Surrey experts help protect vital water supplies
Experts at the University of Surrey are collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to make sure communities around the world have safe drinking water.
Billions rely on what are known as small drinking water systems, which are unregulated or maintained by major utility companies, and are vulnerable to contamination and broken infrastructure.
The Guildford-based university team has devised online resources which can be used to maintain such supplies, spotting problems before they happen.
The resources, which include a template for risk assessments and guidelines for maintaining them, have already been downloaded more than 60,000 times.
The team estimates almost 40% of the global population relies on small drinking water systems.
Dr Katherine Pond, the university's associate professor in environmental engineering, said: "Surveillance is key to detecting and responding to potential issues before they become problems.
"As climate change increases the risk to supplies globally it's vital that we empower local communities and public health officials with the necessary knowledge to protect their water."
The University of Surrey is due to host the WHO meeting of Collaborating Centres on Water in 2026.
Follow BBC Surrey on Facebook, on X. Send your story ideas to southeasttoday@bbc.co.uk or WhatsApp us on 08081 002250.
Finding answers to the world's drinking water crisis
How global conferences are using tech to survive
Concern UK's AI ambitions could lead to water shortages
Water contamination threat posed by motorbikes
University releases plans for campus in India
UN training centre opens at University of Surrey
University of Surrey leads new cancer research
University of Surrey
World Health Organization
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
Hospice charity submits plans for care facility
A hospice charity has submitted plans to develop an end-of-life care facility in a coastal town 18 years after fundraising began. Yare Hospice Care launched in 2007, changing its name to East Coast Hospice two years later. In 2023 the charity merged with St Elizabeth Hospice, based in Ipswich. The charity says it wants to build a community hospice with 16 beds on its site at Sidegate Lane in Gorleston near Great Yarmouth. Judi Newman, chief executive of St Elizabeth Hospice, said: "We are delighted to submit this planning application and share our full plans with the wider community." Plans to build a hospice between Lowestoft and Great Yarmouth have stalled for almost two decades as rival charities competed over plans, sites and funding. The community was split over supporting the James Paget University Hospital wanting to build a hospice at the Louise Hamilton Cancer Centre, within its site or the independent East Coast Hospice, which had land and won planning consent for a 10-bed unit. After the NHS withdrew its plans, East Coast Hospice merged with St Elizabeth which immediately conducted a feasibility study which found a hospice was needed to help patients in Great Yarmouth and Waveney. It said the previous plans were not suitable to the needs identified in its report, and it appointed Norwich-based LSI Architects. The proposed unit would feature 16 inpatient beds, an outpatient and community hub for day care and therapies as well as a community café. Roberta Lovick, ambassador for the Louise Hamilton Trust, said: "The strength of our partnership will help us achieve our vision of bringing greater parity to end-of-life care in Great Yarmouth and Waveney. "When my daughter Louise died in 1998, I vowed to dedicate my life to improving end-of-life care in this community and across the country, and this project, alongside St Elizabeth Hospice, is a significant step toward that goal. "This is something we know the community wants and needs. This community hospice building will make a drastic difference to so many people, improving local end-of-life care, giving people more options and support during their precious remaining time with loved ones." Ms Newman added: "We are delighted to submit this planning application and share our full plans with the wider community. "With the invaluable support of Roberta Lovick and the Louise Hamilton Trust, we are in a strong position to develop the community hospice sustainably in a single phase." Ed Garratt, chief executive at Norfolk and Waveney ICB (N&W ICB), said: "This is a hugely welcome development, which aligns with our ambitions to enhance palliative and end-of-life care in our region. "I wholeheartedly support this shared commitment from the voluntary sector, NHS and community in working together to improve services for the local population." Follow Norfolk news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X. New hospice needed in East Anglia, charity says Hospital pulls out of hospice plan
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
ANGLE plc Announces Novel Discoveries Into the Biology of Cancer
