The work by Professors Jo Dumville and Nicky Cullum on the most effective types of compression treatments is good news for the hundreds of thousands of patients affected by venous leg ulcers every year,  costing the NHS tens of millions of pounds. 

Venous ulcers are a common long-term condition which adversely affect people's quality of life; nurses deliver the majority of care, which takes the form of compression therapy as a first-line treatment. 

According to the NHS National Wound Care Strategy Programme, venous leg ulcers account for 60% to 80% of all leg ulcers. 

However, the abundance of different compression treatments and heavy product promotion by the wound care industry makes it difficult for nurses to decide, with patients, on the course of treatment that is most clinically effective and offers the most value to the NHS. 

The guidance - known officially as a “Late Stage Assessment" -  is set to change that by providing crucial information to nursing staff on the most effective types of compression. 

It will also help NHS commissioners and procurement specialists give healthcare professionals access to a range of the most appropriate compression products to ensure their affordability to the NHS. 

According to the researchers’ evidence, the clinical effectiveness of two-layer compression hosiery and two-layer and 4-layer bandages is similar, while compression hosiery is more cost-effective than bandages. However, compression wraps are less clinically and cost-effective.

Professor Cullum was first asked to review the research evidence on leg ulcer management by the then Department of Health (now the Department of Health and Social Care) in 1989.

Working with Professor Dumville, they have been analysing and publishing the evidence in Cochrane and other systematic reviews, and have worked to fill knowledge gaps by doing new randomised controlled trials and other relevant studies.

A Cochrane systematic review is a rigorously conducted, independent review of research evidence on the effects of healthcare interventions, published by Cochrane, a global, not-for-profit organisation.

The latest randomised controlled trial, led by Professor Dumville will have further important implications for care and is likely to be published later in 2025 or early 2026.

Professor Dumville said: ‘I am delighted that our NIHR-funded research has delivered high-quality and relevant evidence on compression therapy for venous leg ulcers.

“The contribution of these findings to NICE’s late-stage assessment underscores the importance of NIHR studies like VenUS 6 in strengthening the clinical evidence base in wound care and informing national recommendations that support best practice in patient care.�

Professor Cullum said: “This is the first time there has been a piece of NICE guidance on compression therapy for venous leg ulcers.

“It feels like something of a culmination of all the work Jo Dumville and I have been doing for decades, so we are delighted it has culminated in some national guidance which will help nurses and patients arrive at informed decisions.�

• See Professor Cullum’s Lockdown Lecture  where she talks about her work on leg ulcers and her with Jude Johnson.

Published in the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR) journal Cancer Research Communications, the study assessed AOA’s novel technology that analysed multiple groups of biological markers from a single blood sample. 

The researchers showed the test outperformed traditional biomarker tests for ovarian cancer detection in over 950 patients from Colorado and Â鶹´«Ã½. 

This study is a major milestone and AOA is committed to pursuing regulatory approval across the US and Europe in the coming years, ahead of launching the test to the NHS. 

The technology combines two different sets of blood-markers, proteins and lipids, with   machine learning to identify the presence of ovarian cancer in women that present with vague abdominal/pelvic symptoms. 

In samples from University of Colorado the test exhibited an accuracy of 93% across all stages of ovarian cancer and 91% for early-stage disease. 

In a set from Â鶹´«Ã½, the model continued to perform strongly, with an accuracy of 92% for all-stages of ovarian cancer and 88% for early-stage disease.

 AOA’s test performed better than single blood-based-markers which have been used for the past 30 year, which were only able to attain accuracies of less than 90%. 

The successful results, say AOA, will inform the final design of the test, which could produce a streamlined and cost-effective diagnostic relevant to healthcare systems globally. 

“Our platform detects ovarian cancer at early stages and with greater accuracy than current tools,â€� said Alex Fisher COO and Co-Founder of AOA Dx. “These findings show its potential to aid clinicians in making faster, more informed decisions for women who need urgent clarity during a challenging diagnostic process.â€� 

“By using machine learning to combine multiple biomarker types, we’ve developed a diagnostic tool that detects ovarian cancer across the molecular complexity of the disease in sub-types and stages� said Dr. Abigail McElhinny, Chief Science Officer of AOA Dx. “This platform offers a great opportunity to improve the early diagnosis of ovarian cancer potentially resulting in better patient outcomes and lower costs to the healthcare system.�

varian cancer is the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths among women, largely due to late-stage diagnosis.

Over 90% of women experience symptoms in Stage I, yet only 20% of cases are diagnosed in Stage I or II, as symptoms like bloating, abdominal pain, and digestive issues often resemble benign conditions.

Existing diagnostic methods, which rely on invasive procedures or less reliable markers, frequently fail to identify early-stage disease.

An accurate early detection test available to women when they first visit a physician with symptoms could revolutionize the detection of ovarian cancer.

Professor Emma Crosbie, Professor at Â鶹´«Ã½ and Honorary Consultant in Gynecological Oncology, Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said: “AOA Dx’s platform shows significant promise for ovarian cancer early detection, offering a practical solution for symptomatic women.â€�

Professor Crosbie is also National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Co-Theme Lead.

She added: “AOA Dx’s platform has the potential to significantly improve patient care and outcomes for women diagnosed with ovarian cancer. We are eager to continue advancing this important research through additional prospective trials to further validate and expand our understanding of how this could be integrated into existing healthcare systems.�

The paper Utilizing serum-derived lipidomics with protein biomarkers and machine learning for early detection of ovarian cancer in the symptomatic population published in cancer Research Communications is available DOI:

Published today  in the journal , the study provides a major insight into the muscular dystrophy subtype known collectively as Collagen VI-related dystrophy – or COL6-RD for short.

The team are the first ever to determine the high resolution structure of collagen VI- one of the networks of protein molecules that give our tissues mechanical strength and the ability to stretch and bend.

Called the extracellular matrix, the protein network also enables cells to sense their environment and communicate with one another in response to mechanical forces.

COL6-RD, which includes Ullrich congenital muscular dystrophy (UCMD) and  Bethlem myopathy (BM), can cause a range of symptoms including muscle weakness, joint contractures, decreased muscle tone, and weak breathing muscles.

It is one of a number muscular dystrophy subtypes and others include the more prevalent Duchenne-  caused by mutation of another protein -   for which scientists are developing gene therapies.

However, so far equivalent therapies have not been developed for COL6-RD.

Collagens are the most abundant extracellular matrix proteins, and form long fibres many times smaller than a human hair, called microfibrils. 

Collagen VI forms one type of microfibril, taking on the appearance of a large bead-like structure, consisting of  three separate protein chains, that twist and fold together.

The research required the scientists to develop small fragments of collagen VI, which they called mini-collagens.

Mini-collagens will be useful tools for studying or even treating the diseases associated with collagen VI mutations.

Lead author of Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council funded study Clair Baldock, Professor of  Biochemistry at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ said: “It is extremely important to understand where mutations in the tiny protein chains called collagen VI that cause a subtype of muscular dystrophy are, to help in the design of future treatments.

“Using a technique called cryogenic-electron microscopy -  which can magnify collagen VI hundreds of thousands of times-   we were able to determine the organisation of parts of collagen VI and map the disease mutations.

“That provides an opportunity for scientists to design drugs which specifically target the mutations by focusing only on what's broken.

She added: “We are the first group to determine the high resolution structure of collagen VI; until now, no- one has been able to show the locations of these mutations on the collagen VI structure.

“This is an important step along the path of finding ways to treat these types of muscular dystrophy and will provide momentum  to accelerate scientific discovery in this area.

“We hope that our structure will provide vital information to help the scientific community develop treatments, such as gene therapy, for collagen VI-RD.

“This provides some hope to people with muscular dystrophy that one day treatments will be available to improve their quality of life and help them to stay active and independent.�

• The paper Collagen VI microfibril structure reveals mechanism for molecular assembly and clustering of inherited pathogenic mutations is . https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-025-62923-3

 Published in the American Journal of Nephrology today (11/08/25), the researchers show that higher levels of  Kidney Injury Molecule-1(KIM-1), a special marker of kidney damage in the blood and urine, are associated with higher risks of mortality and kidney failure, never before have the two been measured together. 

The research follows hot on the heels of their published in the Journal of the American Society of Nephrology last month, which measured 21 markers in blood and urine that reflect key processes driving kidney disease, inflammation, and heart disease. 

From the JASN study , the team pinpointed three standout markers that can predict both how quickly kidney disease will progress and the risk of death. 

Unlike the generic tests used in routine kidney clinics, the markers shine a light on the biological changes, underpinning CKD, that truly drive the disease. By revealing the hidden drivers, the discovery opens the door to new treatments designed to target the disease at its roots. 

Lead author Dr Thomas McDonnell, is both a researcher at Â鶹´«Ã½ and a kidney doctor at Salford Royal Hospital, part of Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. 

He said: “The progression of chronic kidney disease is highly variable between people,  so it’s difficult to predict which patients will progress to kidney failure or worse. 

“B³Ü³Ù our work raises the prospect of the development of  simple blood or urine tests that could better predict the degree of risk-  invaluable information for doctors and patients. 

“We think that , these models, which are more closely aligned with the underlying biological changes happening in chronic kidney disease, could allow a more tailored approach to the individual needs of patients.�

The researchers analysed the blood and urine of adults with non-dialysis chronic kidney disease from 16 nephrology centres across the UK.

They analysed blood and urine KIM-1 in 2581 patients for the KIM-1 study and looked at all 21 markers of kidney damage, fibrosis, inflammation, and cardiovascular disease together in 2,884 patients for the second

They used statistical analysis  to assess how or if biological signals associated with kidney failure and mortality, and developed risk prediction models.

Because chronic kidney disease can stay stable for years in one person but suddenly worsen in another, doctors find it difficult to identify which patients are most at risk.

Existing blood tests currently only give doctors a partial picture, missing important clues like  inflammation and scar build up. As a result, people with the same CKD stage are often labelled has having the same risk and are given the same treatments.

Dr McDonnell added: “This  discovery may will help doctors identify high-risk patients, so they enact more aggressive interventions, earlier specialist referral, and earlier treatment therapies.

“And by identifying low risk patients, they  would be able to prevent over-treatment.

“Living with chronic kidney disease often means managing fatigue, having limits to what you can and can’t eat, and being consigned to  frequent medical appointments.

“It can be physically and emotionally challenging, but with the appropriate care, it is possible maintain an active and fulfilling life.�

Plasma and Urinary KIM-1 in Chronic Kidney Disease: Prognostic Value, Associations with Albuminuria, and Implications for Kidney Failure and Mortality is published in   doi 10.1159/000547867is 

Biomarkers of kidney failure and all-cause mortality in chronic kidney disease  is published in the  DOI:10.1681/ASN.0000000767

Approximately one in 50 people will develop wounds that fail to heal with the issue a particular problem for older people and in diabetes. 

Chronic wounds are more likely to become infected and can even result in a need for amputation making tackling them a really important issue. 

The paper published in the , reveals that the enzyme-  called arginase 1 -  can  promote wound repair in the  skin, through modulation of  a protein called Lipocalin2. 

A major factor in non-healing wounds is a failure of the damaged outer layer of skin, the epidermis, to repair and regrow. This can be worsened by uncontrolled inflammation and infection. 

The authors show that on wounding Arginase 1 enhanced production of Lipocalin2, an anti-microbial agent, which was required to combat infection and help the skin cells reform the skin barrier. 

Arginase 1 also reduced levels of inflammatory products made by the damaged skin cells showing its potential for tackling the inflammation typically associated with chronic wounds.

 The researchers also showed that the function of arginase, could be restored to help skin regrow by adding products that arginase 1 can make which include metabolites called polyamines. 

The paper follows on from previous by the team, published in February, which showed how important this enzyme Arginase 1 was for healthy skin and eczema. 

A healthy skin barrier involves a balance between cells multiplying (‘proliferating’) and changing their function (‘differentiating’). A key feature of eczema is a disruption of this balance. Arginase is required for skin barrier regulation where it functions to promote cell differentiation, a process essential to maintain a protective healthy skin barrier. A process that is disrupted in eczema.

 Arginase 1 has been shown to have an important role in tissue repair but how it promotes skin health was until now, unknown. 

Lead author Sheena Cruickshank, Professor of immunology at Â鶹´«Ã½ ‘s Lydia Becker Institute of Immunology and Inflammation, said: “These two studies highlight the mechanism by which arginase 1 promotes barrier function and ensures good wound healing. 

“It’s importance is highlighted by the abnormal levels of Arginase seen in wounds that don’t heal well and eczema 

“That is why we think that targeting arginase 1 has potential to be used in the treatment of eczema and non-healing skin ulcers. Data in the two papers suggest it might also protect the skin from infection.â€� 

She added: “Non-healing skin wounds, or ulcers, are incredibly common and serious skin conditions that are more common as we age. 

“They can have a devastating effect on the lives of patients, causing chronic pain, problems with mobility and can lead to increased morbidity. 

“Similarly, eczema can significantly impact quality of life, leading to intense itching, pain, and sleep disruption. It can also increase the risk of skin infections. 

“We clearly have a long way to go before these skin conditions can be cured, but knowing the crucial role of arginase 1 in the healing process and that we can rescue function in model systems is an important milestone.â€� 

Jason Wong, Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Regenerative Medicine  from Â鶹´«Ã½ said: “The burden of chronic wounds seems to be on the increase and any new insights to how we can treat the problem will save limbs.â€� 

The PhD studentship for coauthor Denis Szondi was funded by the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR) Singapore and Â鶹´«Ã½. 

The Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC) funded a PhD studentship for co-author Rachel Crompton. 

Banked tissue collection was funded by Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). (Prof Wong is part of the Dermatology Theme at the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC.

British Journal of Dermatology, Volume 193, Issue 1, July 2025, Pages 125–135, 

On Thursday 17^th July 2025, researchers from Â鶹´«Ã½ furthered their entrepreneurial journey by completing the MEC R2I programme at the Options Roundabout event. The event saw participants pitch their innovations to a panel of commercialisation experts, entrepreneurs and funders from across the University. The day concluded with a celebration of the cohort’s accomplishments with peers and supporters of the programme, as well as a networking opportunity to aid them in their next steps.

The R2I programme aims to inspire and accelerate the translation of academic research into impact-driven ventures. Over the course of 12-weeks, participants benefited from a series of bespoke workshops and mentoring opportunities to help them articulate their ideas and explore the commercial potential of their research.

Six Innovation Enabling Awards were granted to acknowledge the progress and growth potential, with early career researchers receiving between £2,000 to £10,000 to support the further development of their businesses.

Aurore Hochard, Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, presented the Innovation Enabling Awards to the six winning projects.

Award Winners

Innovation Enabling Award: £10,000

Lutèo Medical

Dr Abigail Elias (School of Biological Sciences)

“The support, mentoring, and resources provided through the Researcher to Innovator (R2I) programme have been transformative. Most importantly, the experience gave me the confidence to reach out to potential stakeholders and begin building the connections needed to bring my ideas to life. It was also great to connect with people on the cohort from such a broad range of disciplines."

Innovation Enabling Award: £5,000

ViRTUE: Virtual Reality Training in Ultrasonic Evaluation

Daniel Conniffe (School of Engineering)

“R2I equipped me with the resources, motivation, and communication skills to bridge the gap between research and industry. Through building a strong network, I gained insight into real-world challenges and was able to pivot my research toward creating a meaningful, practical solution.�

Innovation Enabling Award: £3,000

Hollowgraf

Dr Premlal Balakrishna Pillai (School of Engineering)

“The encouragement, guidance, and practical knowledge I gained through R2I have been truly inspiring. The programme really helped me to clarify my idea and shape it into a commercially viable opportunity, giving me the confidence to take the first steps into entrepreneurship.�

Innovation Enabling Award: £2,000

PRECIOUS: Programmable Recovery of Critical Elements Using Synthetic Biology

Dr Sergio Gutiérrez Zapata (School of Natural Sciences)

“The R2I programme gave me the push I didn’t know I needed. It helped me go from a scientific idea to something that could actually work in the real world — with real people and real challenges. Being able to shape a venture around bioremediation, and test the idea from different angles, has been incredibly motivating.�

Innovation Enabling Award: £2,000

PRISM: Prostate cancer Risk Identification by Spectroscopic Measurement

Dr Dougal Ferguson (School of Engineering)

“The R2I programme really helped me hone my ability to concisely and impactfully pitch my research as a commercial application. I am much more confident now pitching my science to a non-scientific audience!�

Innovation Enabling Award: £2,000

Inclusive Skincare Solutions

Yoana Kirilova (School of Biological Sciences)

“The Researcher to Innovator programme has been a fantastic journey – connecting with like-minded peers, learning from experienced entrepreneurs, and gaining insights that will continue to shape my innovation journey.�

The prize winners will also receive expert support and signposting to regional and national accelerator programmes and all the participants on the MEC R2I programme will be connected to the wider ecosystem for further support, mentoring and guidance in taking their research ideas forward.

The organisers wish to thank the Innovation Academy and the Engineers for Business Fellowship for their sponsorship of the Innovation Enabling Awards.

The  is supported by the University’s Innovation Academy. The Innovation Academy is a pan University initiative and joint venture between the , the  and the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, bringing together knowledge, expertise and routes to facilitate the commercialisation of research.

The research study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), LifeArc and the Wellcome Trust and published in The Lancet Neurology today (16/07/25). 

Twenty-five years ago when Timothy Bingham was two years old, he had a mild flu like illness which left him unable to walk. 

Three years later following another infection, he was paralysed and has been in a wheelchair ever since. 

Then in 2011, doctors saw an 8-month-old girl at a UK hospital who had been completely fit and well until a mild chest infection left her unable to breathe without the support of a ventilator. 

They considered that there may be a genetic cause as her two brothers had experienced similar severe problems following mild infections. 

Genetic researchers at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ have now discovered that changes in a gene called RCC1 led to this severe nerve damage in both Timothy and the family in Â鶹´«Ã½. 

A further 20 children from 10 families from the UK, Türkiye, Czechia, Germany, Iran, India, Saudi Arabia, Cyprus, and Slovakia have been found to have changes in the same gene leading to this severe nerve condition all triggered by mild infections. 

In over half of the children, doctors suspected the diagnosis of a different severe nerve condition that can develop after infection called . 

The researchers performed laboratory studies on skin cells taken from patients and in specially genetically  engineered fruit flies to show that the damage to nerves can be caused by certain chemicals. 

Skin cells from patients when looked at under special microscopes have changes very similar to those seen in the cells of patients with motor neuron disease where muscles, including those controlling breathing and swallowing, become weak. 

Bill Newman, Professor of Translational Genomic Medicine at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and Rare Condition co-theme lead at the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre led the research. 

He said: “Until this study, little was known about why some people experience severe nerve damage after they have had a mild infection like flu or a stomach upset. 

“This work provides families with an explanation and is the first step in us developing an effective treatment. As children are well before they develop nerve damage following an infection, this gives us an opportunity to treat at risk children before problems occur. 

“The similarity with Guillain-Barré syndrome and with conditions like motor neuron disease may help us understand these more common conditions and why some people are at greater risk and what treatments may be effective.â€� 

Kate Bingham, mum of Tim who is now 28, said: “About 25 years ago Tim got a flu like infection and a temperature. What seemed like a minor illness had devastating consequences. 

“The attack, and subsequent attacks - did terrible damage. First to his legs, then his arms, his face and his chest. 

“And now he needs 24-hour care. His diaphragm barely works at all so he can’t cough. It’s hard for him to chew and he can’t drink unassisted. He can’t move in bed so needs turning throughout the night. The things we all take for granted he can’t do. 

“B³Ü³Ù I’m proud of how strong Tim has been. He now has a girlfriend he met online who is wonderful. He proves there is life beyond disability.â€� 

She added: “As Tim’s mum the discovery of a gene which is linked to what happened to Tim means everything to me. For so long we have lived with uncertainty of not knowing the full picture. 

“This breakthrough brings us great hope as it will do to all those people who have waited years for answers. This is something that helps us look to the future.â€� 

Sam Barrell, CEO of LifeArc, said, ““For many people living with rare conditions, the wait for a diagnosis can be agonisingly long - around a third wait more than five years. In Timothy’s case, that uncertainty stretched for over twenty years.  This discovery provides a potential target for treatment and the first step towards delivering a brighter future for people that could be living with this same devastating condition.â€� 

Image: Kate and Tim and Tim with his dog, Red.

