University of Manchester researchers have established a new social enterprise, Inspiral Biomedical Limited, to support the development of new tests and treatments for musculoskeletal conditions, including rheumatoid arthritis (University of Manchester, 2017). Musculoskeletal conditions have a significant impact on people’s quality of life and are a huge burden on society. In the UK, around 21% … Continue reading New company provides vital resource to scientists in the fight against arthritis

A University of Manchester study has found disabling a part of brain cells that acts as a tap to regulate the flow of proteins has been shown to cause neurodegeneration (University of Manchester, 2017). The research, which was carried out in mice, focused on the Golgi apparatus, a compartment inside all cells in the body … Continue reading Turning off the protein tap, a new clue to neurodegenerative disease

Cardiff University has been confirmed as title sponsor of BioWales 2017, the leading event for the life sciences sector in Wales (Cardiff University, 2017). BioWales returns to Wales Millennium Centre on March 7th – 8th 2017. Now in its fifteenth year, BioWales builds on Wales’ collaborative strength, bringing together industry experts, life science investors and … Continue reading Cardiff University will be the title sponsor of BioWales 2017

Researchers have helped identify a genetically-distinct subset of helper T-cell associated with tissues affected by rheumatoid arthritis (University of Birmingham, 2017). Rheumatoid arthritis is an autoimmune disease that primarily affects the joints, where the immune system attacks its own tissues and causes chronic inflammation and pain. T-cells are important mediators of the disease, interacting with … Continue reading New type of T-cell “key player” in rheumatoid arthritis

A study into a new treatment for Sanfilippo disease, a rare and fatal condition which causes progressive dementia in children, is progressing well with results set to be published later this year (University of Manchester, 2017). Sanfilippo disease, also known as Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) III, currently has no effective treatment. It affects around one hundred and … Continue reading University of Manchester study testing new treatment for Sanfilippo disease progressing well

University of Manchester biologists have discovered that breast tissues have twenty four hour body clocks, and that several hundred genes are regulated in a daily cycle (University of Manchester, 2017). The discovery by Dr Qing-Jun Meng and Professor Charles Streuli, may offer the first evidence of a link between breast biology, including breast cancer risks, … Continue reading Inbuilt body clocks link breast stiffness to cancer risks

The University of Liverpool is to co-ordinate a new £14m European research project which aims to improve the understanding of adverse drug reactions by using cutting-edge modelling approaches to drug safety (University of Liverpool, 2017). Adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are the unwanted side effects of medication. They can contribute significantly to patient morbidity, mortality and … Continue reading University of Liverpool to coordinate £14m drug safety research project

The University of Manchester has, through its Innovation Company (UMI3), signed a licensing and research agreement with Douglas Pharmaceuticals that could save the lives of millions of women around the world suffering from early stage cervical cancer (University of Manchester, 2017). The deal initially sees New Zealand-based Douglas Pharmaceuticals sponsor research at Manchester University to … Continue reading Research agreement could prevent cervical cancer in millions of women

A British Heart Foundation Cymru funded research team led by Professor Alan Williams will be based at Swansea University Medical School from this month (Swansea University, 2017).‌ Swansea University Medical School will offer the opportunity for Alan Williams and his team to continue their unprecedented research in Wales with £2.3m of investment from BHF, after … Continue reading £2.3m BHF Cymru research hosted by Swansea University Medical School

For the first time, biologists have succeeded in growing human stem cells in pig embryos (The New York Times, 2017). The approach involves generating stem cells from a patient’s skin, growing the desired new organ in a large animal like a pig, and then harvesting it for transplant into the patient’s body. Since the organ … Continue reading Introducing pig-human embryos and a rat-mouse