EU-funded scientists have used a prototype of a Virtual Physiological Human (VPH) to simulate the efficacy of an HIV drug in blocking a key protein used by the virus. The VPH concept involves linking networks of computers from around the world to simulate the inner workings of the human body. With it, scientists can study the effects of a drug and see what is happening at the organ, tissue, cell and molecular levels.

Under the auspices of the OLP project, a complete computer-based system was developed that may significantly contribute to the therapy of specific speech disorders at the articulation level. The system effectively combines automatic speech recognition and distance learning. Based on real-time audio-visual feedback of the subject's speech, therapy can be specially designed and customised to each individual's specific needs.

The EU's Seventh Framework (FP7), now one year into its seven-year life span, is a 'kind of transition programme', taking Europe's research community in the direction of the new instruments that were introduced last year, said EU Science and Research Commissioner Janez Potocnik in an interview with CORDIS News.

This study was commissioned by the Information Society and Media Directorate General with the aim to assess different financing opportunities against the financing needs of eHealth investment. Preliminary observations are available and a final report will be published at the end of the study (end 2008).

Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) developed to help older people stay healthy for longer should be cost effective and respect the privacy and dignity of the elderly, MEPs have stated. Members of the European Parliament's Committee on Industry, Research and Energy were voting on amendments to the Commission's proposal to set up an Ambient Assisted Living (AAL) programme.

A home access network capable of delivering high bandwidth services and content at transmission speeds of one gigabit per second could soon become a reality thanks to a newly launched European research project. The EU-funded OMEGA project brings together 20 European partners from industry and academia with the common goal of developing a new global standard for ultra broadband home networks reaching one gigabit per second without the need to install new wires in homes.

An international research consortium announced the 1000 Genomes Project, an ambitious effort that will involve sequencing the genomes of at least a thousand people from around the world to create the most detailed and medically useful picture to date of human genetic variation. The project will receive major support from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute in Hinxton, England, the Beijing Genomics Institute, Shenzhen (BGI Shenzhen) in China and the National Human Genome Research Institute (NHGRI), part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH).