The immune system is made up of a collection of mechanisms that protect our bodies from disease and infection. But if you have an autoimmune disease, your own immune system attacks itself by mistake. Many parts of the body can be affected by these diseases, including nerves, muscles, and the endocrine and digestive systems.

Ascribe plc (AIM:ASP), the innovative health IT Group, today announced that it has successfully installed its Web Pharmacy solution at the Royal Bolton Hospital, part of the Bolton Hospitals NHS Trust and that the site is completely operational. One unique aspect of this 'Go Live' was that, on the same day that the hospital changed its pharmacy IT system, they also brought online a robotic dispensing system; thereby taking a massive leap forward in improving patient care and safety.

Our hearing is one of the wonders of the human body which is all too often taken for granted. Like many things in life, we don't really appreciate our ability to hear clearly until we begin to lose it. As we age, our ability to discern sounds begins to deteriorate. Therefore, new innovative therapies to guard the hearing of patients are eagerly sought after.

The objective of the Drug Check project is to validate an on-line, pan-European service, which gathers, organises, stores, makes available and presents information and data covering pharmaceuticals and their interactions.

Physicians now have a "trusted environment" where they learn the way they learn best - from each other - with launch of Ozmosis, a verified, physicians-only online information exchange dedicated to the discovery and sharing of medical knowledge and the improvement of patient care.

Belfast company launches video based e-learning site for healthcare professionals in partnership with leading UK professional bodies. An innovative video based website that can help doctors, dentists and pharmacists polish up on their professional skills whenever and wherever they want has been launched by Northern Ireland based company, StreamOn.

A new, EU-funded project will investigate membrane proteins with the aim of finding new treatments for a range of diseases. Membrane proteins are responsible for transporting chemicals and messages between the inside and outside of cells, and they are vital for every process in the human body. Defective membrane proteins have been implicated in a range of human diseases, including diabetes, heart disease, epilepsy, depression, osteoporosis, stomach ulcers and cataracts.