A grand jury investigating JonBenet Ramsey’s death found her parents did “unlawfully, knowingly, recklessly and feloniously” put their daughter into a situation that resulted in her slaying, according to documents released Friday.
Those stark words — printed on four pages of grand jury documents from 1999 released by the Boulder County District Court’s office — indicted John Ramsey and his wife, Patsy, on two counts each:
COUNT IV
On or between December 25, and December 26, 1996, in Boulder County, Colorado Patricia Paugh Ramsey did unlawfully, knowingly, recklessly and feloniously permit a child to be unreasonably placed in a situation which posed a threat of injury to the child’s life or health, which resulted in the death of JonBenet Ramsey, a child under the age of sixteen.
An identical indictment contained John Ramsey’s name.
Another document, Count VII, alleged that each parent did “render assistance to a person, with intent to hinder, delay and prevent the discovery, detention, apprehension, prosecution, conviction and punishment of such person for the commission of a crime.”
“The grand jury found probable cause to believe that both of the Ramseys were responsible for their daughter’s death,” Karen Steinhauser, a former prosecutor and current defense attorney in the Denver area, told Yahoo News.
But while the grand jury believed there was probable cause to prosecute the Ramseys, the district attorney at the time disagreed.
“Whether it ever means there’s going to be a prosecution, whether it means there’s ever going to be justice for this little girl, I don’t believe it changes anything,” Steinhauser said. But she added that, hypothetically, new evidence could drag the case back into the spotlight.
Lin Wood, John Ramsey’s attorney, was not immediately available for comment, his office said.
Earlier this year, Wood said: "I have known for years that Boulder prosecutors did not file charges against John and Patsy Ramsey because the evidence to prosecute them did not exist.”
The documents certainly aren’t cathartic for anyone — whether for casual observers or for those who obsessively pored over every scrap of evidence for 17 years. Friday’s answers only prompt more questions: Why exactly did the grand jury reach those conclusions? Counts IV and VII were released, but were there others and what did they say? To whom did the grand jury believe the Ramseys possibly rendered “assistance”?
Answers may never see light because while the court was expected to issue 18 total pages from the grand jury’s report, it only released four after a judge ruled Wednesday that signed pages in the jury’s report would be made public. Judge J. Robert Lowenbach ordered that pages signed by the jury foreman — also called “true bills” — are the only official documents. The Daily Camera, a local Boulder newspaper, sued for their release.
The slaying of the 6-year-old beauty queen drew intense international media coverage and snared the imagination of several authors, made-for-TV film producers and amateur sleuths largely because of the horrific way in which she died. But the case also fanned passions because of home-video footage of her dancing — dolled up in adult outfits and pancake makeup — at beauty pageants, the family’s affluence and a bizarre, possibly red-herring ransom note.
In January, the Daily Camera reported that the grand jury had voted in the fall of 1999 to indict the Ramseys on charges of child abuse resulting in death, but Alex Hunter, the district attorney at the time, refused to prosecute. Hunter said he believed he did not have “sufficient evidence to warrant a filing of charges” against the Ramseys.
Friday’s revelations complicate a public exoneration of the Ramseys from more than five years ago.
On July 8, 2008, former District Attorney Mary Lacy wrote John Ramsey a letter that essentially cleared the family, at least in the eyes of her office. She told him that new DNA evidence shifted suspicion from the couple and their son, Burke, who was 9 when his sister was killed. A lab, Lacy said, recovered an unknown male’s DNA from JonBenet’s clothing.
“The match of male DNA […] makes it clear to us that an unknown male handled these items,” Lacy wrote.
Because the grand jury’s investigation occurred years before the new DNA evidence, it’s impossible to say what effect those findings would have had on the jury’s conclusions.
In that letter, Lacy added in a much more personal tone: “To the extent that we may have contributed in any way to the public perception that you might have been involved in this crime, I am deeply sorry. We intend in the future to treat you as the victims of this crime.” A pre-recorded message at her law office in Boulder on Friday said she was not taking calls.
