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Scientists have uncovered a link between COVID-19 control measures and a surge in serious infections in children following the pandemic. The findings , which come from a large European study led by researchers at Imperial, suggest that non-pharmaceutical interventions (NPIs) including lockdowns, school closures and social distancing may have inadvertently delayed the development of young children's immunity to specific infectious diseases, leaving them more vulnerable to severe illness.

Researchers have adapted a rapid diagnostic technology that is able to identify undetected cases of malaria, helping tackle the spread of disease. A team of scientists from Imperial College London, the MRC Unit The Gambia, the Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro in Burkina Faso, ProtonDx Ltd, and the NIHR Global Health Research Group (NIHR134694) have developed and validated a low-cost, point-of-care diagnostic that can rapidly detect low levels of malaria from a finger prick.

UK researchers have shown for the first time in stunning detail how life-saving antibiotics act against harmful bacteria. The team, led by UCL and Imperial College London, has shown for the first time how a class of antibiotics called polymyxins are able to pierce the armour of E. coli  and kill the microbes.

Findings from a trial comparing the real-world effectiveness of asthma inhalers could reshape how children with asthma are treated. In the first randomised controlled trial to investigate the use of a 2-in-1 inhaler as the sole reliever therapy for children aged 5 to 15, an international team found the combined treatment to be more effective than salbutamol, the current standard for asthma symptom relief in children, with no additional safety concerns.

A new study suggests a habitable past and signs of ancient microbial processes on Mars - and Imperial scientists provided crucial context. Led by NASA and featuring key analysis from Imperial College London, the work has uncovered a range of minerals and organic matter in Martian rocks that point to an ancient history of habitable conditions and potential biological processes on the Red Planet.

Researchers have discovered how 'pirate phages' hijack other viruses to break into bacteria, sharing new genetic material for dangerous traits. Imperial scientists have uncovered how bacteriophages are able to hijack other viruses to break into bacterial cells and spread, through an act of microbial piracy which could potentially be harnessed for medicine.

New research by Imperial and NASA reveals the Red Planet's mantle preserves a record of its violent beginnings. The inside of Mars isn't smooth and uniform like familiar textbook illustrations. Instead, new research reveals it's chunky - more like a Rocky Road brownie than a neat slice of Millionaire's Shortbread.

An analysis of suicide rates in England has shown how factors like deprivation and transport density are linked to regional increases in suicide risk. The first of its kind study, led by researchers at Imperial College London, UCL and the London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), looked at suicide trends in England from 2002 to 2022 combined with the influence of local socio-environmental factors on risk.

Scientists reveal simple way to test for life on Mars using kit already on the Curiosity rover A PhD candidate and his supervisor have developed a simple way for testing for active life on Mars and other planets using equipment already on the Mars Curiosity rover and planned for future use on the ExoMars Rosalind Franklin rover.

Children living near nuclear power stations in the UK are not at increased risk of childhood cancers, according to a new analysis. The research , led by scientists at Imperial College London and University of Bristol and commissioned by the UK Committee on the Medical Aspects of Radiation in the Environment (COMARE), found no evidence of increased risk of childhood cancers among children living near 28 nuclear installations between 1995 and 2016.

Scientists have produced the first detailed characterisation of the changes that weight loss causes in human fat tissue By analysing hundreds of thousands of cells, the team found a range of positive effects, including clearing out of damaged, ageing cells, and increased metabolism of harmful fats. The researchers say the findings help to better understand how weight loss leads to health improvements at a molecular level, which in the future could help to inform the development of therapies for diseases such as type 2 diabetes.

Two new studies have provided further insights into the complex links between head injury in elite rugby and potential dementia risks. In a study of 200 former professional rugby players (aged 30-61 years old), researchers from Imperial College London, University College London (affiliated with the Institute of Sport, Exercise and Health ) and the UK Dementia Research Institute found no cases of early-onset dementia.

A new study from Imperial has shown that the physical structure of food influences the hormones released as part of digestion. These hormones include glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1), GIP and PYY, as well as other post-meal responses like blood sugar, insulin and satiety hormones. Researchers say the findings could potentially lead to ways to hack our diet - by designing or preparing food in certain ways to make us feel more full.

Economic disadvantage leaves a biological imprint on children which could last throughout their lifetime, reducing their quality and length of life. These are the findings of a study of more than 1,000 European children led by researchers at Imperial College London. The research finds evidence that the impacts of socioeconomic status can be seen in the blood cells of children, with those from less privileged backgrounds having shorter telomeres - an established biomarker for ageing.

Single-cell analysis of over 120,000 cells reveals how mitochondrial DNA mutations accumulate with age and may affect ageing and neurodegeneration. New research published in Nature Communications into hidden mutations in mitochondrial DNA - the blueprints for the 'powerhouse of the cell' - has uncovered how high mutational levels coincide with later life and link to ageing markers.

There is a strong association between an older person's view of how they are ageing and how well they will physically recover after a fall. That is the finding of a new research study from Imperial College London and Coventry University, which is the first to suggest how important psychological factors may be in post-fall physical recovery.

Scientists hope a new method will pave the way to provide insights into the impact of climate change and habitat loss on biodiversity. In a study published in Systematic Biology , researchers from Imperial College London, UCL, Dalhousie University and the United Nations Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre described how their new simulation methods improve understanding of how patterns of biodiversity emerge across the globe.

Researchers looked at adult sickness and death in 18 countries Among 289 million adults in 18 European countries, nearly 17 million years of life were lost from 2020-2022 because of the COVID-19 pandemic, according to a new study. The study, in the open-access journal PLOS Medicine, shows a stark picture of the direct and indirect impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on both total and disability-free years of life lost, with researchers able to identify different factors at play as the pandemic progressed.

New antibody therapies could offer alternative to current treatments. Researchers led by Imperial have unveiled primary trial results that show encouraging advances in HIV treatment driven by immune-based therapies. The RIO trial assessed the impact of two long-acting immune therapies known as broadly neutralising antibodies, or bNAbs, compared with placebo, among 68 people living with HIV who stopped taking their antiretroviral medicines.

For the first time, scientists have 'photographed' a rare plasma instability, where high-energy electron beams form into spaghetti-like filaments. A new study, published in Physical Review Letters , outlines how a high-intensity infrared laser was used to generate a filamentation instability - a phenomenon that affects applications in plasma-based particle accelerators and fusion energy methods.