Latest news with #SangerInstitute
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
First bacteria we ever meet can keep us out of hospital
The first bacteria our bodies meet – in the hours after we're born – could protect us from dangerous infections, UK scientists say. They have shown, for the first time, that good bacteria seem to halve the risk of young children being admitted to hospital with lung infections. The researchers said it was a "phenomenal" finding and could lead to therapies that boost good bacteria in babies. Our early encounters with microbes are thought to be crucial in how our immune system develops. We come out of the womb sterile, but this doesn't last for long. All the nooks and crannies of the human body become home to a world of microbial life, known as the microbiome. More than half your body is not human Microbiome podcast: The Second Genome Researchers at University College London and the Sanger Institute investigated the earliest stages in our body's colonisation by bacteria, fungi and more. They collected stool samples from 1,082 newborns in the first week of life. The team then performed a massive genetic analysis on all the DNA in the samples to work out exactly which species were present and how common they were in each child. They then tracked what happened to those babies, using hospital data, for the next two years. One particular early inhabitant of the human body, Bifidobacterium longum, seemed to have a protective effect. Only 4% of babies with this species would spend a night in hospital with a lung infection over the next two years. Babies with different starter-bacteria were two-to-three times more likely to need to stay in hospital. It is the first data to show the formation of the microbiome affects the risk of infection. "I think it's really phenomenal. It's amazing to be able to show this. I'm excited," Prof Nigel Field, from UCL, told the BBC. The most likely culprit for children ending up in hospital is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but what joins the dots between this and B. longum? That is the "million dollar question" for Prof Field. We know B. longum starts off digesting breast milk which both contains food for the baby and encourages good bacteria. The exact details have not yet been worked out, but either the bacteria themselves or the compounds they make by digesting food are interacting with the immune system "and are influencing the way in which the immune system matures and is able to recognise friend from foe," according to Prof Field. The protective bacteria were found only in babies that came into the world via a vaginal delivery rather than a caesarean. Even then they were not discovered after every vaginal delivery. The researchers say their findings do not justify the practice of vaginal seeding, where some new parents smear babies with a swab taken from the vagina. How method of birth alters babies' bacteria The good bacteria seem to be coming from the end of the mother's digestive system, an idea known in the field as the "first lick". "I feel pretty confident in saying that vaginal seeding is not a good thing," said Prof Field. However, the long-term ambition is to come up with microbial therapies – like a probiotic yogurt – that could be given to babies to set their microbiomes on a healthy path. Prof Louise Kenny, from the University of Liverpool and a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, said: "A caesarean section is often a life-saving procedure, and can be the right choice for a woman and her baby." She said that while the benefit was seen only in babies born vaginally, it was not in every child born that way so "further research is needed to create a full, nuanced picture".
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
First bacteria we ever meet can keep us out of hospital
The first bacteria our bodies meet – in the hours after we're born – could protect us from dangerous infections, UK scientists say. They have shown, for the first time, that good bacteria seem to halve the risk of young children being admitted to hospital with lung infections. The researchers said it was a "phenomenal" finding and could lead to therapies that boost good bacteria in babies. Our early encounters with microbes are thought to be crucial in how our immune system develops. We come out of the womb sterile, but this doesn't last for long. All the nooks and crannies of the human body become home to a world of microbial life, known as the microbiome. More than half your body is not human Microbiome podcast: The Second Genome Researchers at University College London and the Sanger Institute investigated the earliest stages in our body's colonisation by bacteria, fungi and more. They collected stool samples from 1,082 newborns in the first week of life. The team then performed a massive genetic analysis on all the DNA in the samples to work out exactly which species were present and how common they were in each child. They then tracked what happened to those babies, using hospital data, for the next two years. One particular early inhabitant of the human body, Bifidobacterium longum, seemed to have a protective effect. Only 4% of babies with this species would spend a night in hospital with a lung infection over the next two years. Babies with different starter-bacteria were two-to-three times more likely to need to stay in hospital. It is the first data to show the formation of