Patsy Ramsey died on June 24, 2006, from ovarian cancer. John Ramsey, now 69, remarried in 2011.
The morning after Christmas in 1996, JonBenet’s father found her dead with her wrists tied and mouth duct-taped in the basement of the family’s sprawling Tudor home in Boulder’s moneyed western edge.
Earlier that morning, Patsy Ramsey called 911 to report JonBenet missing after discovering a ransom note addressed to her husband. The note’s authors said they were “a group of individuals that represent a small foreign faction” and tried to exhort $118,000 in exchange for JonBenet’s safe return.
Is this the end of the JonBenet saga, at least for a while?
“I would hate to say that because I think way back after the grand jury, we thought that was the last word.” Steinhauser said. “And I’m not sure there is any such thing in this type of case. It’s a very, very sad case because we’re talking about the death of a little girl, and probably no one is going to be held responsible for that death.”
With the upcoming superhero flick "Batman vs. Superman" in its pre-production stage, Ben Affleck reveals his excitement to play the Dark Knight during an interview with Al Norton and 411Mania.com.
During his chat, the 41-year-old actor discussed the film and revealed why he snagged the role.
"Initially I was reluctant as I felt I didn't fit the traditional mold," Affleck explained. "But once Zack sowed me the concept, and that it would be both different from the great movies that Chris and Christian made but still keeping with tradition I was excited."
Ben continued, "Doing something different and new is always tricky and part of the thrill and the risk is that initially it confounds expectation. The truth is, it's the movie and the execution of it is what all the actors depend on and I believe in Zack's vision."
In regards about the comments that Warner Brothers CEO Kevin Tsujihara recently stated that this version of Batman would be "tired and weary and seasoned and been doing it for awhile," the "Argo" mastermind doesn't seem to be bothered.
"Yes, Kevin described it aptly. I don't want to go further because I want to be able to capitalize on what is new about this iteration by having it be a surprise to the audience," Mr. Affleck declared.
Stay linked with GossipCenter for more updates on "Batman vs. Superman" which is slated to hit theaters July 17, 2015!
Giving the Royal watchers a reason to get excited, Kate Middleton and Prince William brought their baby boy Prince George to St. James’ Palace for his christening this afternoon (October 23).
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge looked pleased as the strolled inside the Chapel Royal to meet with the Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby ahead of the 3:00pm ceremony.
And it sounds like the little heir has been on his best behavior as his parents made their final preparations this morning- a source told press, "Prince George has been good as gold today."
As for the decision to break tradition and hold the christening at St. James’ Palace, an insider explained, "It's a special place for William. Having the service there is his way of involving his mother, who he so wishes could be here for all of this."
Carolina Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert dives over the goal line on a 3-yard touchdown pass play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Carolina Panthers fullback Mike Tolbert dives over the goal line on a 3-yard touchdown pass play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the second half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
A Tampa Bay Buccaneers fan, wearing a paper bag, holds up a sign during the fourth quarter of an NFL football game against the Carolina Panthers, Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) celebrates after scoring on a 6-yard touchdown run against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the third quarter of an NFL football game on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Chris O'Meara)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton (1) rushes past Tampa Bay Buccaneers defensive tackle Gerald McCoy (93) and defensive end Da'Quan Bowers (91) during the first quarter of an NFL football game on Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013, in Tampa, Fla. (AP Photo/Brian Blanco)
Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton throws a pass against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the first half of an NFL football game in Tampa, Fla., Thursday, Oct. 24, 2013. (AP Photo/John Raoux)
TAMPA, Fla. (AP) — Cam Newton pranced into the end zone, placed his hands over his chest and did his familiar Superman pose. He's says the surging Carolina Panthers are hardly a one-man show, though.
An efficient Newton threw two touchdown passes and ran for another score Thursday night to pace a 31-13 victory over the winless Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Panthers (4-3) won for the fourth time in five games following an 0-2 start and climbed over .500 for the first time in five years. They've won three straight, with Newton throwing for 667 yards, six TDs and no interceptions.
