News

Scientists have identified a key molecular player in a subtype of lung cancer which could lead to a new way to tackle the disease, according to research published in Nature Communications.Cambridge based scientists and their collaborators found lung squamous cell carcinoma (LUSC) cells contained high amounts of a protein called BCL11A. The study sh…

Scientists have discovered that it is possible to identify people at high risk of developing acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) years before diagnosis. The researchers from the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, Wellcome Sanger Institute, European Bioinformatics Institute (EMBL-EBI) and their international collaborators found that patients with AML had gene…

Work published today by the Hendrich lab solves a major conundrum in the chromatin field: how can a single chromatin remodelling complex activate expression at some genes while repressing expression at others?While the vast majority of cells in the body contain exactly the same set of genetic instructions, they nevertheless develop very different c…

“If stem cells were the artistic medium by which we design our future, what does the future look like?”Stem cells have the extraordinary ability to develop into any type of cell in the body.  They also have huge potential for use in the treatment of diseases and in regenerative medicine.  To explore the future of stem cell research from an artistic…

Cambridge stem cell scientists have revealed new insight into sex chromosome changes in embryos that fundamentally alters the way we think about male and female early development.In research published in the journal Cell Stem Cell, the scientists showed for the first time that a process called ‘X Chromosome Inactivation’ occurs transiently on male …

Three Cambridge Stem Cell Scientists, Prof Ben Simons, Dr Michaela Frye and Dr Peter Campbell, have this week been elected as members of the European Molecular Biology Organisation (EMBO), joining a group of more than 1800 of the best researchers in Europe and around the world.“EMBO Members are leading scientists working across all of the life scie…

Scientists have discovered the first leukaemia protective gene that is specific to the male-only Y chromosome. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute found that this Y-chromosome gene protects against the development of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and other cancers.The study, published in…

Two research projects are underway at the University of Cambridge that are seeking to find new ways to treat acute myeloid leukaemia (AML), a highly aggressive blood cancer that currently only one in five people survive for longer than five years after diagnosis.  Around 35 people are diagnosed with AML in Cambridgeshire each year. It can affect an…

A new mechanism that coordinates human development in response to signals from outside the cell has been discovered by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. Reported in Nature, the study revealed that the SMAD2 and SMAD3 proteins (SMAD2/3) link and coordinate many different pathways in th…

Scientists from the University of Cambridge and the Université Libre de Bruxelles have used cutting-edge technology to show for the first time how embryonic stem cells diversify to generate the progenitor cells required for the development of the heart.The researchers hope that this new understanding will pave the way for future therapeutic opportu…

Cambridge scientists have used cutting-edge technology to profile over 20,000 individual cells from the developing embryo to produce the first ‘cell map’ describing all of the major cell types present in early embryo development.  The researchers used the map to identify an important new pathway involved in blood cell development and say the map co…

Professor Robin Franklin to receive the 2017 Barancik Prize for pioneering work to restore function for people with progressive Multiple SclerosisNew York, December 13, 2017 – Robin Franklin, PhD, a leading scientist at the University of Cambridge focusing on stimulating the brain’s repair mechanisms, is the winner of the 2017 Barancik Prize for In…

Dr Meritxell Huch is the winner of the Women in Cell Biology Early Career Medal, awarded by the British Society for Cell Biology. The annual award recognises an outstanding female cell biologist to serve as inspiring role models for the next generation.Meritxell’s career started in Barcelona, Spain, where she obtained her PhD degree in Gene Therapy…

Kimberley Evans, Káradóttir lab, is the winner of the Lab Heroes Award 2017. She was acknowledged for her hard work and dedication in her role as Lab Manager at the CSCI. Kimberley will receive $2000 Hello Bio vouchers, plus a $1000 travel grant.Commenting on the nomination, Dr Thóra Káradóttir said:“I nominate Kimberley (Kim) for a lab hero as she…

Cambridge stem cell researchers have been awarded prestigious European Research Council (ERC) funding to undertake pioneering research that can drive paradigm shifts in their designated fields.  The sole criterion for selection  is scientific excellence and the aim of the funding is to recognise the best ideas coming from the top scientists across …