In linkurl:California,;http://latimesblogs.latimes.com/lanow/2010/03/two-animal-rights-activists-enter-pleas-for-harassing-ucla-researchers.htmlOlliff two animal rights activists charged with harassing UCLA scientists appeared in Los Angeles County Superior Court and decided not to fight their indictments. On Friday (19th March), 22-year-old Kevin Olliff pled no contest to felony stalking and conspiracy charges for participating in demonstrations in 2007. The day before, Linda Greene, 62, pled guilty to similar charges. Olliff faces 3 years in state prison, and Greene will likely serve a five year probation that will bar her from belonging to animal rights organizations.
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The National Institutes of Health linkurl:called;http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-OD-10-013.html earlier this month for grant proposals focused on upping the amount of ethnic diversity in the biomedical research enterprise. Up to five of the $2 million, three-year grants will go to researchers seeking to "promote diversity in the biomedical, behavioral, clinical and social sciences research workforce," according to the NIH. Proposals for the stimulus act-funded grants are due by May 4th. Biological ID cards
In non-healthcare reform Congressional news, Senators Charles Schumer (D-NY) and Lindsey Graham (R-SC) linkurl:wrote;http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/03/17/AR2010031703115.html last week in the __Washington Post__ that they'll introduce immigration legislation that will require American workers to have biometric Social Security cards, on which unique biological identifiers like fingerprints or retinal scans will be stored. "The card would be a high-tech version of the Social Security card that citizens already have," the Senators wrote, adding that the new cards would ensure that illegal workers could not get jobs. More FDA/NIH collaboration
The increasing coziness between the US Food and Drug Administration and the National Institutes of Health may bear fruit in the form of breast cancer drugs that are tailored to patients' genomes, according to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health. The Foundation, a non-profit that seeks to create public-private partnerships to support the mission of the NIH, linkurl:announced;http://www.ispy2.org/docs/ISPY2_Press%20Release_3-15-10.pdf last week the launch of the much-anticipated linkurl:I-SPY 2 Trial,;http://www.ispy2.org/ a $26 million clinical study of women recently diagnosed with aggressive breast cancers. Researchers will test 5-12 new breast cancer drugs on women whose genetic makeup will guide treatment. A slew of pharmaceutical companies -- including Johnson & Johnson, Genentech, Eli-Lilly -- and several academic researchers are also participating in the five-year study.
**__Related stories:__***linkurl:Regulatory science gets boost;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/57174/
[24th February 2010]*linkurl:Animal rights activists charged;http://www.the-scientist.com/blog/display/55651/
[21st April 2009]*linkurl:Why Diversity Matters;http://www.the-scientist.com/article/display/15847/
[7th November 2005]
