Proteomics research is undergoing excessive growth. Nearly every major biotech and pharmaceuticals firm has implemented a proteomics program. Functional proteomics, the study of protein function and identification of protein interactions, is playing a major role in drug discovery, biomarkers, molecular diagnostics, and antibody therapies. A primary goal of biomedical research is discovering how cells respond to genetic instructions by creating thousands of protein variations and observing their reactions.

Swedish scientists have shed new light on how the insulin-secreting cells of the pancreas keep our blood glucose levels stable and so prevent the development of diabetes. The work, which was partly funded by the EU, is published in the journal Cell Metabolism.

One of America's best-loved TV moms, The Cosby Show's Phylicia Rashad is taking on a new leading role in raising awareness of Peripheral Artery Disease (P.A.D.), a condition that affects about 8 million Americans, and puts them at more than double the risk of heart attack or stroke and more than four times the risk of dying from heart disease including heart attack and stroke. However, according to the P.A.D. Coalition, most people are unaware of P.A.D. and the risks associated with it.

The European Commission has launched a consultation on the future of pharmaceuticals for human use in Europe, as a part of its programme to improve the regulatory, non-regulatory and research, technology and development framework for pharmaceuticals. In an explanatory note, the Commission highlights three major challenges impacting the pharmaceutical sector in Europe: the globalisation of the sector; the smooth functioning of the internal market; and advances in science and technology.

Pregnant women should take a daily supplement of omega-3 acids, an EU supported consensus committee has recommended. The supplement would increase the likelihood of a healthy birth and boost child development. The committee, composed of more than 50 nutritional experts from the EU-funded projects Perinatal Lipid Nutrition Group (PeriLip) and Early Nutrition Programming (EARNEST), said it had found that women who included DHA in their diet had healthier pregnancies, that their children had healthier birth weights and that they were less likely to give birth prematurely.

The largest-ever study of treatments for diabetes has shown that a combination of two blood pressure-lowering drugs reduces the risk of death, heart attack and kidney disease in diabetes sufferers. The "Action in diabetes and vascular disease" (ADVANCE) project involves 20 countries from around the world, 12 of them from the EU. The results were presented at the European Society of Cardiology Congress in Vienna, Austria, on 3 September.

The European pharmaceutical industry makes an irreplaceable contribution to Europe's wellbeing through the availability of medicines, economic growth and employment. The pharmaceutical sector has been and remains a key strategic sector for Europe.