Reviews and Appraisals

To obtain an independent opinion on the quality and style of the talks included in the Biomedical and Life Sciences Collection we sent many of the series to Professor Sir Aaron Klug OM FRS, Nobel Laureate. Set out below, unedited, is his review:

"I have now listened/viewed two of the series of illustrated talks, those on eukaryotic gene regulation and on neurodegenerative disease.

I chose the first because it is on a well developed subject and I found the coverage excellent, ranging from advanced text book type regulation model to more recent advances such as histone variants (talk 9) and chromatin remodelling (talk 10). I can certainly strongly recommend them.

I chose the second, because I have worked on Alzheimer’s disease, and indeed my research group discovered the molecular make up of the neurofibrillary tangles, one of the two neuropathological hallmarks of the disease. Some of the talks (11, 12) dealt with matters which are controversial, but I found the treatments fair to all parties. However, this field continues to develop and I wondered what will be done to keep them up to date, although the rate is not clearly as fast as in, say, molecular biology and cancer.

So I think I can say from this sample that the talks are comprehensive, reliable, well produced and I would recommend them to graduate students and lecturers, as a very useful complement to lectures and to their courses. In the more relatively new subject like neurodegenerative diseases, the program of talks and choice of speakers will give lecturers a chance to hear the state of the field, in an efficient and reliable way, which could not be easily acquired even by extensive reading.

I commend the Henry Stewart Talks for the novel and extremely useful complement to teaching and research."

Professor Sir Aaron Klug OM FRS, Nobel Laureate The Medical Research Council, University of Cambridge, UK

We have had many other favourable comments, some of which are set out below. We are totally committed to the production of seminar presentations of the highest standard that are readily available and intend to ensure that the contents are regularly revised, augmented and kept fully up-to-date. We believe that these seminar style talks are a major advance in the dissemination of scientific knowledge and welcome your comments and suggestions.

Some other reviews and comments

"This is an outstanding collection. Alongside journals and books no self-respecting library in institutions hosting research in biomedicine and the life sciences should be without access to these talks."

Professor Roger Kornberg, Nobel Laureate, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA

"This collection of talks is a seminar fest; assembled by an extremely eminent group of editors, the world class speakers deliver insightful talks illustrated with slides of the highest standard; hundreds of hours of through provoking presentations on biomedicine and life sciences. It is an impressive achievement."

Professor Herman Waldmann FRS, University of Oxford, UK

"Absolutely astonishing series. We were lucky to come across the Henry Stewart talks at the right time…the talks are crisp, clear and easy to follow by someone who is very new to the field. Congratulations."

Dusan Milojevic, Principal Engineer, Cordis Corporation, a Johnson & Johnson company, USA

"The best scientists explain the basics and provide cutting-edge updates in lectures on topics perfect for clinicians as well as researchers and students. Highly recommended.”

Professor Randolph Nesse, The University of Michigan, USA

Apoptosis

“This is definitely a ‘must have’ resource to which every researcher should have access. Dr. Hengartner has done a masterful job of organizing a coherent and stimulating overview of the apoptosis field.”

Professor John Reed, President and CEO, Burnham Institute for Medical Research, USA

Drug Metabolizing Enzymes

"I recently bought a copy of the Drug Metabolizing Enzymes series. It is outstanding!"

University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA

Eukaryotic Gene Regulation

“The coverage in the series on eukaryotic gene regulation is excellent, ranging from advanced text book type regulation models to more recent advances such as histone variants and chromatin remodelling. I can certainly strongly recommend the talks.”

Professor Aaron Klug OM FRS, Nobel Laureate, The Medical Research Council, University of Cambridge, UK

Evolution and Medicine

“This set of briefings is very timely. It shows that evolutionary medicine is a major interdisciplinary science with wide ramifications. We can no longer afford to ignore this field.”