"It's the culmination of a lot of things," said Newton, who also has two rushing touchdowns in the past three weeks.
" When you've got an offensive line that's protecting the way they protect, when you've got a running back that's running, you've got receivers making plays after the catch, it's really not hard," Newton added. "It's just up to me to make the right decision and get the ball into people's hands that it needs to be."
The Bucs (0-7), one of two NFL teams yet to win, have dropped the first seven games in a season for the seventh time in franchise history. They've lost 12 of 13 dating to last year, and some fans showed up at Raymond James Stadium carrying signs and wearing paper bags over their heads urging that second-year coach Greg Schiano be fired.
"We got licked," Schiano said, adding that calls for his dismissal haven't become a distraction for him or his players.
"It doesn't affect me. 'People are certainly entitled to their opinion. ... You sit there and cry about it, but that's not going to help."
Newton tossed a 1-yard TD pass to Greg Olsen in the first quarter and added a 3-yarder to Mike Tolbert on the first play of the fourth quarter for a 28-6 lead. Newton had his way against the Bucs in between those scores, too, setting up a nifty 12-yard TD run by DeAngelo Williams and getting into the end zone himself with a 6-yard run midway through the third quarter.
The third-year quarterback completed 23 of 32 passes for 221 yards. He also rushed for a team-high 50 yards on 11 attempts.
"I just feel as if my production is off a lot of other people's production," Newton said. "If you want to solely say I'm playing great, it also means that a lot of other guys are playing great behind the scenes. This is not a one-man show. I understand that, and I will not have that type of attitude."
Rookie Mike Glennon threw for 275 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions in his fourth start for Tampa Bay, which trailed 31-6 before finally getting into the end zone on Tim Wright's 10-yard reception with just under 3 minutes remaining.
The victory lifted Carolina over .500 for the first time since 2008, when the Panthers finished 12-4.
"It's a relief ... but being .500 is just a small percentage of it," Newton said. "We've just got to continue to keep meshing as a team, keep building and keep getting momentum in these upcoming weeks because we're about to hit the meat of our schedule, and we're going to need every ounce of every energy that we will have."
Newton completed 81.4 percent of his passes for 446 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions over the previous two games — lopsided victories over Minnesota and St. Louis. He set the tone for another efficient performance, going 7 of 8 for 57 yards on Carolina's opening drive and finishing the nearly 9-minute, 15-play, 70-yard march with his TD pass to Olsen.
The Panthers overcame second-and-22 following a 12-yard sack, with Newton throwing 10 yards to Steve Smith on second down and scrambling for 16 yards on third-and-12. On the TD pass, Newton stiff-armed defensive end Daniel Te'o-Nesheim to buy time before finding Olsen wide open in the left side of the end zone.
Carolina went 80 yards in six plays on its next possession, with Newton setting up Williams' 12-yard TD run with a 35-yard completion to Ted Ginn Jr. Three minutes later, the Panthers nearly struck again, with Newton throwing deep to Ginn, who had a couple of steps on cornerback Leonard Johnson but let the ball go straight through his hands.
Glennon completed 30 of a career-high 51 passes. He has thrown 181 times this season, a record for a quarterback in the first four games of a career.
Tampa Bay played without injured running back Doug Martin and safety Dashon Goldson. Martin is out indefinitely with a shoulder injury, and Goldson, one of the leaders of a defense that's allowed 31 points in each of the past three games, sat out because of a sore knee.
NOTES: The Bucs are 3-9 at home under Schiano and have lost seven straight at Raymond James Stadium dating to last season. That's their longest home skid since 1977, when they won their season finale against St. Louis to stop a 13-game streak. ... Williams' touchdown was his first of the season. He ran through the grasp of S Keith Tandy, then made CB Darrelle Revis miss on his way to the end zone. ... Carolina's defense had not allowed any first-quarter points until Rian Lindell's 47-yard field goal got Tampa Bay on the board. The offense gave up a safety last week when Tolbert was tackled in the end zone.
