Four members of the Department have received significant honors recently. Professor Gillian Griffiths (Division of Immunology and Director of CIMR) was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Society. Dr David Jayne (Consultant in Nephrology and Vasculitis), Professor Sharon Peacock (Professor of Clinical Microbiology) and Professor KJ Patel (Group leader and member of scientific staff at [...]
Hide and seek: Can latent herpesviruses be targeted therapeutically?
April 23, 2013 by
Reactivation of latent human cytomegalovirus (HCMV) infection following transplantation is associated with high morbidity and mortality; yet current therapies for HCMV, which target virus replicating productively, will not target latent viral genomes. There is also increasing evidence that HCMV persistence is associated with long-term diseases such as atherosclerosis, chronic graft rejection and neoplasias and, in [...]
Winners Biotechnology Young Entrepreneurs Scheme 2012
December 17, 2012 by
A team from Cambridge University which included member of the Dept of Medicine has won the £1,000 top prize in the annual contest co-organised by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) and the University of Nottingham Institute for Enterprise and Innovation (UNIEI). Photograph copyright to Tim Gander 2012.
Stem cells to treat cardiovascular disease
November 30, 2012 by
Scientists have discovered a patient-friendly and efficient way to make stem cells out of blood, increasing the hope that scientists could one day use stem cells made from patients’ own cells to treat cardiovascular disease. Their research was published today in the journal Stem Cells: Translational Medicine.
Tracking MRSA in Real Time
June 22, 2012 by
Study highlights benefits of rapid whole-genome sequencing In a new study released today in New England Journal of Medicine, researchers demonstrate that whole genome sequencing can provide clinically relevant data on bacterial transmission within a timescale that can influence infection control and patient management.Scientists from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge, and [...]
Autophagy when self-eating is good for you
April 4, 2012 by
New discoveries by Cambridge scientists about a molecular waste-disposal process that ‘eats’ bacteria are influencing the clinical management of cystic fibrosis, and could be the basis of innovative new treatments to fight off bacteria. Broken pieces of internal structures, damaged organelles and harmful clumps of proteins are all examples of the molecular detritus that [...]
Smooth muscle cells created from patients’ skin cells
January 23, 2012 by
Researchers from the Division of Cardiovascular Medicine (Dr Sanjay Sinha and Ms Christine Cheung) and the Laboratory for Regenerative Medicine (Prof Roger Pedersen and Dr Andreia Bernardo) have for the first time been able to reproduce three of the major embryonic developmental pathways for vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) in the culture dish. This system [...]
A novel therapy with potential for treating Parkinson’s disease
January 6, 2012 by
A collaboration between Professor John Sinclair (Dept of Medicine) and neuroscientists at Cambridge University has demonstrated how viruses that cross the blood/brain barrier could be exploited to slow down, or even halt, the progress of Parkinson’s and other neurodegenerative diseases. Image Pensive parent Credit: Jez atkinson from Flickr Creative Commons
American Society of Bone and Mineral Research young investigator award
December 16, 2011 by
Dr Ken Poole, University Lecturer in Metabolic Bone Disease and Rheumatology was awarded the young investigator award by the American Society of Bone and Mineral Research this year. The ASBMR is the premier professional, scientific and medical society worldwide, established to promote excellence in bone and mineral research and to facilitate the translation of that [...]
Professor Arthur Kaser Heads Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology
November 14, 2011 by
We investigate mechanisms that underlie inflammation at mucosal surfaces. We have a special interest in inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) and its related conditions, e.g. primary sclerosing cholangitis. By interrogating the role of the intestinal epithelium we study the most ancient part of innate immunity, as it forms the interface between the body’s most abundant, diverse, [...]