation in hormonal regulation of gene expression
This initiative aims to expand research addressing the fundamental underlying mechanisms by which nuclear accessory proteins (such as coactivators and corepressors) mediate signaling through hormone receptors at the level of the regulation of gene expression. It also encourages research in other related areas and refinement of the role of higher order complex formation in effecting hormonal regulation of gene expression.

Next deadline for applications: 1 June 2004

For further information and instructions for application go to the grant webpage at: http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-02-100.html

NIH programme announcement: Biology of the menopausal process and associated health conditions during and after menopause details
This award aims to support research that elucidates molecular and cellular mechanisms underlying the menopausal process, and the pathophysiologic connections of that process with various health problems and conditions of the peri- and postmenopausal women.

Next deadline for applications: 1 June 2004

For further information and instructions for applications go to the grant webpage at:
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-01-067.html

Other current NIH grants
Ubiquitin and Ubiquitin-like modifications regulating disease processes
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-145.html

Emerging technologies for the study of reproductive neuroendocrinology
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-079.html

Proteomics in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic diseases
http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PA-03-052.html

Jobs and Grants Forum on the EFES website
Attention jobseekers! Post your details on the site.
Attention employers! Advertise jobs or search for suitable candidates online.
Attention funders! Add your grant to the EFES forum.

Go to: http://www.euro-endo.org/jobs.htm

Keep up to date with EU research
A new website has been set up to enable you to manage your subscriptions to EU mailing lists. The lists are free and should enable you to keep up with whatever aspect of EU research you are interested in.

To subscribe to a list, or to change your details on current subscriptions go to: http://europa.eu.int/comm/research/mailing_en.cfm

Study finds 'cured' endocrine patients still suffering
Italian investigators, assessing a population of 146 endocrine outpatients who were cured or in remission, found that over 80% presented with at least 1 psychiatric or psychological diagnosis on interview. These included anxiety disorder (29%), major depression (26%), irritable mood (46%), demoralization (34%) and persistent somatization (21%).

Dr Sonino, who led the study at the University of Padova, suggested that even though endocrinologists may see an improvement in hormonal values of patients, the individual may still have a long way to recovery psychologically.

The work is published in the March-April 2004 issue of Psychotherapy and Psychosomatics: http://www.karger.com/pps

ERC Expert Group final report
The European Research Council Expert Group (ERCEG) has published its final report on the desirability of an European Research Council (ERC). In the report, the Group recommends that the EU should establish a European Fund for Research Excellence. This fund, the group suggests, should be no less than € 2 billion a year for the first three to five years and managed by a European Research Council. The first and main task for the ERC should be to support investigator-driven research of the highest quality selected through European competition.

The group recommends that the ERC should primarily be a funding body for basic research and should cover all fields of science. It should base its funding decisions on scientific criteria and use a rigorous and transparent peer review process in deciding which research proposals to fund. It should encourage interdisciplinary and risk-taking projects, especially in emerging research areas.

For the ERCEG Final Report, go to:
http://www.ercexpertgroup.org/documents/ercexpertgroup_final_report.pdf

UK public hope that work is peer reviewed before it is publicized
A MORI poll commissioned by the UK's Science Media Centre and the journal Nature has shown that although three quarters of those interviewed do not know what 'peer review' means, 71% favour the process of scrutiny provided by peer review before the work is made public.

In cases where the work concerns possible risks to human health and safety, nearly half (41%) wanted a rigorous system of independent study replication to confirm results before they are publicized.

The study commissioners appealed to the scientific community to talk more about the way science works.

For access to a media guide on discussing peer review in interviews go to: http://www.sciencemediacentre.org/peet_review.htm

Internet petition asks EU to repeal clinical trials directive
European health-care researchers have launched a campaign calling on the European Parliament and Commission to repeal their Directive (EC/2001/20) on Good Clinical Practice. The internet petition states that this ruling will mean that administrative costs of clinical trials will be so high that those without pharmaceutical backing, such as those cancer research trials involving generic or widely available drugs, or (as in the case of screening) no drugs at all will be too costly to carry out by charities or volunteers.

To see more, and sign the petition go to: http://www.saveeuropeanresearch.org

EU blueprint of basic research
On 15 January European Research Commissioner Philippe Busquin presented the communication "Europe and fundamental research", which provides an overview of basic research in the EU as compared to other regions and calls for a debate on how to promote this field.

In the last 20 years Europe's basic research has been overshadowed by mainly applied, market-orientated research. Our fundamental science work now lags behind the US. Busquin noted "Today's research will turn into tomorrow's growth, competitiveness and better quality of life. The US has understood this. Ours is a wake-up call: we need to act now to reverse this situation and fill the gap".

Future initiatives to redress the balance include adopting the scheme of individual grants awarded to researchers on the basis of excellence (that the US National Science Foundation already do), so that individuals in any European country can compete with all other researchers. The creation of a "European Research Council" will also be one of the main themes of the Union's future action in the field of research.

A wider political debate on these actions will take place in the coming months.

New resource to help researchers move within Europe
An online Life Sciences Mobility Consultancy (LSMC) has been launched by the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), with help from the European Commission's research Framework Programme.

The website is designed to provide researchers with access to information on mobility within Europe, and includes searchable information on grants, fellowships, awards, workshops and practical courses in the life sciences, as well as listings of scientific vacancies throughout Europe.
For further information see: http://mobility.embo.org

DHEA boosts brain cell growth
A research team at the University of Wisconsin-Madison have provided some of the first direct evidence of the biological effects of DHEA on the human nervous system. Clive Svendsen and coworkers found that exposure to DHEA caused a significant increase in growth rate of human neural stem cells, in vitro.

The work is published in PNAS (online version 18 February): http://www.pnas.org

Cialis wins longer-lasting EU label
Cialis (tadalafil) labelling has been changed by the European Commission to indicate that it may be effective for up to 36 hours after administration. The drug, which is made by Lilly, is used for the treatment of erectile dysfunction.

Get involved!
The EFES website has a discussion forum facility, please feel free to share your views, comments, and interests with others. To join visit:
http://www.euro-endo.org/discuss.htm