The paper Acute-onset axonal neuropathy following infection in children with biallelic RCC1 variants: a case series is published in The Lancet Neurology here DOI 

Up to £50 million is to be invested in a Medical Research Council Centre of Research Excellence (MRC CoRE) in Exposome Immunology over the next 14 years.

These environmental exposures, which also include things like microbes and toxins, predominantly interact with our bodies at what we call ‘mucosal barrier sites’, for example our lungs and intestines. Here, they met by our immune cells, and can change how the immune system works, pushing some tissues into chronic inflammation, causing diseases such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD).

The centre will embrace AI technology to interrogate large data sets, such as those from UK Biobank, patient cohorts and long-term studies in hospital clinics, and identify common pathways by which environmental factors disrupt the immune system. Findings will be tested through laboratory studies and by exposing healthy volunteers to pollutants and common viral infections, leading to more accurate diagnoses, better prevention, and more effective treatment options.

Individuals from disadvantaged socioeconomic backgrounds often have a more adverse exposome, facing greater exposure to pollution, mould (in poor quality housing), and occupational hazards (cleaning chemicals, industrial processes). The MRC CoRE is therefore key to Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s mission to address , and builds on work investigating .

Professor Judi Allen, from Â鶹´«Ã½ is Director of the MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology.

She said: “Globally we’re facing a crisis in chronic inflammatory diseases, such as asthma and inflammatory bowel disease. For decades we’ve been studying how our genes make us susceptible to disease. While very valuable, genetics has only got us so far. We need to understand how our environment interacts with our genes to make our immune system malfunction.�

“We will benefit from advances in new technologies to identify which of the many complex factors may be important in driving disease, but what’s different about our new Centre is we are going to define how the immune system is altered by these environmental factors and how that impacts inflammation. Changing environments, often made worse by socioeconomic disparities and rising pollution, appear to be increasing the rates of these diseases, making it even more imperative to find the causes.�

“We hope to later expand our research to include more environmental factors, such as mould and microplastics, which are growing concerns. An ultimate goal of this research would be to discover the underlying causes of these chronic diseases so we can develop better prevention and treatments.�

Professor Fiona Powrie, co-director of the MRC CoRE in Exposome Immunology, from University of Oxford, said: “This is an exciting opportunity to bring together complementary expertise in Â鶹´«Ã½ and University of Oxford to build a multidisciplinary team to tackle this challenge. Our Centre will train a new generation of scientists working across biology and environmental science, future proofing our efforts to combat the health effects of a changing environment.â€�

Professor Patrick Chinnery, MRC Executive Chair, said: “This new MRC Centre of Research Excellence will transform our understanding of how lifelong environmental exposures shape immune health and cause chronic inflammatory diseases. With chronic inflammatory diseases posing such a large and growing disease burden, the new centre is well placed pave the way for more effective and targeted treatments.

“Alongside exceptional scientific leadership linking two world-leading centres, and strong partnerships with patients and digital health innovators, the scientists’ commitment to the next generation of researchers will embed UK leadership in this field, with long-term potential to deliver a transformative, global impact for health.�

The findings - based on the scans of 1,684 women - could make the difficult task of determining whether labour should be induced in the final stages of pregnancy easier, resulting in fewer complications, say the researchers.

Published today in the Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health, the study was led by gynaecologist Sanne Gordijn of the University Medical Center Groningen (UMCG) in collaboration with Wessel Ganzevoort of Amsterdam University Medical Centre and Professor Alexander Heazell from Â鶹´«Ã½.

When pregnant women feel their baby is moving less in the final weeks of pregnancy, they are referred to hospital where an examination is carried out to assess the condition of the baby.

The examination consists of monitoring the baby’s heart rate and an assessment of its growth and amniotic fluid - the fluid around the baby it.

Now the researchers have discovered that an extra ultrasound scan - in addition to the other tests-  is able to significantly help doctors to see whether a baby would benefit from being born earlier.

By measuring the resistance in the blood vessels of the umbilical cord and the baby's brain they were able to accurately assess the functioning of the placenta and the condition of the baby, making it easier to decide if doctors needed to induce delivery earlier.

The perception from mothers that their baby is moving less commonly can occur when a baby has changed position or the mother hasn’t noticed the movement because she is busy or distracted.

However in some cases, reduced movement could be a sign that the baby is unwell, which can be worrying for pregnant women and midwives.

Professor Heazell said: “We know that a reduction in baby’s movements is a common reason to attend maternity services. Thankfully, in the majority of cases the baby is ok.

“The findings of this study will help us to reassure the majority of mothers that their baby is healthy, and help us to focus intervention for the babies who will benefit from being born because they are not receiving enough oxygen or nutrients in the womb.�

Sanne Gordijn said: “We call the ratio between the two ultrasound measurements the Cerebro Placental Ratio (CPR). The idea is that an abnormal value may indicate that the placenta is not functioning properly.

“In that case, it is better for the baby to be born in the short term. We do this by inducing labour. If the value is normal, it would be better to wait for the natural moment of delivery, as the baby may not be completely ready yet. Women who want to give birth at home can still do so.�

“The results of this study show better outcomes for the baby when the result of the CPR measurement is known.

“This means that we see fewer complications during childbirth when this measurement is taken, compared to the current policy where it is not done.�

She added: “If doctors know the results of this measurement, they can better distinguish whether the baby's reduced movement has a harmless cause or whether it requires action.

“This ensures that mother and baby receive the care that best suits their situation.' The guideline on reduced fetal movements will soon be updated; the professional association will incorporate the results of this study into it.�

The study was funded by ZonMw from the Netherlands.

Sanne Gordijn conducted this CEPRA study together with researchers from Amsterdam UMC in 23 hospitals. Laura Lens, the MD, PhD student on this study presented at the international SMFM conference in Denver (USA) and Sanne in London. The study is published on July 10 in the authoritative scientific journal The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women’s Health.

• The study is published in the Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology and Women’s Health and is available
• doi.org/10.1016/j.lanogw.2025.100002

Despite tearing his right knee ligament just eight weeks ago, the customer service officer – who works at a Halifax Housing Association – will walk 120 miles nonstop, without sleep.

Starting at the Angel of the North in Gateshead on Saturday 12 July, 42-year-old Ben will make his way to Tommy’s Rainbow Clinic and Maternal and Fetal Health Research Centre at Saint Mary’s Hospital – the specialist unit that helped save his son’s life.

Just seven days later, after flying to Rhodes, Ben will climb the steep mountain road to Prophet Elias Monastery in Faliraki, Greece an exhausting 50 times – a gruelling test of endurance with no shade and where temperatures are likely to soar above 40°C.

Ben is aiming to raise £20,000 for Professor Alex Heazell, Director of the Tommy’s Stillbirth Research Centre and the University of Â鶹´«Ã½-based team leading UK research to reduce preventable stillbirths and support families through pregnancy after loss.

Ben and his partner Gaynor Thompson lost their daughter Kallipateira to a preventable stillbirth at 37 weeks in October 2018. They later suffered a miscarriage in 2019.

Determined to stop other families going through the same heartbreak, they founded The Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation, which funds research and supports families affected by baby loss.

In 2020, their son Apollon was born safely at Tommy’s Rainbow Clinic, thanks to the specialist care of Professor Heazell.

Ben has since taken on multiple extreme solo fundraising feats.

“This year has brought mountains I’ve had to climb emotionally and physically. Now, I’m preparing to put myself through the mill – fuelled by love, grief, and purpose,� said Ben.

“There’s no pain greater than holding your dead baby in your arms – but every step I take will honour Kallipateira and help save other babies across the UK. I will once again show that because of love and a reason why, anything is possible.�

Every day in the UK, eight babies are stillborn – many of which are preventable.

The funds Ben raises will go directly to Professor Heazell’s team, who are making groundbreaking progress in understanding stillbirth and supporting parents in pregnancy after loss.

Alex Heazell, who is also Professor of Obstetrics at Â鶹´«Ã½ and Honorary Consultant Obstetrician at Saint Mary’s Hospital, part of MFT, said: “Ben’s unwavering commitment is extraordinary. His support has already helped us improve care for families and expand our research into stillbirth prevention. These challenges will fund new projects that could save lives.â€�

Dignity Funerals, through Lawrence Funeral Directors Halifax, are proud headline sponsors of Ben’s 2025 challenge.

Stuart Cox, Head of Public Affairs at Dignity, said: “Ben is a true inspiration. We’re honoured to support The Kallipateira Moorhouse Foundation and the vital work they do in memory of Kallipateira.�

To support Ben’s Mission donate now at: 

Â鶹´«Ã½ project has been awarded the grant through the NHS Cancer Programme Innovation Open Call with support from SBRI Healthcare (Small Business Research Initiative) as part of a new, unique national partnership which could save lives and improve quality of life.

Researchers in Â鶹´«Ã½ will implement an innovative lung cancer risk assessment tool and an adapted care pathway for Hodgkin lymphoma survivors, supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

The new multi-centre study started in June 2025 and will be running for two years within the existing NHS Lung Cancer Screening Programme at 10 Cancer Alliances across England, including Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ Cancer Alliance leading the initiative.

Every year, around 2,100 people in the UK are diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma, a cancer that develops in the lymphatic system (part of the immune system).

Although it is a highly curable cancer, treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy to the chest and lungs increase the risk of second cancers occurring in later life. This risk increases further for people who smoke.

Survivors of Hodgkin lymphoma are six times more likely to develop lung cancer than the general population.

Study lead Dr Kim Linton, Senior Lecturer at Â鶹´«Ã½ and Living With and Beyond Cancer Co-Theme Lead at Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC, said: “It is crucial that Hodgkin lymphoma survivors can access screening to detect lung cancer at an early stage, when it is more treatable.â€�

Developed in Â鶹´«Ã½, the new UK-wide programme aims to screen 500 Hodgkin lymphoma survivors over two years, which could detect early lung cancer in an estimated 10-12 people.

Joanne Murray, from Didsbury in Â鶹´«Ã½, was diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma in 1997 at the age of 29 and received successful treatment at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

She took part in the pilot study in 2022 which helped Â鶹´«Ã½ researchers design the new national programme. Despite having no symptoms, the study found Joanne had stage 1 lung cancer.

Now 56 and living in North Wales, Joanne said: “I feel exceptionally lucky that this research has saved my life. I had no symptoms of lung cancer and had I not taken part in this study, it might have been too late for me once symptoms had appeared.�

Through the study, Joanne had a CT scan at The Christie in Â鶹´«Ã½ which revealed a ‘fluffy’ and opaque nodule (small lump) on her right lung. Following surgery to remove part of her lung, a biopsy revealed it was stage 1 cancer.

Joanne, who works for North Wales Police, explained: “After my scan, doctors closely monitored me through ‘watch and wait’, with regular check-ups to determine if the nodule grew or if I developed symptoms. In November 2023, after I had moved to Wales, a follow-up scan at my local hospital showed that the nodule had grown by 1mm. After discussing my treatment options, I decided to have surgery to remove part of my right lung.�

Joanne had the surgery in January 2024 at Liverpool Heart and Chest Hospital. She said: “I was absolutely terrified of having the surgery, but it was fine, and all the staff were fantastic. I had video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery [a form of keyhole surgery] which was less invasive, and I was back home in two days to recover.

“When I found out from the biopsy that it had been stage 1 cancer, I was in complete shock. I’m a positive person and thought I had just been overthinking it. I am so thankful for this vital research and the team at The Christie.�

Now 18 months later, Joanne has had two clear scans, with the next one due in early 2026.

On taking part in research, Joanne said: “When I read the letter asking me if I wanted to be part of research I thought, ‘there’s nothing wrong with me, but I’ll do it.’ You never know what’s around the corner.

“Without doubt, I would urge other cancer survivors to take part in screening. It might take 10 or 15 minutes out of your day, but it could save your life.�

Hodgkin lymphoma can develop at any age, but it mostly affects people between 20 and 40 years of age and those over 75. The most common symptom is a painless swelling in a lymph node, usually in the neck, armpit or groin.

Second cancers, such as lung cancer or breast cancer, can develop more than 10 years after treatment for Hodgkin lymphoma. Survivors can help to reduce their risk of a second cancer by adopting a healthy lifestyle through not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight with a balanced diet, and getting regular exercise.

Dr Linton, who is also an Honorary Consultant in Medical Oncology at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, said: “Most Hodgkin lymphoma survivors do not meet current lung cancer screening criteria, so we hope the success of this study will support an application for routine adoption across England and Wales.

“In Â鶹´«Ã½, we have been working on a lung cancer screening programme for Hodgkin lymphoma survivors for many years, including a pilot screening study at The Christie where we detected 3 lung cancers in 102 people who had showed no symptoms.

“This research helped us to design the national programme and confirmed that our proposed study meets the needs of this high-risk patient group. This work also builds on Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s previous track record of successfully implementing breast cancer screening for Hodgkin lymphoma survivors within the national breast cancer screening programme.â€�

The new study will be open to Hodgkin lymphoma survivors aged between 45 and 74 who smoke or have previously smoked.

It will have an embedded programme to identify and tackle health inequalities, including people where their risk of lung cancer is highest, such as those with lower socioeconomic status, men and older people.

It will help address barriers to screening participation, such as fear of cancer diagnosis, low perceived risk of cancer and issues of cost, travel and time off work.

Screening will take place at convenient community-based settings to encourage participation, including in mobile clinics at supermarket car parks.

Researchers will actively promote screening participation for people with the highest smoking prevalence.

Participants will be offered health education and stop smoking advice to encourage supported self-management to prevent lung cancer, cardiovascular disease and other significant illnesses, which could lead to improved survivorship and reduced healthcare costs.

The Â鶹´«Ã½-based project is part of the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC’s , which aims to transform the detection of cancer recurrence and second cancers to improve quality of life and treatment outcomes for survivors.

Researchers will also be collaborating with the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC’s , which aims to reduce cancer burden across society through implementing prevention and early detection strategies.

The project will be supported by the NIHR Oncology Translational Research Collaboration, Lymphoma Action charity and patient partners.

Health Innovation Â鶹´«Ã½ will work with Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ Cancer Alliance to support local adoption and run patient focus groups to understand barriers to engagement and develop solutions to improve uptake.

• images: Dr Kim Linton and  Joanne and Rob

The former GP, Director of Public Health and Medical Director was tragically killed in a terrorist attack while holidaying in Sri Lanka. 

She studied medicine at Â鶹´«Ã½ and started her medical career as a GP in Salford. 

Her brother Lord Keith Bradley will today (9/07/25) present this year’s prize to Mark Westwood, who received a distinction at the 13th International of Public Health. 

Mark, who has worked in the NHS and volunteered with the Scouting movement is hoping to join the University as a PhD student. 

Lord Keith Bradly – a Labour Party politician created the award in his sister’s name to recognise highest achieving Masters in Public Health (MPH) student from Greater Â鶹´«Ã½. 

Prof Arpana Verma, Programme Director of the MPH said: “Sally was an inspiration to us all. Not only was she a remarkable clinician and public health doctor, she was a wife, sister, aunt, friend and colleague to countless many. 

“She was kind, clever and incredibly knowledgeable. She lit up the room with her charisma, charm and her infectious laugh. 

“There are no words to express our gratitude to Lord Bradley and Sally’s amazing family to honour our programme and our students with this inspirational award.â€� 

She added: “As we teach and train the next generation, we can give our students and alumni the incredible legacy Sally has left us. 

“Mark is a worthy recipient of this honour. He has been an exceptional student and will go on to make important contributions to the field of public health. 

“His voluntary work has been exceptional -  and signifies just how much he cares about the community in which he lives 

The Masters in Public health online programme, created in 2002 by Prof Dick Heller, was was one of first fully distance learning programmes in the UK. 

Since then it has grown to over 2,000 alumni from all over the world, offering fully flexible learning options to allow students to juggle working full time with their studies.

Lord Bradley said: “On behalf of my family, I am proud to pay tribute to my sister, Dr Sally Bradley, who was so cruelly killed alongside her husband Bill in the Easter Day bombings in Sri Lanka some 5 years ago. 

“Since that time, I have recovered numerous messages of kindness remembering Sally and conversations with many of her former colleagues and friends who stressed how inspirational she was to their careers and her utter commitment to preventative healthcare and the crucial role of public health in that endeavour. 

“I am delighted that Mark Westwood will receive this year’s Dr Sally Bradley prize. He clearly encapsulates the values that my sister tried to instil in public health in Â鶹´«Ã½ and well beyond. He is a tremendously worthy winner. 

“I and my family are honoured to ensure that Sally’s legacy will live on and that we all continue to strive for improved health and wellbeing throughout our communities.â€� 

Students can to learn the ‘art and the science’ of public health at their own pace, with a choice of over twenty different course units covering what professionals need for their careers in public health both here and internationally. 

The course concentrates on research-led teaching and students are encouraged to participate and learn from research partners and projects, especially for their dissertations. 

The themes of this year’s festival are AI and In-Silico Public Health, Women’s research and Inclusive Research. 

• More information on the Masters in public Health programme is available here
• Image is of Sally Bradley.

By carefully monitoring the level of cancer activity in the blood, doctors can identify the best time to start and stop the drugs to give treatment breaks, which it is hoped will prevent resistance to treatment developing and also reduce side effects. This experimental blood test could help people with stage 4 melanoma, a type of skin cancer, live longer. 

The ground-breaking approach looks for tiny fragments of DNA coming from the cancer, which can be found in the patient’s blood. 

Dr Rebecca Lee, consultant oncologist and clinician scientist at The Christie and a senior lecturer in Medical Oncology at Â鶹´«Ã½ is leading on the DyNAMIc trial.She said: “Cancer treated with targeted therapy can be thought of as two armies of cells; those that are sensitive to the treatment and those that are resistant, which fight for nutrients in order to grow. A patient does not want either cell army to win as that means their cancer will get worse. Although the targeted therapy can kill the sensitive cells, over time the resistant ones grow through. However, if treatment breaks are given, it is thought that the growth of these resistant cells can be suppressed by the sensitive cells. 

“This blood test enables us to develop a new approach to overcome resistance to targeted therapy treatment. The DyNAMIc trial is really at the forefront of precision medicine. We can adapt the treatment in response to the patient’s melanoma activity levels in real-time and therefore reduce the chance of the cancer becoming resistant in the long term.  This could be a real game-changer in how we treat melanoma and other patients with cancer undergoing similar treatments in the future.â€� 

Professor Paul Lorigan, consultant oncologist at The Christie and chief investigator for the DyNAMIc trial said: “Evaluating new biomarker in clinical trials such as DyNAMIc allows us to personalise treatment decisions and continue to improve outcomes for patients with melanoma and other cancers.  The close collaboration between The Christie and the National Biomarker Centre has allowed us to take this from concept to clinical trial.  The study is now open in ten centres in the UK, led by the Â鶹´«Ã½ team. This would not be possible without support from the patients and their families, The Christie and The Christie Charity, Jon Moulton Charity Trust, Cancer Research UK and many other colleagues.â€� 

Dr Dominic Rothwell, the Deputy Director of the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre and one of the team who helped develop the test said: “The DyNAMIc trial is a great example of how cutting-edge research, funded by the Jon Moulton Charity Trust and CRUK can lead to the development of exciting new tests and how, in close collaboration with our clinical colleagues, these tests can be transferred to the clinic and lead to the potential improvement of treatments for cancer patients.â€� 

The first patient to join this clinical trial was a supermarket worker from Stockport in Greater Â鶹´«Ã½. Jan Smith (64) had been working on the shop floor at her local superstore in November 2022 when she started to experience severe pain and was rushed to A&E. A scan revealed kidney stones which doctors were able to treat successfully.  However, the scan also showed a shadow near her left kidney which was far more serious. It was a 12-inch-deep mass around her adrenal gland at the top of her kidney and a biopsy confirmed she had stage 4 (the most advanced stage) melanoma in December 2022. 

The self-confessed ‘crazy cat lady’, who shares her home with five much-loved moggies, was referred to The Christie. 

“I hadn’t had any symptoms and never take time off sick at work. The pain I had with the kidney stones was unbelievable. Like nothing I’d known before. But in a strange way they saved my life.â€� Jan explained: “It was good news to be told that they had managed to clear the stones but a real shock to discover I had cancer. My local hospital said they couldn’t remove the tumour as it was too big, so I was referred to The Christie for more specialist treatment.â€� 

In January 2023 Jan began a course of immunotherapy, which uses the body’s own immune system to fight the cancer. Unfortunately, within weeks her condition worsened, and she developed speech difficulties and weakness on one side of her body. Jan was given the devastating news that she had developed two brain tumours and needed emergency life-saving surgery to remove part of the tumour in the right side of her head. 

