Health news from 2016

December

Research councils lay foundations for ambitious new research programmes for global health BBSRC press release

Research councils join forces to harness the UK’s world-class research expertise to improve the health and prosperity of billions of people in low and middle income countries. The research councils have together announced the first phase of health research awards from the new £1.5 billion Global Challenges Research Fund (GCRF), addressing issues affecting people in low and middle income countries (LMICs) using the UK’s world-class research expertise.

Copyright: Neil Mabbott, The Roslin Institute

Gut cells are gatekeepers of infectious brain diseases, study finds press release

Fresh insights into infectious brain conditions help to explain why some people – and animals – are more at risk than others. The study reveals how prion diseases – which include variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in people and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE) in cows – can infect the gut if contaminated meat has been eaten.

November

Copyright: Hanneke Okkenhaug, Babraham Institute and Llewelyn Roderick, KU Leuven

A change of heart: epigenetic basis of disease heart growth uncovered press release

The heart is an amazingly adaptable organ, responding to the needs of the organism throughout life, such as through periods of increased demand by pumping harder, faster, and also growing to accommodate longer-term requirements such as that experienced in pregnancy or as a response to intense exercise. Some cardiac diseases, such as prolonged high blood pressure and heart attacks, also cause an increase in the heart’s muscle mass but dangerously this results in a reduction in cardiac output and can cause an irregular heart rhythm.

Damaged salad leaves can 'massively stimulate' Salmonella presence in bagged salads news

Investigations by University of Leicester microbiologists, supported by BBSRC, have revealed that just a small amount of damage to salad leaves could massively stimulate the presence of the food poisoning bug Salmonella in ready-prepared salad leaves. The scientists have discovered that juices released from damaged leaves also had the effect of enhancing the virulence of the pathogen, potentially increasing its ability to cause infection in the consumer.

Copyright: Dr. Muthugapatti Kandasamy, University of Georgia

Researchers identify missing links that connect human DNA variation with disease press release

A team of Cambridge researchers led by scientists at the Babraham Institute have discovered the hidden connections in our genomes that contribute to common diseases. Using a pioneering technique developed at the Babraham Institute, the results are beginning to make biological sense of the mountains of genetic data linking very small changes in our DNA sequence to our risk of disease.

Copyright: Natesh Ramasamy on Flickr by CC2.0

Fish oil supplements may improve muscle function in older women press release

Taking omega-3 supplements could improve muscle function in older women, potentially increasing their quality of life into old age and preventing unnecessary falls and loss of independence. In a new study led by the Universities of Glasgow and Aberdeen and published today in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, scientists have found that supplementing the diet of older women with 3g of fish oil results in greater increases (when compared to a 3g of safflower oil placebo) in their muscle function when combined with resistance exercise training over 18 weeks.

Evolution of Ebola virus resulted in increased human infectivity press release

Scientists have studied the evolution of the Ebola virus during the recent West African outbreak to determine how unprecedented numbers of humans became infected. An international study, published in the journal Cell, and led by Professor Jonathan Ball at The University of Nottingham, has shown that genetic changes which took place as the virus was transmitted from human to human increased infectivity during the epidemic.

October

MRSA uses decoys to evade a last-resort antibiotic press release

The superbug MRSA uses decoys to evade a last-resort antibiotic, reveals new research. The findings, from scientists at Imperial College London, suggest potential new ways of tackling the bacteria, such as interfering with the decoys.

Copyright: David Goulding, Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute. Wellcome Images

Institute of Food Research helps combat serious gut infections press release

A new treatment programme for Clostridium difficile (C. diff) is being announced this week during International Infection Prevention Awareness Week 17-21 October. In the last year, the lives of 20 patients diagnosed with C. diff, a bacterium that infects the gut, have been transformed by the Norfolk and Norwich University Hospital by the use of Faecal Microbiota Transplant (FMT).

Scientists discover how we sense 'stiffness' press release

Every day, people use their hands effortlessly to assess an object's stiffness, like the ripeness of a piece of fruit. For the first time an international team of scientists led by University College London, have discovered the area in the brain where stiffness perception is formed.

