An important open question in biology is how different cells get directed to the right part of this manual to find the instructions for their specific tasks. A new study, published in in Nature Cell Biology today, by a team of scientists co-led by Doug Higgs and Ben Davies shines light on the underlying structural processes that help the cells work out which part of the manual to read to establish their identity.
Have you ever wondered where all the different cells in the blood come from? Believe it or not it is down to one type of cell, called hematopoietic stem cells, which can give rise to which ever blood cell type the body needs. Christina Rode discusses and visually explains where these cells come from, what they do and why they are so important.
A fully functioning immune system is dependent on good communication between many different types of cell. We know that one set of cells detects damage and infection, while another leaps into action to defend the body. But we weren\u2019t entirely clear how the two \u2018talked\u2019 to each other. New research by the Jackson lab suggests that a special type of carbohydrate acts as the broker between the two.
Development is complex business \u2013 from the moment a sperm fertilises an egg, a cascade of biological processes is set in motion, and small changes in this cascade can cause a number of different developmental conditions. A new method developed by the Sauka-Spengler Lab can help understand the nuts and bolts that regulate these developmental changes in a very special set of cells.
Cancer treatments like chemotherapy and radiotherapy generally work by causing damage to the DNA of cancer cells. Unfortunately, cancer cells can become resistant to this DNA damage and therefore resistant to the treatments. Recent collaborative research in the WIMM between labs in the Department of Oncology and the MRC Human Immunology Unit sheds light on this process, revealing new markers of treatment resistance in patients and potential future drug targets.
The Fugger lab reports on their participation in 'Brain Diaries', an exhibition that aimed to show to the public how the latest neuroscientific research is transforming what we understand about our brain \u2013 from birth to the end of life. how they got on presenting their exhibit to those that attended Super Science Saturday.
Just like humans, each of our cells have a skeleton in order to maintain their shape. Up until recently, we didn\u2019t have the ability to see their skeleton in great detail. But with new technology creating ever-more powerful microscopes, we can now see the skeleton and the patterns it creates to maintain the cell\u2019s structure. In this blog post, Dr Marco Fritzsche discusses his recent paper published in Nature Communications in collaboration with Prof Christian Eggeling and Prof Eric Betzig, researching exactly how the skeleton of a cell is organized.
Inside every cell in your body, a complex network of signals are constantly being sent, received, interpreted and acted upon. These signals tell the cell how and when to perform its particular specialised task, in concert with all the other cells surrounding it. Understanding how these networks operate is critical to developing a full understanding of biological systems, but until recently, scientists have lacked tools with sufficient precision to probe these networks accurately.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder that results in the production of abnormal red blood cells, resulting in the inefficient transport of oxygen around the body. To coincide with Rare Disease Day, Dr Duantida Songdej (a consultant haematologist in Thailand) and her DPhil co-supervisor Dr Chris Babbs tell us about their work creating a registry of survivors of this rare form of anaemia
Cancers of the blood, or leukaemias, that involve mutations in a gene called Mixed Lineage Leukaemia (MLL) have a very poor prognosis and are particularly prevalent in young children. Due to the aggressive nature of this type of cancer, there is an acute need for the development of more effective therapies to help treat the children who suffer from this devastating condition.
Tomasz Dobrzycki describes just how rewarding it was to participate in the 'Super Science Saturday' at the Museum of Natural History in Oxford, a special themed event on the science behind the headlines.
In early December last year, a group of five undergraduate students from PETROC College in Plymouth visited the WIMM in order to get a taste of what life as a research scientist might really be like. In this blog, Sarah Huxtable (Programme Manager and Lecturer, Genetics and Physiology) tells us just how rewarding the students found their visit, and how great the cake was!
The Global Physician Leadership Stream (GPS) at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (CUHK) allows trainee doctors to undertake placements in research labs abroad as part of their studies, The MRC WIMM has hosted several students on the programme over the past few years (see previous blogs here and here) and this summer was no exception. Read on to find out just how valuable Nelson Tsz-Pui Kwan found his experience working with David Beeson (NDCN) at the MRC WIMM earlier this year.
Every year, thousands of children are born with health problems that are caused by changes to their DNA sequence, or genetic code. These changes might have been inherited from their parents, who are often unaffected themselves, and therefore have no idea of what they might be passing on to their children \u2013 and therefore, understandably, no idea of how to cope with the consequences. Understanding which genetic changes cause these conditions is critical to helping scientists and doctors inform parents about the conditions their children suffer from, and help to develop new diagnostic and therapeutic strategies to counter the impact this has on the child\u2019s life. In this blog, Kerry Miller, a postdoc in Andrew Wilkie\u2019s lab, explains how her research on a skull deformation condition called craniosynostosis holds the promise to do just that.
Virtual reality is more often associated with sci-fi films than molecular biology, but find out in this blog how a team from the MRC WIMM are hoping to change all that. Imagine being able to walk around the nucleus of a cell, or pick up and discuss a 3D image of a zebrafish embryo with a team of collaborators from all over the world in the same room. Sound like a distant fantasy? Jakub Chojnacki explains why it soon might not be\u2026
The latest post in our series of blogs written by students who undertake work experience placements here at the WIMM is a little different. Whilst most students who come here work in a lab, this week\u2019s blog is by a GCSE student at Cherwell School, Abraham Sondhi, who last month undertook a week\u2019s work experience placement in the Administration Office. Read on to find out just how much Abraham learnt during the five days he spent with the team, and how much he valued the experience.
What does your genome have in common with a Michelin-starred chef? Find out in this article by Yale Michaels, a DPhil student in Tudor Fulga\u2019s lab, written for the MRC Max Perutz Science Writing Award.
Clue: it\u2019s a bit more complicated than a bendy ladder. Over the past year, scientists working in the Computational Biology Research Group and the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit at the MRC WIMM have been collaborating with Goldsmiths University in London to produce CSynth: new interactive software which allows users to visualize DNA structures in three dimensions. The team took the technology to New Scientist Live in September this year, and wowed hundreds of people with this incredible new tool. In this blog post, Bryony Graham describes the science behind the technology, and how the team managed to explain some pretty complex genomics to thousands of people using some pieces of string, a few fluffy blood cells and a couple of touchscreens, all whilst working under a giant inflatable E. coli suspended from the ceiling. Of course.
The WIMM plays host to many students over the course of the summer months, offering them a valuable insight into the life of a scientist, and introducing them to fundamentally important concepts and techniques in the lab. In this post, Rahul Shah, a medical student about to start the third year of his degree at the University of Cambridge, tells us about the two months he spent working with Andrew Wilkie and Steve Twigg in the Clinical Genetics lab.
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