Unfortunately a scan in October 2024 found a new growth near Jan’s liver so she was offered the chance to participate in research at the ) at in Â鶹´«Ã½. Jan was told in the November she was eligible for DyNAMIc, a clinical trial which aims to improve how well the treatment works for patients whose melanoma can’t be removed by surgery or has spread. 

Jan was prescribed two targeted drugs, encorafenib and binimetinib which is an approved treatment in patients with melanoma. They suppress a protein called BRAF, which causes melanoma cells to survive and grow. Around half of people with melanoma have a BRAF mutation which can become overactive.  

These drugs stop the cancer growing and can shrink the tumour by killing off the cells with the abnormal gene. But the cancer can fight back and develop more changes and become resistant to the treatment. Therefore, a sensitive blood test which precisely measures the amount of circulating DNA from the cancer enabling treatment can be turned on and off as required could be very beneficial to patients. 

Talking about her experience of being on the clinical trial, Jan Smith said: “This has been quite a journey with one thing after another, and my battle with cancer is certainly not over yet.  Despite numerous setbacks and changing treatments, I’ve tried to always stay positive and I’m glad to be benefiting from this trial.

“I am pleased to take part in research. If we don’t try new treatments, then we’ll not get the answers and make the medical advancements we need.�

The DyNAMIc study is open for recruitment with the aim of recruiting 40 participants.  The trial is funded by the Jon Moulton Charity Trust, sponsored by The Christie and run by the Liverpool Clinical Trials Centre.  

According to Cancer Research UK, new treatments for melanoma have improved outcomes in recent years. Around half of people with stage 4 melanoma can now survive for 10 years or more.

Dr Rebecca Lee is a senior lecturer in Medical Oncology at Â鶹´«Ã½ and her post at The Christie is funded by .

Any patients interested in taking part in clinical trials should discuss this option with their consultant or GP. Not all patients will fit the criteria for a specific trial. While clinical trials can be successful for some patients, outcomes can vary from case to case. More information about taking part in clinical trials can be found .

To date, over 2000 patients have consented to be part of the ID LIVER study, with more than 600 assessed in community settings across Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ over the last year, as part of the . 

This research project is delivered as part of a series of projects that looks to address Greater Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s major diseases for the Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator (ADA), part of the . The Accelerator has been established to rapidly improve the diagnosis and treatment of disease across the 2.8m Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ population.

Stephanie Landi, Clinical Research Hepatology Fellow at Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT), said: “ID LIVER is shifting the focus of liver disease care towards early detection and intervention. By bringing liver health assessments directly into communities, we are removing barriers to access and reaching people who might otherwise present much later with advanced disease. We also know that liver disease disproportionally impacts those living in areas of high socioeconomic deprivation, so by targeting these communities, we are ensuring care reaches those who need it the most. Early detection empowers individuals to understand their liver health and make informed decisions before complications develop.â€�


Health Innovation Â鶹´«Ã½ met with Tony, aged 68 from Greater Â鶹´«Ã½, who attended the Early Detection of Liver Disease (ID LIVER) health check in his locality, following a referral from his General Practitioner (GP). 

Tony decided to act on this referral after meeting the criteria for the screening opportunity and followed up before an appointment was made for him. He explained that he was pleasantly surprised that the health-check was so easily accessible for him:

“An appointment was made for me… I turned up and it was all very pleasant, there was no stress, no worry – I just turned up, did the test which was a scan, and that was it. The opportunity is there and there are people out there who want to help you, it’s all being done to help you. It’s all about you, the patient.

“The thing for me, is that it’s done in my locality, it’s within walking distance… the way this is being done, this is the beauty of it, you’re just there and it’s all about you. It’s intimate really and it makes life easier. If you take the opportunity to get screened and get looked at, you’re cutting out a load of possible aggravation in the future.�

ID Liver participants are benefiting from state-of-the-art Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ Research Van - operated by MFT. The purpose-built vehicle is unique to the region with the goal of widening opportunities for people to be part of research in easy-to-reach locations, improving the relevance and quality of the research. as well as being more inclusive for members of the public.

Oliver Street, Programme Manager, Division of Diabetes, Endocrinology & Gastroenterology, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “Early detection and prevention of liver disease is extremely important because often symptoms do not present until the disease is advanced and damage to the liver is irreversible. By identifying and assessing patients at increased risk of liver disease we are supporting patients in receiving the right treatment at the right time and developing improved pathways of care.â€�

Daniel Zamora, Programme Director – Health Innovation Accelerator at Health Innovation Â鶹´«Ã½, said: â€œThis project is another fantastic example of how a targeted approach for early detection and community screening is having a lasting positive impact on the treatment of disease for people across Greater Â鶹´«Ã½. Through the Accelerator we’ve now seen a considerable number of patients tested and screened for some of our region’s most prevalent diseases. This work will continue to help us shape how we can identify and treat patients moving forward with the use of innovative solutions across primary, secondary and community care settings

In the first ever study of its kind, tennis fan Dr Liam Blything analysed the impact of timeouts using from the world’s top 250 players between 2013 and 2023. 

Players at this year’s Wimbledon Championships will be watching closely how their opponents take a bathroom break, in light of the study. 

The paper follows years of speculation by journalists and sports people that the practice amounts to gamesmanship, bestowing an advantage for players taking a bathroom break by disrupting the rhythm of their opponent. 

However, proponents of the bathroom break argue that timeouts are a useful and acceptable way to help players reset.

 In response, the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP) introduced a rule for the 2022 season to restrict timeouts to a maximum of 3 minutes, alongside limitations on when and how often they can be deployed. 

Published in the peer reviewed International Journal of Performance Analysis in Sport, Dr Blything found that 71% of time outs were taken when a player lost the previous set. 

And in normal circumstances, 33% of players recover the next set after losing the previous one. This, however, rose to 47% if they took a bathroom break. 

The data analysed by Dr Blything showed there were 1,928 breaks in play in the study period, though when medical and other breaks were accounted for, he was left with 366 bathroom timeouts. 

Dr Blything said: “There has been much argument in the media over recent years about the formalisation of gamesmanship in tennis, with the taking of bathroom breaks. 

“This study for the first time used real data to check the validity of those concerns. 

“There is now clear evidence a well-timed bathroom break in play confers an advantage to the player taking the break by regathering him or herself and disrupting the flow of the opponent..â€� 

Dr Blything also carried out follow up analyses on the extent to which unforced-errors contributed to the forms of points won and lost. 

The overall decrease in the opponent’s winner-shots was offset by an equivalent decrease in the strategist’s unforced errors, preserving the proportion observed in the baseline data. 

That showed timeout advantage is a combination of both the strategist benefitting from the opportunity to personally reset, and a disruption of the rhythm of the opponent, rather than being disproportionally driven by one player. 

Psychological theory also supports the notion that taking a break can confer advantages by interrupting momentum. 

Theorists argue an interruption disrupts perceptions associated with positive momentum for players who are on a roll, which is in turn difficult to regain. 

The timeout also potentially affords the opportunity for a losing player to refocus from that negative thinking spiral about prospective outcomes, for example by using self-talk and mental imagery techniques. 

Dr Blything added: “These pioneering findings uniquely inform players and tennis governing bodies about the influence of timeouts and, more broadly, elucidate the role that stoppages can play in sport for altering momentum. 

“It would be useful understand if this effect is relevant  in other sports. Snooker players, for example, seem to take a lot of bathroom breaks.â€� 

Examples of comments from players:

Andy Murray on a Stefanos Tsitsipas bathroom break after Murray won the 4th set 2-2 in the 2021 US Open 1st round. He went on to lose 3 - 2. “It’s just disappointing because I feel it influenced the outcome of the match. I’m not saying I necessarily win that match, for sure, but it had influence on what was happening after those breaks.�

Roger Federer who took a bathroom break after losing the 4th set 2-2 in the 2017 Australian Open semifinal. He went on to beat Wawrinka 3-2. “I think they're more mental than anything else. I only really did take the timeout because I thought, 'He took one already, maybe I can take one for a change'. Because I'm not a believer in any way that we should be allowed to take a lot of timeouts. But I took it after the set break. People know I don't abuse the system. I hope it's going to stay that way in the future for me, too.’

Stefanos Tsitispas, who’s opponent Novak Djokovic took a bathroom break after losing 2nd set to make it  0-2 in the 2021 French Open Final. Djokovic recovered to beat Tsitsipas 3-2: “I don't think I changed much, I just kept the same pace. I kept the things that were working for me. He left the court after two sets to love down, and he came back to me like a different player suddenly. I don't know. I have no idea.â€�

On the same match, Djokovic said: “The bathroom break was the turning point. Sometimes in these kind of circumstances where not much is happening positively for you on the court in terms of tennis and the other guy on the court is dominating the play, sometimes these things are necessary. A little break, a little pep talk, and try to recuperate and re-gather the thoughts and reassemble everything that you have and [counter] your opponent with the best possible game.  Maybe it's the experience, maybe it's the toilet break, maybe it's everything combined, but I'm just glad I'm through.â€�

The paper psychological (ab)use of timeouts in professional tennis is available DOI: 10.1080/24748668.2024.2436271:

This empowering accelerator, crafted specifically for students and recent graduates, brought together 22 exceptional student founders from every corner of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½. The breadth of talent included Computer Science innovators working alongside Biotechnology pioneers, Economics strategists collaborating with Chemical Engineering problem-solvers, with representation from undergraduates right through to PhD candidates. 

The intensive 12-week programme, designed to take participants from initial concept to business execution, concluded with presentations from all participating student startups. The session featured valuable feedback and insights from industry professionals Ranvir Singh (GC Angels) and Dan Sandler (CEO of Veridox), who provided expert guidance to the emerging entrepreneurs. Ranvir also shared his thoughts on the importance of persistence, that "Excellence in any field demands unwavering commitment and effort".

Throughout the programme, participants validated business ideas, developed actionable business models, created minimum viable products, and mastered essential skills including market validation, fundraising strategies, and pitching techniques. All 22 student entrepreneurs successfully presented their ventures, representing diverse sectors and innovative solutions.

Congratulations to all our graduates and their innovative ventures: 

• AccuNote - Evangelos Anapliotis  
• Aharik - Maansi Gupta  
• ARDHANN - Dr Sangeethsivan Sivakumar  
• Aurora-Hive - Yasar W Khan  
• Binary Aura - Taha Naeem  
• Branchify - Chih Chiang yang  
• CoordVenture - Ehsan Siddiqui  
• FoulGuardAI - Abdullah Albiladi  
• FurryWell - Pu-De Ciou  
• Groupy - Jonghun Lee  
• Gynomics - Dora MarÄ�ec  
• Neurotect - Dylan Simpson  
• PawFur - Donglin Zhao  
• PetFit - Rebecca Jibson  
• PulsR - Leo Feasby  
• PurFetch - Raymond Xiang Zheng  
• Quillall - Serban-Andrei Locota  
• Reviewer.Go - Altynai Mambetova  
• Sync It - Matilde Ferias  
• TerraIQ - Imaara Keshwani  
• UniSights - Sebastian Contreras Scheuermann  
• Vesta Capsules - Farah Frikha

The Venture Builder Programme has proved transformational for its founding cohort, providing essential frameworks for turning ambitious ideas into viable businesses.  

 "It has helped us validate our assumptions. Initially, we didn't know what would work and what wouldn't, what to scrap and what to keep. Venture Builder has helped us clarify our vision for our startup, so we can go from ideation to implementation", explains Andrei, who studies BSc International Business Finance and Economics at AMBS. This journey from uncertainty to clarity exemplifies how the programme equips participants with the critical thinking and strategic tools needed to navigate the challenging transition from concept to execution.

Looking Ahead: Demo Day 2025

The programme completion marks the beginning of the next phase for these emerging businesses. Participants will continue developing their ventures in preparation for the Venture Builder Demo Day on 8th October 2025.

The Demo Day represents a milestone in the entrepreneurial journey, offering participants a platform to demonstrate their progress, attract potential investment, and connect with key stakeholders in the Â鶹´«Ã½ startup ecosystem.

The Venture Builder Programme is powered by MEC and designed for UoM students and graduate founders ready to transform their ideas into viable businesses. More information can be found on including registering interest to be part of the 25/26 academic year cohort.  

Register your interest for the Venture Builder Demo Day on the 8 October 2025.

The event is a joint collaboration between the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, Athlete’s Journey Home and Drug Science and is supported by the British Association for Psychopharmacology. 

The event will feature world experts in the psychedelics field:  Prof David Nutt from Imperial College London and Prof Sara Tai from Â鶹´«Ã½. 

Three elite athletes: former professional rugby player, Rory Lamont; former professional ice hockey player, Daniel Carcillo; and former mixed martial artist, Ian McCall will talk about their own healing experiences. 

Organised by Jo Neill Professor of Psychopharmacology, from Â鶹´«Ã½, the event will explore scientific and real world evidence to show that psychedelic assisted therapy (PAP) may be able to alleviate some harmful effects of trauma in elite athletes. 

Clinical studies, fieldwork and personal accounts from across the world are now finding that PAP can induce neuroplasticity - the ability of the brain to reorganise and make new connections throughout life. 

And that may treat the cognitive decline, early dementia, severe headache and pain which are so common in brain injuries. 

Prof Neill said “This is particularly relevant to elite athletes in sports such as rugby, football, ice hockey, horse riding, mixed martial arts and boxing. 

“In addition to injury, athletes experience emotional trauma from the high pressure environment of competitive sport, and gruelling training regimes, most evident when they leave that sport. 

“B³Ü³Ù psychedelic assisted therapy is known to reduce the emotional and physical impact of these forms of trauma and is even starting to be used by elite athletes for their mental and physical health in countries where it is legal. 

“PAP is increasingly being recognised as a safe treatment though patients must always adhere to the law, and be well prepared in a very safe setting when taking the psychedelic medicines. They must also receive appropriate and extensive integrative therapy afterwards.â€� 

The event takes place at the University’s Nancy Rothwell Building on Wednesday 2nd July at 2PM. 

Dr Grace Blest-Hopley and Nige Netzband, experts on Traumatic Brain Injury who work with psychedelics will also speak to the conference. 

Professor Neill added: “While most people find it extremely beneficial and indeed life-changing, PAP can be a very challenging and difficult experience for many. It is not be a medicine to be taken lightly. The treatment paradigm is 1-3 high doses in combination with therapy. Some people may not need to take this treatment again. This is very different from the current approach where people need to take a medicine every day which can have a significant side effect burden. 

“In spite of all the clinical and scientific evidence for their medicinal properties, particularly for disorders where nothing else works, they remain illegal Class A, Schedule 1 drugs in the UK. 

“The law is not evidence based and it enacts the harshest penalties for unlicensed manufacture, possession and supply. 

“Clinicians and scientists who want to conduct research require a controlled drugs licence from the Home Office, an expensive, bureaucratic and extremely time-consuming process. This must change.â€� 

Tickets available here, free for BAP members.

CurrentBody Skin, one of the three innovative beauty technology brands owned by TBTG, has been at the forefront of home-use beauty technology globally since 2009 and is a pioneer in bringing LED light therapy to the home. CurrentBody Skin’s LED Light Therapy Face Mask uses 236 LEDs to emit the three most clinically recognised wavelengths for anti-ageing: red light, near-infrared and deep near-infrared. The efficacy and safety of the technology is underpinned by hundreds of clinical studies, alongside being endorsed by Doctors, dermatologists and aestheticians.

As awareness for our products grows, so does the desire for both education and science-backed beauty technology solutions. We are therefore investing heavily in clinical research for the future as the beauty technology market increasingly becomes a part of people’s skincare routines.

Home to one of the most active and comprehensive centres for dermatology research in the UK, Â鶹´«Ã½ was an obvious partner for our next clinical study. The 12-week clinical study will commence in September 2025 and will be led by Dr. Abigail Langton, PhD, who has an established record of internationally-recognised original research in the field of skin health and ageing.

The study will see a minimum of 20 healthy adult volunteers use the CurrentBody Skin LED Light Therapy Face Mask Series 2  for 10 minutes, five times per week for a 12-week period. In conjunction with the mask, a bespoke LED device for use on the forearm has been designed and manufactured to the same specification as the face mask. This bespoke device will be used on the volunteers’ forearms for the same duration as the face mask to support the clinical study. Participants will undergo non-invasive assessments of their face at the beginning, the halfway point and at the end of the study. In addition, small forearm skin biopsies will be taken at the start and at the end of the 12-week period.

The results from this new study will deepen our knowledge of our technology even further, leveraging pioneering techniques including biopsies of the skin to assess the extent of skin ageing and repair. It will evaluate the technology’s impact on photoaged skin, which is the result of long-term sun exposure over the years, often characterised by wrinkles, uneven skin tone, and dull appearance. It will focus on the impact on skin health and function on the face and forearm, including measures such as elasticity and hydration, as well as microscopic features of the forearm skin, such as epidermal thickness.

Laurence Newman, CEO of The Beauty Tech Group, commented: “As the use of LED light therapy and other beauty technologies becomes increasingly commonplace in people’s lives, so has the increase in demand for education and proof of results. Unfortunately, imitation products, where the accuracies of wavelengths cannot be proven, have entered the beauty technology market and this is subsequently leading to confusion and misinformation. The need to validate and prove our technology is therefore more important than ever.

“We are addressing these challenges by ensuring each device that we produce can be traced back to its manufacturing to show the exact wavelengths in our CurrentBody Skin LED Face Mask Series 2. Partnering with one of the biggest faculties for skin in the country, and in our home city, will support our continuing journey in expanding the clinical aspect of the use of LED light therapy.

“This partnership not only demonstrates our commitment to leading the way in product design and development, but also shows our commitment to raise the standards across the industry. Most importantly, it aims to ensure that customers purchase high quality aesthetic products that are proven to work and are safe to use. I am proud of the work we are doing to innovate and progress the beauty technology industry, and look forward to publishing the results once the clinical trial is completed.�

Dr. Abigail Langton added: "We’re thrilled to be collaborating with The Beauty Tech Group on this pioneering study into the effects of LED light therapy on skin ageing. By harnessing cutting-edge technology and combining it with our expertise in dermatological science, we have a unique opportunity to uncover how targeted light wavelengths influence the biology of photoaged skin. This research will generate powerful new insights into skin structure and function, helping to shape the future of science-backed, at-home skin treatments."

The White Paper takes recommendations from research carried out by University of Â鶹´«Ã½ researchers based at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD), funded by the Alzheimer’s Society and supported by the  National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre.

They found that unaddressed hearing loss is highly prevalent in care homes, impacting on residents’ quality of life.

The research identified several barriers relating to caregivers’ knowledge of hearing loss and opportunities for care homes to work with audiologists. Unclear responsibilities relating to hearing care and residents’ difficulties adapting to, or being comfortable wearing, hearing aids were also identified.

Titled “Hearing Loss in Care Homes – A Call to Action�, the paper brings together nearly a decade of practical experience from Engage’s work across over 35 care homes, alongside extensive research and insights from Nightingale Hammerson, where the Engage project has been running for over three years.

With at least 80% of residents in older people’s care homes living with hearing loss, the paper highlights the widespread impact of unaddressed hearing needs – from increased risks of dementia and falls, to social isolation, depression, and avoidable distress.

Professor Martin Green OBE, Chief Executive of Care England, said: “Hearing loss has long been overlooked in care settings, despite its profound impact on wellbeing, safety, and social connection. This white paper, developed jointly with Engage and Nightingale Hammerson, is a timely and vital resource for the sector. It provides practical, evidence-based recommendations that care providers can implement to deliver more compassionate, inclusive and effective care.�

The paper sets out a comprehensive set of evidence-informed recommendations including:

• Conducting environmental audits to reduce noise and improve lighting;
• Implementing clear protocols for hearing aid support and maintenance;
• Providing experiential hearing loss training for staff;
• Appointing Hearing Loss Champions to embed best practice;
• Ensuring access to personal amplifiers when hearing aids are not tolerated or unavailable;
• Improving access to audiology services and earwax removal;
• Supporting residents and families to explore and use assistive hearing technologies;
• Embedding person-centred communication, particularly for people living with dementia.

Dr Hannah Cross, Research Associate, Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Audiology and Deafness (ManCAD) at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “Hearing care that is personalised, provided consistently and dementia appropriate can make huge changes to residents’ quality of life, wellbeing, independence and functioning.

