Day: February 4, 2025

Edinburgh part of major cancer study

PROJECT TO INVESTIGATE LONG-STANDING CANCER MYSTERY

Scientists are seeking participants in Edinburgh and the Lothians to help solve one of the longest standing mysteries in cancer – how and why it can take decades for mesothelioma to develop after exposure to asbestos. 

The Cancer Research UK-funded project, Meso-ORIGINS led by Professor Kevin Blyth at the University of Glasgow, aims to find a way to detect and treat mesothelioma earlier and investigate if the disease can be prevented in the first place.

Mesothelioma is a cancer which develops in the pleural space, the lining of the lung, and is caused by exposure to asbestos. Only a small proportion of patients with inflammation of the pleural space go on to develop mesothelioma. Asbestos fibres can embed themselves in different parts of the lungs so the disease can develop at different rates in different parts of the pleural space.

Only around 4 in 10 (44.3%) people diagnosed with mesothelioma in Scotland survive their disease for one year or more making new ways to detect it and treat it earlier vital.*

The research team are keen to recruit people in Edinburgh and the Lothians already diagnosed with benign (non-cancerous) inflammation in the lungs, who may have been exposed to asbestos.

The Western General in Edinburgh is among 28 hospitals across the UK currently recruiting patients, with the project extending over the next two years. Eligible patients who attend these hospitals will be offered the chance to take part in the study and contribute to mesothelioma research.

Vital data and tissue samples from participants will help build a picture of who is at most risk of developing mesothelioma and identify any genetic differences or biological markers which indicate a predisposition to the disease.

Dr Alexandrea MacPherson, Meso-ORIGINS Project Manager at the University of Glasgow, said: “Mesothelioma is a disease of time and space – after initial exposure to asbestos it can evolve over decades at different times and different places within the pleural space.

“We want to understand why mesothelioma takes so long to develop and to discover new ways of predicting the disease so it can be caught early.

“Once diagnosed there are very few effective treatments so discovering the signs before it begins, and finding a way to prevent it developing, is key.”

Mesothelioma currently has a very poor survival rate and can take more than 40 years to develop. Early symptoms such as chest pain, fatigue and constant coughing can be overlooked because they resemble other illnesses.

According to Cancer Research UK, the UK currently endures the highest incidence of mesothelioma worldwide, with the disease more prevalent in men due to occupation-related exposure, and around 200 new cases in Scotland each year.**

There was widespread industrial use of asbestos between 1950 and 1980, particularly in Glasgow and surrounding areas as the material was manufactured in nearby towns such as Clydebank and used in heavy industry like ship building, which the River Clyde was famed for.

Research funded by Cancer Research UK revealed there are no safe levels of working with asbestos. This led to health and safety policies to protect future generations from mesothelioma and the charity continues to invest in finding new ways to beat the devastating disease. 

While asbestos has been illegal to use in the UK since the early 1990s, mesothelioma cases have increased in recent years due to the long period of time it can take to develop, and asbestos remains legal in other countries.

Dr Catherine Elliott, Cancer Research UK Director of Research, said: “Mesothelioma, despite asbestos being outlawed decades ago, is increasingly being diagnosed and is in desperate need of more effective treatments.

“Cancer Research UK is delighted to support this research project which aims to shed a light on why it can take years to develop after someone is exposed to asbestos.

“Long-term in-depth research projects like this are essential to developing our understanding of cancer and helping us find ways to stop it in its tracks.”

For information on how to join the project please speak to your clinician. To find out more go to: https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/about-cancer/find-a-clinical-trial/a-study-to-find-out-more-about-mesothelioma-meso-origins.

Open now, Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine

National Museum of Scotland, Chambers Street, Edinburgh 
Until 27 April 2025 
Free admission 

nms.ac.uk/InjectingHope

An exhibition telling the story of the global effort to develop a COVID-19 vaccine is open now at the National Museum of Scotland.

Injecting Hope: The Race for a COVID-19 Vaccine explores the scientific principles and adaptation of innovative research behind this extraordinary endeavour. It looks at the UK-wide, behind-the-scenes work that accompanied the vaccines’ rapid development, production, transport and delivery and examines the sheer logistical challenges behind the worldwide rollout. 

Revealing the inspiring stories of scientists and innovators collaborating around the globe to find solutions and save lives, the exhibition shows how these people have shaped the world we live in today.  

Showcasing more than 80 objects and stories that were collected during the peak of the pandemic, it features artworks, interactives, and personal objects examining everything from the virus itself to the work done behind the scenes by volunteers and researchers to make huge innovations possible. 

Highlights include the vial of the first COVID-19 vaccine to be administered worldwide, notebooks used by June Almeida, the Scottish scientist who discovered coronavirus in 1966 and artworks interpreting the story of the pandemic by artists including Luke Jerram, Angela Palmer and Junko Mori.

