New insights into the lifecycles of influenza viruses
As viruses reproduce, they inadvertently introduce small changes—mutations—into their genetic code. Sometimes, these changes do nothing or are beneficial, but sometimes, where the mutation happens in a part of the genetic code critical for what the virus does, it stops the virus from functioning. We can study the patterns...
European experts agree best treatments for young patients with specific brain tumours
European experts caring for young patients with a specific type of brain cancer have – for the first time – agreed and published freely available guidance outlining how best to treat them. The guidance looks at current treatments for patients with a rare type of tumour called Central Nervous System Germ Cell Tumours – or...
Professor Ashley Moffett made honorary doctor at Karolinska Institutet
Karolinska Institutet has decided to award honorary doctorates to Ashley Moffett, professor emerita at the University of Cambridge, UK, for her significant contributions to science and KI, respectively. The formal ceremony will occur at the conferment ceremony in Stockholm City Hall on 26 April. Professor Ashley Moffet is...
New international guidance to improve care for rare ovarian cancer patients
Guidance on providing the best care possible for patients with a rare tumour affecting their ovaries will now be freely available to doctors worldwide. Led by Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH), the guidance will, for the first time, recommend the best treatment options for patients with a type of...
The little poo post box at Pathology
A goat milk company is examining customers' gut health through its poo post-box scheme. Ceredigion-based Chuckling Goat has gone from selling its goat milk-based Kefir to launching a microbiome test kit with the University of Cambridge. "We basically examine everything that's happening inside the microbiome," said co-...
Viruses impersonate cellular proteins to aid their replication
The recent preprint from the Atomic Virology Lab presents a fascinating discovery about how viruses can impersonate cellular proteins to aid their replication. The focus is on human cytomegalovirus (HCMV), a common virus that can cause severe disease in babies and people with weakened immune systems. For instance, if a...
‘Mini-placentas’ help scientists understand the causes of pre-eclampsia and pregnancy disorders
Scientists have grown ‘mini-placentas’ in the lab and used them to shed light on how the placenta develops and interacts with the inner lining of the womb – findings that could help scientists better understand and, in future, potentially treat pre-eclampsia. The study , published today in Cell Stem Cell by Professor...