Human challenge studies in the study of infectious diseases
What can deliberately infecting healthy people tell us about infectious diseases? How is this useful for developing treatments, and how do we manage the risks?

Financial Technology (FinTech) describes the application of digital technology to financial services. This POSTnote reviews how and why FinTech is being used, and the benefits and challenges it presents to the UK.
Financial Technology (FinTech) (394 KB , PDF)
FinTech is changing the types of financial services available, who can access them, and how. The Government sees FinTech as an opportunity to create jobs and economic growth. Estimates suggest that in 2015, UK FinTech was worth roughly £6.6bn in annual revenue and employed around 61,000 people.
This briefing focuses on four emerging areas of FinTech:
FinTech is presenting consumers, businesses and governments with new products and services. It has the potential to be used as a tool to help regulate businesses, and could help to increase access to financial services for some.
However, FinTech also presents challenges. Digital financial services require a secure way for different parties to prove their identity online, which is important for establishing the trust needed to perform transactions and mitigate against identity crime (such as fraud). In addition, FinTech may be difficult to access for the digitally excluded – i.e. people who do not have the skills or technology to use digital services.
Financial Technology (FinTech) (394 KB , PDF)
What can deliberately infecting healthy people tell us about infectious diseases? How is this useful for developing treatments, and how do we manage the risks?
A POSTnote summarising proposed reforms to the Mental Health Act (1983) to improve patient choice, highlighting relevant research evidence and stakeholder perspectives.
This note will outline the latest knowledge about the role for psychedelic drugs to treat a wide range of mental health disorders and the recent data on risks and benefits.