September

Research on stress hormone effects on the brain reveals unexpected findings press release

Stress is a common problem often resulting in poor health and mental disorders. New research has revealed that current concepts on how stress hormones act on the brain may need to be reassessed.

Computers learn to spot deadly food poisoning bacteria press release

Machine learning can predict strains of bacteria likely to cause food poisoning outbreaks, research has found. The study – which focused on harmful strains of E. coli bacteria – could help public health officials to target interventions and reduce risk to human health.

Precision medicine breakthrough for Chronic Myeloid Leukaemia press release

Scientists at the University of Glasgow have made a second significant breakthrough in the treatment of chronic myeloid leukaemia – using precision medicine to kill more than 90% of chronic myeloid leukaemia (CML) stem cells. The results are published today in the high impact journal Cancer Discovery.

Dying tumour cells release intracellular ions in a last-ditch attempt to block the immune system press release

Researchers at the National Cancer Institute in the USA and the Babraham Institute, UK, have discovered how a mineral ion leaked from tumour tissue as it dies acts to stop the work of anti-tumour immune cells. This discovery provides a new approach in the development of treatments to engage the immune system in the fight against cancer.

Scientists discover link between bacteria and supposedly non-infectious diseases press release

A group of scientists have found that a single molecule from a bacterial cell wall component can lead to the unusual behaviour of 100 million clotting molecules in blood, which may be a major contributor to many diseases including Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and diabetes. The discovery could help to explain many features of these kinds of diseases, and may lead to new methods of prevention or treatment.

August

Copyright: Integrated Biobank of Luxembourg (IBBL) on Flickr by CC 2.0

DNA Foundry propels Earlham Institute into precision genomics press release

The Earlham Institute (EI) builds upon their National Capability in Genomics by adding a state-of-the-art DNA Foundry for Synthetic Biology to their world-leading advanced suite of sequencing technologies. Synthetic biology is a ground-breaking field of research that applies engineering principles to biology and biotechnology.

Copyright: Peter Roome on Flickr by CC 2.0

Can't stand the heat? Study reveals how we work out if we're too hot press release

With temperatures set to soar across the UK, our ability to detect and avoid places that are too warm will be vital for regulating our body temperature. However, until now, little was known about the molecular mechanisms responsible for detecting warmth in the sensory neurons of our skin.

Cancer drug for mums-to-be may curb baby girls' future fertility press release

Chemotherapy treatment during pregnancy may affect the future fertility of unborn baby girls, a study suggests. Researchers have found that a drug called etoposide can damage the development of mouse ovary tissue grown in the lab.

£4.5M Newton Fund to tackle antimicrobial resistance BBSRC press release

Six new research partnerships looking at ways of tackling the rise of anti-microbial resistance (AMR) have been created with £4.5M investment by the UK Research Councils: BBSRC, ESRC and MRC through the Newton Fund, an initiative intended to strengthen research and innovation partnerships between the UK and partner countries. The partnerships will see researchers from multiple disciplines at six UK centres of excellence work in collaboration with Chinese counterparts, thanks to match funding from the National Natural Science Foundation of China (NSFC) to foster collaboration across borders and between diverse disciplines to help stop the growing global burden posed by AMR.

Brains of overweight people 'ten years older' than lean counterparts at middle-age press release

From middle-age, the brains of obese individuals display differences in white matter similar to those in lean individuals ten years their senior, according to new research led by the University of Cambridge. White matter is the tissue that connects areas of the brain and allows for information to be communicated between regions.

Labrador study offers vets clues on why dogs' tails lose their wag press release

A painful condition that affects dogs’ tails may be more common than previously thought, a study suggests. The research offers clues to potential causes of the illness – known as limber tail – which mostly affects larger working dog breeds, such as Labrador Retrievers.

July

£3M awarded to address diet-related health issues BBSRC press release

Six research projects looking to improve our understanding of the connection between diet and health have been awarded a share of £3M by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) in partnership with a consortium of 13 leading food and drink companies. The outcomes of the projects will help to inform the development of new products by the food and drink industry that address diet-related health issues in the longer term.