"Meeting the hearing needs of care home residents with dementia is vital in maintaining their communication abilities, independence, and quality-of-life. 

"My PhD work outlined just how complex providing hearing care can be and how much needs to change. This White Paper will help to guide care homes in supporting their residents, and boost the priority of hearing loss within Social Care policy and regulation.�

Padraic Garrett, Head of Engage and Andrew Goodwin, Service Manager for Engage, said: “When residents with hearing loss are not adequately supported, it leads to increased anxiety, depression, and social isolation, with higher risks to physical health issues including falls. From our many years of successfully collaborating with homes, our motivation for this Paper is to share what we have found works to address the suffering of residents with hearing loss.�

Nuno Santos Lopes, Director of Research and Innovation at Nightingale Hammerson, added: “Hearing loss is common to the vast majority of older people with care needs and the levels of knowledge of the care givers remains very low. From creating the right environment to get staff, managers and relatives knowledgeable about how to engage with someone with hearing loss, there is a lot of work to do and this document works as an easy to access guidance to help improving the hearing care standards.�

The paper not only outlines an ethical and clinical imperative but also makes a compelling financial case: improved hearing care can reduce falls, mitigate cognitive decline, and enhance resident and staff wellbeing—ultimately supporting occupancy, reputation, and staff retention.

Care England urges all care providers to read the paper and implement its recommendations, using it as a foundation for improving practice and a platform to advocate for better audiology provision within local health systems.

Triangle CERSI is one of five Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-funded centres across the US, designed to promote innovation in regulatory science and accelerate access to complex emerging technologies. Located in Research Triangle Park, North Carolina, Triangle CERSI is a partnership between University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and Duke University, in collaboration with North Carolina State University, North Carolina Central University, and the Burroughs Welcome Fund.

UK CEiRSI, jointly funded by InnovateUK and the Medical Research Council (MRC), operates under the leadership of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute in partnership with Unit M. This pioneering consortium has established a comprehensive national network that unites elite academic institutions—including University of Oxford, University of Cambridge, University College London (UCL), University of Edinburgh, University of Strathclyde, Queens University of Belfast and Swansea University—with key regulatory bodies such as the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA), National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) and Health Research Authority (HRA). With participation from 85 additional national and international stakeholders spanning academia, industry, and regulatory affairs, UK CEiRSI represents an unprecedented collaborative effort to integrate robust in-silico evidence into medical product development and regulatory decision-making pathways.

Professor Alejandro Frangi, Executive Director of UK CEiRSI, expressed his enthusiasm for the collaboration: “This partnership represents a strategic milestone in global regulatory harmonisation. Triangle CERSI's pioneering work in virtual imaging trials and pharmaceutical regulatory science perfectly complements our comprehensive in silico capabilities across drugs and medical devices. By synchronising our regulatory approaches across continents, we're not simply sharing knowledge—we're building a unified scientific foundation that will accelerate innovation, reduce redundancy, and ultimately deliver safer, more effective medical technologies to patients worldwide. Together, we're transforming regulatory barriers into bridges.�

Christin Daniels, Executive Director of Triangle CERSI, highlighted the importance of the partnership: "Partnering with UK CEiRSI creates a synergistic alliance to modernize regulatory science. Ensuring faster, safer solutions for patients worldwide requires a unified regulatory language. By combining Triangle CERSI’s expertise in pharmaceutical evaluation and safety, clinical trial optimization, in silico models and other New Approach Methodologies with UK CEiRSI’s impressive national network focused on comprehensive in silico technologies, we aim to close the gap between the pace of innovation and speed of adoption along the regulatory pathway on both sides of the Atlantic."

The MOU sets the stage for a series of joint initiatives, including workshops, training programs, and collaborative research projects. These efforts will not only advance regulatory science but also contribute to the development of a skilled workforce capable of navigating the complexities of modern healthcare. 

• "In-Silico"  is a term used to describe experiments or studies that are performed using computer simulations or software. 
• For more information visit: UK CEiRSI LinkedIn ; UK CEiRSI ;  InSilicoUK ; UK CEiRSI | InSilicoUK ; In Silico Trials, Real Impact! ; Triangle CERSI

In a new report from the Northern Health Science Alliance, partly based on research by University of Â鶹´«Ã½ experts entitled “Ageing in the Northâ€�, researchers have catalogued an “alarmingâ€� range of disadvantages faced by older people living in the North, in areas such as health, life expectancy, housing, nutrition, employment, and social isolation.

The authors stress that this inequality is mainly driven by economic and social factors, and is “totally reversibleâ€� - as long as policymakers are bold enough to act. For example, targeted investment has the potential to reduce or recover as much as £10.9 billion in lost productivity costs, £315 million in NHS costs from falls and hip fractures, and £588 million in NHS costs from treating conditions resulting from poor  housing.

“Ageing in the Northâ€� is published by the Northern Health Science Alliance’s Ageing North network - including a multi-disciplinary team from Durham University, Lancaster University, Â鶹´«Ã½, Newcastle University, and the University of Sheffield - and Health Equity North. The team features expertise from a wide range of disciplines, from biology to sociology.

Researchers analysed existing data through a regional lens to examine the different ways in which ageing is experienced across England. They explored issues such as poverty and employment, health expectancies, long-term chronic conditions, frailty and falls, physical activity, nutrition, dementia and cognitive frailty, social support and unpaid care, social isolation and loneliness, housing and ethnicity.

The report - which you can read in full - states that:

â—�     There are an estimated 904,200 economically inactive 50-64 year olds in the North: 170,100 in the North East, 428,600 in the North West, and 305,500 in Yorkshire and the Humber, contributing to a potential reduction in GDP of £10.9 billion per year

â—�     People from the South are more likely to retire, while those in the North are more likely to leave the job market due to poor health

â—�     Older people living in the North East and North West are 1.61 and 1.33 times, respectively, more likely to be frail, 1.16 and 1.06 times more likely to have a fall that requires hospital treatment, and 1.14 and 1.12 times more likely to have a hip fracture compared to older people living in the South East

â—�     The cost to the NHS of falls and hip fractures in the North is NHS £55.7 million and £258.8 million per year respectively

â—�     1.47 million northern homes are considered non-decent, with over a third housing over-60s residents. This is costing the NHS approximately £588 million in treatment per year

â—�     In the ten years from 2012 to 2022, the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber have seen the rates of poverty among people aged 65 and over rise by 10%

â—�     People aged 65 or over are 5% more likely to be deprived in the North (68%) than in the South (63%)

â—�     Between 2020-21 and 2022-23, pensioner couples in the North East had an average income 14% lower than the national average and 25% lower than those in the South East

â—�     Men aged 65 and over in the North East are predicted to have the highest number of unhealthy years of life on average, at 20.2 years. Yorkshire and Humber have 19.1, while the South East has 16.6

â—�     The number of unhealthy years of life for older women in the North East is 23.7 years, compared to 19.4 years in the South East

â—�     There is a two-year life expectancy gap between the North and the rest of England, with premature death rates 20% higher for those in the North

â—�     Arthritis is more common amongst 55-64 year olds in the North (28%) than in the South (23%). Just 51% of people in the North East and Yorkshire and the Humber are seen for treatment within the national three-week target, compared to 79% in the South West

â—�     Physical inactivity in the North East among 55-74 year olds is at 31% compared to 22% in the South East

â—�     Northern adults over 65 are 27% more likely to experience food insecurity than those in the South

â—�     Cognitive frailty (cognitive impairment plus physical frailty) in old age is more common in the North than in the South, with 11.8% living with cognitive frailty in the North East compared to 7% in the South East.

â—�     Older adults in the North are 23.3% more likely to experience loneliness compared to the South, with northern women 1.55 times more likely to be lonely than men

â—�     The three northern regions have the highest proportion of people aged 65 and over living in care homes, costing an estimated £4.83 billion in care home fees

â—�     Minoritised ethnic groups consistently report poorer self-rated health than White British peers. Self-rated health is generally poorer in the North than in London and the South.

The report is being launched at an event in Westminster today (Monday, June 23, 2025) hosted by MP for Shipley, Anna Dixon, who wrote the Foreword.

Anna Dixon, Member of Parliament for Shipley, said: "Where you live shouldn’t affect your experience of ageing. This report brings into sharp focus the reality of how unequal ageing is across England. If we want to create a society that supports everyone to live and age better, we need to tackle the wider societal issues that result in some people in some communities dying earlier and living longer in poor health. This needs a life course approach, from childhood to adulthood, that enables people to remain active, stay healthy and contribute to society for as long as possible.�

Leading academics behind the report are now calling on the Government to recognise the  challenges faced by people in later life and to prioritise tackling the root causes of unequal ageing. The report includes evidence-based policy recommendations, which could go a long way to reversing the widening inequality gap between North and South.

These recommendations include:

â—�     Adopting a cross-government approach to prevent unequal ageing, looking at themes such as education, housing, employment and health

â—�     Strengthening place-based collaboration between local government, combined authorities, housing developers, the NHS, and older adult

â—�     Developing and delivering a national housing strategy for older people that prioritises ageing in place and invests in age-friendly, accessible homes

â—�     Significantly increasing investment in adult social care in the North of England

â—�     Developing an NHS-led, UK-wide strategy to address physical inactivity as a key driver of later-life health inequalities

â—�     Producing a national strategy to recognise and address cognitive frailty as a preventable condition distinct from dementia

â—�     Identifying the regions most at risk of diseases such as arthritis, cardiovascular disease and diabetes, and adopting a proactive preventative strategy which expands community-based services and strengthens early intervention

â—�     Expanding workplace health programmes and improving healthcare access disparities

â—�     Developing tailored place-based strategies to reduce loneliness among older people, focusing on groups at highest risk, such as women, minoritised ethnic groups, people who are living alone, or with poor health

â—�     Addressing food insecurity in later life through stronger national tracking and targeted local action

â—�     Improving the collection and use of ethnicity and regional data across health and care systems to better understand and inform culturally-appropriate and regionally-sensitive responses

â—�     Strengthening support for unpaid carers of older people by increasing carer’s allowance and carer-related benefits.

Emeritus Professor Alan Walker, from the University of Sheffield’s Healthy Lifespan Institute, said: “This report paints an alarming picture of how inequality has eaten away at the quality of life of so many older northerners. In almost every aspect we investigated, there is a yawning gap between the North and the South - from their income and health to their housing, social care and sense of isolation.

“This gap is hardly new, but the most frustrating thing about it is that it is totally reversible - assuming that policymakers are willing to take decisive steps to address these issues, and provide a better life for our family members, friends, and neighbours as they age.�

Professor Chris Todd, from Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “The country has faced several crises in recent years, from austerity to the COVID-19 pandemic. Older people in the North have carried more than their fair share of that burden.

“The reality is now stark. Older people in the North are more likely to be poorer, and to live shorter, less-healthy, more isolated lives in sub-optimal accommodation.

“The gap is growing every day. We need proactive policies - targeted at areas of greatest need - to reverse this trend and enable the North to age with hope, rather than inequality.�

Professor Carol Holland, the Director of Lancaster University’s Centre for Ageing Research, said: “Unequal ageing is not inevitable. The gulf between North and South has been created and exacerbated by long-term national policies. And it can be reversed in the same way.

“The evidence presented in this report does not merely highlight all the ways that people experience ageing differently in the North and South. It offers a clear call to action, to make it a national priority to address this inequality - and vastly improve the lives of millions. We know a lot about prevention and risk reduction of later life difficulties such as frailty or cognitive impairment: it is not enough to claim that nothing can be done. It is time to be bold, and do better.�

Professor Barbara Hanratty, Professor of Primary Care & Public Health at Newcastle University, said: “For many, it is harder to grow old in the North than in the South. There are some deep-seated and long-term reasons for that. But we must also acknowledge that the situation is being influenced by decisions that are being made today.

“Average earnings in the North amongst those aged 65 and over are the lowest in England, and poverty has increased over the last ten years. People in the North are more likely than their neighbours to leave the workforce due to ill-health. We need real policy changes to tackle the root causes of this inequality, with more targeted initiatives to address the many disadvantages facing older people in the North.�

Professor Charlotte Clarke, Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Health) at Durham University, said: “The factors that contribute to the struggles faced by older people make their presence felt far earlier - in childhoods and adulthoods where poverty, poor housing, ill-health and other disadvantages are all too common.

“It is absolutely essential that policymakers act to help our older citizens. But they must also recognise that these issues are the result of lifelong experiences and inequalities. To achieve real tangible change, we need policies that improve lives as a whole - and tackle these issues long before they escalate.�

Hannah Davies, Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance and Executive Director of Health Equity North, said: “The North is a beautiful place to grow old. We have some of the most breathtaking scenery in the country, as well as welcoming and tight-knit communities. And yet, the day-to-day reality of ageing for many northerners is far harder than it should be.

“We have often talked about the inequalities that exist in the North, and this report is a reminder of why the gap between North and South continues to widen. There is clear evidence of this on so many fronts - from poverty levels to housing quality, frailty, nutrition, and social support. The divide is particularly pronounced amongst older adults from diverse ethnic backgrounds, which highlights the need for culturally-sensitive solutions which recognise community needs.

“It is undeniable that we need to offer urgent help to older people who are dealing with these issues. It is also our responsibility to make sure that future generations do not have to go through the same challenges - with targeted, considered policies that address the lifelong issues that are so familiar to northern citizens.�

Read the full “Ageing in the North� report here:

The fellowship is the College’s highest award for non-GPs and previous fellows include Sir Chris Whitty, Sir Michael Marmot, three former presidents of the Royal College of Psychiatrists and the TV chef Jamie Oliver. 

 Nav who is also Director of the UK’s National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health and Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist at Mersey Care NHS Foundation Trust said: 

“I’m delighted to be awarded the Fellowship.  At medical school I only really considered two career paths – psychiatry and general practice – and it could have gone either way!  So to be recognised by the Royal College of General Practitioners feels really special.  I’m very grateful to them and the people who nominated me.  

“I would like to thank all my colleagues, patients, carers and others who have helped with our research.  I also want to thank my family, especially my big brother Sanj, a fantastic GP who retired recently and without whom I would never have become a doctor.â€� 

The fellowship means that Nav now has the letters FRCGP (Hon)’ after his name. 

The citation for the Fellowship from the Royal College of General Practitioners highlighted Nav’s world leading suicide prevention research as well as his work for NICE, the UK Department of Health, and health services.  

The citation went on to say: “All of his research has had a clinical real-world focus and much of it is relevant to primary care. His work has identified suicide prevention as a core safety responsibility of health and social care services.  He has been a long-standing friend of general practice and his work has most certainly led to enhanced GP care for people presenting with mental health concernsâ€�

The University tops both the global league table of publications and citations at 177 and 12,313 respectively. 

The output was predominantly driven by Professor David Denning from The Â鶹´«Ã½ Fungal Infection Group (MFIG) at the Â鶹´«Ã½, the most published and most cited author at 89 papers and 9850 citations.

 He was followed by Thomas J. Walsh from the United States at 72 papers and 6,036 citations, and Dimitrios P. Kontoyiannis also from the United States ranking third at 66 papers, 6404 citations. 

Invasive aspergillosis a potentially lethal infection, usually of the lungs, is thought to affect over 2 million people each year. 

According Professor David Denning, one of the world’s leading experts on fungal disease, global outcomes for patients with invasive aspergillosis have improved markedly in recent years.

The success, he argues, is partly down to the huge amount of research activity devoted to the topic in Â鶹´«Ã½ and at centres across the globe. Professor Mike Bromley, Head of MFIG said: “We have made significant inroads to improving outcomes for patients suffering from the devastating diseases caused by Aspergillus, but much more needs to be done.â€�

MFIG have recently worked with the WHO to highlight the need for additional efforts in antifungal drug and

However the disease still has a high mortality rate, particularly in immunocompromised people and those in intensive care, who can experience severe complications including bleeding and spread from the lungs to the brain.

Professor Denning said: ‘Since I first encountered invasive aspergillosis as a trainee doctor in the mid 1980’s when it was poorly understood, my clinical and research focus has been focussed on improving what was then a dismal outcome for these patients.

“Great strides in both diagnosis and treatment have been made since 2002, with what was almost a universally fatal disease before the millennium to around 30% in the best performing hospitals.

“The improvement is down to major studies, agreed diagnostic criteria and application of accepted guidelines for caring for patients.

“However there continues to be a desperate need to build on these gains in every hospital globally so we can continue to improve the outlook for these often complex and vulnerable patients.

“Working with major pharmaceutical companies on the clinical development of key antifungal drugs voriconazole, caspofungin, and micafungin and the preclinical development of anidulafungin, posaconazole and isavuconazole has been an extraordinary journey.�

The figure of 177 papers dwarfs the others in the top 4:  Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands published 92 papers, MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston 90 papers, and the University of Texas 81 papers.

This research is supported by three major units at Â鶹´«Ã½:  the Â鶹´«Ã½ Fungal Infection Group (MFIG), the National Aspergillosis Centre and the Â鶹´«Ã½ Mycology Reference Centre.

MFIG has recently been awarded some significant research grants: Prof Bromley, Dr Bertuzzi and Dr Bottery of MFIG have recently received 3 awards, totalling over £2 million from the Wellcome Trust to explore new ways of combatting fungal infection.

About our international research
Â鶹´«Ã½ is globally renowned for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility. We are a truly international university – ranking in the top 50 in a range of global rankings – with a diverse community of more than 44,000 students, 12,000 staff and 550,000 alumni from 190 countries.  Sign up for our e-news to hear first-hand about our international partnerships and activities across the globe. 

Professor Turajlic has been an independent research group leader at the Francis Crick Institute since 2019 and is a consultant medical oncologist at The Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust. She is expected to take up her new position in September 2025.

Welcoming the appointment, Michelle Mitchell, chief executive of Cancer Research UK, said: “Professor Turajlic is an outstanding clinician scientist with a remarkable track record in cancer research.

“Her leadership will enable the Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute to continue to grow as a place where world-class clinicians and scientists work alongside one another to better understand the fundamentals of cancer and apply that knowledge to transform cancer treatment in the future.â€� 

Professor Turajlic’s work spans basic, translational and cancer research, and she has led numerous pioneering studies that have significantly advanced our understanding of cancer biology and treatment.

Her work on the TRACERx Melanoma and TRACERx Renal projects has provided groundbreaking insights into the genomic signatures of cancer progression and the response and resistance to targeted therapies. Such studies are pivotal in understanding how we bring new therapies from the lab to the clinic and how we tailor personalised treatment plans for cancer patients, improving outcomes and quality of life.

Since 2024, Professor Turajlic has led the UK consortium MANIFEST, which aims to understand how patients respond to immunotherapy, making treatments both safer and more effective – a major unmet scientific and clinical need.

Research at the Cancer Research UK Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute spans the spectrum of cancer research, including tumour-host interactions, microenvironment, biophysical regulation of tumour function, genetic and non-genetic drivers of tumour evolution, and response to therapy. 

Professor Turajlic said: “I’m honoured to be taking on the role of Director of the Cancer Research UK Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute and look forward to working alongside such a talented community of scientists and clinicians.

“Together with its partners, the institute is poised to deliver transformational cancer research in the coming years. I am excited to lead the institute in its mission to deliver for people with cancer.�

Professor Turajlic’s contributions to the field have been recognised with numerous awards, including the ESMO Society Award for Translational Research for her work in cancer science and translational medicine. She received the UK COVID Cancer Pandemic Prize for her work on cancer and COVID-19, which informed health policy for patients. In 2018, Professor Turajlic was named as one of the “50 Movers and Shakers in BioBusinessâ€� by life sciences network BioBeat. [HP4] 

It's an exciting moment to join the institute less than 12 months on from the official opening of the state-of-the-art new Paterson Building.  Located in Withington, South Â鶹´«Ã½, the site hosts 700 researchers, clinicians, and operations staff, and directly connects a research facility with The Christie, one of Europe’s largest cancer hospitals. It houses the facilities and expertise to be one of the world’s leading comprehensive cancer centres, helping scientists get new treatments from bench to bedside.

Professor Turajlic will take over from Professor Caroline Dive, who has been interim director for four years, providing exceptional scientific leadership during the pandemic and the move to the Paterson Building. Professor Dive continues as director of the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre and co-lead of the Cancer Research UK Lung Cancer Centre of Excellence, supported by ScottishPower. 

