News 2019

Babies born by caesarean section have a reduced level of "good" gut bacteria and an increased number of pathogens linked to hospital environments, according to research co-led by UCL that is the most comprehensive study of the baby microbiome to date. In the study researchers analysed gut bacteria in stool samples taken from 596 babies born in British hospitals - 314 babies who had a natural, or vaginal, birth, and 282 who were born by caesarean.

Babies born vaginally have different gut bacteria - their microbiome - than those delivered by Caesarean, research has shown. Scientists from the University of Birmingham, Wellcome Sanger Institute, UCL, and their collaborators discovered that whereas vaginally born babies got most of their gut bacteria from their mother, babies born via caesarean did not, and instead had more bacteria associated with hospital environments in their guts.

Why do our children take so long to grow up, compared to other animals? We all know that humans have big brains. In common with apes, we grow relatively slowly and generally have long lives. What is not yet entirely clear is why we have this slow steady development and live longer than species with smaller brains.

Scientists discover novel viruses carried by the Scottish midge Scotland's biting midge population carries previously-unknown viruses, according to new research. The study - published in Viruses and carried out by scientists at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research (CVR) - used high throughput sequencing to study, for the first time, the total collection of viruses in the biting midge ( Culicoides impunctatus ).

The intensity of brain activity during the day, notwithstanding how long we've been awake, appears to increase our need for sleep, according to a new UCL study in zebrafish. The research, published in Neuron , found a gene that responds to brain activity in order to coordinate the need for sleep. It helps shed new light on how sleep is regulated in the brain.

The power of nature could soon be used to create day-to-day materials such as paints, cosmetics and pharmaceuticals in a much more environmentally friendly way, thanks to a new breakthrough from scientists at Cardiff University. The international team, led by the Cardiff Catalysis Institute, has successfully unlocked the catalytic abilities of enzymes taken from fungi by creating the perfect conditions needed for them to function.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common cause of dementia but the changes in brain cell function underlying memory loss remains poorly understood. Researchers at the University of Bristol have identified that calcium channel blockers may be effective in treating memory loss. The team's findings, published in Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience , found treating a diseased brain cell with a blocker of the L-type channel reduced the number of calcium ions able to flow into the brain cell.

For the first time, researchers at the University of Bristol's Blood and Transplant Research Unit, and the French National Institute for Blood Transfusion, have captured the moment a red blood cell is 'squeezed' while recording the changes that allow it to deform and subsequently recover its shape.

A team of scientists led by Imperial College London have discovered a new strain of group A streptococcus bacteria. Group A streptococcus (or Strep A) is known to cause scarlet fever , throat infections and - in very rare cases - invasive disease, where the bacterium enters the bloodstream or tissue and can trigger sepsis and toxic shock.

Using your feet like hands can cause organised 'hand-like' maps of the toes in the brain, never before documented in people, finds a new UCL-led study of two professional foot painters. These findings, published in Cell Reports , demonstrate an extreme example of how the human body map can change in response to experience.

Imperial College London researchers have developed a new urine test that looks to 'chemical fingerprints' for more precise zinc testing. This new approach, outlined in a new paper published in Metallomics , could provide more specific tests to warn of zinc deficiency - particularly in developing countries.

Scientists have unravelled the attack initiation mechanism used by so-called 'predatory bacteria', which are capable of invading and killing harmful bugs including E. coli or Salmonella . These bacteria attack other bacteria by attaching to the cell exterior, then burrowing through and devouring the cell from the inside.

Body mass index (BMI) in infants, children and adults is influenced by different genetic factors that change as we age, according to a major new study An international consortium of researchers, led by scientists at Imperial College London, the University of Surrey, and the University of Oulu, Finland, discovered that BMI in babies is influenced by a distinct set of genetic variants that play little role in determining weight in later life.

Scientists have visualised for the first time protein 'tangles' associated with dementia in patients who have suffered a single head injury. This is the finding of a new study led by scientists from Imperial College London , published Translational Medicine.

Scientists have visualised for the first time protein 'tangles' associated with dementia in the brains of patients who have suffered a single head injury. This is the finding of a new study led by scientists from Imperial College London, published Translational Medicine. In the early-stage study, researchers studied 21 patients who had suffered a moderate to severe head injury at least 18 years earlier (mostly from traffic accidents), as well as 11 healthy individuals who had not experienced a head injury.

A parasite, largely thought to be asexual, has been shown to reproduce sexually after scientists uncover clues hidden in its genomic code. Trypanosoma cruzi is the parasite responsible for Chagas Disease, found in Latin America. Around eight million people are currently infected by the disease, which can cause irreversible damage to the heart and digestive tract.

A simple and sensitive urine test developed by Imperial and MIT engineers has produced a colour change in urine to signal growing tumours in mice. Tools that detect cancer in its early stages can increase patient survival and quality of life. However, cancer screening approaches often call for expensive equipment and trips to the clinic, which may not be feasible in rural or developing areas with little medical infrastructure.

Body's ageing process accelerated by DNA changes, study suggests DNA changes throughout a person's life can significantly increase their susceptibility to heart conditions and other age-related diseases, research suggests. Such alterations - known as somatic mutations - can impact the way blood stem cells work and are associated with blood cancers and other conditions.

Here's a batch of fresh news and announcements from across Imperial. From a study of refugee mothers' mental health, to a new method for cracking a malarial mystery, here is some quick-read news from across the College. Refugee mental health A small study of women in the Middle East has found very high rates depressive symptoms among mothers living in refugee camps.

Drug discovery offers new hope to halt the spread of malaria Breakthrough research has revealed a new drug that may prevent the spread of malaria, and also treat people suffering with the deadly parasitic disease. The findings, which were delivered by an international team of scientists led by the University of Glasgow and published today in Science, offer fresh hope in the global fight against malaria.