New content created for the exhibition’s Scottish run explores some of the uniquely Scottish experiences of the pandemic. 

Sophie Goggins, Senior Curator of Biomedical Science at National Museums Scotland said: “The development and rollout of the COVID-19 vaccine in record time is one of the greatest collaborative human achievements in recent memory.

“This exhibition tells the story of just how this extraordinary feat came to be; from the scientific breakthroughs which led to the creation of the vaccine to the countless individuals who helped to roll it out around the globe.” 

Injecting Hope is presented by the Science Museum Group (SMG). It comes to the National Museum of Scotland as part of a national and international tour following its inaugural run at the Science Museum in London.

It forms part of a project with the National Council of Science Museums in India and the Guangdong Science Center in China, which, alongside the Science Museum, opened exhibitions in November 2022. 

Injecting Hope builds on the work SMG has undertaken in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, including its COVID-19 collecting project, hosting NHS vaccination centres within its museums and public engagement events and materials.   

The Injecting Hope project, including the international tour and UK national tour, has been generously supported by Wellcome. The Huo Family Foundation is kindly supporting the national tour of the exhibition. 

Councillors agree changes to Edinburgh’s short term lets licensing policy

ASSC: ‘Part-time approach to health and safety’

Councillors on the Regulatory Committee met on Friday 31 January and agreed some changes to the Council’s licensing policy on short term lets (STLs).

This follows a 12-week consultation held over the summer when residents and industry were encouraged to share their experiences of the policy in the Capital so far.   Topics included were secondary letting, temporary exemptions, fees and the application process.

Targeted discussions with resident groups, industry bodies and other key stakeholders led to 780 responses being submitted.  This led to the Council recommending some changes to policy in these areas which reflected feedback, legislation and fees.

A further report will be considered in May 2025 that proposes extending secondary letting licence renewals from one year to three years.

Regulatory Convener, Councillor Neil Ross, said: “The Council’s short term lets licensing policy is helping to ensure holiday lets are safe and properly regulated in our city as over 4,400 applications have been granted since it was first introduced in October 2022.

“I welcome the changes to reduce licence fees for residents looking to Home Share and to make temporary exemptions for Home Sharing and Home Letting less onerous, while at the same time providing robust regulation of the short term let industry. I’d like to thank all of the residents and businesses across Edinburgh who took the time to tell us how the scheme is working for them.”

ASSC warn over “part-time approach” to STL health and safety

The main trade association for the Scottish self-catering industry responds to the policy changes agreed by City of Edinburgh Council’s Regulatory Committee last week:

Edinburgh Council will water down key health and safety requirements for homesharers during the Festival period to try to ease the acute shortages of visitor accommodation. Those renting out a spare room, or their entire main home, could gain a temporary exemption which would exclude them from tests and requirements in relation to gas, electrical and fire safety, as well as on legionella.

However, professional operators like self-caterers and B&Bs will still have to comply with the mandatory conditions associated with short-term let licensing.

The Association of Scotland’s Self-Caterers (ASSC) believes the changes are a recognition from the Council that the regulations are not working and would continue to jeopardise the Festivals in their current form. However, they criticised the “part-time approach” to health and safety which undermines the entire purpose of STL licensing set out in the Scottish Government’s legislation, and risks further incentivising the black market.

The ASSC argues that a level playing field for all types of STL accommodation is required all year round and that the Festival accommodation crisis could be eased through safe and lawful means, including reforms to the city’s draconian planning regime to allow the remaining self-catering properties to continue to trade.

Fiona Campbell, CEO of the ASSC, said: “This change is an admission that the short-term let regulations are harming the capital’s economy and threatening the viability of the Festivals. However, rather than fully resolving the issue, it simply undermines the entire purpose of the Scottish Government’s short-term let licensing regime.

“Ensuring the health and safety of guests is a 365-day operation which self-caterers are wholly committed to. However, a part-time approach is irresponsible and will simply be a boon for the black market which is already flourishing thanks to the squeeze in the supply resulting from the shambolic short-term lets policy.

“Legislation at a national level remains unfit for purpose, especially the conflation of short-term let planning and licensing systems. We now have a situation where responsible and professional operators have spent thousands complying with licensing but are being systematically shut down through onerous planning requirements – only for the door to be opened to unregulated and potentially unsafe accommodation.

“Councillors need to ask themselves: will Edinburgh’s position as a leading visitor destination be enhanced by allowing visitors from around the world to stay potentially unsafe accommodation? Do properties suddenly become safe during the month of August but then dangerous the remaining eleven months of the year?

“Small businesses like self-catering have helped provide accommodation for Festival goers and performers for decades. Our industry wants them to succeed but we need safe, reliable and quality accommodation for that. Edinburgh Council must look at other ways of addressing this crisis and the sector stands ready to work with them to this end.”