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An international study of more than 50,000 people with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has revealed that IBS symptoms may be caused by the same biological processes as conditions such as anxiety. The research highlights the close relationship between brain and gut health and paves the way for development of new treatments.Although IBS occurs more fr…

Whole genome sequencing from a single blood test picks up 31% more cases of rare genetic disorders than standard tests, shortening the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ that affected families experience, and providing huge opportunities for future research.A definitive genetic diagnosis can really help patients and their familiesPatrick ChinneryMitochondrial di…

Common medications can accumulate in gut bacteria, a new study has found, altering bacterial function and potentially reducing the medications’ effectiveness.If we can characterise how people respond depending on the composition of their microbiome, then drug treatments could be individualisedKiran Patil These interactions - seen for many drugs inc…

Markers in our blood – ‘fingerprints’ of infection – could help identify individuals who have been infected by SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19, several months after infection even if the individual had only mild symptoms or showed no symptoms at all, say Cambridge researchers.Because we currently have no reliable way of diagnosing …

Pioneering collaboration initiated by the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and University College LondonA pioneering collaboration to speed development of breakthrough medical discoveries—devised by the University of Cambridge, Imperial College London, University College London and embraced by pharmaceutical giants AstraZeneca, Glax…

Switching off a heart muscle protein could provide a new way for drugs to combat heart failure in people who’ve had a heart attack, according to research led by the University of Cambridge and published in the journal Nature.After years of research we’ve revealed an entirely new and promising way that could help the recovery of failing heartsXuan L…

Scientists have made a promising step towards developing a new drug for treating acute myeloid leukaemia, a rare blood disorder. In a study published today in Nature, Cambridge researchers report a new approach to cancer treatment that targets enzymes which play a key role in translating DNA into proteins and which could lead to a new class of canc…

A new EU-funded project is set to provide accessible and reliable information about cell and gene-based therapies.The €2m initiative will develop an online hub to provide accurate information on the use of cells and genetic material to treat disease, along with evidence-based information to counter misinformation surrounding the therapies. Gene and…

CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing can lead to unintended mutations at the targeted section of DNA in early human embryos, researchers have revealed. This highlights the need for further research into the effects of CRISPR-Cas9 genome editing, especially when used to edit human DNA in laboratory research.We and others are trying to develop and refine the t…

A UK-wide study is being launched to reduce the number of people who die in the months following a stay in hospital with COVID-19.Having survived the trauma of being hospitalised with COVID-19, far too many patients find themselves back in hospital with new or long term complicationsCharlotte SummersThe clinical trial - named HEAL-COVID - also aims…

Scientists have identified new genetic clues in people who have had small and often apparently ‘silent’ strokes that are difficult to treat and a major cause of vascular dementia, according to research led by the University of Cambridge and published in The Lancet Neurology.These small and often silent lacunar strokes have gone under the radar for …

A team of engineers and scientists has developed a method of ‘up-sizing’ organoids: miniature collections of cells which mimic the behaviour of various organs and are promising tools for the study of human biology and disease. We need to find the right conditions to help the cells in mini-organs self-organiseYan Yan Shery HuangThe researchers, from…

A Fellow of St Catharine’s College, Professor Anthony Davenport (1995), is a senior author of a new study that uses artificially-grown heart cells to advance the search for new therapies for patients with COVID-19.Professor Davenport explains, “The SARS-CoV-2 virus continues to mutate and three new strains are causing concern as they are more infec…

SARS-CoV-2 mutations similar to those in the B1.1.7 UK variant could arise in cases of chronic infection, where treatment over an extended period can provide the virus multiple opportunities to evolve, say scientists.Given that both vaccines and therapeutics are aimed at the spike protein, which we saw mutate in our patient, our study raises the wo…

A new advanced computing technique using routine medical scans to enable doctors to take fewer, more accurate tumour biopsies, has been developed by cancer researchers at the University of Cambridge. This is an important step towards precision tissue sampling for cancer patients to help select the best treatment. In future the technique could even …