ATHENS, Greece (AP) — Greek police say they have arrested a childless couple in Athens on suspicion of buying an 8-month-old Roma girl and trying to register it as their own.
The arrests announced Friday come amid an international investigation after another couple in Greece was found living with a little girl that was not theirs. Bulgarian authorities are trying to establish whether a local Roma woman is the mother of that girl, aged 5 or 6, known as "Maria."
A Greek police statement says the couple arrested in Athens on suspicion of child abduction was taken into custody on Wednesday. It said the couple allegedly paid a Roma woman 4,000 euros ($5,500) for the baby.
Police claim the suspects, aged 53 and 48, unsuccessfully tried to register the infant as their daughter.
Danielle Jonas has got herself a baby bump — and it's absolutely adorable! While exercising at the gym Thursday, Oct. 24, Kevin Jonas' pregnant wife showed off her growing belly via Instagram.
"My belly! and my muscles getting big with Anthony Michael," the first-time mom-to-be excitedly wrote. "#preggoproblems." Alongside the caption, the brunette beauty shared a three-photo collage of her lifting weights next to her personal trainer. The Married to Jonas star wore tight black leggings and sneakers for the workout, and a light blue tank top that accentuated her expanding tummy.
The couple, both 25, first announced in July they were expecting their first child together. "It's true -- Danielle is pregnant! Can't even imagine how excited we are," Kevin tweeted at the time. "I can't wait to share this with my best friend. I love you baby. One month later, the two officially announced via social media that they would be having a baby girl.
As Danielle continues to keep in shape for her baby's future arrival, hubby Kevin has been trying to figure out where his professional life is headed with his famous brothers. The Jonas Brothers decided to cancel their 19-date tour earlier this month before it even began due to "a deep rift within the band."
Just this week, Kevin's younger siblings spoke out about the supposed "big disagreement over their music direction."
"Bear with us," Nick, 21, wrote via Twitter on Oct. 22. Joe, 24, then added a half hour later: "Please hold while we get our s--t together."
Nikon could be the latest camera company to turn out a retro-style DSLR in what appears to be a new "Pure Photography" ad campaign. In the first of five teaser videos, a photographer is seen snapping pics of the Scottish countryside. Though the camera is never seen, the audience can clearly hear the ...
An attempt to draw out the various parts of HealthCare.gov's tech system, based on the testimony of its contractors.
Elise Hu/NPR
An attempt to draw out the various parts of HealthCare.gov's tech system, based on the testimony of its contractors.
Elise Hu/NPR
One of the major issues that's emerged since the failed rollout of HealthCare.gov is that there was no lead contractor on the project. (CGI Federal was the biggest contractor — awarded the most expensive contract — but says it did not have oversight over the other parts of the system.) Instead, the quarterbacking was left to the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, a subagency of the Department of Health and Human Services.
As it's become clear recently, the team at CMS did not have the in-house technological expertise to be an effective "quarterback" over a complicated and unprecedented tech system.*
The testimony of contractors on the Hill today before the House Energy and Commerce Committee illustrates the complexity of not just the system, but the procurement process that led to having different contractors responsible for separate parts of a whole that were all dependent on the reliability of other parts.
"When you have five or six different people, each optimizing their part of the process, it's easy to pass a performance problem around in an infinite loop," says Michael Slaby, who headed the technology systems behind President Obama's 2008 and 2012 campaigns.
We tried to draw out each part of HealthCare.gov based on how 4 of its 55 total contractors described it. But if you prefer reading about their responsibilities, I've laid that out below.
CGI Federal is the contractor that has developed a portion of the federal exchange, the software application known as the Federally Facilitated Marketplace, or "FFM." It's the online marketplace for shopping after you create a secure account, so it's a combination of the website and a transaction processor for taking payments after you enroll.
Tools created by CGI include the e-mail that is sent to the user to confirm registration, the link that the user clicks on to activate the account, and the Web page the user lands on.
