Modern scientific research is being revolutionised by incredibly powerful new technologies: machines which can read your entire genetic code; microscopes which can see individual molecules inside living cells; and computers which can re-create the big bang. In this post, Lucas Greder in Marella de Bruijn\u2019s lab describes his experiences with another such technology: fluorescence activated cell sorting (or FACS), and how learning to master this technique is critical to his ongoing PhD research.
It\u2019s late November. It\u2019s starting to get pretty chilly; you\u2019re debating whether it\u2019s OK to put the heating on yet; and then you start to get just a hint of a sore throat. Which develops into a cough. And a runny nose. And before you know it, you\u2019re laid up with a full-blown cold. It\u2019s well known that the elderly are more susceptible to common illnesses like the flu than younger people, but it\u2019s less well understood why. However, recent research by Katja Simon\u2019s lab in the Human Immunology Unit at the WIMM has not only identified a key process involved in flu susceptibility in the elderly, but also a drug which might help to alleviate the problem. Dr. Bryony Graham explains more.
Each individual cell in our body has its own specific set of instructions that allow it to execute a particular task \u2013 like ensuring a red blood cell can carry oxygen, and a nerve cell can detect pain. By definition, these sets of instructions must be wildly different between various cell types \u2013 but how does the body control which instructions are assigned to each cell? The answer is a very complex set of mechanisms that are exceedingly difficult to understand, but new tools developed by a joint team of scientists from the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine and Department of Physiology Anatomy and Genetics in Oxford, should help decipher one layer of this regulatory landscape. Dr. Bryony Graham explains more.
Bowel cancer is one of the most common forms of cancer. In 2011, over 40,000 people in the UK were diagnosed with the disease1: equivalent to one person every 15 minutes. In order to try and understand how and why this form of cancer develops, scientists need to be able to grow cells derived from tumours in the lab \u2013 something which has proven to be extremely challenging. However, researchers in Walter Bodmer\u2019s group at the WIMM have recently developed a method to not only propagate these rare tumour samples in the lab, but also to coax them to develop into structures similar to those found in the body. Bryony Graham explains more.
Your immune system is usually something you\u2019re grateful for; it helps you fight infections, deal with cuts and bruises, and generally defend your body against all the bugs and grubs that are constantly trying to make you sick. However, in rare cases, the immune system turns on itself \u2013 instead of attacking bacteria and viruses, it starts to attack YOU. There are several diseases in which this phenomenon, known as autoimmunity, is observed \u2013 here Lauren Howson describes recent work by the Cerundolo lab in the MRC Human Immunology Unit at the WIMM that sheds some light on one such disease, known as Autoimmune Addison\u2019s Disease.
The WIMM actively supports the development of aspiring young scientists, and every summer the Institute opens its doors to a variety of students at different stages in their academic careers. In July, two A-Level students from the John of Gaunt school in Trowbridge spent a week in the WIMM, getting to know the scientists that work there and having a sneak peek into the mysterious world of biomedical research. Here, Ceara Kaveney and Etain Dobson give an insight into their experience at the WIMM, and how it has changed their outlook on science as a career.
The short answer is \u2013 more photos than they know what to do with. Researchers might not be snapping celebrities, but they do generate thousands of images of animals, cells, proteins, and countless other weird and wonderful biological phenomena. Whilst perhaps not quite as visually appealing as Brad Pitt or Beyonce, these images do have one thing in common: they all need to be stored, organized and analysed, and new software developed by Steve Taylor at the WIMM promises to do just that. Bryony Graham explains more.
Understanding how normal blood cells are made in the body can help us understand what goes wrong in blood-related diseases such as anaemia (a lack of red blood cells) and leukaemia (cancer of the blood). Guest writer Dr. Gemma Swiers describes recent research by Claus Nerlov\u2019s group in the WIMM that has made an exciting breakthrough in understanding how the body produces red blood cells \u2013 especially when they are needed most.
Anaemia is a condition where sufferers have a reduced number of functional red blood cells. It is a global problem which affects over 270 million pre-school children worldwide, the majority of whom are from low and middle-income countries in regions such as sub-Saharan Africa. There is an evident need to continue research of this disease and here Raffaella Facchini describes recent work from Hal Drakesmith\u2019s lab at the WIMM that could help to develop more targeted prevention strategies for children in the developing world.
There are over 200 different types of cancer, with 1 in the 3 people in the UK being affected by the disease during their lifetime. Cancer is caused by an accumulation of multiple alterations to the genetic material inside a cell, and these changes can vary widely even between individuals suffering from the same form of cancer. This complexity makes cancer a hugely challenging disease to treat, and therefore there is an evident need for scientists to continue their research to improve our understanding of this disease. Raffaella Facchini describes the development of a novel tool by researchers in Terry Rabbitts\u2019 lab at the WIMM that could help scientists study how and why cancers develop.
