news 2013

26 Dec 2013 Researchers from Arthritis Research UK Centre for Genetics and Genomics at The University of Manchester have helped discover a further 42 genetic markers associated with rheumatoid arthritis in the largest international study to date on the topic. Scientists in 38 separate institutions across seven countries contributed data from their own studies so that a much more powerful single combined analysis could be performed that examined over 10 million genetic markers in over 100,000 individuals, 29,880 of whom have rheumatoid arthritis.

Scientists from across the world have "scanned the horizon" in order to identify potentially significant medium and long-term threats to conservation efforts.

20 Dec 2013 Scientists from The University of Manchester – part of Manchester Cancer Research Centre believe they have discovered a new way to make chemotherapy treatment more effective for pancreatic cancer patients. Pancreatic cancer is an aggressive cancer with poor prognosis and limited treatment options and is highly resistant to chemotherapy and radiotherapy.

A new gene mutation which will help doctors give a more accurate diagnosis of a type of brain and muscle disease in children has been discovered for the first time by University of Leeds experts. Mitochondrial myopathy, as it is known, causes muscle weakness, movement problems and learning difficulties and affects more than 70,000 people in the UK.

A group of researchers from the UK have used inkjet printing technology to successfully print cells taken from the eye for the very first time.

Scientists have developed a device that can take a "biopsy" of a living cell, sampling minute volumes of its contents without killing it. Much research on molecular biology is carried out on populations of cells, giving an average result that ignores the fact that every cell is different. Techniques for studying single cells usually destroy them, making it impossible to look at changes over time.

Mutations in a gene causing mixed neurological and muscular disease in children have been found for the first time. Researchers at UCL and the University of Leeds have identified an entirely novel mechanism responsible for a childhood onset neuromuscular diseases with associated brain involvement. The research identified mutations of the gene MICU1 in a group of children affected by this previously undescribed condition, and provides the first evidence that a defective MICU1 gene can cause disease 'in man'.

17 Dec 2013 A study by Manchester scientists backs preventative surgery to improve survival for women who are at greater risk of getting ovarian cancer and suggests it appears helpful for women at risk of getting breast cancer because of genetic faults. Women who carry, a fault in one of two high-risk genes known as BRCA1 or BRCA2, have an increased risk of dying from breast and/or ovarian cancer.

We use cookies to ensure that we give you the best experience on our website. You can change your cookie settings at any time. Otherwise, we'll assume you're OK to continue. Durham scientists win funding to work with industry to develop sustainable chemicals, energy, medicines and food Scientists at Durham University have won access to £45 million in Government funding to work with industry on new advances in biotechnology.

Scientists have confirmed that variations in a particular gene play a key role in the autism spectrum condition known as Asperger Syndrome. They have also found that variations in the same gene are also linked to differences in empathy levels in the general population. This study confirms that variation in GABRB3 is linked not just to Asperger Syndrome but to individual differences in empathy in the population.

A research project studying the biology of plants has shed new light on the mechanisms that control the placement and arrangement of leaves. The new insights revealed by the study could help to inform the way in which we select and grow different varieties of crops in the future. Co-author of the study Dr Etienne Farcot , at The University of Nottingham, said: "With a world population of seven billion and growing, ensuring global food security is one of the major challenges of modern society.

A research team from The University of Nottingham has helped uncover a second rare genetic mutation which strongly increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease in later life. In an international collaboration, the University's Translational Cell Sciences Human Genetics research group has pinpointed a rare coding variation in the Phospholipase D3 (PLD3) gene which is more common in people with late-onset Alzheimer's than non-sufferers.

Professor Jay Hinton: "These findings show that salmonella goes through a complex choreography of different stages while infecting different parts of our bodies” Scientists have used a new method to map the response of every salmonella gene to conditions in the human body, providing new insight into how the bacteria triggers infection.

A mechanism in the brain which controls tics in children with Tourette Syndrome (TS) has been discovered by scientists at The University of Nottingham. The study, which has been published in the British Psychological Society's Journal of Neuropsychology , could herald new non-drug therapies to help young people with TS overcome the repetitive physical movements and vocal sounds which characterise their condition.

A 4p per day drug for high blood pressure could become the first ever treatment for one of the most common forms of dementia within a decade, say two leading charities. The widely prescribed drug amlodipine has shown promising effects in people with vascular dementia, the most common type of dementia after Alzheimer's disease.

Current test only identifies around 60 per cent of blood cancers; without new test, diagnosis in other 40 percent is difficult and requires multiple, often invasive, tests Not only will the identification of CALR lead to a new, less invasive test, we also hope that it can lead to new treatments Dr Jyoti Nangalia A simple blood test will soon be able to catch the vast majority of a group of chronic blood cancers, a new study reveals.

Imperial has announced the immediate actions it is taking following the release of an independent report into animal care and welfare at the College. The College asked Professor Steve Brown in April 2013 to convene an independent committee to investigate how Imperial can improve to meet the highest standards in animal research and care internationally.

Viruses alter plant biochemistry in order to manipulate visiting aphids into spreading infection The work started almost accidentally when about five years ago a student and I noticed that aphids became sick or died when confined on a virus-infected plant Dr John Carr University of Cambridge researchers have shown that viruses use aphids as pawns, discouraging the insects from permanently settling on already-infected crops and using this forced migration to spread infection to healthy vegetation.

Koalas' low-pitched voice explained by unique organ The pitch of male koalas' mating calls is about 20 times lower than it should be, given the Australian marsupial's relatively small size, University of Sussex research reveals. Dr Benjamin Charlton and Dr David Reby, reporting in the Cell Press journal Current Biology on December 2 have discovered the koalas' secret: they have a specialised sound-producing organ that has never before been seen in any other land-dwelling mammal.

It's historically known as 'the king of diseases and the disease of kings' and was long thought to be caused by an overindulgent lifestyle, but now scientists at The University of Nottingham have confirmed that 'gout' strongly runs in families. Researchers in the Division of Rheumatology, Orthopaedics and Dermatology studied the whole population of Taiwan (23 million) where gout is most prevalent in the world.