QSSI built the enterprise identity management (or EIDM), better known as the front door to HealthCare.gov. It's the registration management tool — the part that allows users to create secure accounts. You have to get past the front door before getting to the marketplace. According to administration officials, high traffic led the account creation, or front door, to bottleneck, which prevented the vast majority of users from accessing the marketplace. QSSI says the bottleneck happened because of a late-in-the-game decision to force users to create an account before getting to browse the plans.
QSSI also built the Data Services Hub that is not actually a hub because it doesn't store data. It's better described as a pipeline that transfers data — routing queries and responses between various trusted data sources. For example, after you enter information about yourself, things like citizenship must be verified. The pipeline directs queries to information sources, such as government databases that verify that information, and sends the responses back to the marketplace.
Data from the Internal Revenue Service, the Department of Homeland Security, Social Security and insurance carriers will be channeled by this pipeline.
Equifax is responsible for income verification data for those seeking financial assistance (subsidies) through the new health law. It does real-time verification of income and employment, and pipes it through the "hub." It verifies a user's eligibility for Medicaid and the Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP), and for eligibility for tax credits and for reduced copays and deductibles for low-income applicants. This happens after a user gets through the front door, of course.
Serco's contract is to handle the paper applications. To date, the company has received about 8,000 paper applications. But, "Our challenges have included coping with the performance of the portal as that is our means of entering data just as it is for the consumer," Serco's John Lau says. The contract awarded had projected Serco to process 6 million paper applications by the end of March 2014.
*To be fair, the federal government isn't structured in a way that is inviting to the most expert technology minds. The way government hires for tech projects treats technology systems like single end products — a bridge, for example — that can be bought and built and left alone, instead of as services that roll out in stages, respond to users, and are continuously nurtured. For more on that topic, check out my Q&A with Mike Bracken, the United Kingdom's executive director of digital.
NEW YORK (AP) — "Fifty Shades of Grey" has its male lead, again.
Jamie Dornan has been cast as Christian Grey, the lead role that Charlie Hunnam withdrew from recently. Dornan will star alongside female lead Dakota Johnson, with Sam Taylor-Johnson directing. Shooting is planned to begin in November, with a release in August next year.
Hunnam's departure left the project momentarily reeling. The big-screen adaption of E L James' bestselling erotic novel has been carefully followed by its fans, who were critical of Hunnam's casting.
The 31-year-old Dornan, a former model from Northern Ireland, is relatively unknown. He's starred in the British TV series "The Fall" and the ABC series "Once Upon a Time."
Unlike with Hunnam, social media reaction to Dornan's casting was generally positive.
This undated image provided by Caltech shows new Caltech president-elect Thomas F. Rosenbaum, who is currently the provost and John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago. Caltech said Thursday Oct. 24, 2013, that the 58-year-old Rosenbaum will succeed Jean-Lou Chameau, who served as president from 2006 to 2013.(AP Photo/Caltech)
This undated image provided by Caltech shows new Caltech president-elect Thomas F. Rosenbaum, who is currently the provost and John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago. Caltech said Thursday Oct. 24, 2013, that the 58-year-old Rosenbaum will succeed Jean-Lou Chameau, who served as president from 2006 to 2013.(AP Photo/Caltech)
PASADENA, Calif. (AP) — The California Institute of Technology has announced the appointment of physicist Thomas F. Rosenbaum as its new president.
Rosenbaum is currently the provost and John T. Wilson Distinguished Service Professor of Physics at the University of Chicago.
Caltech said Thursday that the 58-year-old Rosenbaum will succeed Jean-Lou Chameau, who served as president from 2006 to 2013.
Rosenbaum is an expert on condensed matter physics. He received his bachelor's degree in physics from Harvard University and both a master's degree and doctorate in physics from Princeton University.
Rosenbaum will take over at Caltech on July 1, 2014, from interim president and provost Edward Stolper.
Rosenbaum's spouse, Katherine T. Faber, will join the Caltech faculty. She's currently the Walter P. Murphy Professor of Materials Science and Engineering at Northwestern University.