Two years ago, Dr. Kathryn Robson, a senior scientist at the WIMM, ran a five-week course on Life Sciences for 10-11 year olds at a primary school in Abingdon. Using the pedigree cats that she breeds, Dr. Robson introduced the concept of genetic inheritance and a complex biological phenomenon known as X-inactivation to a very young audience. This month, one of the famous felines (then merely a kitten) gave birth to her own litter of kittens. To mark the anniversary, here Dr Robson explains how (sometimes!) working with children and animals can actually do the trick\u2026
Breast cancer remains the most common type of cancer in the UK, with women at a 1 in 8 lifetime risk of being diagnosed with this disease. In 2010 alone, more than 49,500 women were diagnosed (equivalent to 136 women per day) and approximately 400 men1. Here, Raffaella Facchini describes a recent collaborative study including researchers at the WIMM which could help to develop novel diagnostic and therapeutic strategies for breast cancer.
Sadly, it isn\u2019t that Simon Cowell has decided to donate all profits from the next series of X Factor to WWF and Cancer Research UK \u2013 it\u2019s the #nomakeup selfie. Whilst the debate rages over the relevance of a woman\u2019s face without makeup (or a man\u2019s face with makeup) to cancer awareness, the fact remains that the #nomakeup selfie campaign has raised a huge sum of money for valuable research into the causes of cancer. Dr. Gemma Swiers explains how scientists at the WIMM are helping the fight against this deadly disease.
Many scientific institutes have a need for core facilities to process samples in a \u2018cheap\u2019 and efficient way. These centralised units have a big advantage over separate groups purchasing expensive pieces of equipment: they can pool financial resources and employ managers and operators with a high level of technical expertise to get the best possible results. Flow cytometry or FACS (fluorescence-activated cell sorting) is an important scientific resource and Kevin Clark, a senior sort operator in the WIMM, explains the critical role that it plays in current research.
Every year, scientists from all corners of the WIMM emerge from their laboratories, throw off their lab coats and meet over coffee, mini quiches and potentially a glass of wine to discuss the exciting new discoveries that have been made at the institute during the past 12 months. From new cancer biomarkers to novel diagnostic strategies for anaemia, the breadth of translational research emerging from labs at the WIMM was evident from the minute the microphone was turned on. Bryony Graham, a postdoctoral research scientist in Doug Higgs\u2019 lab, sums up the highlights from the day.
Prostate cancer kills over 10,000 men every year in the UK, which is why Prostate Cancer UK have launched Men United v Prostate Cancer; an army of scientists, doctors, nurses, fundraisers, celebrities, politicians and supporters all taking action on men\u2019s health. Dr. Val Macaulay\u2019s lab at the WIMM is part of this team, and here Dr. Tamara Aleksic, a senior scientist in the lab, describes new findings from the group that may help to develop new treatments for this terrifying disease.
In February, the Said Business School played host to the Radcliffe Department of Medicine\u2019s (RDM) Annual Symposium. Scientists from across the RDM\u2019s departments were able to meet and present their research via both poster and oral presentations. For the majority, this also provided them a rare opportunity to go \u2018down the hill\u2019 \u2013 from the internationally recognised John Radcliffe Hospital to the historic centre of Oxford. The variety of work presented throughout the day highlighted the breadth of research being undertaken by the 5 units, which make up the RDM, including the WIMM. Raffaella Facchini, a final year DPhil student at the WIMM, describes the highlights of the day: from \u2018big\u2019 to \u2018small\u2019 science and the mysterious concept of the \u2018unknome\u2019\u2026
Your body is a community of approximately 37 trillion [1] cells \u2013 tiny structures of all shapes and sizes that work together to allow you to move, eat, breathe, sleep and perform all manner of other unpleasant bodily functions. Each cell has its own, specific, specialized job \u2013 but how does it know what to do, and when? How does a cell in the eye detect light, or a blood cell detect an infection?
Who would actively volunteer to subject themselves to a barrage of quick-fire questions about their job from young, relentlessly inquisitive teenagers? Dr. Gemma Swiers, a postdoctoral research scientist at the WIMM, rises to the occasion and takes up the challenge as part of an online public engagement initiative supported by the Wellcome Trust. From stem cells to beached whales, little did she know what she\u2019d be up against \u2013 or how rewarding the experience would be.
The term \u2018junk DNA\u2019 [1] is one loved by journalists, and often loathed by scientists. When the full sequence of the human genome was published in 2004 [2], it was found that in actual fact less than 2% of your DNA actually contains instructions to make proteins (the physical building blocks of the human body). So if the remaining 98% doesn\u2019t appear to be doing anything useful\u2026what on earth is it there for?
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