the microbiome affects the risk of infection. "I think it's really phenomenal. It's amazing to be able to show this. I'm excited," Prof Nigel Field, from UCL, told the BBC. The most likely culprit for children ending up in hospital is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but what joins the dots between this and B. longum? That is the "million dollar question" for Prof Field. We know B. longum starts off digesting breast milk which both contains food for the baby and encourages good bacteria. The exact details have not yet been worked out, but either the bacteria themselves or the compounds they make by digesting food are interacting with the immune system "and are influencing the way in which the immune system matures and is able to recognise friend from foe," according to Prof Field. The protective bacteria were found only in babies that came into the world via a vaginal delivery rather than a caesarean. Even then they were not discovered after every vaginal delivery. The researchers say their findings do not justify the practice of vaginal seeding, where some new parents smear babies with a swab taken from the vagina. How method of birth alters babies' bacteria The good bacteria seem to be coming from the end of the mother's digestive system, an idea known in the field as the "first lick". "I feel pretty confident in saying that vaginal seeding is not a good thing," said Prof Field. However, the long-term ambition is to come up with microbial therapies – like a probiotic yogurt – that could be given to babies to set their microbiomes on a healthy path. Prof Louise Kenny, from the University of Liverpool and a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, said: "A caesarean section is often a life-saving procedure, and can be the right choice for a woman and her baby." She said that while the benefit was seen only in babies born vaginally, it was not in every child born that way so "further research is needed to create a full, nuanced picture".
BBC News
2 days ago
- Health
- BBC News
Microbiome: First bacteria we meet can keep us out of hospital
The first bacteria our bodies meet – in the hours after we're born – could protect us from dangerous infections, UK scientists have shown, for the first time, that good bacteria seem to halve the risk of young children being admitted to hospital with lung researchers said it was a "phenomenal" finding and could lead to therapies that boost good bacteria in early encounters with microbes are thought to be crucial in how our immune system come out of the womb sterile, but this doesn't last for long. All the nooks and crannies of the human body become home to a world of microbial life, known as the microbiome. Researchers at University College London and the Sanger Institute investigated the earliest stages in our body's colonisation by bacteria, fungi and collected stool samples from 1,082 newborns in the first week of life. The team then performed a massive genetic analysis on all the DNA in the samples to work out exactly which species were present and how common they were in each then tracked what happened to those babies, using hospital data, for the next two years. One particular early inhabitant of the human body, Bifidobacterium longum, seemed to have a protective 4% of babies with this species would spend a night in hospital with a lung infection over the next two years. Babies with different starter-bacteria were two-to-three times more likely to need to stay in is the first data to show the formation of the microbiome affects the risk of infection."I think it's really phenomenal. It's amazing to be able to show this. I'm excited," Prof Nigel Field, from UCL, told the BBC. How are these bacteria doing it? The most likely culprit for children ending up in hospital is respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), but what joins the dots between this and B. longum?That is the "million dollar question" for Prof know B. longum starts off digesting breast milk which both contains food for the baby and encourages good bacteria. The exact details have not yet been worked out, but either the bacteria themselves or the compounds they make by digesting food are interacting with the immune system "and are influencing the way in which the immune system matures and is able to recognise friend from foe," according to Prof protective bacteria were found only in babies that came into the world via a vaginal delivery rather than a caesarean. Even then they were not discovered after every vaginal researchers say their findings do not justify the practice of vaginal seeding, where some new parents smear babies with a swab taken from the vagina. The good bacteria seem to be coming from the end of the mother's digestive system, an idea known in the field as the "first lick"."I feel pretty confident in saying that vaginal seeding is not a good thing," said Prof the long-term ambition is to come up with microbial therapies – like a probiotic yogurt – that could be given to babies to set their microbiomes on a healthy Louise Kenny, from the University of Liverpool and a consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, said: "A caesarean section is often a life-saving procedure, and can be the right choice for a woman and her baby."She said that while the benefit was seen only in babies born vaginally, it was not in every child born that way so "further research is needed to create a full, nuanced picture".
