news

Scientists have successfully used gene editing techniques to limit the spread of bird flu in chickens. In a UK first, researchers have been able to restrict, but not completely block, the avian influenza virus from infecting the birds by precisely altering a small section of their DNA. The modified birds showed no signs that the change had any impact on the animals' health or well-being.

A team of researchers from the University of Oxford has shown for the first time that it is possible to track the progression of Parkinson's Disease accurately using specially trained machine learning algorithms to analyse data derived from sensor devices worn by patients. The novel methods described in this study led by Professor Chrystalina Antoniades in Oxford's Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences can be used by clinicians alongside the more traditional clinical rating scales to not only improve the accuracy of diagnosis, but also track progression of Parkinson's Disease.

A smartphone camera was able to detect changes in skin tone and eye colour that require patients to seek medical help, in new research from UCL and the Royal Free Hospital. The study, published in PLOS Digital Health , is the first to assess and compare how smartphone images of the forehead, white of the eye and lower eyelid could be used to accurately predict the bilirubin level of patients with advanced cirrhosis.

Scientists at the UCL Queen Square Institute for Neurology have developed new tools, based on AI language models, that can characterise subtle signatures in the speech of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. The research, published in PNAS , aims to understand how the automated analysis of language could help doctors and scientists diagnose and assess psychiatric conditions.

A person's immune response to variants of SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, depends on their previous exposure - and differences in the focus of immune responses will help scientists understand how to optimise vaccines in the future to provide broad protection. It was a surprise how much of a difference we saw in the focus of immune responses of different people to SARS-CoV-2.

Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford, along with colleagues at Cambridge University and Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, have shown the potential of a new gene therapy approach to silence human sensory neurons (nerve cells) as a means of treating persistent pain.

Scientists discover neurons that act as brain 'glue' to recall memories Scientists have discovered new insights into how our brain stores episodic memories - a type of long-term, conscious memory of a previous experience - which could be critical to the development of new neuroprosthetic devices to help patients with memory problems, like Alzheimer's disease and dementia Scientists have discovered new insights into how our brain stores episodic

Attack protein guard mechanisms can be used to kill pathogens such as Toxoplasma, and cancer. Researchers have identified a 'guard mechanism' for a protein which attacks microbes in infected cells, opening the possibility of new treatments for Toxoplasma, Chlamydia, Tuberculosis and even cancer. A study, led by the University of Birmingham and published today (5th October) in Science has discovered the lock and key mechanism that controls the attack protein GPB1.

Last Updated: 04 Oct 2023 19:00:35 A new VetCompass study from the Royal Veterinary College (RVC) has revealed that veterinary prescription of antibiotics at first presentation of uncomplicated diarrhoea in dogs causes no difference in clinical resolution of these cases. The study suggests that dogs with uncomplicated diarrhoea do not need antibiotics as part of their veterinary care plans.

An individual diagnosed with type 2 diabetes at age 30 years could see their life expectancy fall by as much as 14 years, an international team of researchers has warned. Given the impact type 2 diabetes will have on people's lives, preventing - or at least delaying the onset - of the condition should be an urgent priority Stephen Kaptoge Even people who do not develop the condition until later in life - with a diagnosis at age 50 years - could see their life expectancy fall by up to six years, an analysis of data from 19 high-income countries found.

Machine learning models to identify the simplest way to screen for lung cancer have been developed by researchers from UCL and the University of Cambridge, bringing personalised screening one step closer. The model was found to be as good or better at predicting an individual's risk of getting lung cancer within five years compared to the best risk models available, and was able to do so using just a quarter of the information needed.

A new systematic review by researchers at UCL and Wingate University has highlighted the importance of identifying childhood verbal abuse by adults as a standalone subtype of child maltreatment, to ensure targeted prevention and address the lasting harm it can inflict. Child maltreatment is currently classified into four subtypes: physical abuse, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, and neglect.

Young people who are in higher education in England face a small increased risk of depression and anxiety, compared to their peers who are not attending higher education, finds a new study led by UCL researchers. The research paper, published in The Lancet Public Health , is the first to find evidence of higher levels of depression and anxiety among higher education students compared with their peers.

Autistic people have higher rates of chronic physical health conditions across the whole body and are more likely to have complex health needs, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Cambridge. Their findings, published in the journal  Molecular Autism , have important implications for the clinical care of autistic people.

Cambridge researchers have found that women who smoke during pregnancy are 2.6 times more likely to give birth prematurely compared to non-smokers - more than double the previous estimate.

Researchers have developed a method to identify new targets for human disease, including neurodegenerative conditions such as Alzheimer's disease. The discovery of protein phase separation opens up new opportunities for drug discovery Michele Vendruscolo The research team, led by the University of Cambridge, presented an approach to identify therapeutic targets for human diseases associated with a phenomenon known as protein phase separation, a recently discovered phenomenon widely present in cells that drives a variety of important biological functions.

A team of scientists from Bath and Bristol have identified a protein fragment that could be a template for new therapeutics for dementia. Published on Wednesday 27 September 2023 Last updated on Wednesday 27 September 2023 Scientists have identified a molecule that can prevent tangling of a brain protein that is linked to diseases such as Parkinson's.

Imperial and US medical technology company MediBeacon have partnered to advance a non-invasive method of assessing intestinal health. In healthy people, the wall of the intestine forms a barrier between the contents of the gut and the rest of the body, with only the nutrients produced by digestion passing through.

With the ability to map dozens of biomarkers at once, a new method could transform testing for conditions including heart disease and cancer. Currently, many diseases are diagnosed from blood tests that look for one biomarker (such as a protein or other small molecule) or, at most, a couple of biomarkers of the same type.

Studies of a 'future-proof' vaccine candidate have shown that just one antigen can be modified to provide a broadly protective immune response in animals. The studies suggest that a single vaccine with combinations of these antigens - a substance that causes the immune system to produce antibodies against it - could protect against an even greater range of current and future coronaviruses.