New sun cream compound offers unprecedented protection against UVA radiation press release

A new wonder compound developed by University of Bath scientists in collaboration with King’s College London offers unprecedented protection against the harmful effects of UVA radiation in sunlight, which include photo-ageing, cell damage and cancer. Most sunscreens on the market protect well against solar UVB radiation but have limited effectiveness against UVA-induced damage, relying on the reflective properties of creams to defend against dangerous UVA rays.

Missing link in epigenetics could explain conundrum of disease inheritance press release

The process by which a mother’s diet during pregnancy can permanently affect her offspring’s attributes, such as weight, could be strongly influenced by genetic variation in an unexpected part of the genome, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London (QMUL). The discovery could shed light on why many human genetic studies have previously not been able to fully explain how certain diseases, such as type 2 diabetes and obesity, are inherited.

Solving a plant-based Rubik's cube puzzle press release

Scientists at the John Innes Centre have discovered a key “twist” in a Rubik’s cube-like plant puzzle, which could pave the way to new, or more effective pharmaceuticals. Several members and derivatives of a group of natural plant compounds called heteroyohimbines, are, or have potential to be, important in medicine.

Cravings for high-calorie foods may be switched off in the brain by new supplement press release

Eating a type of powdered food supplement, based on a molecule produced by bacteria in the gut, reduces cravings for high-calorie foods such as chocolate, cake and pizza, a new study suggests. Scientists from Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow asked 20 volunteers to consume a milkshake that either contained an ingredient called inulin-propionate ester, or a type of fibre called inulin.

June

How genes are selected to create diverse immune cell receptors press release

Use of a new technique developed at the Babraham Institute has allowed researchers to take an in-depth look at the gene shuffling process that is responsible for our body’s ability to recognise a vast range of foreign agents such as disease-causing microorganisms (pathogens). Failure in this process lies at the heart of a variety of immunodeficiency diseases and is also relevant to the decline in immune function observed with age.

May

£5M to understand the role of nutrition in health and disease news

Nine new research projects have today been awarded a share of £5.3M to offer insights into the role of food and nutrition on our health. The new projects were funded by BBSRC and MRC as part of a joint Responsive Mode highlight in Mechanistic Research in Nutrition, issued last year.

MRC announces cross-Council awards worth nearly £10M to tackle antibiotic resistance press release

Three large collaborative grants, totalling £9.5M, have been announced by MRC as part of a cross-Council initiative to tackle antimicrobial resistance (AMR). The awards together mark one of the biggest investments into AMR since the initiative launched and will use new technology to exploit natural compounds, develop a tool to offer better and faster diagnostics and explore how the body’s own immune system can be boosted to fight infection.

Copyright: Furcifer pardalis on Flickr via CC 2.0

Germs: the cause of type 1 diabetes? press release

Bacteria could play a role in the development of type 1 diabetes, by triggering the immune system to destroy the cells that produce insulin. The new discovery, made using super powerful X-rays, could lead to new ways to diagnose, prevent, and possibly halt type 1 diabetes.

Copyright: Sebastian Kaulitzki/Thinkstock

Researchers discover first safe way to deliver drugs to the placenta press release

For the first time, researchers have devised a method to selectively deliver drugs to a pregnant woman’s placenta without harming the foetus, in a development which could help prevent some premature births and treat conditions such as pre-eclampsia. The University of Manchester scientists, writing in the journal Science Advances, have demonstrated that two peptides – chains of amino acids – originally used to target tumours selectively, will perform the same function on a placenta, delivering drugs which improve placental function and benefit the growing baby without causing it harm.

April

The importance of resting phases in specialist immune cell development press release

Everyone preparing for the London Marathon likely knows that to perform their best during the event, they need to rest up now. Research at the Babraham Institute just published in the journal Science describes a new mechanism through which B cells ensure that they rest up between intensive developmental events.