President and Vice-Chancellor of Â鶹´«Ã½, Duncan Ivison, said: “It is fitting that the Cancer Research UK Â鶹´«Ã½ Institute, a world-leading cancer research centre focusing on a wide range of research areas from basic science to clinical trials, is to be led by a world-leading clinician scientist , Professor Samra Turajlic.

“Professor Turajlic’s contributions to the study of cancer have been recognised around the world and I am delighted to welcome her to the Â鶹´«Ã½ family.â€�

Chief Executive of The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Roger Spencer, said: “We are very excited to welcome Samra Turajlic at this significant moment in our history as we embark on a new era of cancer research in the Paterson Building.

“I know Samra’s outstanding leadership and expertise will benefit the unique collaboration of Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s ‘Team Science’ and keep our city at the forefront of new innovations in cancer treatment, bringing therapies from the bench to the bedside to benefit our patients now and in the future.â€�

The research, which included more than 270,000 people, found no such link between asthma and working nightshifts in men.

The study was by Dr Robert Maidstone from the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, UK, and colleagues. He said: “Asthma disproportionately affects women. Women generally have more severe asthma, and higher rate of hospitalisation and death from asthma compared to men.

“In our previous research we found a higher risk of moderate or severe asthma in nightshift workers, so we wanted to see whether there were further differences between the sexes.�

The researchers used data from the UK Biobank. They included a total of 274,541 working people and found that 5.3% of these had asthma, with 1.9% suffering with moderate or severe asthma (meaning they were taking an asthma preventer inhaler and at least one other asthma treatment, such as an oral steroid). They categorised these people according to whether they worked only during the day, only nightshifts, or a combination of the two.

Their analysis revealed that, overall, women who work shifts are more likely to have asthma. Women who only work nightshifts are around 50% more likely to suffer with moderate or severe asthma compared to women who only work in the daytime.

The risk of asthma in men did not alter according to whether they worked days or nights.

Dr Maidstone said: “This is the first study to evaluate sex differences in the relationship between shift work and asthma. We found that permanent night shift-workers had higher odds of moderate-severe asthma when compared to corresponding day workers.

“This type of research cannot explain why shift work and asthma are linked; however, it could be because shift work disrupts the body clock, including the levels of male and female sex hormones. High testosterone has previously been shown to be protective against asthma, and so lower testosterone in women could play a role. Alternatively, men and women work different types of shift jobs, and this could be a factor.�

In postmenopausal women, the risk of moderate or severe asthma was almost doubled in night workers, compared to day workers, in those not taking hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Dr Maidstone added: “Our results suggest that HRT might be protective against asthma for nightshift workers, however further research is needed to test this hypothesis in prospective studies and randomised controlled trials.�

The researchers plan to study whether sex hormones play a role in the relationship between shift work and asthma by using data from the UK Biobank and from Our Future Health, a new health research programme in the UK population. 

Professor Florence Schleich from the European Respiratory Society’s expert group on airway diseases, asthma, COPD and chronic cough, based at the University of Liège, Belgium, and was not involved in the research. She said: “Asthma is a common, long- term condition that affects millions of people worldwide. We know that women are more likely to have asthma, to have worse asthma and more likely to die from asthma, but we do not fully understand why.

“This research suggests that working nightshifts could be a risk factor for asthma in women, but not in men. The majority of workers will not have an easy option of switching their shift pattern, so we need further research to verify and understand this link and find out what could be done to reduce the risk for women who work shifts.�

Maidstone RJ, Ray DW, Liu J, et al. Increased risk of asthma in female night shift workers. ERJ Open Res 2025; in press .

On Wednesday 11 June, the at Â鶹´«Ã½ celebrated a landmark year with the Venture Further Awards 2025 — the UK’s leading university-led start-up competition.

Marking the Centre’s 25th anniversary, this year’s awards attracted a record-breaking 175 applications — a 22% rise on 2024 — reflecting Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s growing reputation as a powerhouse for student innovation.

Twenty finalists pitched their ventures across five key categories — Environment, Healthcare, Services, Social, and Technology — with the winners of each category receiving £15,000 in equity-free funding from a total prize pot of £100,000. The awards ceremony took place at , the University’s new home for innovation and collaboration, where several recent MEC startup alums are based.

This year’s finalists delivered bold, solutions-driven ideas tackling global challenges — from UrbanWatt’s wireless charging for electric vehicles to FlashAid AI’s rapid-response medical emergency help platform, which has already been seen on outlets such as Daily Mail and HealthInvestor UK.  The event showcased the depth of entrepreneurial talent emerging from Â鶹´«Ã½ and underlined MEC’s vital role in helping students launch impactful ventures.

Venture Further 2025 Winners

Environment Category

• 1st Prize: Josiah Edebiri, UrbanWatt (School of Engineering, PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering)
• 2nd Prize: Farah Frikha, Vesta Capsules (Alum of School of Engineering, Mechatronic Engineering)

(Winners pictured with Giulia Sirigu, Scaleup Director at Innovate UK)

Healthcare Category

• 1st Prize: Grigorii Rodionov, FlashAid (Alum of School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering BEng)
• 2nd Prize: Adrian Perez Barreto, Revine (CDT-Advanced Biomedical Materials)

(Winners pictured with Lee Pugalis, Deputy Director of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre)

Services Category

• 1st Prize: Raymond Zheng, PurFetch (Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MBA)
• 2nd Prize: Sebastian Contreras, UniSights (Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, BSc Management with Placement - Innovation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship)

(Winners pictured with Janine Smith, Director of GM Business Growth Hub)

Social Category

• 1st Prize: Bohyuck Han, The Senior Vision Project (Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship)
• 2nd Prize: Derry Duffy, Cause (School of Social Sciences, BSocSc Politics and International Relations)

(Winners pictured with Carla Zuill, Founder of SheHUB.TV & Women's Empowerment Summit)

Technology Category

• 1st Prize: Patrick Sarsfield, Graphene Thermal (School of Natural Sciences (SNS), Researcher in Graphene NOWNANO CDT)
• 2nd Prize: Leo Feasby, PulsR (School of Natural Sciences (SNS), MPhys Physics with Astrophysics)

(Winners pictured with Andrew Dennison, Innovation Discovery Manager of Innovation Factory)

More information about winners

This year’s finalists presented powerful, purpose-led ventures addressing some of today’s most pressing challenges.

Environment Category Winners

UrbanWatt is making city transport greener and easier by helping businesses switch to electric vehicles. Their clever hands-free charging system means electric fleets can stay powered up without the hassle, making sustainable deliveries simpler than ever.

• Josiah Edebiri, UrbanWatt (School of Engineering, PhD in Electrical and Electronic Engineering)

Vesta Capsules is reimagining short stays with cosy, eco-friendly sleeping pods inspired by Japan’s capsule hotels. Designed for comfort, privacy, and sustainability, they offer a smart, modern alternative to traditional accommodation – all at an affordable price.

• Farah Frikha, Vesta Capsules (Alum of School of Engineering, Mechatronic Engineering)

Healthcare Category Winners

FlashAid AI is taking on one of healthcare’s biggest challenges – ambulance delays. Their smart platform helps get emergency help to people faster by improving how calls are handled, vehicles are dispatched, and routes are planned, all in real time.

• Grigorii Rodionov, FlashAid (Alum of School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering BEng)

Revine is tackling the serious problem of diabetic limb ulcers with an easy-to-use patch that helps wounds heal faster and stay free from infection. Designed to boost recovery and monitor progress in real time, it offers a new, more effective way to care for long-term wounds.

• Adrian Perez Barreto, Revine (CDT-Advanced Biomedical Materials)

Services Category Winners

PurFetch is creating an app and smart pet companion to help owners understand how their pets are feeling. By spotting changes in behaviour or signs of health problems, it offers simple, personalised advice—plus a friendly robot to keep pets entertained and cared for.

• Raymond Zheng, PurFetch (Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MBA)

UniSights helps Latin American high school students explore study opportunities in the UK. It offers advice from current students, direct contact with universities, and smart tools to match them with the right courses—making the journey to study abroad simpler and more confident.

• Sebastian Contreras, UniSights (Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, BSc Management with Placement - Innovation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship)

Social Category Winners

The Senior Vision Project tackles elderly poverty by creating part-time jobs that fit local needs. Their free AI-based dementia prevention programme offers cognitive training for seniors, while the data collected helps fund these community employment initiatives.

• Bohyuck Han, The Senior Vision Project (Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship)

Cause is the first online giving platform designed specifically for small charities. It helps them connect with donors, raise funds, and grow by removing obstacles like high advertising costs and limited digital skills. With no platform or donation fees, Cause makes it easier for small charities to maximise their impact.

• Derry Duffy, Cause (School of Social Sciences, BSocSc Politics and International Relations)

Technology Category Winners

Graphene Thermal offers innovative heating with self-contained graphene floor panels. These panels heat up in seconds and use over 50% less energy than traditional underfloor systems, providing an efficient, low-maintenance solution for homes and businesses.

• Patrick Sarsfield, Graphene Thermal (School of Natural Sciences (SNS), Researcher in Graphene NOWNANO CDT)

PulsR is an innovative AI company offering a range of smart tools that help with tasks like creating images, writing, working with spreadsheets, coding, and solving maths problems. With over 10 million conversations and top ratings on ChatGPT’s app store, PulsR supports students, professionals, and businesses to work smarter and more creatively.

• Leo Feasby, PulsR(School of Natural Sciences (SNS), MPhys Physics with Astrophysics)

The evening celebrated not only the immediate winners but also the broader impact of entrepreneurship at the university. 

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of Â鶹´«Ã½

The evening celebrated not only the immediate winners but also the broader impact of entrepreneurship at the university. Speaking at the Award ceremony, Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of Â鶹´«Ã½, said:

The transformational impact of the awards was further emphasised by Mehdi Boudjadja, VFA23 winner and founder Metofico, who reflected: "Winning the Venture Further Awards was transformational, beyond the crucial funding, MEC gave us the confidence, resources, and belief to turn our start-up into a global business. Without their support, we wouldn't be where we are today."

Faculty Representation

This year’s Venture Further Awards spotlighted the impressive entrepreneurial breadth across Â鶹´«Ã½, with a particularly strong showing from the Faculty of Science and Engineering, which led the way with ten finalists. Close behind, the Faculty of Humanities demonstrated remarkable enterprise flair, fielding eight finalists—six of whom hailed from the Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School alone. Completing the diverse line-up were two healthcare-focused ventures from the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, reflecting the growing innovation emerging from the university’s life sciences community.

About the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

For 25 years, the Centre has empowered the next generation of business leaders through dedicated programmes, co-curricular activities, personalised advice, and competitions like Venture Further, creating pathways for entrepreneurial talent to flourish beyond university walls.

More Information

• See the

The report is the first to analyse the impact of the Government’s 2019 drive to increase the numbers of these workers, who connect patients to activities and support in their communities which boost health and well-being.

The 2019 NHS Long-term Plan pledged NHS England funding to provide 1,000 trained social prescribing link workers in place by the end of 2021 - and to ensure that every patient in England could access the service by 2022.

This National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) funded study - led by researchers from Â鶹´«Ã½ and co-authored with the University of Edinburgh, Newcastle University and University of Bristol- indicates that the scheme has led to improved outcomes and experience of and or both patients with long-term conditions and mental health needs. However, researchers were unable to pinpoint any noteworthy impact on loneliness and isolation.

The study combined administrative workforce data and information from the General Practice Patient Survey between 2018 and 2023, which includes more than 4.1million responses in total. It calculated the impact of adding one full-time equivalent (FTE) link worker per 50,000 patients to assess whether the NHS’ aims for the rollout were fulfilled. The outcomes from the survey assessed for this study were:

o   Increasing the patient’s confidence in managing their long-term condition

o   Making them feel more supported by local services and organisations

o   Making them feel less isolated from others

o   Improving their experience with their GP

o   An increased feeling that their mental health needs were understood

The study found that for those with one or more long term conditions, patient confidence in managing their long-term condition increased, as well as feeling more supported by local services and in their overall experience with general practice.

Similar improvements were seen for those with mental health needs and in feeling that their needs were understood. However, no evidence of benefit was found for those experiencing loneliness and social isolation.

The results indicate that an increase in social prescribing provision has had a positive effect on the population level. While the figures appear low, only 3.2% of the registered GP population had actually been referred to a social prescribing service by March 2023, so being able to detect an impact of this size at the population level is “clinically significant�.

The researchers estimated the population effects, and the findings suggest that an additional FTE social prescribing link worker per 50,000 population in all Primary Care Networks (PCNs)  - which equates to approximately one extra link worker per average PCN - was associated with an increase nationally in approximately 47,000 people reporting confidence in managing their long-term conditions and 132,000 people reporting having had a good GP experience.

However, the authors suggest that more work needs to be done to establish whether the rollout has any impact on use of hospital services, and whether there has been an impact on known health inequalities.

They also note that the initiative cost the NHS an estimated £130million in 2022/23, without taking onward referral costs into account. They conclude that further research is required to determine “whether the scheme is financially sustainable as a whole�.

, Professor of Implementation Science at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “The Government’s plan to increase the provision of social prescribing was an attempt to tackle crucial challenges, including helping patients feel more supported, empowered, and positive about the health services available to them.

“As such, it is important that studies such as this exist, to assess whether initiatives have the desired effect, and that they provide the right assistance to people who are most in need of care and connection.

“Our results indicate that the Government’s focus on link worker provision has had a positive effect, and that social prescribing can help patients feel more supported by healthcare services and professionals.

“However, we would welcome future research into the sustainability and cost-efficiency of the scheme, particularly when more is known about its full cost including referrals.�

, Research Fellow in Health Economics at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “This report provides useful food for thought for policymakers assessing this scheme, and other similar initiatives designed to improve the health of the country.

“Considering the service has been used by a relatively small percentage of the population, the results seem to indicate that social prescribing has a notable effect on a patient’s GP experience and their sense that their needs are understood.

“However, there is still much work to do before we can determine the impact and sustainability of schemes such as this one. There is definite scope for future studies which determine whether such referrals have an effect on unplanned hospital admissions, and whether the current approach offers the best possible care for the country at an optimal cost.�

Charlotte Osborn-Forde, Chief Executive of the National Academy for Social Prescribing, said: “This is an important and groundbreaking piece of research. There is already a wide range of evidence demonstrating that social prescribing is highly impactful and can save the NHS money, but this is the first time research has been published showing statistically significant improvements for the whole population. It’s simple: the more Link Workers that are employed, the more likely it is that patients are able to manage their own health, and have a good experience of their GP. 

“This is because Link Workers get to know patients, supporting them step by step to access local services, tackling issues like housing, debt, food or fuel poverty, loneliness and unemployment - the issues that matter to people and can have a big impact on our health. This vital research further supports the case for the expansion of social prescribing in the NHS so that is available to more patients who could benefit.â€�

The full study - entitled ‘Impact of the rollout of the national social prescribing link worker programme on population outcomes: evidence from a repeated cross-sectional survey’ has been published in The British Journal of General Practice. You can read the report and its results here:

Apini is a spinout from Â鶹´«Ã½ developing a new treatment for chronic inflammatory diseases using a small molecule approach. The company was formed with help from the University’s Innovation Factory, its technology transfer office. According to the Spotlight on Spinouts 2025 report by the Royal Academy of Engineering and Beauhurst, the Innovation Factory supported the launch of 114 spinout companies between 2011 and January 2025, placing the University among the UK’s top institutions for spinout creation.

Spun out of the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, Apini is developing a novel small molecule for the treatment of chronic inflammatory diseases. Potential indications include Crohn’s disease and Ulcerative Colitis, the two most common forms of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), which affects as many as 10 million people worldwide. Apini is looking to address the significant unmet need in this area of medicine through targeted modulation of eNAMPT, an enzyme implicated in multiple inflammatory conditions.

Preclinical studies demonstrate the potential for selective eNAMPT modulators to treat various inflammatory diseases without inducting immune suppression.

Apini was discovered by founding scientist Professor Sam Butterworth, who is world-renowned for his work in the invention of Tagrisso, a life-saving anti-cancer drug for EGFR mutant lung cancer that is used globally.

Slingshot was built by Syncona with an initial commitment of £12.5 million to identify and advance de-risked therapeutic programmes from the work of leading academic researchers. Apini is the first company to work with Slingshot, following its launch in November 2024, with Northern Gritstone becoming the first co-investor.

Apini’s funding from Northern Gritstone and Syncona will be delivered over three tranches tied to company milestones, with the original commitment unchanged in value.

Northern Gritstone Chief Executive, Duncan Johnson, said: “Apini is based on the groundbreaking drug development work of Professor Sam Butterworth from Â鶹´«Ã½, and is a fantastic example of life sciences company creation based on world-class research. We’re delighted to invest in Apini, alongside Syncona, and with the support of the Slingshot acceleratorâ€�

Founder of Apini, Professor Sam Butterworth said “This investment from Northern Gritstone supports Apini’s mission to treat inflammatory diseases without the induction of immune suppression. We look forward to advancing and accelerating the Apini programme which we believe can bring meaningful improvements to patients across a broad range of chronic inflammatory diseases.�

Executive Chair of Slingshot, Edward Hodgkin added: “We are delighted to welcome Northern Gritstone as an investment partner for Apini, with the investment providing further validation of this novel programme. We believe that Slingshot’s expertise and operational support has the ability to accelerate exceptional academic science, like Apini, into attractive biotech assets that can quickly and effectively transform into groundbreaking treatments for patients.�

The study is published today (Wednesday) in ERJ Open Research [1]. Carbon can enter the lungs via cigarette smoke, diesel exhaust and polluted air.

The cells, called alveolar macrophages, normally protect the body by engulfing any particles or bacteria that reach the lungs. But, in their new study, researchers found that when these cells are exposed to carbon they grow larger and encourage inflammation.

The research was led by and from Â鶹´«Ã½, UK, and funded by the North West Lung Centre Charity and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

Dr Baker, Research Associate within the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC’s Respiratory Theme said: “COPD is a complex disease that has a number of environmental and genetic risk factors. One factor is exposure to carbon from smoking or breathing polluted air.

“We wanted to study what happens in the lungs of COPD patients when this carbon builds up in alveolar macrophage cells, as this may influence the cells’ ability to protect the lungs.�

The researchers used samples of lung tissue from surgery for suspected lung cancer. They studied samples (that did not contain any cancer cells) from 28 people who had COPD and 15 people who were smokers but did not have COPD.

Looking specifically at alveolar macrophage cells under a microscope, the researchers measured the sizes of the cells and the amount of carbon accumulated in the cells.

They found that the average amount of carbon was more than three times greater in alveolar macrophage cells from COPD patients compared to smokers. Cells containing carbon were consistently larger than cells with no visible carbon.

Patients with larger deposits of carbon in their alveolar macrophages had worse lung function, according to a measure called FEV1%, which quantifies how much and how forcefully patients can breathe out.

When the researchers exposed macrophages to carbon particles in the lab, they saw the cells become much larger and found that they were producing higher levels of proteins that lead to inflammation.

Dr Lea, Investigator within the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC’s Respiratory Theme said: “As we compared cells from COPD patients with cells from smokers, we can see that this build-up of carbon is not a direct result of cigarette smoking. Instead, we show alveolar macrophages in COPD patients contain more carbon and are inherently different in terms of their form and function compared to those in smokers.

“Our research raises an interesting question as to the cause of the increased levels of carbon in COPD patients’ macrophages. It could be that people with COPD are less able to clear the carbon they breathe in. It could also be that people exposed to more particulate matter are accumulating this carbon and developing COPD as a result.

“In future, it would be interesting to study how this carbon builds up and how lung cells respond over a longer period of time.â€� 

Professor Fabio Ricciardolo is Chair of the European Respiratory Society’s group on monitoring airway disease, based at the University of Torino, Italy, and was not involved in the research. He said: “This set of experiments suggest that people with COPD accumulate unusually large amounts of carbon in the cells of their lungs. This build-up seems to be altering those cells, potentially causing inflammation in the lungs and leading to worse lung function.

“In addition, this research offers some clues about why polluted air might cause or worsen COPD. However, we know that smoking and air pollution are risk factors for COPD and other lung conditions, so we need to reduce levels of pollution in the air we breathe and we need to help people to quit smoking.�

[1] Baker J, Booth S, Dungwa J, et al. Alveolar macrophage carbon is associated with COPD severity. ERJ Open Res 2025; in press (https://doi.org/10.1183/23120541.00933-2024).

