news 2022

A discovery that may improve treatment options for patients with neurodegenerative diseases has been made by scientists at Bath and KCL. A discovery that may improve treatment options for patients with neurodegenerative diseases has been made by scientists at King's College London and the University of Bath.

A new study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) highlights the changing epidemiology of congenital toxoplasmosis (CT), a foetal disease which affects approximately 190,000 pregnancies around the world each year, and the need for more extensive research to understand the underlying causes responsible for these changes.

New research provides hope for drug treatment to slow neurodegenerative disease Scientists have found a new drug treatment that can slow the progression of neurodegenerative disease in mice. The breakthrough research may offer fresh hope in tackling currently untreatable conditions such as Alzheimer's disease.

Oxford Research reveals high blood glucose reprograms the metabolism of pancreatic beta-cells in diabetes. Glucose metabolites (chemicals produced when glucose is broken down by cells), rather than glucose itself, have been discovered to be key to the progression of type 2 diabetes. In diabetes, the pancreatic beta-cells do not release enough of the hormone insulin, which lowers blood glucose levels.

New research has found variable voltages in the membranes of breast cancer cells, revealing clues about how they grow and spread. The research, led by Imperial College London and The Institute of Cancer Research, London , could help us better understand how cancer cells 'decide' when to multiply and where to spread to.

The water flow where adult fish live can affect the body shape and survival of their offspring, according to new research. The study - led by an international collaboration between CRIOBE and the University of Glasgow, and published today in Functional Ecology - found that the survival of fish born from parents living under high water flow was reduced by half compared to fish born from those living under low water flow.

An international research coalition has verified safe surgical access to the central core of the human cochlea for the very first time. The team of surgeons and scientists from the UK, Sweden and Canada, funded by Rinri Therapeutics, has confirmed secure surgical access to the central core of the human cochlea.

A first-of-its-kind gene-editing therapy for people with a disorder that causes heart failure is safe in the short term and may stop disease progression, according to early results of a UCL-led trial. Transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is characterised by a build up in the heart of misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein.

A first-of-its-kind gene-editing therapy for people with a disorder that causes heart failure is safe in the short term and may stop disease progression, according to early results of a UCL-led trial. Transthyretin (ATTR) amyloidosis is characterised by a build up in the heart of misfolded transthyretin (TTR) protein.

The University of Oxford has led the largest and most comprehensive analysis of the entire genomic landscape of the commonest type of blood cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukaemia (CLL) as part of the UK's 100,000 Genomes Project. This work defines five genomic subgroups of CLL and associates these with clinical outcomes, and these subgroups provide a better estimation of patient prognosis than achieved by previous single gene analyses, allowing more tailored patient care.

Tailoring the analysis of whole genome sequencing to individual patients could double the diagnostic rates of rare diseases, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. In 2018, the UK's department of health announced an NHS Genomic Medicine Service, which allows patients with rare diseases to have their entire genetic code read in the hope of providing a much-needed diagnosis.

A new study published in the journal Science Advances sheds light on how Gram-negative bacteria like E. coli construct their outer membrane to resemble body armour, which has far-reaching implications for the development of antibiotics. Professor Colin Kleanthous in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Oxford led the interdisciplinary study, with contributions from colleagues in Oxford and University College London.

Researchers at UCL and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children (GOSH) have engineered donor T-cells to try and treat seriously ill children with resistant leukaemia, who had otherwise exhausted all available therapies. The Phase I trial, published in Science Translational Medicine, is the first use of "universal" CRISPR-edited cells in humans and represents a significant step forward in the use of gene-edited cells for cancer treatment.

A study has found that Eurasian jays can pass a version of the -marshmallow test and those with the greatest self-control also score the highest on intelligence tests. It's just mind-boggling that some jays can wait so long for their favourite food." Alex Schnell This is the first evidence of a link between self-control and intelligence in birds.

A fault in cells that form a key part of the immune system can be repaired with a pioneering gene editing technique, finds new research demonstrated in human cells and mice, led by UCL scientists. Researchers say the study, published in  Science Translational Medicine , could lead to new treatments for a rare disease of the white blood cells that normally help to control the immune system - known as regulatory T cells - and those that protect the body from repeat infections and cancer - known as effector T cells.

A fossil discovery from Scotland has provided new information on the early evolution of lizards, during the time of the dinosaurs, reports a study involving UCL researchers. The tiny skeleton discovered on the Isle of Skye, called Bellairsia gracilis , is only 6 cm long and dates from the Middle Jurassic, 166 million years ago.

Actors may suppress their core sense of self when acting, as they immerse themselves in a new role, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The research, published in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, suggests that when actors take on a new character, they may be able to suppress their everyday self - implying that theatre training may have a big impact on the fundamental mechanisms of the human brain.

Actors may suppress their core sense of self when acting, as they immerse themselves in a new role, finds a new study by UCL researchers. The research, published in Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, suggests that when actors take on a new character, they may be able to suppress their everyday self - implying that theatre training may have a big impact on the fundamental mechanisms of the human brain.

A new method to study the proteins released by cells could lead to the development of new tools to track diseases including cancer. The method for finding new 'biomarker' proteins was developed by scientists at the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London. Biomarkers are highly valuable tools that allow doctors to study biology and disease.

New laboratory research using cells from human lungs has, for the first time, offered insights into the hidden world of viral coinfections. Led by the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research and published in Nature Microbiology, the new research offers a rare glimpse into the world of viral coinfection in human cells.