News

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 …

Researchers have identified the driving force behind a cellular process linked to neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson’s and motor neurone disease.There is still so much to learn about this system, which is incredibly important to fundamental biomedical scienceClemens KaminskiIn a study published today in Science Advances, researchers from…

Doctors at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge aim to drastically cut cancer waiting times by using artificial intelligence (AI) to automate lengthy radiotherapy preparations.As clinicians we want to start radiotherapy promptly to improve survival rates and reduce anxiety. Using machine learning tools can save time for busy clinicians and help get …

Scientists have used gene therapy to regenerate damaged nerve fibres in the eye, in a discovery that could aid the development of new treatments for glaucoma, one of the leading causes of blindness worldwide.It’s possible our treatment could be further developed as a way of protecting retinal neurons from death, as well as stimulating their axons t…

The brain is uniquely protected against invading bacteria and viruses, but its defence mechanism has long remained a mystery. Now, a study in mice, confirmed in human samples, has shown that the brain has a surprising ally in its protection: the gut.The exact way in which the brain protects itself from infection, beyond the physical barrier of the …

The University is saddened to announce that Professor Chris Abell, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research, Professor of Biological Chemistry and Todd-Hamied Fellow of Christ’s College, has died suddenly at the age of 62.A biological chemist, he was a pioneer in the field of fragment-based drug discovery, a successful entrepreneur, a founding director of …

World-leading AI technology developed by the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine and their colleagues – some of which is being showcased this week at the North American Cystic Fibrosis Conference 2020 – offers a glimpse of the future of precision medicine, and unprecedented predictive power to clinicians caring for individuals with the life-limitin…

The University of Cambridge and Royal Papworth Hospital have secured £1.5million of funding as part of the national effort by UK immunologists to understand immune responses to SARS-CoV-2, the coronavirus that causes COVID-19.The study is one of three new UK-wide studies receiving a share of £8.4 million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and t…