news 2015

Transmissible cancers - cancers which can spread between individuals by the transfer of living cancer cells - are believed to arise extremely rarely in nature. One of the few known transmissible cancers causes facial tumours in Tasmanian devils, and is threatening this species with extinction. Today, scientists report the discovery of a second transmissible cancer in Tasmanian devils.

Scientists have identified a type of immune cell in the lungs of humans that may help fight respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). The virus is one of the main causes of childhood hospitalisation, severe lung infection in the elderly, and the common cold. The researchers found that a type of immune cell, called a resident memory'T cell, is particularly active during RSV infection.

It's been a busy year for animal health and welfare stories, so we are taking a look back at a few of the highlights. From whales to fruit flies, our researchers have made fascinating discoveries from right across the animal kingdom. Test tube foal The first foal to be born as a result of IVF for 15 years marks the first step to producing an embryo bank that could be the last lifeline for some rare, traditional British breeds that are on the verge of disappearing.

Study finds city exhibits more signs of diversity than others worldwide - Diversity in Coventry makes it an ideal model for other developed countries planning diabetes care - Study reveals that one in 10 Coventry residents is from an ethnic minority, but one in three residents with diabetes is an ethnic minority - Study also highlights food and language as the most common barriers to providing diabetes care for ethnic minorities Cities across the developed world should look to Coventry when they plan diabetes services for ethnic minorities.

Two papers from UCL show that having early chemotherapy improves survival for men with prostate cancer. The papers, published in the Lancet and Lancet Oncology , report the results from the STAMPEDE clinical trial and a meta-analysis. Both papers looked at the use of a chemotherapy drug called docetaxel.

Scientists from Imperial College London have identified for the first time two clusters of genes linked to human intelligence. Called M1 and M3, these so-called gene networks appear to influence cognitive function - which includes memory, attention, processing speed and reasoning. Crucially, the scientists have discovered that these two networks - which each contain hundreds of genes - are likely to be under the control of master regulator switches.

The world of epigenetics - where molecular 'switches' attached to DNA turn genes on and off - has just got bigger with the discovery by a team of scientists from the University of Cambridge of a new type of epigenetic modification. It's possible that we struck lucky with this modifier, but we believe it is more likely that there are many more modifications that directly regulate our DNA Magdalena Koziol Published today , the discovery suggests that many more DNA modifications than previously thought may exist in human, mouse and other vertebrates.

Oxford University researchers across the globe are working to beat Malaria. Now, a team of Oxford scientists in the UK and Kenya, working with colleagues in three Swiss institutes, have found two people who could reveal a new approach to targeting the malaria parasite. Malaria still claims over 400,000 lives every year, mostly due to infection by a single species of malaria parasite called Plasmodium falciparum .

IBS accounts for 10 per cent of visits to GP's One in five in the UK people develop IBS at some stage of their life There is no cure for the debilitating disease A large proportion of people living with Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) are vitamin D deficient, a new study has found. Researchers from the University of Sheffield discovered a significant association between a patient's vitamin D levels and the severity of their IBS symptoms, particularly the extent to which IBS affects their quality of life.

An expert in Ebola from Lancaster has hailed "a major step forward" in the diagnosis of the disease after working with the World Health Organisation. The WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation organised an international study to produce a standard test for Ebola virus infection. Dr Derek Gatherer from the Faculty of Health and Medicine at Lancaster was a member of the study along with Dr Bob Lauder, Dr Lisa Bishop, and former Lancaster researcher Katharina Hartman.

An expert in Ebola from Lancaster has hailed "a major step forward" in the diagnosis of the disease after working with the World Health Organisation. The WHO Expert Committee on Biological Standardisation organised an international study to produce a standard test for Ebola virus infection. Dr Derek Gatherer from the Faculty of Health and Medicine at Lancaster was a member of the study along with Dr Bob Lauder, Dr Lisa Bishop, and former Lancaster researcher Katharina Hartman.

A well-known 'superbug' which was thought to have been a static or non-motile organism has been observed showing signs of active motility by scientists at the Universities of Sheffield and Nottingham. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus), or MRSA, is the bug responsible for several infections in humans ranging from superficial to life-threatening which are difficult to treat because of antibiotic resistance.

A well-known 'superbug' which was thought to have been a static or non-motile organism has been observed showing signs of active motility by scientists at The Universities of Nottingham and Sheffield. Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus , or MRSA, is the bug responsible for several infections in humans ranging from superficial to life-threatening which are difficult to treat because of antibiotic resistance.

Researchers from the University of Glasgow have found a way to make swallowable cameras more effective at detecting cancers of the throat and gut. In recent years, tiny sensing systems small enough for patients to swallow have proven to be a valuable clinical alternative to more intrusive imaging methods such as endoscopes.

Scientists from King's College London and the University of Roehampton have identified a key mechanism in the brain which might be associated with the onset and development of psychosis. Using a Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) technique they found that 52 young people deemed to be at ultra high risk of psychosis had increased or 'hyperactive'levels of blood flow compared to 27 healthy controls in the hippocampus, striatum and midbrain - all brain regions that are particularly implicated in the onset of psychotic disorders like schizophrenia.

HIV infection is the leading risk factor for stroke in young African adults, a new study by the University of Liverpool's Institute of Infection and Global Health has found. The incidence of stroke is on the increase across most of sub-Saharan Africa. In countries like Malawi, a substantial proportion of stroke patients are young adults, and have a low prevalence of established risk factors such as high blood pressure, diabetes, obesity and smoking.

Cambridge researchers have found the strongest evidence to date that human pluripotent stem cells - cells that can give rise to all tissues of the body - will develop normally once transplanted into an embryo. The findings, published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have important implications for regenerative medicine.

First evidence to suggest that screening for ovarian cancer may save lives New results from the world's biggest ovarian cancer screening trial, led by UCL in collaboration with Cardiff and other centres in the UK, suggest that screening based on an annual blood test may help reduce the number of women dying from the disease by around 20%.

New study suggests that screening for ovarian cancer may save lives New results from the world's biggest ovarian cancer screening trial suggest that screening based on an annual blood test may help reduce the number of women dying from the disease by around 20%. Professor Lesley Fallowfield , Director of Sussex Health Outcomes, Research and Education in Cancer ( SHORE-C ) on the University of Sussex campus, was Principal Investigator for the psycho-social arm of the study, which SHORE-C has been conducting over the past 14 years with 185,693 women.

Cambridge researchers have found the strongest evidence to date that human pluripotent stem cells - cells that can give rise to all tissues of the body - will develop normally once transplanted into an embryo. The findings, published today in the journal Cell Stem Cell, could have important implications for regenerative medicine.