Leading pharmacologists to meet in Brighton, UK

The latest developments in drug discovery - including solutions to tackle obesity, the latest on the Northwick Park drug-trial disaster and issues surrounding drugs used in sport and the Olympics - will be highlighted at a conference in Brighton, UK, next week. The British Pharmacological Society, Europe's leading pharmacological research society, is to host its Winter Meeting in the seaside resort, attracting experts from across the world. Running from 16 to 18 December, the three-day conference will hear the latest research tackling the global obesity problem. Other researchers will present their work on the safety of drugs, particularly the new biopharmaceuticals developed in the wake of the Northwick Park drug-trial disaster in 2006 that left six volunteers fighting for their lives. A third theme of the conference will examine the latest techniques using stem-cell therapies to tackle heart disease.