Research links heart disease with testosterone press release

Testosterone might be involved in explaining why men have a greater risk of heart attacks than women of similar age, according to a study funded by the British Heart Foundation and BBSRC. The findings, published in the journal Scientific Reports, could lead to new therapies to help reduce heart attack risk.

New projects funded to improve animal health and welfare news

11 new research projects to improve animal health and welfare have been funded as part of the 3rd joint funding call for the Animal Health and Welfare ERA-Net (ANIHWA) programme. Of these 11 projects, three worth a total of £826k are funded by BBSRC.

Scientists discover how Chinese medicinal plant makes anti-cancer compound news

New research led by Professor Cathie Martin of the John Innes Centre has revealed how a plant used in traditional Chinese medicine produces compounds which may help to treat cancer and liver diseases. The Chinese skullcap, Scutellaria baicalensis – otherwise known in Chinese medicine as Huang-Qin – is traditionally used as a treatment for fever, liver and lung complaints.

Uninfected or asymptomatic? Diagnostic tests key to forecasting major epidemics press release

Major epidemics such as the recent Ebola outbreak or the emerging Zika epidemic may be difficult to forecast because of our inability to determine whether individuals are uninfected or infected but not showing symptoms, according to a new study from the University of Cambridge. The finding emphasises the need to develop and deploy reliable diagnostic tests, say the researchers.

March

A well-connected brain is the key to healthy mental ageing BBSRC press release

Cambridge scientists have shown that healthy mental ageing is dependent on how well different regions of the brain continue to ‘talk’ to each other, in the first large scale study of its kind. It has puzzled researchers why some people maintain good memory and intelligence as they age and others suffer increasing difficulties, without having dementia.

First gene for grey hair found press release

The first gene identified for greying hair has been discovered by an international University College London (UCL)-led study, confirming greying has a genetic component and is not just environmental. Published in Nature Communications, the BBSRC-funded study analysed a population of over 6,000 people with varied ancestry across Latin America to identify new genes associated with hair colour, greying, density and shape, i.e. straight or curly.

February

'Big data' helps discover key factors driving blood cell specification press release

New research led by researchers at the University of Birmingham, alongside teams from the universities of Cambridge, Leeds and Manchester, has identified key factors that drive blood cell development by recapitulating this process in a culture dish. Cells with the ability to give rise to blood are normally specified in the early embryo over a number of developmental stages and eventually form blood stem cells that are maintained for life and generate trillions of blood cells every day.

Raising a child changes immune systems more than gastroenteritis press release

Raising a child together has a greater effect on your immune system than the seasonal flu vaccine or travellers' gastroenteritis, a study by researchers at VIB and KU Leuven in Belgium and the BBSRC strategically-funded Babraham Institute in the UK has found. The research took a detailed look at the immune systems of 670 people, ranging from two-86 years of age, to understand more about what drives variation in our immune systems.

Eating breakfast could help obese people get more active press release

Eating breakfast causes obese people to be more active, according to the latest research published from researchers at the University of Bath. The study, from health scientists based within the University’s Department for Health and published in the leading diet and nutrition journal the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, analysed the links between breakfast and health for individuals classed as ‘obese’, comparing the results from a fasting group with a breakfasting group.

Global scientific community commits to sharing data on Zika press release

Leading global health bodies including academic journals, NGOs, research funders and institutes, have committed to sharing data and results relevant to the current Zika crisis and future public health emergencies as rapidly and openly as possible. Organisations including the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Médecins Sans Frontières, the US National Institute of Health and the Wellcome Trust, along with leading academic journals including Nature, Science and the New England Journal of Medicine, have signed a joint declaration and hope that other bodies will come on board in the coming weeks.

Scientists disable infectious bacteria by removing protein press release

Scientists at the John Innes Centre and the University of East Anglia have made an exciting discovery that could provide a new way to prevent bacterial infections in both humans and plants without triggering multi-drug resistance in bacteria. When bacteria infect either a plant or a human they first have to move across the surface to a likely site of infection. Without this migration, the bacteria find it difficult to get inside the host and are far less able to cause infection.