Prof. Jacobus J. Boomsma, Director Center for Social Evolution, Head of Department of Population Biology, Institute of Biology, University of Copenhagen, Denmark

From DNA to Proteins

“From DNA to Proteins is a series of presentations that takes the viewer to all levels of gene regulation and the series editor, Panagiotis Tsonis, has assembled an impressive roster of world experts. I found the series fun, informative and the format of narrated PowerPoint presentations easy to follow. The talks are well structured with emphasis on the three-dimensional aspects as well. These series should be a very useful source in the classroom and for interested scientists in all disciplines of biology and biotechnology.”

Professor Peter Agre, Nobel Laureate, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, USA

Frontiers of Research in Autoimmunity

“I enjoyed listening to this series of talks, which is an amazing collection of ‘pearls of wisdom’ from many of the leaders in the field of autoimmune diseases.”

Professor Noel Rose, Johns Hopkins University, USA

Genetic Epidemiology I

"Our staff here at GSK/Research Triangle Park wishes to convey its congratulations to your colleagues at Henry Stewart for this first-rate collection of talks from such an esteemed panel of researchers. We are all well-served by the breadth of your efforts.”

GlaxoSmithKline, USA

Human Population Genetics

“These talks by many of the world's leading authorities are clearly presented, up-to-date and well-illustrated. They provide excellent and wide-ranging reviews of human genetic variation and its implications for recent human evolution, human diversity and health.”

Professor Chris Stringer FRS, Natural History Museum, London, UK

Monoclonal Antibodies

“This series constitutes a multimedia extravaganza on the applications of mAbs as diagnostic and therapeutic agents. The format, 50 minute talks by leading experts, has some unusual features; in some cases the speakers adopt an instructive approach, and in other cases adopt a grand and fulsome presentation style, making you feel you are in the front row of a movie premiere. The cumulative effect of 26 talks is a quantum leap for the field and provides a most valuable teaching aid and educational tool.”

Professor Wayne Hancock, University of Pennsylvania, USA

Neurodegenerative Diseases

“This is an exceedingly impressive list of speakers and acknowledged leaders in the field of neurodegeneration that covers all the major topics, including recent and breaking advances in the field. Clinical, neuroimaging and a wealth of pathologic, genetic, molecular and novel therapeutic aspects are covered in a well thought out program that will definitely teach the uninitiated, but is also likely to explain more clearly critical aspects of neurodegeneration to a broad range of medical professionals and academics. Congratulations on such an outstanding and enlightened line-up of expert speakers.”

Professor Glenda Halliday, University of New South Wales, Australia

Psychopharmacogenetics

"This excellent series of talks comprehensively covers the whole range of a new, exciting area in psychopharmacology from the basic sciences of receptor pharmacology and pharmacogenetics to their clinical applications, with the ultimate promise of the true individualisation of drug therapy based on pharmacogenetic profiling. The speakers are recognised international experts in their chosen fields of interest and their material will equip the reader with a state-of-the-art understanding of this new genome-based science. If, as seems increasingly likely, the future lies in computer based learning, Henry Stewart’s initiative has certainly paved the way. It will be greatly valued by neuroscientists, psychiatrists and students all over the world to gain easy access to experts of international standing.”

Professor David J. Kind, Clinical Psychopharmacology, Queen's University Belfast, N. Ireland

Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine

“These talks provide an excellent overview of their subject from experts who are leaders in their field. I recommend them without hesitation for those who are new to the subject and equally to those experienced workers who seek an update on a specific subject.”

Professor Ian Wilmut FRS, Roslin Institute, Edinburgh, UK

Viruses and Viral Diseases

"The talks are by internationally recognized experts in the field and are distinguished by their precision of information, clarity and elegance of presentation, and suitability for the interested layperson, students at various stages of their careers and specialists alike. In addition, the talks are great fun to follow. The talks series is a new venture and is in statu nascendi. The presentations can serve as a great support for teaching purposes, but most importantly are an excellent tool for the propagation of precise basic and applied scientific information and of science to the greater public."

Dr. Ulrich Desselberger, Department of Medicine, University of Cambridge, UK