Jonathan Rhys Meyers, Thomas Kretschmann, Nonso Anozie, Oliver Jackson-Cohen
Creator
Cole Haddon
Even as a limited series, it's hard to imagine that the world needs another go at Dracula. But NBC believes that a reimagining, or some might think a mangling, of the original is in order and thus summoned Jonathan Rhys Meyers to drink some blood in primetime.
It's difficult and probably foolish to guess at what genre fans will actually watch on purpose, so there's no telling if Dracula will work or not. At least NBC is pairing it with Grimm, so there's some thematic synergy there. But where Grimm is fun and has its own distinct sense of self, even Meyers' always magnetic presence can't make this Dracula stand out.
Part of the problem is that Dracula is all over the map. It wants to be reimagined, apparently, but doesn't do anything dramatic like come at the book from a modern perspective (which worked wonders for at least two iterations of Sherlock Holmes in Sherlock and Elementary) or wholly reinvent elements to challenge existing notions about the dark count.
Instead, it's set in Victorian London in 1896 and this Dracula is masquerading as an American industrialist named Alexander Grayson. Which means that Meyers must speak with an American accent much of the time, a task he can accomplish, but a decision that seems dubious given how he's a lot more riveting speaking like a Brit.
NBC's version of Dracula is created and executive produced by Cole Haddon and written by Daniel Knauf (Carnival), with a string of other executive producers attached, such as former HBO movie exec Colin Callender, Tony Krantz (24) and Gareth Neame (Downton Abbey). It looks like they took the Bram Stoker novel, shook it up a bit, used a lot of the same names in different configurations and then thought about all the movie adaptations and tried to zig a bit where those zagged.
And yet, it feels like … Dracula. Which, in a pop culture world where vampires have grown tiresomely abundant, makes you wonder whether we need another one, even if he's a faux American on a mission to free the world from its addiction to gas and oil.
That last part is true.
"I give to you free, wireless power!" Grayson/Dracula states, dramatically, to London's elite, invited to his Carfax Manor to witness electricity. He hands everyone a light bulb -- one of those cool kind with the filament in loops -- and as he waves his hand with a flourish, all of those light bulbs illuminate in their hands.
Trickery? Sorcery? Nope, science, according to Grayson/Dracula, who has his minions in the kitchen below working up some serious electromagnetic mojo.
He pulls off this stunt because he wants to out all the oil-hoarding power players in London who just so happen to be members of the Order of the Dragon, a nefarious group that enslaved him and killed him. Or rather, "killed" him. Fifteen years prior to the light bulb stunt, Dracula was actually brought back to life by Abraham Van Helsing (Thomas Kretschmann), who would normally be hunting down vamps like Dracula, because that's what he does, but in this version they are partners because the Order of the Dragon also killed the entirety of Van Helsing's family.
I was having a hard time remembering the book, for starters, but also all the various Dracula movies I've seen. Yet at some point -- whether it was the light bulb or Renfield (Nonso Anozie) being Dracula's assistant or Jonathan Harker (Oliver Jackson-Cohen) being a journalist -- things began to scramble in this modern manipulation. Unfortunately, they didn't scramble into something thoughtfully new and unique. There's nothing overtly bad about the first two episodes of Dracula, but neither was there anything compelling. Dracula as badass rooftop fighter? Sure, fine. He mauls necks into a bloody mess? OK. But with Fox's Sleepy Hollow and AMC's The Walking Dead delivering thrills along those lines with more inspired storytelling, it's not like viewers will be left wanting.
And that's the thing, really. Dracula's been done. True -- everything's been done, pretty much. But unless there's something beyond biting necks -- even if it's maybe not as beyond as True Blood or emo mopey like Twilight -- there's not much urgency to revisit something that's been revisited countless times already.
Contact: EPSRC Press Office pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk 01-793-444-404 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Cancer imaging is set to get a major boost from a 35 million nationwide initiative to develop cutting edge imaging technologies for basic and clinical cancer research.
Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are together committing 35 million for five years to four separate cancer imaging centres across the country, helping to cement the UK's position as a world leader in cancer imaging research. The new initiative builds on the 50 million initial investment in October 2008.
This latest funding will bring together scientists, engineers and clinicians to develop new imaging techniques and applications which will help clinicians learn more about how tumours feed and grow, how cancer cells signal to one another, tumour blood supply, the environment surrounding tumours and molecular and genetic signatures.
The cancer imaging centres will serve as focal points of world-class research using a variety of techniques, such as optical microscopy, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), functional MRI*, ultrasound, and PET (Positron Emission Tomography).
Dr Iain Foulkes, Cancer Research UK's executive director of strategy and research funding, said: "Imaging is an invaluable tool in the fight against cancer. Being able to see what's happening inside a patient is vitally important in understanding how treatments are working and the best ways to improve them."
Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of the EPSRC, said: "This large investment is great news and builds upon our previous successful collaboration with Cancer Research UK. These centres will bring together many of the UK's leading scientists, engineers and clinicians interested in all aspects of imaging research, speeding up advances in new technologies and ensuring these are applied rapidly for the benefit of patients."
The four imaging centres to receive funding are at: The University of Oxford, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, a joint imaging centre between King's College London and University College London and a new collaboration between the University of Cambridge and University of Manchester.
Imaging plays a crucial role in cancer management in three main ways; as an initial assessment of the extent of the cancer at the time of diagnosis, as a tool for guiding therapy and to assess patient response to therapy.
The cancer imaging centre in Cambridge and Manchester combines cutting-edge translational research and clinical trials with state-of-the-art imaging, genomics and pre-clinical research. By combining these two locations the cancer imaging centre has access to a large patient population and vital clinical trials infrastructure.
The cancer imaging centre in Oxford aims to integrate basic research in chemistry, physics and cancer biology with imaging science to guide treatment choices for cancer patients.
The cancer imaging centre at King's College London and University College London combine cutting-edge technology development at King's College London with the genomics expertise and clinical trials as well as access to the first clinical simultaneous PET/MRI facility in the UK. The facility focuses on determining the differences in a patient's tumour and in bringing new imaging methods to the clinic.
The cancer imaging centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, London is part of the largest comprehensive Cancer Centre in Europe and will focus on enabling 'personalised' medicine for each individual patient. New imaging techniques, such as identifying an imaging 'fingerprint' of aggressive disease, will help determine which tumours have the greatest risk of progression.
Dr Iain Foulkes added: "This investment will help drive major improvements for cancer patients in the future. Research is unlocking cancer's secrets and our ability to see what is going on with cancers is essential to better diagnose, monitor and treat cancer patients."
###
For media enquiries and images contact Alan Worsley in the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 3469 8252 or, out of hours, on 07050 264 059 or Grace Palmer at the EPSRC press office on 01793 444 404.
Images available from EPSRC Press Office on 01793 444 404 or pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
*functional MRI is a procedure that uses MRI technology to measure brain activity by detecting the change in blood flow to different regions of the brain
Previous investment of 50 million in 2008 funding also from the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council.
About the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk
About Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
The charity's pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1861 or visit http://www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
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Cancer imaging centers get 35 million boost
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24-Oct-2013
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Contact: EPSRC Press Office pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk 01-793-444-404 Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
Cancer imaging is set to get a major boost from a 35 million nationwide initiative to develop cutting edge imaging technologies for basic and clinical cancer research.
Cancer Research UK and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) are together committing 35 million for five years to four separate cancer imaging centres across the country, helping to cement the UK's position as a world leader in cancer imaging research. The new initiative builds on the 50 million initial investment in October 2008.
This latest funding will bring together scientists, engineers and clinicians to develop new imaging techniques and applications which will help clinicians learn more about how tumours feed and grow, how cancer cells signal to one another, tumour blood supply, the environment surrounding tumours and molecular and genetic signatures.
The cancer imaging centres will serve as focal points of world-class research using a variety of techniques, such as optical microscopy, MRI (magnetic resonance imaging), functional MRI*, ultrasound, and PET (Positron Emission Tomography).