PARSORTIX SYSTEM enableS novel DISCOVERIES into the biology of cancer Academic and translational research is the driving force behind the pipeline of next generation cancer therapeutics GUILDFORD, SURREY / / June 10, 2025 / ANGLE plc (AIM:AGL)(OTCQX:ANPCY), a world-leading liquid biopsy company with innovative circulating tumour cell (CTC) solutions for use in research, drug development and clinical oncology, is pleased to announce the publication of three new peer-reviewed publications reporting first-in-class research into the biology of cancer and potential therapeutic targets using the Company's Parsortix system. Tumour cell release during surgery for prostate cancer1Professor Klaus Pantel and researchers from the University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf published an article in the Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research, investigating tumour cell release into the local tumour vein and peripheral veins during surgery in early-stage prostate cancer patients. The study provides first evidence for substantial release of healthy and cancerous cells into the blood during prostatectomy surgery. This research opens a new avenue for the Parsortix system to study the important and under-investigated biology of tumour cell release during surgery to understand the risk they pose to patients, and for the development of strategies to minimise the spread of cancer. Tumour cell release during surgery for ovarian cancer2Professor John O'Leary and researchers from Trinity College Dublin have published similar findings in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology, investigating CTC enrichment from the local tumour vein and peripheral veins during surgery in rare epithelial ovarian carcinomas. They reported higher yields of CTCs and CTC clusters in the local tumour vein when compared to peripheral veins. The study also reported that CTCs were detected in early-stage patients, highlighting the risk of early tumour cell dissemination driving cancer progression even in the initial stages of disease. Overall, the authors state that assessing tumour cell release during surgery is a novel strategy to study the biology of this rare disease. Mechanical conditioning & metastatic implications3Professor Julie Lang and researchers from the Cleveland Clinic have published an article in Cancers, investigating biomechanical adaptions of cells that are associated with increased metastatic potential in breast cancer patients. They studied the expression of 1004 genes via RNA-sequencing that reflect how cancer cells respond to a stiff extracellular matrix described as a mechanical conditioning score. The Parsortix system was utilised to enrich and harvest CTCs from a metastatic cohort of breast cancer patients for analysis and compared these to primary and metastatic tissue. The study analysed RNA from CTCs rather than ctDNA to provide insight into gene expression. They state that: 'When analyzing shed ctDNA, there is no insight into gene expression, but rather only the presence of tumor-specific mutations, which is not directly reflective of dynamic tumor gene expression. In fact, only a very small percentage of DNA mutations are expressed, which is why circulating tumor DNA and RNA from CTCs are not parallel assays'. The study reported that the mechanical conditioning score increases progressively through the metastatic cascade (from the primary tumour to CTCs to the metastatic site) and is associated with increased metastatic potential. These are new insights into the biology of metastatic progression and may guide treatment selection with anti-fibrotic drugs. Overall, these publications further underscore the role of the Parsortix system in helping to advance our understanding of the biology of cancer which will ultimately advance oncology drug discovery and development. Already ANGLE's technology has enabled breakthrough research in a number of areas including the metastatic potential of CTC clusters, new potential biomarkers and a novel drug class. Academic and translational research discoveries made possible by the Parsortix system, have the potential to feed the pipeline of next generation personalised cancer diagnostics and therapeutics, as pharma companies increasingly collaborate with academia4. ANGLE's Chief Scientific Officer, Karen Miller, commented:"We are proud to see ANGLE's technology increasingly being exploited to make novel discoveries into the biology of cancer, which may eventually result in new treatment strategies. With advancing analytical capabilities beginning to realise the vast potential of the circulating tumour cell for its wealth of multiomic information, this contribution to the oncology pipeline will continue to grow. We congratulate these key opinion leaders on their outstanding work, and we look forward to more exciting discoveries in the future." 1. Emurlai, G. et al. Comparative analysis of circulating tumor cells in prostatic plexus and peripheral blood of patients undergoing prostatectomy. J. Exp. Clin. Cancer Res. 44, 143 (2025). 2. Lewis, F. et al. A pilot study evaluating the feasibility of enriching and detecting circulating tumour cells from peripheral and ovarian veins in rare epithelial ovarian carcinomas. Eur. J. Surg. Oncol. 51, (2025). 3. Mouneimne, G. et al. Mechanical Conditioning (MeCo) Score Progressively Increases Through the Metastatic Cascade in Breast Cancer via Circulating Tumor Cells. Cancers 17, 1632 (2025). 4. For further information: ANGLE plc +44 (0) 1483 343434 Andrew Newland, Chief Executive Ian Griffiths, Finance Director Berenberg (NOMAD and Broker) Toby Flaux, Ciaran Walsh, Milo Bonser +44 (0) 20 3207 7800 FTI Consulting Simon Conway, Ciara Martin Matthew Ventimiglia (US) +44 (0) 203 727 1000 +1 (212) 850 5624 For Research Use Only. Not for use in diagnostic procedures. For Frequently Used Terms, please see the Company's website on Notes for editors About ANGLE plc ANGLE is a world-leading liquid biopsy company with innovative circulating tumour cell (CTC) solutions for use in research, drug development and clinical oncology using a simple blood sample. ANGLE's FDA cleared and patent protected CTC harvesting technology known as the Parsortix® PC1 System enables complete downstream analysis of the sample including whole cell imaging and proteomic analysis and full genomic and transcriptomic molecular analysis. ANGLE's commercial businesses are focusing on clinical services and diagnostic products. The clinical services business is offered through ANGLE's GCLP-compliant laboratories. Services include custom made assay development and clinical trial testing for pharma. Products include the Parsortix system, associated consumables and assays. Over 100 peer-reviewed publications have demonstrated the performance of the Parsortix system. For more information, visit Any reference to regulatory authorisations such as FDA clearance, CE marking or UK MHRA registration shall be read in conjunction with the full intended use of the product: The Parsortix® PC1 system is an in vitro diagnostic device intended to enrich circulating tumor cells (CTCs) from peripheral blood collected in K2EDTA tubes from patients diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer. The system employs a microfluidic chamber (a Parsortix cell separation cassette) to capture cells of a certain size and deformability from the population of cells present in blood. The cells retained in the cassette are harvested by the Parsortix PC1 system for use in subsequent downstream assays. The end user is responsible for the validation of any downstream assay. The standalone device, as indicated, does not identify, enumerate or characterize CTCs and cannot be used to make any diagnostic/prognostic claims for CTCs, including monitoring indications or as an aid in any disease management and/or treatment decisions. This information is provided by Reach, the non-regulatory press release distribution service of RNS, part of the London Stock Exchange. Terms and conditions relating to the use and distribution of this information may apply. For further information, please contact rns@ or visit SOURCE: ANGLE plc View the original press release on ACCESS Newswire Error in retrieving data Sign in to access your portfolio Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data Error in retrieving data
Yahoo
3 hours ago
- Yahoo
Missouri continues to lag behind most states in children's health, report finds
(Rebecca Rivas/Missouri Independent). Missouri ranked in the bottom third of all states for children's health, according to a report released Monday — due in part to a high rate of child and teen deaths. The annual Kids Count Data Book from the Annie E. Casey Foundation, which used data from 2023, evaluated all states on four metrics of child well-being: health, economic well-being, education, and family and community. Missouri ranked near the middle of states for overall child well-being, at 27th out of 50, weighed down by poor performance in health and education. Missouri's rankings in the four categories were: 13th in economic well-being, 33rd in education, 35th in health And 25th in family & community. 'Children's health remains an area of concern,' noted a press release Monday from Family and Community Trust, the Missouri-based nonprofit partner to Kids Count. Only nine states had higher rates of child and teen deaths in 2023 than Missouri, one of the factors considered in the health ranking. (Those were: Mississippi, Louisiana, New Mexico, Alabama, Tennessee, Arkansas, Alaska, Oklahoma and Montana.) Missouri generally ranks among the states with the highest rate of firearm deaths for kids. Firearms became the leading cause of kids' deaths in the United States in 2020, surpassing car accidents. While the national average in 2023 was 29 child and teen deaths per 100,000, that number was 37 deaths per 100,000 in Missouri. The national average rose overall in 2023. The report notes that while covid deaths contributed to the increase, the rise was largely due to rising firearm deaths and drug overdoses, particularly among teens ages 15 to 19. Also bringing Missouri's health ranking down: Missouri's rate of low-birth weight babies increased in 2023 from 2019 and is above the national average. Other factors helped Missouri's score. For one, Missouri has seen major improvements in children's insurance coverage since the state implemented Medicaid expansion in 2021. The rate of uninsured kids fell from 7% in 2019 to 5% in 2023, which is now on par with the national average. Nationally, Missouri saw among the sharpest declines in uninsured people overall from 2019 to 2023 with the expansion of Medicaid. Those gains could be threatened by Congress' budget proposal to reduce Medicaid spending in part by imposing more barriers to care. Teen births in the state have gone down, in line with national trends — though the state's average is still above the national one. The rate of overweight or obese kids has also improved in Missouri and is down to 31% of kids in 2023, on par with the national average. The rate of kids in poverty declined to 14% in the state in 2023, below the 16% national average. Missouri's education ranking slipped in recent years. In 2023, 77% of Missouri eighth graders were not proficient at math, according to the report, which is nearly 10 percentage points worse than 2019 and is worse than the national average. The press release from Family and Community Trust said the data show a 'continuing need to invest in education in Missouri.' SUPPORT: YOU MAKE OUR WORK POSSIBLE
