Geoffrey Burnstock. 10 May 1929—3 June 2020

Geoffrey Burnstock was a biomedical scientist who gained renown for his discovery that adenosine 5′-triphosphate (ATP) functions as an extracellular signalling molecule. Born in London and educated at King's and University colleges, he did postdoctoral work at Mill Hill and Oxford. He moved in 1959 to the Department of Zoology at the University of Melbourne because he sensed there a greater freedom to challenge established thinking in physiology. His group found that transmission from sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nerves to smooth muscle was in some places not mediated by the accepted chemical messengers (noradrenaline and acetylcholine). He amassed evidence that ATP was this non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic transmitter, using biochemical, histological and electrophysiological approaches: heretically, he styled this ‘purinergic transmission’. Geoff further upset dogma in the 1970s by proposing ‘co-transmission’ in which some nerves released ATP in addition to either noradrenaline or acetylcholine. He distinguished pharmacologically P1 receptors (activated best by adenosine and blocked by xanthines) and P2 receptors (activated best by purine nucleotides such as ATP) and he proposed in 1985 that the latter embraced P2X (ion channel) and P2Y (G protein-coupled) subtypes: about 10 years later these categories were substantiated by cDNA cloning. From 1975 until his retirement in 1997, Geoff was head of the Department of Anatomy and Embryology at University College London (UCL), which he developed energetically into a large and strong research department. Later, as head of the Autonomic Research Institute at the Royal Free (part of UCL), he continued to collaborate extensively, and founded several journals and international professional societies. He widely sought clinical benefit for his discoveries, and both P2X and P2Y receptors have been developed as the targets of useful therapeutics (gefapixant, clopidogrel). Geoff was proud of his modest, rather humble, background and eschewed formality. He may have smiled when his early discoveries were met with cynicism, even ridicule (‘pure-imagine’ transmission noted one amusing critic), but this just reinforced his resolve and encouraged his encyclopaedic oeuvre.

GRADUATES’ EXPECTATION IN RELATION TO THE BIOMEDICINE COURSE AND THEIR INSERTION IN THE LABOR MARKET

INTRODUCTION: The Biomedical Scientist is prepared for the exercise of numerous activities related to the area, today there are 35 qualifications duly established and regulated by the Federal Council of Biomedicine (CFB) ensuring this performance. Since then the course has expanded and broken national boundaries, so there is also the course in Bahia, especially in the extreme Baiano. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This is a study of perception, carried out with field research with the use of data survey through questionnaires applied to undergraduate students in the year before the SARS-Cov-2 Pandemic. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION: The answers of 63 students were evaluated, and separated according to each question, 33% of the students have the knowledge that for the profession there is still no defined wage cap, needing more regulations with the CFB, 86% of the students did not know that they can act in the Strategy and Health of the Family (ESF), in the vaccination area and acupuncture, at the time to the research 64% of the sample did not exercise paid activity, what facilitates the non-obligatory internship that according to the questioned ones should begin in the 3rd semester. CONCLUSION: Thus, through the study of the students' knowledge of the course, it is clear that health care becomes more complex and the biomedicine student should be trained in a broader way, having contact with discussions in other areas.

Recommendations for Epidemiological Research in ME/CFS from the EUROMENE Epidemiology Working Group

The European Network on Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (EUROMENE) was established after a successful grant application to the European Cooperation is Science and Technology (COST). This network aimed to assess the existing knowledge and/or experience on health care delivery for people with Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) in the European countries and worldwide, and to enhance coordinated research and health care provision in this field. The EUROMENE proposal, was based on the establishment of interrelated working groups (WGs), where the participants contributed with specific knowledge and viewpoints according to their specialties and/or areas of interest. In this paper we outline the work of a multidisciplinary team of researchers, including epidemiologists, clinicians, statisticians, biomedical scientist and heath economists, who set out their recommendations to guide data acquisition for ME/CFS research, aiming to standardise data collection and improve epidemiological research.

A day in the life of a biomedical scientist

Andrew Paluszkiewicz is a biomedical scientist at Nottingham University Hospital Trust (NUH) working in the haematology and blood transfusion departments, which provides a 24/7 service to patients. The two departments perform a vast array of routine and specialized tests to aid the monitoring and diagnosis of conditions such as anaemia, leukaemia, sickle cell disease, haemophilia and other bleeding and clotting conditions, while also providing compatible blood components and products. This is achieved by identifying patients’ blood groups and detecting and identifying clinically significant antibodies that could cause a transfusion reaction, and potentially death, if incompatible units are transfused.

Nanovectors Design for Theranostic Applications in Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is a diffused disease with limited therapeutic options, none of which are often curative. Based on the molecular markers and targets expressed by the affected tissues, numerous novel approaches have been developed to study and treat this disease. In particular, the field of nanotechnology offers an astonishingly wide array of innovative nanovectors with high versatility and adaptability for both diagnosis and therapy (the so called “theranostic platforms”). However, such complexity can make the selection of a specific nanocarrier model to study a perplexing endeavour for the biomedical scientist or clinician not familiar with this field of inquiry. This review offers a comprehensive overview of this wide body of knowledge, in order to outline the essential requirements for the clinical viability evaluation of a nanovector model in CRC. In particular, the differences among the foremost designs, their specific advantages, and technological caveats will be treated, never forgetting the ultimate endpoint for these systems development: the clinical practice.

Integrated work-based placements – shifting the paradigm

Purpose The role of higher education institutions in enhancing capability development of the healthcare professionals workforce has resulted in work-based learning becoming an essential component of awards linked to professional registration. The purpose of this paper is to explore how key stakeholders (academics, workplace tutors and students) on a programme leading to registration as a Biomedical Scientist (BMS) position themselves in their role and the subsequent impact of this upon delivery of pre-registration training and the development of professional capability. Design/methodology/approach Constructivist grounded theory methodology and a mixed-methods approach were drawn upon for the study. Findings Findings expose the challenges of a positivist focus and assumptions around workplace learning and professional development presenting a barrier to developing professional capability. In addressing this barrier, two strategies of “doing the portfolio” and “gaining BMS currency” are adopted. The registration portfolio has become an objective reductionist measure of learning, reflecting the positivist typology of practice in this profession. Practical implications To ensure that students are supported to develop not only technical skills but also professional capability there is a need for a paradigm shift from a positivist episteme to one that embraces both the positivist and socio-cultural paradigms, viewing them as complimentary and parallel. Originality/value The study provides a novel insight into how stakeholders interact with the pressures of internal and external influences and the impact this has upon behaviours and strategies adopted. The theoretical understanding proposed has a range of implications for practice and for the development of practitioner capability through pre-registration training and beyond.