Our immune systems are meant to keep us healthy, but sometimes they turn their fire on us, with devastating results. Immunotherapies can help defend against this ‘friendly fire’ – and even weaponise it in our defence.
Scientists have uncovered why Zika virus may specifically target neural stem cells in the developing brain, potentially leading to microcephaly – a potentially serious birth defect where the brain fails to develop properly, leading to a smaller head.
Cambridge scientists have received two of the biggest funding grants ever awarded by Cancer Research UK, with the charity set to invest £40 million over the next five years in two ground-breaking research projects in the city.
Cambridge scientists are set to receive a major cash injection from Cancer Research UK, which has announced plans to invest over £41 million over the next five years at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Centre, one of the University of Cambridge’s Strategic Research Initiatives. The funding will help support ground-breaking work as part of the development of a unique chain of research hubs around the UK.
Thirty years ago, Professor Richard Gilbertson pledged to implement a 15 per cent reduction in mortality from children’s brain cancer. This is the story of what happened next.
Interview: Lucy Jolin
A weight loss condition that affects patients with cancer has provided clues as to why cancer immunotherapy – a new approach to treating cancer by boosting a patient’s immune system – may fail in a substantial number of patients.
The next generation of imaging technology, newly installed at the University of Cambridge, will give researchers an unprecedented view of the human body – in particular of the myriad connections within our brains and of tumours as they grow and respond to treatment – and could pave the way for development of treatments personalised for individual patients.
Researchers have identified the role that a four-stranded version of DNA may play in the role of cancer progression, and suggest that it may be used to develop new targeted cancer therapies.
Scientists have unearthed crucial new genetic information about how breast cancer develops and the genetic changes which can be linked to survival, according to a study published in Nature Communications today.
The University of Cambridge has received an additional £5 million over two years from Cancer Research UK for the launch of a ‘Major Centre’, focused on integrative cancer medicine and early detection.
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