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Researchers have used genome editing technology to reveal the role of a key gene in human embryos in the first few days of development. This is the first time that genome editing has been used to study gene function in human embryos, which could help scientists to better understand the biology of our early development.The team used genome editing t…

In the centenary year of the publication of a seminal treatise on the physical and mathematical principles underpinning nature – On Growth and Form by D’Arcy Wentworth Thompson – a Cambridge physicist has led a study describing an elegantly simple solution to a puzzle that has taxed biologists for centuries: how complex branching patterns of tissue…

Scientists at the Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute along with colleagues at the Children’s Hospital Boston have used 3D stem cell organoids to understand the process of lung cell formation, revealing new possibilities for the treatment of asthma and emphysema.  To stay healthy, our lungs must maintain two key populations of cells: the a…

Cambridge scientists have uncovered genetic changes that result in a pre-cancerous stem cell population that can give rise to lymphoma, a cancer of the lymphatic system commonly diagnosed in people under 30. The research published in the journal Nature Cell Biologyshows how the genetic changes and resulting stem cell dysfunction creates a ‘perfect …

Dr Jenny Nichols from the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute has been featured in the August edition of Development, talking about her research and her career to date.In the interview with Aidan Maartens, Jenny explains how she formed her research questions, started working with former Director of the Institute Austin Smith and imparts her advice to ear…

Cambridge Stem Cell Institute group leader Dr Elisa Laurenti has won one of six University of Cambridge Public Engagement with Research Awards. She received a £1,000 prize presented by the Vice-Chancellor in an award ceremony on 13 July in the Old Schools.Elisa has been a leading force in public engagement at the Institute, particularly as coordina…

Scientists at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute and the Sanger Institute have developed a new method for growing and transplanting artificial bile ducts that could in future be used to help treat liver disease in children, reducing the need for liver transplantation.In research published in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers grew 3D cellu…

Scientists at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute have revealed new insights into cellular signaling processes that could improve chemotherapy treatments. In research published in the journal Nature Chemical Biology, the study found that small signaling packages (known as extracellular vesicles) have the specific enzyme activity required to kill some…

At a ceremony held this week in Senate House, the Chancellor of the University of Cambridge awarded an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science to Professor Janet Rossant in recognition of her achievements in academia, philanthropy and public service.Professor Janet Rossant is an alumna and Honorary Fellow of Darwin College and outgoing chair of CSCI’s…

Scientists at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute (CSCI) are developing heart patches from stem cells in the hopes of repairing tissue damage following heart attack.Using embryonic and adult stem cells, the research team led by Dr Sanjay Sinha, produced the correct mix of heart cells needed to make functional cardiac tissue.  These cells were then gr…

Cambridge stem cell scientists have developed a new zebrafish model to study the origins of Fanconi anemia, a paediatric disease that causes fatal bone marrow failure and predisposes children to cancer.Using this model, the researchers showed the symptoms of this disease to be linked to genetic changes that disrupt blood stem cells in developing em…

Three CSCI Affiliate Investigators have this week been elected to prestigious societies, the Academy of Medical Sciences and the Royal Society.Affiliates Richard Gilberston and Christine Watson have been elected Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences, while Affiliate Anne Ferguson-Smith has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society.Fellows …

The Wellcome Trust – MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute marked a major milestone this month with the topping out of its new purpose-built home on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.Construction of the 18,000sqm, £94million facility is due to be completed in late 2018, when all 29 research groups that make up the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute will move …

Cambridge stem cell scientists have revealed a new mechanism controlling the formation of insulin-producing pancreatic beta cells. These beta cells are the same cells that are damaged and lost in people living with diabetes. With this new understanding, researchers now have the opportunity to improve the production of functional beta cells in the l…

Cambridge stem cell scientist Dr Florian T. Merkle has been announced as a 2017 Young Investigator (C.J. Herrick) Award winner by the American Association on Anatomists. The Young Investigator awards recognise outstanding investigators in the early stages of their careers who have made important contributions to the field of biomedical science. Flo…