10 METRO Thursday, November 26, 2009 D Make finding the ideal Christmas gift this Christmas a simple task, by simply logging onto www.lyrath.com or contacting the Reception team directly at Lyrath Estate Hotel. A simple to source gift, yet a gift full of pleasure. A Lyrath Gift Voucher gives you the opportunity to dine in Yindees Oriental Restaurant or La Perla Restaurant. Alternatively pass the time away unwinding in the Oasis Spa or avail of a luxurious overnight stay. Lyrath Estate Hotel Spa & Convention Centre Dublin Road, Kilkenny, Ireland Tel: +353 56 7760088 Fax: +353 56 7760089 Email: info@lyrath.com www.lyrath.com Spoil someone special this Christmas H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H H By ELLEN OREILLy Vaccine implant kills off tumours SCIENTISTS have developed a cancer vaccine that only targets tu- mours, avoiding collateral damage elsewhere in the body. The vaccine has successfully eliminated melanoma tumours in mice the first time a cancer vac- cine has worked in mammals. The technique, which sees the vaccine inserted into the skin in a tiny disk, may have powerful ad- vantages over surgery and chemo- therapy. This work shows the power of ap- plying engineering approaches to immunology, said bio-engineer Prof David Mooney, of Harvard University in Boston. By marrying engineering and immunology weve taken a major step toward the de- sign of effective cancer vaccines. Conventional cancer vaccinations remove immune cells from the body, reprogramme them to attack malignant tissues and return them to the body. But more than 90 per cent of re- injected cells have died before hav- ing any effect in experiments. Prof Mooney said the new vac- cines strength is that it promotes immune cells to create an especially potent anti-tumour response. In- serted anywhere under the skin much like the implantable contra- ceptives... the implants activate an immune response that destroys tumour cells. The fingernail-size disks of the vaccine are made of a biodegradable plastic only 8.5mm in diameter. They are impregnated with pro- teins that stimulate the body to pro- duce specific antibodies that will fight whatever sort of tumour is be- ing targeted. Ed Yong, of Cancer Research UK, said many scientists were trying to use our own immune systems in the fight against cancer. Results like these suggest that the approach is promising but so far, success has been limited to mice. Theres still a lot of work to do be- fore the same technique could be used in people, he said. Maddie fraud: Irishman in court A DUBLINER whose firm helped look for Madeleine McCann and who is wanted in the US for an alleged 1.3million fraud, appeared in court yesterday. Kevin Halligen, 48, faced City of Westminster magistrates after he was arrested on an extradition warrant in Oxford. The US Department of Justice issued an indictment for Halligen earlier this month alleging he tried to defraud a London law firm. They claim he took the money as part of a deal to secure the release of Dutch business executives arrested in the Ivory Coast, but instead spent it on a mansion, a gift for his girlfriend, cash machine withdrawals and debit card transactions. He was arrested at a hotel in Oxford, England, yesterday, where he has been staying for several months under an assumed name, after a discrepancy in his bill resulted in the manager recognising him as an alleged fraudster. Following a short hearing at court yesterday, he was refused bail and was remanded in custody until December 2, when the case will be heard again. Searched for: Madeleine Your last chance to vote in our photo challenge YOU have only four days left to cast your vote in the Metro Global Photo Challenge 2009. Metro readers have been voting in their thousands over the past three weeks to select the best three photos from a shortlist of 30. The shortlist was selected by a panel of local judges, chaired by Paul Kelly (Paul Kelly Photography) and supported by Stephen Quinn (Creative Director, Atomic) and Glen Hayward (Picture Editor, Metro Ireland), who narrowed it down to the top ten in each of the three categories: People, Places, and Climate Change. The three Irish winners will win state-of-the-art photographic equipment, donated by Spectra Online, our Irish sponsor. They will also go to the world final where a panel of global judges will select the best in each of the three categories. Each global winner will win a trip for two people to any city across four continents where Metro is published. To vote go to www.metrophotochallenge.com/ie. One of the entries: No Future by distortiondesign A GENE which could be responsible for depression, bipolar disorders and schizophrenia has been discovered by scientists. The ABCA13 gene was faulty more frequently in patients with a mental illness than in a test group of healthy people, a research team led by Professor Douglas Blackwood of Edinburgh University found. index.html2.html3.html4.html5.html6.html7.html8.html9.html10.html11.html12.html13.html14.html15.html16.html17.html18.html19.html20.html21.html22.html23.html24.html25.html26.html27.html