Exhibition explores nature's genetic secrets
The Curious Nature exhibition explores the Wellcome Sanger Institute’s 25th anniversary project to sequence the genomes of 25 UK species for the first time.
Human Cell Atlas gets a boost with first funding from Wellcome
A team of UK scientists will begin work to scale up efforts to create a Human Cell Atlas, after the first injection of funding for generating data from human cells is announced by Wellcome. The £7m in new funding marks a major contribution to the UK’s involvement in this global project to create a reference map of every single cell type in the human body.
Genome damage from CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing higher than thought
Caution required for using CRISPR/Cas9 in potential gene therapies
Cholera spread tracked at household level
For the first time, the transmission of cholera has been tracked at the household level across Dhaka, Bangladesh, a city with a ‘hyper-endemic’ level of the disease. Researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators found that nearly 80 per cent of the cholera transmission in Dhaka occurred between people who shared a household.
Wellcome Sanger Institute calls for the free movement of scientists across European borders
The Wellcome Sanger Institute has provided evidence and made recommendations for an inquiry by the UK Parliament Science and Technology Committee into an immigration system that works for science and innovation.
Genetic discovery will help clinicians identify aggressive versus benign bone tumours
The first genetic marker for the bone tumour, osteoblastoma, has been discovered by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators.
New online course introduces bioinformatics to address skills gap
A free course ‘Bacterial Genomes: From DNA to protein function using bioinformatics’ has been developed by researchers from the Wellcome Sanger Institute.
Wellcome Sanger Institute sequences reference genomes of 3,000 dangerous bacteria
The genomes of more than 3,000 bacteria, including some of the world’s most dangerous, have been sequenced by researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute in collaboration with Pacific Biosciences (PacBio). Infecting tens of millions of people worldwide every year, these bacteria have been collected by the National Collection of Type Cultures (NCTC) and include deadly strains of plague, dysentery…
Machine learning flags emerging pathogens
A new machine learning tool could be useful for flagging dangerous bacteria before they cause an outbreak, from hospital wards to a global scale.
Leukaemia: protective role of Y chromosone gene discovered
Scientists have discovered the first leukaemia protective gene that is specific to the male-only Y chromosome. Researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute and the University of Cambridge found that this Y-chromosome gene protects against the development of Acute Myeloid Leukaemia (AML) and other cancers.
New osteoarthritis genes discovered
In the largest study of its kind, nine novel genes for osteoarthritis have been discovered by scientists from the Wellcome Sanger Institute and their collaborators.
Pioneering genome scientist Sir John Sulston dies, aged 75
The Wellcome Sanger Institute has announced that Professor Sir John Sulston, Nobel Prize winner and Founding Director of the Institute, died last week.
Human Cell Atlas takes first steps towards understanding human development
Researchers from the global Human Cell Atlas Consortium are taking the first steps towards using powerful single-cell genome analysis tools to understand early human development and how this can affect health or lead to disease. Preliminary projects for the Human Developmental Cell Atlas (HDCA) have sequenced a quarter of a million separate cells so far and the first tranche of data analysis is…
25 species revealed for 25 Genomes Project
To commemorate the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute turning 25 in 2018, the Institute and its collaborators* are sequencing 25 new genomes of species in the UK**.
The Sanger Institute introduces its new Laboratory Technician Apprentice
A new Laboratory Technician Apprentice, Claire Cormie, has joined the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre boosts its offering for event organisers
The Wellcome Genome Campus Conference Centre in Hinxton, Cambridge, has launched a new initiative aimed at event organisers, offering a comprehensive range of services designed to support those holding meetings and conferences at the Conference Centre.
New tool allows analysis of single-cell RNA data in pre-malignant tumours
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute scientists and their collaborators have developed a new analysis tool that was able to show, for the first time, which genes were expressed by individual cells in different genetic versions of a benign blood cancer.
Scientists and conservation charities join forces to track Spanish bluebell invasion
The Wellcome Genome Campus Public Engagement team has joined forces with the Eden Project and The Wildlife Trust for Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Northamptonshire to launch the first ‘Bluebell Barcoding Day’ today (Wednesday 6 April), which will help track the threat to English bluebells from an invasive Spanish variety.
Strongest single gene conclusively implicated in schizophrenia
An international consortium of researchers, led by a team at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, has discovered conclusive evidence for the involvement of a gene called SETD1A in schizophrenia. Damaging changes to this gene, which occur rarely, increase the risk of schizophrenia 35-fold and also increase risk for a wide range of neurodevelopmental disorders.
Wellcome Genome Campus launches new BioData Innovation Centre
The Wellcome Genome Campus has an exciting development lined up for this year. In 2016 the campus will open the doors on its brand new BioData Innovation Centre, an outstanding new home for innovative genomics and biodata companies.
Genomic sequencing reveals link between STIs and leading cause of infectious blindness
For the first time, genome sequencing has been carried out on Chlamydia trachomatis (C. trachomatis), a bacteria responsible for the disease Trachoma - the world’s leading infectious cause of blindness, according to a study in Nature Communications.
Move over Alan Sugar...the Sanger Institute introduces its apprentices
Last week, two IT Apprentices joined the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute – Dane Ebanks and Tom Ashcroft.
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) genetically similar in Europeans and non-Europeans
The first genetic study of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to include individuals from diverse populations has shown that the regions of the genome underlying the disease are consistent around the world.
Host-targeted antibodies effective against malaria
All antimalarial drugs produced to date target the disease-causing parasite, but a new study in the Journal of Experimental Medicine shows that drugs which target host proteins are also a potential avenue for new interventions.
Genome of emerging antibiotic resistant bacteria decoded
An analysis of the largest genetically decoded collection of the bacterial pathogen Klebsiella pneumoniae, which causes a spectrum of diseases in humans and animals, reveals the impact of antibiotic treatment on its population structure and provides the tools needed to track this important pathogen.