The paper is available here: 

Funding: the North West Lung Centre Charity and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Â鶹´«Ã½ Biomedical Research Centre (BRC).

Since the breakthrough, 18-year-old Rose Anderson from Stretford in Â鶹´«Ã½ has received a diagnosis of one of the newly discovered conditions.

Rose has been known to the team at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Genomic Medicine at Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) for nearly her whole life, although a precise diagnosis for her seizures and developmental delay has proved difficult to find.

On receiving the news from the Â鶹´«Ã½ research team last year, Rose’s mum Lyn said: “We felt excited and relieved to finally receive Rose’s diagnosis. Rose is a very happy person, and with any diagnosis, she will always be Rose to us. This has helped us pinpoint what has caused her to be the way she is.â€�

The study was supported by the MFT-hosted NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC, as part of its which aims to improve diagnosis of rare conditions.

Researchers from the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC, MFT, and Â鶹´«Ã½ (UoM) collaborated with scientists globally to analyse the genetic data of thousands of individuals including those who took part in the a Genomics England initiative to sequence and study the role genes play in health and disease.

Genes are sections of our DNA and contain the instructions for building proteins, which are needed by the body for cell growth and repair.

Parts of our genes that do not make proteins have previously been dismissed as ‘dark matter’ because they were not understood, or ‘junk DNA’ because it was thought they were not essential.

Published in Nature Genetics today (date), Â鶹´«Ã½ researchers have challenged these assumptions, showing that changes in these regions play a crucial role in brain development.

The team found that mutations in regions of the genome that form R-loops (special DNA-RNA structures that can influence genetic activity) are more common than previously thought.

This insight led them to uncover two new neurodevelopmental conditions:

• RNU2-2-related disorder, which is linked to developmental delays, intellectual disability, small head size (microcephaly), autistic traits and seizures.
• RNU5B-1-related disorder, associated with developmental delays, weak muscle tone (hypotonia), larger-than-average head size (macrocephaly), and poor growth.

Neurodevelopmental conditions – disorders that affect brain development – impact 2-5% of people worldwide.

For many families, these conditions remain a mystery, as current genetic tests often fail to find a cause.

The two new conditions, along with ReNU syndrome (a condition identified in 2024 which has an impact on learning, behaviour, speech and movement) account for more than 1% of all unsolved developmental cases.

This means the breakthrough could provide a genetic explanation for several thousands of people globally with these conditions.

Rose, who was diagnosed with RNU2-2-related disorder in October 2024, loves music, walking, swimming, visiting cafes and riding a tandem bike. She lives with her mum Lyn, dad Joe and younger sister, Lily.

At Lyn’s 20-week pregnancy scan, it was first suspected that Rose may have a rare genetic condition. Despite undergoing extensive genetic testing at MFT and taking part in research, the team had been previously unable to find a specific cause for Rose’s symptoms.

Lyn said: “You wonder if it’s just a random thing that has happened or parents sometimes look to themselves for the cause. Rose first started experiencing seizures when she was a baby – she would become flushed, very vacant and would loll her head to one side. After a bad seizure when she was 2 and a half years old, Rose was diagnosed with epilepsy. She occasionally has seizures now, but these are better managed with medication.

“When Rose went to nursery, younger children began overtaking her with early developmental milestones. Rose is non-verbal and is great at communicating using objects and symbols. She experiences hyperventilation (rapid breathing), can struggle with spatial awareness and needs support with eating and personal care.

“This breakthrough is fantastic, and we hope it will lead to more families receiving a diagnosis now and when early symptoms first appear. This could help improve quality of life for other children and young people and find out what it is that makes them unique.�

Rose and her family are working with the Â鶹´«Ã½ team to help them better understand RNU2-2 related disorder. Rose has also taken part in more research at MFT since receiving her diagnosis, including donating skin cells to help the team produce brain stem cells for epilepsy research.

Study lead and first author of the paper Dr Adam Jackson, Academic Clinical Fellow at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Genomic Medicine at MFT and Â鶹´«Ã½ and early career researcher in the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC’s Rare Conditions Theme, said: “By proving that non-protein coding genes play a key role in human health, this study challenges long-held assumptions about ‘junk DNA’ and brings hope to many families searching for answers.â€�

Dr Jackson, who is also part of the (MRCC), a virtual centre based at MFT which aims to improve the lives of people with rare conditions, explained: “Identifying these genetic mutations was a one-year process. They are difficult to understand because they are in the ‘dark matter’, so we didn’t know what their effect would be when they don’t produce a protein. It was thought that one of the genes didn’t do anything at all, but our method of looking at R-loop forming regions has highlighted this region to be active.�

15-year-old Noah from the Isle of Wight was diagnosed with RNU5B-1-related disorder by the team at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust this year, more than seven years after donating his DNA for the 100,000 Genomes Project.

His mum, Maria Villa Vine, said: “We were blown away when we received the diagnosis and to find out it was rare. I always knew my boy was special, but this confirmed it! Having a diagnosis can help you understand yourself, so this will support Noah being able to do that.�

Noah’s diagnostic journey began at around 15 months old when his family noticed he wasn’t reaching some milestones that are typically displayed at that age. At four years old, Noah was diagnosed with autistic traits and following a reassessment when he was 12, Noah was diagnosed as autistic.

Following extensive initial genetic investigations by clinicians in Southampton, Noah took part in the 100,000 Genomes Project. This did not find a diagnosis, but his data was entered into the research environment which resulted in the Â鶹´«Ã½ team’s discovery.

Maria said: “We took part in the 100,000 Genomes Project because as a family we thought, what’s there to lose? If it can help your child or other children with disabilities in the community, why wouldn’t you? We didn’t expect to hear anything from it until we got the phone call.

“Navigating early years as a parent can be difficult, it’s full of emotion and your brain blocks things out. You can feel self-blame and guilt, wondering if it’s something you did. It can also be a hard time for siblings – Noah’s sister was seven at the time of his autism diagnosis. It’s important to have a network of professionals around families to support them and put the children at the centre of conversations.�

This study was supported by the , which facilitates research into the epigenomics of rare diseases and is part of the Medical Research Council and NIHR-funded Rare Diseases UK Platform.

Professor Siddharth Banka, senior author of the study who oversaw the research, is a Professor of Genomic Medicine and Rare Diseases at UoM, Consultant Clinical Geneticist at the Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Genomic Medicine at MFT, and Clinical Director of the MRCC.

Discussing the next steps for the research, Professor Banka, who is also the Rare Conditions Co-Theme Lead at the NIHR Â鶹´«Ã½ BRC and Co-Lead for the EpiGenRare Node, said: “We now want to understand these conditions better, such as how do their symptoms evolve over time, are there any associated complications and discover potential treatment options. We also need to understand the mechanism of the disease better – how exactly are these genetic mutations causing neurodevelopmental conditions? With this information, we hope to identify treatments and therapies, and make these available for patients.â€�

The Â鶹´«Ã½-based team’s findings have also had a positive impact on patients and families worldwide.

In Australia, the breakthrough has meant that clinicians there were able to diagnose with RNU2-2-related disorder after a decade-long diagnostic journey.

Gitty’s mum, Miriam, said: “We felt very relieved when we found out. The diagnosis didn’t change anything because Gitty was 10 years old at this stage and we’ve lived through all these symptoms. But knowing that it won’t affect our other children and can’t be passed down by them was a big relief. Uncertainty can be very unnerving, so having a diagnosis gives us peace of mind.�

Professor Marian Knight, Scientific Director for NIHR Infrastructure, said: “For parents of children with neurodevelopmental conditions, understanding the cause of symptoms is an essential first step to getting the best help for their child. The experimental medicine championed by our NIHR Biomedical Research Centres which leads to important discoveries like this provides real benefits for real people like Rose. This exciting work has the potential to change the care of patients not only in the UK but around the world."

Dr Sarah Wynn, CEO of Unique, a charity which supports families affected by rare genetic disorders, said: “This research study which has discovered two new frequent causes of neurodevelopmental conditions is incredibly important and valuable to patients and families, who have often been searching for a long time for the answer to their child’s developmental delays. Receiving a diagnosis like this can be life-changing for families, not only by providing the explanation they have been looking for but enabling them to connect to others and learn more about the condition resulting in improved care and support for their child. We are enormously grateful to research teams such as this, who work tirelessly to discover new gene associations and understand more about rare genetic conditions bringing benefit to people and families all over the world.�

The charity Versus Arthritis has awarded £3m to bring world-leading experts from five UK universities together to accelerate clinical epidemiology research, which will help answer pressing questions from those living with arthritis. 

Professor Kimme Hyrich, Director of Â鶹´«Ã½ Centre for Musculoskeletal Research will co-lead the consortium with Professor Christian Mallen, Executive Dean and Professor of General Practice and Public Health at Keele University. 

Professor Hyrich, a leading clinical epidemiologist and consultant rheumatologist, highlights the advantages of team science in epidemiological research: “This award represents an exciting step-change in the way musculoskeletal epidemiology research is conducted in the UK, breaking down traditional research siloes and uniting minds, data and expertise to generate the evidence needed to support people living with arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions."  

The new research consortium is part of the charity’s drive to harness ‘team science’ to better understand the causes and risk factors for arthritis and improve treatment options. Epidemiology – the study of how diseases occur in different people and why - is critical to designing better and targeted interventions using data.   

The consortium, made up of experts from the Universities of Â鶹´«Ã½, Keele, Oxford, Nottingham and Aberdeen, aims to close five gaps in our understanding of the debilitating disease and related conditions. They will consider menopause in relation to musculoskeletal health, inequalities in access to care, risks of long-term pain medications and determine the optimum levels of monitoring for those receiving immune drugs.  The researchers will also aim to identify those at higher risk of chronic pain sooner, given painful musculoskeletal conditions often begin in childhood. This holds the potential to explore ways to prevent or reduce persistent pain.  

Lucy Donaldson, Director of Research at Versus Arthritis, said: “The Versus Arthritis Research Consortium: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology - Better lives, Safer journey is a major step forward in tackling the everyday realities faced by people living with arthritis and other painful musculoskeletal conditions.  

“This consortium will bring together leading researchers, clinicians, and people with lived experience from across the UK in a team science approach. Their aim - to find real, practical solutions to the problems faced by people with arthritis.â€�  

The consortium will employ cutting edge analysis techniques on existing datasets to fill the identified gaps in our knowledge of arthritis and MSK conditions. Its findings will help to arm those living with arthritis to have informed conversations with clinicians about their care. It will also seek to improve clinical practice and policy around diagnosis, prevention and treatment.  

Professor Mallen, Keele University, said: "The new Versus Arthritis Research Consortium is an exciting new programme that will have a major impact on the lives of people living with painful conditions by uniting world-leading clinicians, academics, patients and policy makers.  

“It is a privilege to co-lead the consortium with Professor Hyrich and having strong representation from Keele University highlights the importance of primary care in improving outcomes for people living with arthritis and chronic musculoskeletal pain." 

The results will be shared through a broad range of partners including government, the NHS, clinicians and patient networks.  

More than 20 million people, of all ages, in the UK have problems with their joints, bones and muscles, which cause pain and impact all aspects of life including work and school.  

The Versus Arthritis Research Consortium: Musculoskeletal Epidemiology - Better lives, Safer journey is the first of six consortia to be announced by Versus Arthritis which is awarding £18 million of funding to this initiative over the next three years. 

Senior author Dr Ben Brown is a practicing GP and co-founder of Patchs, as well as a researcher at Â鶹´«Ã½. He said: “AI has the potential to reduce the heavier workload which is sometimes associated with eVisits in general practice.

“Despite the potential, AI tools are not yet routinely used in primary care. This study is the first to ask if this use of AI would be acceptable to staff and patients.�

Co-author Professor Niels Peek from The Healthcare Improvement Studies Institute, University of Cambridge said: “This work aligns with the government’s strategy to address the high workload that the NHS is facing with technology.

“The study demonstrates that there exist opportunities to streamline NHS services with AI in a way that is meaningful for, and would be welcomed by, patients and staff.�

Inclusion of families is a key part of guidance to universities on conducting such reviews but the study found that in most cases it did not happen. Some families described feeling the university was defensive and reluctant to answer important and painful questions. 

The study found the commitment to suicide prevention in universities is strong. However, it recommends reviews are more responsive to families and proposes a “duty of candourâ€� should be developed and adopted by the higher education sector. 

Most of the serious incident reviews identified potential stressors and experiences that could have contributed to suicide risk. Mental ill-health and academic problems including exam stresses were the most common factors. Around three-quarters of students had been in contact with university support services. Many had experienced adverse life events, including relationship problems, problems with housing, family relationships, their peers, or finance. 

The serious incident reports showed that 13% of the students, five female and five male, were reported to have been victims of violence, including sexual or physical assault, harassment or threats of violence. In three, the gender of the student was not reported. 

Over two-thirds (53, 67%) of the 79 reports of suspected suicide detailed how the university responded to the death, known as postvention.

Postvention to fellow students was documented in 32 (41%) of the 79 serious incident reports but just 7 (9%) said the student’s family received support. The figure was 14 (18%) for staff impacted by the death.

A total of 107 students at 73 English universities were suspected to have lost their lives to suicide in the 2023/2024 academic year. 62 incidents of non-fatal self-harm were also reported in the same period. Of the 169 cases, serious incident reports were submitted for 104 (62%) of them. And of the 104 reports, 79 (74%) were for suspected suicide and 25 (40%) for incidents of non-fatal self-harm.

, Director of the into Suicide and Safety in Mental Health at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “A single life lost to suicide is an immeasurable tragedy. The main aim of this national review is to improve learning from these tragic incidents to help prevent future deaths. We found an excellent response from universities to this national review and, on such a sensitive issue, this is a welcome sign for prevention.

“However, the families we spoke to provided moving accounts of feeling excluded from the process of finding out what happened to their loved ones, and some had a perception the university was evasive and reluctant to answer important and painful questions.

“That is why input from bereaved families should be a key part of the serious incident investigation process, and their questions should be answered as far as possible.

“We suggest a version of the duty of candour should be introduced to the HE sector. This would have the aim of, ensuring openness and transparency with families after a suspected suicide. This should be developed and shaped by the sector itself to ensure it is appropriate to the HE setting.�

from Â鶹´«Ã½ said: “Mental-ill health was frequently identified in the serious incident reports we examined, sometimes there were clear indications of risk through mental illness or self-harm, but other reports identified students who were experiencing less severe problems with mental well-being. We suggest mental health awareness and suicide prevention training should be available for all staff in student-facing roles, and include recognising and responding to risk and neurodiversity.

“And students who are struggling academically should be recognised as potentially at risk, with enhanced support being offered at key points in the academic calendar. Access to mental health and other support should also be reviewed, particularly for those at additional risk, such as those who have experienced violence or other adverse life events.�

• The study is published on the  DfE

Officially known as Leader in Openness, the award, which needs to be renewed every three years, is given by Understanding Animal Research, a key body which promotes understanding of the humane use of animals in medical, veterinary, scientific and environmental research in the UK.

'Leaders in Openness' status - first awarded to Â鶹´«Ã½ six years ago - recognises organisations who dedicate significant resources to embedding best practice throughout their organisation, ensuring that transparency is not just an aspiration but a reality at every level.

The University's Biological Services Facility has long been a leading university for openness about the work it carries out with animals - which includes mice, rats, frogs, fish and sheep.

Â鶹´«Ã½ was one of the original signatures of the Concordat on Openness on Animal Research, a set of four commitments to help organisations which carry out animal research to communicate openly about their work and the reasons why they do it.

 Dr Maria Kamper Biological Services Facility Director at Â鶹´«Ã½ said: "The University's commitment to the Concordat on Openness in Animal Research drives our transparency in animal studies. 

"With just a few clicks, the public can access details about our research methods, animal species, numbers, and ethical frameworks. We offer virtual tours, participate in science fairs, and host various public events. School groups, journalists, and community members also regularly visit our facilities. 

"This recognition of the efforts of the BSF staff is gratifying, and we enthusiastically pledge to continue advancing this important transparency agenda."

It has been shown that greater openness on how and why animals are used enables the public to consider both the potential benefits and the ethical considerations, fostering informed discussion and trust.

Hannah Hobson, Head of Communications and Engagement at Understanding Animal Research said: "Each year, the Concordat recognises institutions that consistently meet the highest standards for openness and transparency in their animal research communications. These organisations excel in internal communications, public-facing websites, social media, media engagement, and public outreach, setting a benchmark for the sector and leading by example.

"For 2025–2028, a select group of research organisations has once again demonstrated outstanding commitment in all these areas, earning the 'Leaders in Openness' title for three years. This recognition reflects the energy, thoughtfulness, and courage they show in making information about animal research accessible and understandable to the public on a subject that is often complex and misunderstood."

• For more details about leader in openness, visit the website
• If you have any questions about animal research at Â鶹´«Ã½, email animal research communications lead Mike Addelman and Communications and 3Rs manager at the BSF Dr Jo Stanley  at animal.research@manchester.ac.uk

New analysis from Health Equity North, Newcastle University, and the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ has shown that availability of community pharmacy services in England has reduced, particularly in deprived areas.

Researchers investigated how access to community pharmacies changed from 2014 to 2023, examining relationships between pharmacy availability and factors such as how urban the area is, and socioeconomic deprivation.

In England, more than 90% of people live within a 20-minute walk of a community pharmacy. However, overall availability of pharmacies has decreased with the number dropping from 1.6 pharmacies per 10,000 people to 1.5. The most deprived areas were 65% more likely to lose a pharmacy compared to the least deprived areas.

Pharmacies are an important part of the healthcare system and are well placed to reach those most in need. They deliver a range of public health and clinical services, such as smoking cessation advice and support, emergency hormonal contraception, hypertension screening and ‘flu’ vaccination programmes.

Recent funding cuts and closures of community pharmacies prompted health inequalities researchers to explore whether the ‘positive pharmacy care law’ – which means people in more deprived areas have better access to pharmacies - is still in operation, and the implications of this on commissioning of future services.

It found that the positive pharmacy care law remains in place but has eroded over time. Pharmacy availability is decreasing, especially in poorer areas, meaning more people must rely on each remaining pharmacy.

The research team says that due to the nature to the NHS Community Pharmacy Contractual Framework in England and the tiered levels of services, “there is potential that there will be less capacity to provide the additional enhanced clinical services for community pharmacies located in the most deprived areas�.

The study showed:

• In 2014, the most deprived areas had 2.28 pharmacies per 10,000 people compared to 1.37 per 10,000 people in the least deprived areas; by 2023, this dropped to 2.01 and 1.33 per 10,000 people, respectively.
• The decline in pharmacy availability per 10,000 people was most severe in the most deprived areas (-0.27 per 10,000 people or an 11.8% reduction between 2014 and 2023)
• Urban areas experienced a significant decline in pharmacy availability - an 8.2% reduction (from 1.81 to 1.66 pharmacies per 10,000 people) between 2014 and 2023.

The academics behind the analysis say reinvestment in the community pharmacy network will help address challenges within the sector and reduce inequalities in access to health care.

Lead author Eman Zied Abozied, Research Associate at Newcastle University, said: “Pharmacies are one of the only healthcare options available on the high street where people can be seen without an appointment. They play an important role in helping people access the care they need, especially in the most disadvantaged areas where there might be fewer GPs. Funding cuts across the sector have seen many community pharmacies close, which could fuel inequalities in healthcare access.

“While it is encouraging that our analysis shows that most people still live close to a pharmacy, the reduction in the number of community pharmacies is a cause for concern. Pharmacies are serving a higher number of people, with the biggest decline in availability in communities that have the greatest health needs, leading to immense pressure on services and staff. Pharmacies in the most disadvantaged areas may not be able to offer the full range of clinical services due to funding cuts and staffing pressures.

“If community pharmacies are required to deliver more clinical services to support other primary care organisations, it is important that they have the appropriate funding to be able to achieve this.�

Dr Luke Munford, Health Equity North Academic Co-Director and Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “There needs to be more investment in community pharmacies if they are to effectively deliver the vital public health services they provide to people across England. Our study shows that more pressure is being placed on pharmacies with this being felt more keenly in deprived communities where health outcomes tend to be worse. 

“The implications of inaction could see less capacity to provide much need services to those most in need and further widening of existing health inequalities.â€� 

The study has been published in BMJ Open. Read the full paper - "The Positive Pharmacy Care Law Revisited: an area-level analysis of the relationship between community pharmacy distribution, urbanity and deprivation in England"

The  groundbreaking research, led by Dr Matthew J. Kibble, used a state-of-the-art 3D printing technique called bioprinting to replicate the complex structure and environment of human spinal discs. 