The Guardian
03-04-2025
- Science
- The Guardian
Top genome scientists to map DNA sequence of invertebrate winner 2025
'We are following the 'invertebrate of the year' series with bated breath,' began the email that arrived in the Guardian's inbox last week. Mark Blaxter leads the Sanger Institute's Tree of Life programme, a project that sequences species' DNA to understand the diversity and origins of life on Earth. But far more importantly, Blaxter and his team are superfans of our invertebrate of the year competition and have offered to map the genome sequence of whoever wins this year. 'The genome sequence of each species is a kind of time machine – we can look back through evolutionary history to understand its origins, and also go some way to saying how the species is faring under the climate emergency,' he said. 'Each and every genome includes amazingly detailed insights into the 'special powers' of the species, increasing our depth of understanding. 'As part of our daily work, we are picking up interesting species to sequence,' Blaxter told the Guardian. 'And the ones we pick are often interesting for the same reasons they are nominated for invertebrate of the year.' They have superpowers, they're beautiful, they have crazy lifecycles. Blaxter's team, which voted for the 2024 winner, the common earthworm, has already sequenced many creatures on the 2025 shortlist. The tiny tardigrade? Done. The dark-edged bee fly, a twerking impostor that drops sticky egg bombs? Done. The evolutionary scandal that is the common rotifer has also laid bare its genetic code. So has a close relative of the tongue-biting louse, a nominee whose name only begins to describe the horror of its antics. Sign up to Down to Earth The planet's most important stories. Get all the week's environment news - the good, the bad and the essential after newsletter promotion The shortlisted tardigrade, Milnesium tardigradum, is the size of a speck of dust. When hunkered down it completely dries out, yet its cells and DNA are preserved. In this shrunken 'tun' state, the animal needs no food or water and can endure DNA-shattering radiation. Rehydrate the little ball and the creature carries on as before. 'It's amazing to watch,' says Blaxter, who has witnessed the transformation on a microscope slide. 'It expands, comes back to life and starts crawling around. It only takes about 25 minutes.' The tardigrade's secret is written in its genes, but there is more reason to read the code than curiosity. Understanding the process could help researchers make other biological material impervious to extreme conditions. Think vaccines that don't need refrigeration, astronauts that are shielded against space radiation. 'There are biotechnology applications hidden inside all these little organisms' genomes that we think are going to be really valuable as we move to a post-oil economy and start thinking about looking after the planet better,' said Blaxter. We may not want to emulate all of the nominees' traits. The shortlisted rotifer, a microscopic aquatic animal, has gone without sex for tens of millions of years. Rather than displaying sympathy, researchers have dubbed them an 'evolutionary scandal'. Without sex to swap genes, a species can expect harmful mutations to build up, making them sicker and sicker until they die out. The rotifer, however, did not get the memo: life finds a way. Much more is buried in these creatures' genomes. The Tree of Life programme aims to generate reference genomes for the 70,000 or so species found in Britain and Ireland and the waters around. Armed with the sequences, researchers can estimate the animals' population sizes back to the last ice age. They can unravel the big events that species have lived through and see when their ancestors split from other lineages. They can assess how diverse today's populations are, and so how vulnerable they are to the multitude of pressures they face. All of this informs work to conserve biodiversity in the face of the climate emergency. Invertebrates don't always get the love the deserve, and some can hardly be said to help themselves. But Blaxter wants people to take a closer look. 'I spend a lot of time on my knees with a hand lens looking at small wiggly things and they are all very beautiful, they are all equally and individually amazing,' he says. 'They are essential to the functioning of the ecosystems on which we depend, and they've got a lot to teach us about how to survive on this planet.' Voting to choose invertebrate of the year is now open: vote here by midday UK time on Friday 4 April and the heroic winner will be announced on Monday 7 April
