Latest news with #SangerInstitute
Business Upturn
13-06-2025
- Health
- Business Upturn
Pioneering Cancer Plasticity Atlas will Help Predict Response to Cancer Therapies
Cambridge, England & Seattle, United States: The Wellcome Sanger Institute, Parse Biosciences, and the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich today announced a collaboration to build the foundation of a single cell atlas, focused on understanding and elucidating cancer plasticity in response to therapies. The collaboration will catalyze an ambitious future phase to develop a cancer plasticity atlas encompassing hundreds of millions of cells. Utilizing novel organoid perturbation and Artificial Intelligence (AI) platforms, the aim is to create a comprehensive dataset to fuel foundational drug discovery models and cancer research. Dr. Mathew Garnett, Group Leader at the Sanger Institute, and Prof. Fabian Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and Associate Faculty at the Sanger Institute, will be the principal investigators in the collaboration. Garnett's research team has generated novel 3D organoid cultures that serve as highly scalable and functional cancer models with the ability to capture hallmarks of patient tumors. The team will use vast numbers of these tumor organoids — mini tumors in a dish — as a model to better understand cancer mechanisms of plasticity and adaptability in response to treatments. Theis' research team has been widely recognized for pioneering computational algorithms to solve complex biological challenges at the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and single cell genomics, in this context for in silico modeling of drug effects on cellular systems. The initiative will be run through Parse Biosciences' GigaLab, a state-of-the-art facility purpose built for the generation of massive scale single cell RNA sequencing datasets at unprecedented speed. The Sanger, Helmholtz Munich, and Parse teams have developed automated methods to streamline laboratory procedures in addition to the computational methods required to analyze and discover insights within datasets of this size. The ultimate aim of the collaboration is to build a single cell reference map that will enable virtual cell modeling and potentially help predict the effect of drugs in cancer patients – where resistance might develop, from which compounds, and where to target future treatment efforts. Garnett, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and collaboration co-lead, said: 'We have developed a transformational platform to enable both large-scale organoid screening and the downstream data generation and analysis which has the potential to redefine our understanding of therapeutic responses in cancer. We aim to develop a community that brings the best expertise from academia and industry to progress the project. Studies of this magnitude are critical to the development of foundational models to better help us understand cancer progression and bring much needed advancement in the field.' Theis, Director of the Computational Health Center at Helmholtz Munich and collaboration co-lead, said: 'Our vision of a virtual cell perturbation model is becoming increasingly feasible with recent advances in AI — but to scale effectively, we need large, high-quality single cell perturbation datasets. This collaboration enables that scale, and I'm excited to move toward AI-driven experimental design in drug discovery.' Dr. Charlie Roco, Chief Technology Officer at Parse Biosciences, said: 'We are incredibly excited to bring the power of GigaLab to visionary partners. Leveraging Parse's Evercode chemistry, the GigaLab can rapidly produce large single cell datasets with exceptional quality. Combining the expertise of the Wellcome Sanger Institute and Helmholtz Munich with the speed and scale achieved by the GigaLab enable the opportunity to fundamentally change our understanding of cancer.' About Parse Biosciences Parse Biosciences is a global life sciences company whose mission is to accelerate progress in human health and scientific research. Empowering researchers to perform single cell sequencing with unprecedented scale and ease, its pioneering approach has enabled groundbreaking discoveries in cancer treatment, tissue repair, stem cell therapy, kidney and liver disease, brain development, and the immune system. With technology developed at the University of Washington by co-founders Alex Rosenberg and Charles Roco, Parse has raised over $100 million in capital and is used by over 2,500 customers across the world. Its growing portfolio of products includes Evercode™ Whole Transcriptome, Evercode™ TCR, Evercode™ BCR, Gene Select, and a solution for data analysis, Trailmaker™. Parse Biosciences is based in Seattle's vibrant South Lake Union district, where it recently expanded into a new headquarters and state-of-the-art laboratory. To learn more, please visit About Helmholtz Munich Helmholtz Munich is a leading biomedical research center. Its mission is to develop breakthrough solutions for better health in a rapidly changing world. Interdisciplinary research teams focus on environmentally triggered diseases, especially the therapy and prevention of diabetes, obesity, allergies, and chronic lung diseases. With the power of artificial intelligence and bioengineering, researchers accelerate the translation to patients. Helmholtz Munich has around 2,500 employees and is headquartered in Munich/Neuherberg. It is a member of the Helmholtz Association, with more than 43,000 employees and 18 research centers the largest scientific organization in Germany. More about Helmholtz Munich (Helmholtz Zentrum München Deutsches Forschungszentrum für Gesundheit und Umwelt GmbH): About the Wellcome Sanger Institute The Wellcome Sanger Institute is a world leading genomics research centre. We undertake large-scale research that forms the foundations of knowledge in biology and medicine. We are open and collaborative; our data, results, tools and technologies are shared across the globe to advance science. Our ambition is vast – we take on projects that are not possible anywhere else. We use the power of genome sequencing to understand and harness the information in DNA. Funded by Wellcome, we have the freedom and support to push the boundaries of genomics. Our findings are used to improve health and to understand life on Earth. Find out more at or follow us on Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and on our Blog. About Wellcome Wellcome supports science to solve the urgent health challenges facing everyone. We support discovery research into life, health and wellbeing, and we're taking on three worldwide health challenges: mental health, infectious disease and climate and health. View source version on Disclaimer: The above press release comes to you under an arrangement with Business Wire. Business Upturn takes no editorial responsibility for the same. Ahmedabad Plane Crash
Yahoo
05-06-2025
- 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
05-06-2025
- 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
05-06-2025
- 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