In a study published in the journal today, they reveal tissue stiffness and oxygen levels significantly impact the production of vital biological materials, including collagen and hyaluronic acid, by human disc cells. 

The insights could ultimately lead to new treatments for back pain, a condition affecting hundreds of millions of people across the world. 

Bioprinting is a cutting-edge technique that uses living cells and biological materials to create complex 3D structures that accurately mimic the structure of human organs. 

The new bioprinted discs will allow scientists to study how different conditions affect disc cell behaviour and contribute to tissue degeneration and back pain.

Most bioprinters work in a similar way to plastic 3D printers, extruding material through a nozzle under pressure to build structures.

However, rather than printing plastic, bioprinters use cells and gel-like inks made from cell-friendly materials such as collagen, cellulose or gelatin.

The scientists prepared the cells and materials needed for bioprinting and designed a digital model of a human spinal disc. For this study, the bioprinted discs were made from gels containing collagen combined with alginate, a protein derived from seaweed.

They used state-of-the-art 3D bioprinters capable of depositing multiple types of cells and materials, layer-by-layer, to create sophisticated models where the different biological, chemical, and mechanical characteristics of the human disc could be modelled.

The bioprinted tissues were then stored in controlled conditions so they could grow, mature, and develop their biological functions.

Dr Stephen M. Richardson, from Â鶹´«Ã½, corresponding author of the study said: “This work represents a step towards the automated creation of realistic whole organ models and brings us closer to understanding the root causes of disc degeneration.â€�

“Our findings provide important insights into the factors driving disc degeneration and pave the way for the development of more effective regenerative therapies, for example through incorporation of stem cells.�

Bioprinting has been used to fabricate models of different tissues including skin, brain, nerve and heart, kidney and tumour.

However, fully functional tissue engineered organs are still  decades away; current models are mostly used for investigating biological processes in the lab but may act as replacements for lab animals.

As part of his PhD research at Â鶹´«Ã½, Dr Kibble developed the bioprinted discs to explore the impact of tissue stiffness on the two cell types that inhabit different parts of the adult spinal discs:  nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus cells.

In future disc models the scientists plan to incorporate cells found in healthy, young developing discs, alongside stem cells or gene-edited cells to create even more advanced models of health and disease. This will enable them to understand how healthy tissue is formed and whether stem cells can be used to produce healthy tissue and treat back pain.

Dr Kibble said: “Over 600 million people worldwide suffer from lower back pain. Our bioprinted intervertebral disc models are an exciting opportunity to inform better regenerative therapies.

Our research has shown that tissue stiffness and oxygen levels have a significant impact the production of vital biological materials.

There have been many attempts to engineer discs so that we can understand their biology and develop models for testing different therapies or transplanting them into animals. But as well as being very difficult to do, this is also extremely time consuming.

Our work allows us to produce biologically functional disc models at scale and will allow us to make desperately needed advances in our understanding  of disc disease.â€�

The study was funded by the UKRI EPSRC/MRC Centre for Doctoral Training in Regenerative Medicine, the Wellcome Institutional Strategic Support Fund, and the Medical Research Council.

The authors also acknowledge the support of the national Henry Royce Institute EPSRC grants and the Bioprinting Technology Platform.

A video of the bioprinted in action is available, as are images of the bioprinted discs, and graphics.

The paper,  Suspension bioprinted whole intervertebral disc analogues enable regional stiffness- and hypoxia-regulated matrix secretion by primary human nucleus pulposus and annulus fibrosus cells is published in Acta Biomaterialia and is available.

Â鶹´«Ã½ is globally renowned for its pioneering research, outstanding teaching and learning, and commitment to social responsibility. We are a truly international university – ranking in the top 50 in a range of global rankings – with a diverse community of more than 44,000 students, 12,000 staff and 550,000 alumni from 190 countries.  Sign up for our e-news to hear first-hand about our international partnerships and activities across the globe. 

Less climate mitigation will increase the spread of fungal pathogens in certain areas, putting more people at risk.

• Novel projections show that in 15 years, if we rely on fossil fuels instead of clean power (scenario of *), we are likely to see the significant spread of certain fungal pathogens in Europe
• Under this scenario, the spread of Aspergillus flavus, for example, could increase by about 16%, putting 1 million more people at risk of infection in Europe. Infections affect the respiratory system, and this fungus infects a broad range of agricultural crops
• The predictions also show that the spread of another fungus, Aspergillus fumigatus, could increase by 77.5% and potentially expose 9 million people in Europe
• This is a concerning trend due to a rise in antifungal resistance and a severe lack of diagnostics and treatment options for fungal infections

In a new study, published on  and funded by , the effects of rising temperatures on infection-causing fungi have been mapped under different climate change mitigation scenarios until the year 2100. Using climate modelling and forecasts, at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and colleagues have mapped how the global distributions of three fungal pathogens (Aspergillus flavus, Aspergillus fumigatus and Aspergillus niger) could be expected to change as a result.

The rise of pathogenic fungi is a real concern and is being driven by climate change. Fungi are incredibly adaptable organisms, with large, malleable genomes that allow them to colonize new geographies and survive as their environment changes.

Dr. Norman van Rhijn said: “Changes in environmental factors, such as humidity and extreme weather events, will change habitats and drive fungal adaptation and spread.

“We’ve already seen the emergence of the fungus Candida auris due to rising temperatures, but, until now, we had little information of how other fungi might respond to this change in the environment.  Fungi are relatively under researched compared to viruses and parasites, but these maps show that fungal pathogens will likely impact most areas of the world in the future. Raising awareness and developing effective interventions for fungal pathogens will be essential to mitigate the consequences of this.â€�

The maps show that in a fossil fuel dependent economy, as outlined in the IPCC scenario of , the climate will change to become suitable for fungal pathogens to spread to new geographies, with a marked increase in Europe.

The spread of Aspergillus flavus could increase by about 16%, putting 1 million more people at risk of infection from this deadly fungal pathogen in Europe. This fungus is known to cause severe infections and is resistant to many antifungals available.

This is an especially concerning trend as many fungal infections have high mortality rates, partly because of the lack of diagnostics, vaccines and treatment options as well as a lack of awareness of fungal infections. Additionally, as fungi are more similar to humans than other pathogens, developing anti-fungal treatments without toxic side effects is challenging.

The predictions also show that the spread of Aspergillus fumigatus could increase by 77.5% and potentially expose 9 million people in Europe. This is one of the most common fungal pathogens responsible for life-threatening infections in humans and affects the lungs.

Whilst the rise in global temperatures will increase the spread of fungi in Europe, temperatures in Africa could become so high that some fungi will not be able to survive on the continent. Fungi are an essential component to a functioning ecosystem, decomposing plant and animal matter to reintroduce nutrients into the soil. They also contribute to the carbon cycle which regulates the global climate and temperatures.  

Antifungal resistance is also being driven by the use of fungicides in agriculture, which are used to protect crops and support food production. The researchers also looked at the how the changing environment impacts our use of fungicides.

Viv Goosens, Research Manager at Wellcome said: “Fungal pathogens pose a serious threat to human health by causing infections and disrupting food systems. Climate change will make these risks worse. To address these challenges, we must fill important research gaps. By using models and maps to track the spread of fungi, we can better direct resources and prepare for the future." 

Fungal infections are transmitted through fungal spores in the air we breathe. People with weakened immune systems, co-morbidities and other risk factors are most vulnerable to infections, although fungi could adapt to become more pathogenic due to rising temperatures and could result in more infections in healthy people.

Despite this mounting threat, fungal infections receive little attention or resources. Less than 10% of an estimated 1.5 to 3.8 million species have been described, and a tiny fraction has had their genome sequenced. Wellcome is awarding over £50mn in funding towards fungal research over the next year. 

The study has been published on preprint platform Research Square, available here

The compound, developed by the scientists and known as caADAMTS13, could be a breakthrough for patients who have brain blood clots with an overabundance of platelets-  the tiny cell fragments that help form clots and are often not treatable by existing therapies. 

The study, funded by a British Heart Foundation 4-Year PhD Studentship Program and Â鶹´«Ã½ Innovation Factory is published in the leading journal in the field, Stroke. 

It is the first potential new treatment for stroke in the UK since the clotbusting drug recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rtPA) was licensed in September 2002. 

According to existing research, rtPA is only effective in as few as 10% to 35% of patients and is associated with a significant risk of bleeding. 

Another clotbuster called Tenecteplase (TNK), a variant of rtPA, was recently approved for the treatment of acute ischemic stroke in the United States but has similar limitations to rtPA. 

Both rtPA and TNK have similar efficacy and risk of haemorrhage. 

Von Willebrand Factor (VWF), a protein involved in blood clotting, helps platelets stick to damaged blood vessels and form the structure of blood clots. 

The greater the proportion of platelet and VWF components in a clot, the less effective rtPA is in dissolving it. 

The scientists investigated an alternative strategy which utilises caADAMTS13, an enzyme that reduces the size of VWF and helps break down blood clots. 

In previous mouse studies they have already shown that caADAMTS13 improves cerebral blood flow, reduces damage in the brain, reduces the depositing of both platelets and a clot promoting protein called fibrin, as well displaying anti-inflammatory properties. 

However, until now, a head to head comparison with the existing therapies of rtPA and  TNK had not been carried out. 

The scientists directly compared caADAMTS13 with rtPA and TNK in mice with a cerebral artery blockage from platelet and VWF rich clots, to mimick rtPA-resistance. 

They found that the restoration of cerebral blood flow 1 hour after treatment was the greatest in the mice treated by caADAMTS13 and that at 24 hours the caADAMTS13 mice had reduced brain damage.

Lead author Lucy Roberts, from Â鶹´«Ã½, said: “When someone has an acute ischemic stroke, doctors need to quickly remove the clot blocking cerebral arteries in the brain.

“To avoid  severe and potentially life-threatening complications, the need to act fast is acute. Unfortunately, current treatments are only sometimes effective.

“However, our findings show that the compound we developed, called caADAMTS13, is more effective than current stroke treatments

“That is why it is tremendously exciting that this compound could one day meet an unmet clinical need for stroke patients.�

Co-author and principle investigator Professor Stuart Allan from Â鶹´«Ã½ said: “We know that removing blood clots can improve outcomes in stroke and that current treatments don’t always work.

“Therefore, the approach is proven to work and we just need better drugs that can break down all types of blood clots. We think caADAMTS13 may allow this to happen.�

Professor Bryan Williams, Chief Scientific and Medical Officer at the British Heart Foundation, said: "A stroke is a medical emergency. For every minute blood flow to the brain is disrupted during a stroke, millions of nerve cells can become damaged and die. Stroke remains the single biggest cause of severe disability in the UK and we urgently need new treatments.

“More research will be needed to understand how these early results in mice can be translated to humans, but this study gives us a promising glimpse into a future where the compound caADAMTS13 could potentially be developed as a new therapy to safely and effectively dissolve blood clots in the brain.�

The paper Comparison of the Novel Thrombolytic Constitutively Active ADAMTS13 With Clinical Thrombolytics in a Murine Stroke Model , DOI: 10.1161/STROKEAHA.125.050848, is available

• The  video animation  illustrates the formation of a clot. Please credit the .
• For the image of the brain, please credit the .

For over 30 years Professor Itzhaki, professorial fellow emerita, University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and visiting professorial fellow, University of Oxford, has pursued the idea that HSV1, the herpes virus that causes cold sores, is a precursor to the development of AD. 

The 2025 STATUS List features 50 influential people shaping the future of health and life sciences across biotech, medicine, health care, policy, and health tech. 

The list is wide-ranging: from the biotech and health system executives who lead the market, to scientists developing AI technologies and breakthrough therapies, to patient advocates and activists.  

At  the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, Professor Itzhaki’s team discovered that HSV-1 DNA is present in the human brain in a high proportion of older people - the first microbe to be detected definitively in normal human brains.

The researchers later indicated that the virus when in the brain, in combination with a specific genetic factor, confers a high risk of developing AD.

She recently co-authored a that suggested that repeated head injuries could reawaken dormant HSV1 virus in the brain, triggering the onset of the disease.

The research team found that even mild brain trauma can trigger this chain reaction, leading to harmful changes associated with memory loss and cognitive decline.

The idea is winning purchase as the “amyloid hypothesis� — which proposes that Alzheimer’s is caused by a protein buildup in the brain — loosens its grip on the scientific community.

The researchers hope their work will pave the way for new treatments to protect against neurodegeneration, particularly for those at high risk due to repeated concussions.

Professor Itzhaki said: “I am delighted to be included in this year’s STATUS list. It is a great honour and a recognition that my work is finally being accepted by the scientific community.

“Most people now accept that dormant Herpes Simplex Virus in the brain  can become reactivated and in so doing can trigger the symptoms of Alzheimer’s Disease.â€�

What distinguishes these University entrepreneurs? Each finalist has identified real-world challenges and developed innovative approaches that show great potential. From sustainable environmental solutions to ground-breaking healthcare technologies, these ideas showcase the incredible talent nurturing within our university walls.

In this milestone 25th Anniversary year of the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, the competition holds special significance as we reflect on a quarter-century of fostering innovation and entrepreneurial excellence at Â鶹´«Ã½.

After an intense selection process, the finalists are competing for funding of up to £15,000 in one of the five categories: Environment, Healthcare, Services, Social & Technology. The winners will be announced at our awards ceremony on 11 June.

Environment Category

Josiah Edebiri - UrbanWatt 

School of Engineering, PhD EEE 

UrbanWatt is revolutionising sustainable urban logistics by simplifying the commercial adoption of Light-EVs through integrated wireless power technology, AI-driven optimisation, and smart charging systems.

Farah Frikha - Vesta Capsules 

School of Engineering, Mechatronic Engineering 

Inspired by Japanese capsule hotels, Vesta Capsules offers affordable, eco-friendly sleeping pods built with smart technology and sustainable materials, providing a modern alternative to traditional accommodations.

Mohammad Israil Hossain - Aqua Graph 

School of Natural Sciences, Nano and Functional Materials 

Aqua Graph has developed graphene-based filtration technology where micro-sponges can adsorb harmful chemicals from wastewater up to their own weight, with a reversible process allowing for material recovery and reuse.

Thando Mathe - Khuluma 

School of Environment, Education and Development, MSc Global Development Environment and Climate Change 

Khuluma uses AI-driven climate communication to break language barriers across Africa, making critical climate information accessible to diverse communities.

Healthcare Category

Adrian Perez Barreto - Revine 

CDT-Advanced Biomedical Materials 

Revine addresses diabetic limb ulcers with a graphene-based electrostimulation patch that enhances tissue regeneration while preventing infection, with integrated biosensors providing real-time wound data.

Indu Khemchandani - DiabetesCareAI 

Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MBA 

DiabetesCareAI is an AI-powered app helping users manage diabetes through real-time insights, personalised recommendations, and seamless device integration, with a freemium model and B2B partnerships.

Grigorii Rodionov - FlashAid AI 

School of Engineering, Mechanical Engineering BEng 

FlashAid AI tackles ambulance delays with an AI-powered platform for emergency response featuring instant triage, smart dispatch, real-time tracking, and dynamic routing optimised for traffic conditions.

Jasper Beaumont - Mend 

School of Medical Sciences, MBChB Medicine 

Mend is an AI-powered digital mental health platform helping patients build positive lifestyle habits through automated tracking, personalised care insights, and data-driven recommendations.

Services Category

Usman Aziz - JIFFL

Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, PhD Science, Technology, and Innovation Policy 

JIFFL is a SaaS platform revolutionising part-time recruitment with an end-to-end solution enabling all recruitment stages on a mobile app and website, supported by machine learning and NLP for automated interviews.

Xiang Zheng - Purfetch 

Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MBA 

Purfetch combines an AI-powered app and pet robot to help owners better understand their pets' emotional changes, behaviours, and health needs through real-time analysis and personalised care advice.

Matilde Lerias - Syncit

Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship

Syncit is a fitness app that considers the menstrual cycle, providing science-backed personalised fitness, nutrition, and wellbeing plans to help women maintain consistent routines.

Sebastian Contreras - Unisights

Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, BSc Management (Innovation, Strategy & Entrepreneurship) with Placement

Unisights connects Latin American high school students with UK universities through insights from current students, direct access to university representatives, and AI-powered university matching.

Social Category

Alex Kapadia - Pomelo

School of Natural Sciences, Earth and Planetary Science 

Pomelo is an AI-powered platform making local shopping more affordable and convenient by connecting users with nearby food suppliers and chefs, with smart meal planning to reduce food waste.

Bohyuck Han - The Senior Vision Project

Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School, MSc Innovation Management and Entrepreneurship

The Senior Vision Project addresses elderly poverty by creating meaningful part-time employment and providing AI-powered dementia prevention training, with data sales reinvested into senior employment projects.

Derry Duffy - Cause

School of Social Sciences, BSocSc Politics and International Relations

Cause is the first online giving platform built specifically for small charities, removing fundraising barriers with no platform fees and enabling connections through data-driven recommendations.

Oboroghene Ogbevire - PalmPro

School of Biological Sciences, Biochemistry BSc (Hons)

PalmPro is pioneering sustainable palm oil extraction through extremophile-derived enzymes that enhance oil yield while reducing environmental impact, with profits reinvested in small-scale producers.

Technology Category

Patrick Johansen Sarsfield - Graphene Thermal

School of Natural Sciences, Graphene NOWNANO CDT

Graphene Thermal specialises in cutting-edge graphene heated floor panels that reach their target temperature in seconds while consuming over 50% less power than conventional underfloor heating.

Dr Sangeethsivan Sivakumar - Ardhann

School of Natural Sciences, PhD Materials

Ardhann develops advanced carbon fibre composites and graphene-based solutions for hydrogen and hydrocarbon storage systems, with integrated monitoring and a SAAS platform for predictive maintenance.

Leo Benjamin Feasby - PulsR

School of Natural Sciences, MPhys Physics with Astrophysics

PulsR offers a suite of AI-powered GPTs including Image Generator Pro and Excel AI, with over 10 million chats and top rankings on ChatGPT's store, enhancing productivity across various fields.

Eduardo Marques - Amplify

School of Engineering, BEng Mechatronic Engineering

Amplify is building a non-invasive Brain-Computer Interface wearable that reads brain signals and uses AI to decode them into commands, streamlining repetitive tasks for 10x productivity.

MEC would like to invite the community at Â鶹´«Ã½ in congratulating these remarkable entrepreneurs on reaching the finals of the Venture Further Awards 2025. Their innovative ideas showcase the exceptional talent and entrepreneurial spirit within the University ecosystem.

Stay tuned for the announcement of winners on 11 June!

#VentureFurtherAwards2025 #Entrepreneurship #Innovation #StartupCompetition

Find out more about the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre (MEC) on our website .

The researchers suggest that policymakers should increase funding so that deprivation is taken into account as a factor in general practice funding to address income disparities between GPs in more deprived and less deprived areas.

Published in the today (22/04/25) and funded by the , the researchers analysed data from over 8,500 GPs between 2015 and 2021 in the GP work life

They looked at the relationship between deprivation of practice population and job pressures, job satisfaction, reported income, working hours, and intentions to leave direct patient care.

The lead researcher is , an NIHR Clinical Lecturer at Â鶹´«Ã½ and practicing GP.

He said: “This study shows how the socioeconomic deprivation of practice populations in England is adversely linked to the working conditions of the GPs that work there.

“We highlight a clear and persistent challenge in ensuring equitable healthcare provision.

“Without targeted investment and policy interventions, the difficulties faced by GPs in deprived areas will only continue to worsen, exacerbating health inequalities.�

Key Findings also included:

• GPs in the most deprived areas earn less than those in wealthier areas with an average difference of £5,525 less per year.
• Despite higher job pressures, there were no differences in overall job satisfaction, hours worked per week, or intentions to leave patient care between GPs working in more deprived and less deprived areas.

from Â鶹´«Ã½, senior author of the study, added: “Though deprived populations have higher needs for GP services, we know these areas have the most difficulty recruiting and retaining GPs.

“Our study is the first to examine how working in deprived areas affects the working lives of GPs. Addressing their concerns about increased job pressure and decreased resources would help reduce health inequalities.�

According to the researchers, the findings explain why working in areas of greater deprivation is less attractive to GPs, exacerbating workforce recruitment and retention issues.