Dr Iain Foulkes, Cancer Research UK's executive director of strategy and research funding, said: "Imaging is an invaluable tool in the fight against cancer. Being able to see what's happening inside a patient is vitally important in understanding how treatments are working and the best ways to improve them."
Professor David Delpy, Chief Executive of the EPSRC, said: "This large investment is great news and builds upon our previous successful collaboration with Cancer Research UK. These centres will bring together many of the UK's leading scientists, engineers and clinicians interested in all aspects of imaging research, speeding up advances in new technologies and ensuring these are applied rapidly for the benefit of patients."
The four imaging centres to receive funding are at: The University of Oxford, The Institute of Cancer Research, London, a joint imaging centre between King's College London and University College London and a new collaboration between the University of Cambridge and University of Manchester.
Imaging plays a crucial role in cancer management in three main ways; as an initial assessment of the extent of the cancer at the time of diagnosis, as a tool for guiding therapy and to assess patient response to therapy.
The cancer imaging centre in Cambridge and Manchester combines cutting-edge translational research and clinical trials with state-of-the-art imaging, genomics and pre-clinical research. By combining these two locations the cancer imaging centre has access to a large patient population and vital clinical trials infrastructure.
The cancer imaging centre in Oxford aims to integrate basic research in chemistry, physics and cancer biology with imaging science to guide treatment choices for cancer patients.
The cancer imaging centre at King's College London and University College London combine cutting-edge technology development at King's College London with the genomics expertise and clinical trials as well as access to the first clinical simultaneous PET/MRI facility in the UK. The facility focuses on determining the differences in a patient's tumour and in bringing new imaging methods to the clinic.
The cancer imaging centre at The Institute of Cancer Research, London is part of the largest comprehensive Cancer Centre in Europe and will focus on enabling 'personalised' medicine for each individual patient. New imaging techniques, such as identifying an imaging 'fingerprint' of aggressive disease, will help determine which tumours have the greatest risk of progression.
Dr Iain Foulkes added: "This investment will help drive major improvements for cancer patients in the future. Research is unlocking cancer's secrets and our ability to see what is going on with cancers is essential to better diagnose, monitor and treat cancer patients."
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For media enquiries and images contact Alan Worsley in the Cancer Research UK press office on 020 3469 8252 or, out of hours, on 07050 264 059 or Grace Palmer at the EPSRC press office on 01793 444 404.
Images available from EPSRC Press Office on 01793 444 404 or pressoffice@epsrc.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
*functional MRI is a procedure that uses MRI technology to measure brain activity by detecting the change in blood flow to different regions of the brain
Previous investment of 50 million in 2008 funding also from the Department of Health and the Medical Research Council.
About the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)
The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. EPSRC invests around 800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC works alongside other Research Councils with responsibility for other areas of research. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. http://www.epsrc.ac.uk
About Cancer Research UK
Cancer Research UK is the world's leading cancer charity dedicated to saving lives through research.
The charity's pioneering work into the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of cancer has helped save millions of lives.
Cancer Research UK receives no government funding for its life-saving research. Every step it makes towards beating cancer relies on every pound donated.
Cancer Research UK has been at the heart of the progress that has already seen survival rates in the UK double in the last forty years.
Cancer Research UK supports research into all aspects of cancer through the work of over 4,000 scientists, doctors and nurses.
Together with its partners and supporters, Cancer Research UK's vision is to bring forward the day when all cancers are cured.
For further information about Cancer Research UK's work or to find out how to support the charity, please call 0300 123 1861 or visit http://www.cancerresearchuk.org. Follow us on Twitter and Facebook
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Since launch, Nintendo's base Wii U Deluxe Set has shipped with Nintendo Land; while a fine game, it's not exactly a system seller. The console may soon be more enticing, as Nintendo is replacing its original bundle with a new Mario & Luigi Deluxe Set. The $300 kit now pairs a 32GB black Wii U with ...