A study of the genetic code of bed bugs reveals that these human blood feeders are adaptive and hardy press release

An international study involving Rothamsted Research, allows scientists for the first time to read the genetic make-up of bed bugs, and begin to understand genes linked to the insect’s adaptive biology and behaviour. Much like how our eyes scan a sequence of letters to read and understand a sentence of English, scientists have, for the first time, sequenced and annotated the genetic code of the common bed bug (Cimex lectularius).

Oestrogens alleviate hyperactivity in 'autistic' zebrafish press release

Research led by UCL, Yale and UCSF has shown that the hormone oestrogen alleviates the sleep disruption experienced by zebrafish genetically designed to help understand the biology of autism spectrum disorder (ASD).BBSRC-funded scientists set out to investigate the function of genes linked to autism and seizures in humans by using zebrafish as a model system.

January

Seaweed solution to stem cell transport and wound treatment press release

Stem cells have been put into plasters and bandages to help heal wounds for the first time, thanks to a new technique developed by scientists at Newcastle University. The method of encasing stem cells in an alginate gel made from seaweed makes them practical to use, adaptable and easy to store – even at room temperature.

#BuildingTheBioeconomy: Healthier milk on the high street video

Chronic illnesses related to food are costing the UK economy £16Bn every year. Did you know that milk products are the largest source of saturated fats in our diets?

#BuildingTheBioeconomy: Speeding up drug discovery video

Did you know, that just one new drug can cost on average £1.15Bn and take up to 15 years to develop? BBSRC invested in research underpinning a promising company called C4X Discovery who have since revolutionised the drug discovery process.

Mum's in control – even before you're born press release

BBSRC-funded researchers have uncovered a way by which epigenetic information contained in the egg influences the development of the placenta during pregnancy. The research, performed in mice, indicates that even before conception a mother’s health may influence the health of her fetus.

Fatty acids from GM oilseed crops could replace fish oil press release

Oil from genetically modified (GM) oilseed crops could replace fish oil as a primary source of the beneficial Omega 3 fatty acid EPA – according to new research from the University of East Anglia in collaboration with Rothamsted Research and the University of Stirling. BBSRC-funded researchers at the University of East Anglia studied the effect in mice of consuming feed enriched with oil from glasshouse grown genetically engineered Camelina sativa, developed at the Rothamsted Research.

Physical attraction linked to genes that control height press release

Our choice of romantic partner can be determined by genetics more than we might expect, a study suggests. Researchers have discovered that the genes determining our height also influence why people are attracted to partners of similar heights to themselves.

Beating food poisoning with sensitive tests press release

A study from the BBSRC strategically-funded Institute of Food Research has provided new evidence on the background levels of food-poisoning bacteria in raw food to help the food industry deliver safe chilled foods more sustainably. Botulism is a serious form of food poisoning, caused by a deadly neurotoxin produced by the bacterium Clostridium botulinum.

Benefits and drawbacks selenium supplementation for immunity press release

A more thorough evaluation of selenium supplementation is needed to better understand its benefits to our immune systems, and the risks. That’s the finding of a new study from the Institute of Food Research, funded by the Food Standards Agency, which has found that selenium supplementation can have positive and negative effects on our immune system, depending on how we receive the selenium and the dose.

Hitting a cell 'sweet spot': a delivery system for therapies press release

One of the main stumbling blocks in regenerative medicine has been the inefficient delivery of targeted treatments to control how cells behave – one way is to regulate the genes inside damaged cells by efficiently delivering specific molecules. With the emergence of gene editing and reprogramming many scientists are working towards enhancing the ways in which these technologies can be used inside cells and correct the genome of patients with genetic disorders such as muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis.

DNA 'building blocks' pave way for improved drug delivery press release

DNA has been used as a ‘molecular building block’ to construct synthetic pores which will improve the way drugs are delivered and help advance the field of synthetic biology, according to scientists from UCL and Nanion Technologies. The study, published today in Nature Nanotechnology and funded by BBSRC, Leverhulme Trust and UCL Chemistry, shows how DNA can be used to build stable and predictable pores that have a defined shape and charge to control which molecules can pass through the pore and when.