Dr Anderson added: “Alongside financial incentives, non-financial incentives such as enhanced career development opportunities including fellowships that incorporate time for additional training, research, and leadership responsibilities could be a useful lever to promote GP recruitment and retention in areas of greater deprivation�.

“We also think it’s important to acknowledge we find no differences in hours worked per week, job satisfaction, and intention to quit direct patient care in more deprived and less deprived areas.

“Despite the challenges experienced by GPs working in areas of greater deprivation, this suggests that there are many rewarding aspects of working in areas of greater deprivation.  A broader recognition by the GP community of the potential advantages of working in areas of greater deprivation would therefore be helpful to promote recruitment and retention.â€�

This article reports the findings from independent research commissioned by the Department of Health and Social Care and carried out by the Policy Research Unit in Health and Social Care Systems and Commissioning (PRUComm). The research was conducted by the Health Organisation, Policy, and Economics (HOPE) group within the Centre for Primary Care & Health Services Research at Â鶹´«Ã½. The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Policy Research Programme. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the Policy Research Programme, NIHR, or the Department of Health and Social Care

• Deprivation and General Practitioners’ working lives: Repeated cross-sectional study is published in the  Journal of the , DOI: JRSM-24-0273.R2 and is available here.

Funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the study on mice shows that the brain’s hypothalamus controls how the immune system adapts during fasting, through a handful of highly specialized neurons responsible for making animals hungry.

Published today (04/04/25) in —one of the world’s leading immunology journals—the study shows the brain’s perception of hunger or fullness, rather than actual eating or caloric restriction, is enough to drive changes in the body’s immune cells.

The findings cast doubt on the current view that a lack of nutrients alone controls how the immune system responds to fasting, indicating the brain has a critical role, beyond the simple absence of food.

By artificially switching on specific brain neurons in mice—which typically signal low energy levels—scientists induced a synthetic sense of hunger. Remarkably, within hours, they saw a fast reorganization of immune cells in the blood, with a noticeable drop in inflammatory monocytes. These artificially hungry mice looked, from an immune perspective, just like mice that had fasted for real.

This discovery could have important implications for developing new therapies to treat a range of inflammatory diseases as well as for treating wasting syndromes seen in cancer, in which individuals lose weight despite eating normally.

It may also explain why obesity often accompanies inflammatory conditions and why malnourished individuals are more prone to infections and inflammation.

The lead senior researcher, Dr Giuseppe D’Agostino, who coordinated the study, said: “Our perceptions can shape our bodies in ways we don’t always notice. It’s easy to see how thoughts guide our actions, but this study reminds us that even our internal body adjustments that are not under conscious control respond to the brain’s signals.

“This study underlines how important the brain is in regulating the immune system. But if internal or external factors alter the brain’s perception, these processes can go awry, reminding us how deeply the mind and body are—and should remain—connected.

"In addition to BBSRC who funded the work, we are grateful to the Medical Research Council for providing early-stage seed funding that helped the lab explore completely novel areas — a small but truly visionary contribution that still resonates today."

Collaborator and Â鶹´«Ã½ immunologist Professor Matt Hepworth added: “This work challenges the long-standing view that fasting’s immunological impact is driven purely by nutrient levels. It highlights the nervous system’s profound influence on how the immune system adapts during fasting.â€�

Lead author Dr Cavalcanti de Albuquerque said: “By showing how the brain exerts top-down control over immune cells, we can further explore when and how fasting might deliver health benefits. It also opens up potential ways to treat infectious, inflammatory, metabolic, and psychiatric conditions.�

The paper Brain Sensing of Metabolic State Regulates Circulating Monocytes   is available

The study of 15.7 million patient records, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and published in the prestigious Journal of the R, implies there could be scope to prescribe far fewer antibiotics. 

The researchers found the probability of being prescribed antibiotics for a lower respiratory tract or urinary tract infection was unrelated to hospital admission risk. 

And the probability of being prescribed an antibiotic for an upper respiratory tract infection was only weakly related to hospital admission risk. 

The study also showed that patient characteristics such as age and the presence of other health problems were only weakly associated with the probability of being prescribed an antibiotic treatment of common infection. 

The most elderly patients in the sample were 31% less likely than the youngest patients to receive an antibiotic for upper respiratory infections. 

That inevitably means, say the researchers, that because many younger people are being prescribed antibiotics, even though they are often fit enough to recover without them, potentially  leading to resistance. 

Conversely,  many older people may not be able to deal with infections without antibiotics are not  receiving them, with the potential of complication and hospital admissions. 

Patients with combinations of diseases were 7% less likely than people without major health problems  to receive an antibiotic for upper respiratory infections. 

Lead authors are  Professor Tjeerd van Staa and Dr Ali Fahmi, from Â鶹´«Ã½. 

Professor Tjeerd van Staa said: “Antibiotics are effective in treating bacterial infections, but they carry the risks of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) and loss of effectiveness when used inappropriately. 

“That is why AMR to antibiotics has been recognised as one of the biggest threats to global public health. 

“Given the threat of resistance, there is a need to better target antibiotics in primary care to patients with higher risks of infection-related complications such as sepsis. 

“B³Ü³Ù this study finds that antibiotics for common infections are commonly not prescribed according to complication risk and that suggests there is plenty of scope to do more on reducing antibiotic prescribing.â€� 

The study also showed that the probability of being prescribed an antibiotic for lower respiratory infections was even more unrelated to complication risk during the pandemic, however they were only minor changes for urinary tract infections. 

The research team accessed anonymised patient-level electronic health records of primary care data from The Phoenix Partnership (TPP) through OpenSAFELY, a secure platform for electronic health records in the NHS. 

They included adults registered at general practices in England from January 2019 to March 2023 diagnosed with upper respiratory, lower respiratory and urinary tract infections. 

Patient-specific risks of infection-related hospital admission were estimated for each infection using risk prediction scores for patients who were not prescribed an antibiotic. 

Dr Ali Fahmi added: “Rather than imposing targets for reducing inappropriate prescribing, we argue that it is far more viable for clinicians to focus on improving risk-based antibiotic prescribing for infections that are less severe and typically self-limiting. 

“Prognosis and harm should explicitly be considered in treatment guidelines, alongside better personalised information for clinicians and patients to support shared decision making.�

“A Knowledge Support (KSS) led by Professor Tjeerd van Staa, which provides personalised information to clinicians is  now being tested in the North-West England

“We hope it could provide a workable solution to the problem of untargeted antibiotic prescribing.�

Antibiotics for common infections in primary care before, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic: cohort study of extent of prescribing based on risks of infection-related hospital admissions  is published in  DOI: 10.1177/01410768251328997

The study team at Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Â鶹´«Ã½ (UoM) implemented the new technology across MFT hospitals in December 2023, which provides specialist liver care to the Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ region. The technology aims to improve early detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) – the most common cancer affecting the liver and the third most common cause of cancer death.

Developed by Roche Diagnostics, the pioneering test, known as Elecsys®GAAD, combines blood tests with gender and age, which can increase the detection rate of HCC at an early, curable stage. This is being used alongside routine surveillance tests to see how it can benefit patients, so they have the best chance of surviving this type of cancer.

One of the risks for developing HCC is a pre-existing liver disease and scarring of the liver, known as cirrhosis. Approximately 3,000 people are found to have HCC in the UK every year. Less than 1,000 are identified at a stage when they can have curative treatment, leaving over 2,000 people per year with a cancer that cannot be cured.

More than 600 patients with cirrhosis have been tested using Elecsys®GAAD within clinics at Â鶹´«Ã½ Royal Infirmary, Wythenshawe Hospital and North Â鶹´«Ã½ General Hospital, all part of MFT, and four patients have been detected with early-stage liver cancer at a treatable stage, which would not have been found without the new technology.

Gerry’s story

Father of three, Gerry, 67 was diagnosed with hemochromatosis approximately 15 years ago, a hereditary condition where the body stores too much iron, which has led to scarring on his liver, cirrhosis.

Whilst attending his routine screening appointment at Wythenshawe Hospital, Gerry joined the research trial using the Elecsys®GAAD technology, which detected the early stages of liver cancer.

Following a number of CT scans at Â鶹´«Ã½ Royal Infirmary, it was confirmed that there is a small tumour on the upper part of his liver, which he has now had removed and remains cancer free.

Gerry said: â€œI was shocked to find out that I had liver cancer, but also relieved that it had been found early and it hadn’t spread any further. I didn’t have any symptoms that would make me think that there was anything wrong, so I am grateful that the cancer has been caught early, where a number of treatment options are available to me.

“It isn’t until you’re in this position, that you truly realise how cancer can affect anyone, and detecting it early can save your life. I would encourage others to take part in this research trial, if given the opportunity, as this new technology will save lives. I am grateful to be in a position where curative treatment is available and I am now cancer free.�

How the technology works

In early, curable stages, HCC can have no symptoms and so it is recommended that everyone with known cirrhosis is tested every six months which involves an ultrasound scan and a blood test (alpha fetoprotein – AFP) to screen for primary liver cancer – HCC.

The new test is an algorithm used in addition to the current standard of care, which uses the AFP information alongside another blood test (Elecsys®PIVKA-II), age and gender to calculate a risk score. Data suggests that this test increases the likelihood of detecting liver cancer at an earlier stage where curative treatments are far more likely. 

Principal Investigator for the study, Dr Varinder Athwal, Consultant Hepatologist at MFT and Honorary Senior Lecturer at the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, said: â€œÂ鶹´«Ã½ has some of the highest rates of liver disease and liver cancer in the UK and far too many people are diagnosed when curative treatment is not possible.

“This innovation is a non-invasive test that easily fits into our current pathway. Early results from the project are very promising and show we are able to detect more cases of HCC at earlier, treatable stages which would have been missed by standard routine care – so it truly has the potential to save lives.

“Using this new test and with additional improvements to the surveillance pathway, we believe more than 1,000 people per year could be additionally detected at an earlier stage when their cancer is potentially curable. This number could be increased if more people are offered the test and stay in surveillance, which is something we are addressing in this project.�

Vic’s story
 

Vic joined the research trial at MFT and was detected in the early, curable stages of liver cancer and despite not being fit enough for common therapies to cure his cancer, Vic has since received a treatment called transarterial chemoembolisation (TACE) which cuts off the tumour’s blood supply with little or no effect to liver functioning.

Detecting his cancer early through Elecsys®GAAD means that it has prevented the spread of his cancer and there is currently no sign of his cancer on repeat scans.

He said: â€œWhen I agreed to join the trial, I had been being monitored routinely because of the presence of liver disease but the last thing that I thought I would ever develop was cancer. I had been stable for some years and had not experienced any new symptoms to suggest anything had changed.

“The GAAD test changed all that. The results were high and detected that I had a primary liver cancer which turned out to be a Stage 2 liver cancer. I had no symptoms. I was referred immediately for expert treatment.

“Because the GAAD test detected the cancer early I have been able to access one of several treatment options quickly, before the cancer had the chance to spread outside the liver. Early diagnosis and treatment has meant that I can also benefit from the care and support of an amazing multidisciplinary team.

“It has also meant that I have been given time to involve my family, especially my children, to navigate this journey together. Without the GAAD test, the diagnosis of cancer may have come too late for all of us.�

Through the study, researchers aim to find out if the Elecsys®GAAD test reduces unnecessary further scans and if it improves earlier detection of HCC. They will also investigate if a six-monthly ultrasound adds any further benefit to Elecsys®GAAD to detect HCC – or if Elecsys®GAAD could be used on its own, which would provide a considerable cost saving to the NHS and a significant improvement to current standard of care. 

Director of Access and Innovation at Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland, Chris Hudson said: â€œRoche Diagnostics is committed to early disease diagnosis and to ensuring our innovations reach the people who need them. Working with the team in Â鶹´«Ã½, we are taking the learnings from this hugely successful trial to help other NHS Trusts implement the Elecsys®GAAD digital diagnostic solution and enable more patients with liver cancer to access timely diagnostics and potentially curative treatments.â€�

Dr Katherine Boylan, Director of Innovation at MFT said: â€œAs one of the largest NHS trusts in the country, MFT is uniquely placed to test the innovation, which brings together the knowledge and expertise of academic, medical and industry partners – strengthening our position as a leader in research and innovation in the UK. We are proud to partner with Roche Diagnostics to address this unmet clinical need for the benefit of our patients, which has the potential to revolutionise early cancer diagnosis for HCC.â€�

Elecsys®GAAD was fast-tracked into the NHS at MFT, following £1million funding from NHS England, to test the accuracy and benefits of technology over a two-year period.

Project Managers at NHS England visited MFT alongside Roche Diagnostics, to see the progress of the project and how we are utilising the test alongside current pathways.

Dr Michael Gregory, Regional Medical Director for NHS England – North West, said: “This is a great example of how the NHS can transform health outcomes and save lives through the use of cutting-edge technology and a greater focus on prevention.

“The stories of the patients who have already benefited from this new test highlight why it is so important that we diagnose and treat cancers at the earliest possible opportunity and I’m excited to see how it could be made more widely available in the future.

“In the meantime, I would continue to encourage people with potential signs of cancer to come forward and speak to their general practice as soon as possible.�

The study is running until April 2025, recruiting more than 600 patients to the research project. Findings from the implementation at MFT will be used to co-develop a plan for the national roll out within the NHS.

This work is supported by Imperial College London who are observing the economic impact of the new technology on the NHS, and Unity Insights who are carrying out an independent evaluation of the findings across the project.

Photo: Photo: Patrick Ezean (NHS England Cancer Programme Manager), Emily Corser (NHS England Cancer Programme Manager), Dr Varinder Athwal (Principal Investigator for the study), Darren Banks (MFT Interim Deputy Trust Chief Executive), Chris Hudson (Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland), Delphine Scokaert (Roche Diagnostics UK and Ireland), Oliver Street (Programme Manager, Â鶹´«Ã½), Dr Katherine Boylan (Director of Innovation at MFT), Laura Tornatore (Senior Programme Manager, LGC).

About cancer research at Â鶹´«Ã½
Our world leading experimental laboratories and clinical facilities, including a state-of-the-art £150 million research centre, facilitates our ground-breaking cancer research to deliver impact across the whole cancer pathway.   

Our multidisciplinary specialists are focused on reducing inequalities and developing solutions to improve access to prevention, detection and treatment strategies in the UK and globally. Find out more about our cancer research.   

Led by Health Innovation Â鶹´«Ã½, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ and Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust, this collaborative project has helped bridge the gap between research and clinical implementation of advanced diagnostic technologies.

ADA is one of ten projects funded within the Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ portfolio of the Innovation Accelerator (IA) programme, which is transforming the innovation landscape in the UK and paving the way for the future of place-based research and development (R&D) investment.

Since its launch, the IA programme has invested £100m in 26 transformative R&D projects between 2022-25, focusing on high-potential innovation clusters across three UK regions - Greater Â鶹´«Ã½, West Midlands and Glasgow City Region and has been extended by £30m for 2025/26. The programme builds on regional cluster strengths and brings together the innovation ecosystem, to drive economic growth and technological advancement.

The programme is led by Innovate UK, on behalf of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) and co-created in Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ with regional leadership to ensure it is locally led and focused on harnessing the region’s strengths in high performance materials, health innovation, advanced manufacturing and digital technology.

The IA programme in Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ provided a unique opportunity to test hypotheses in real-world settings, and those projects emerging from the programme have made significant impacts in just two years. The programme has supported more than 500 businesses to take forward innovations, while over 1000 Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ residents have accessed skills support – to either upskill or begin their journey to a career in a high-growth sector.

The work delivered has been highly output-focused, resulting in the creation of meaningful networks and lasting relationships. Partners and stakeholders have embarked on a collective learning journey, creating something new that they can be proud of whilst adding tangible value to a new paradigm shift in ways of working. An approach that has proven to be highly effective in bringing together diverse stakeholders, while strengthening key relationships.

Two years since its launch the projects are demonstrating globally competitive research and development that is putting the region’s innovation strengths on the map including Advanced Diagnostic Accelerator (ADA)..

ADA has various work streams from public and patient involvement through focus groups to the development of data-driven advanced diagnostics, point-of-care testing and rapid, cost-effective diagnostic tests for conditions like heart failure and lung cancer. By utilising Greater Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s academic and industry excellence from frontier sectors of Bioinformatics and Genomics, and AI, the project builds on assets already in existence within the city-region’s ecosystem, including validating and translating biomarkers and therapeutic assets into clinical use.

Key achievements include attracting £2.7m in co-investment to date, the development of a new MedTech product, deployment of new engagement techniques, alongside the identification and creation of at least three new products and services. The programme has strengthened Greater Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s research, innovation, and data landscape through four submitted grants, two network events, and 26 digital communications assets. It has also expanded access to screening and diagnostic services, engaging over 1200 patients in treatment or research activities, while fostering greater research participation and early diagnosis for underserved communities, with over 400 patients engaged in community events.

By enhancing early diagnosis, boosting business sustainability, and tackling health inequalities, Advanced Diagnostic Accelerator is contributing to increased productivity, reduced economic inactivity due to poor health, and longer life expectancy for Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ residents and created multiple high value jobs.

Building on this momentum, Health Innovation Â鶹´«Ã½, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½, Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust and the industry partners have together secured a further £1.6 million Innovate UK grant for the Advanced Diagnostic Accelerator in Greater Â鶹´«Ã½.

Science Minister, Lord Vallance, said: “The Innovation Accelerator programme is unlocking new opportunities for growth in regions across the UK and this £30m investment backs further collaboration between business, academia and government to build on local innovation that can improve lives across the country.

“Greater Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator’s work to support early disease detection and targeted care will support our NHS and with further investment is driving up local jobs, benefiting the local economy and helping to deliver our Plan for Change.â€�

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater Â鶹´«Ã½, added: “It’s fantastic to see the innovation happening in Greater Â鶹´«Ã½ having such a wide-ranging impact. The Advanced Diagnostics Accelerator is improving the diagnosis and treatment of diseases while also delivering a significant economic boost, creating high-value jobs, driving investment, and encouraging closer collaboration between industry and academia. It is also doing great work in getting more of our residents involved in supporting medical trials, and speeding up access to the newest treatments and diagnostics being developed in our universities and research hospitals.

“The wider Innovation Accelerator programme has been an important catalyst for locally led innovation, and we’ve seen that translate into business growth, new jobs and investment, and advances in technology across a range of sectors. The extension of funding for Greater Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s 10 projects will help them build on the success they’ve already achieved.â€�

Professor Ben Bridgewater, Chief Executive at Health Innovation Â鶹´«Ã½, commented: “The investment we have received from the Innovation Accelerator programme for Advanced Diagnostic Accelerator was a catalyst to progress in our mission for improved population health. For each of our focus areas from liver disease and lung cancer to heart failure and chest pain we had a shared ethos to reduce inequalities, build on assets in existence and drive productivity through collaboration. To reach over 1,200 patients, create high-value jobs and establish a spin out in just two years shows the potential of projects like ours to make a meaningful impact on health outcomes.â€�

The Innovation Accelerator programme has helped to catalyse transformative innovation projects and bolster the UK’s global competitiveness. For more information and find out about other projects that have been funded through the programme, visit the website.

Working in partnership with Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust and Roche, the team developed the project - REVISE-HCC.

The REVISE-HCC project, funded by SBRI Healthcare /NHS England, was established to explore the use of an innovative test for liver cancer, which will help patients access earlier care and potentially save lives.

This project focused on implementing an improved strategy for liver cancer surveillance in patients who are at high risk by using the GAAD algorithm developed by Roche.

GAAD is an accurate test that combines blood tests with gender and age to indicate the presence of HCC (Hepatocellular carcinoma), which is the most common cause of cancer affecting the liver and a leading  cause for cancer-related deaths worldwide. The test is used alongside routine HCC surveillance tests to see how it can benefit patients.

With the  combined purpose to improve the detection rate for this deadly cancer at curable stages and improve the quality of life for these patients, we’re thrilled to receive this recognition.

Healthcare is rapidly shifting, towards more personalised care that’s more in tune with patients, embracing digital technologies that enable new possibilities. We’re excited to be at the forefront of this new class of diagnostic algorithms that our teams are helping to shape.

Programme Manager  Oliver Street said:  “Â鶹´«Ã½ has some of the highest rates of liver disease and liver cancer in the UK and is a significant healthcare and societal burden. Far too many people are diagnosed too late when curative treatment is not possible.

“We were thrilled to be recognised at this year’s HSJ Partnership Awards for our partnership with Roche and Â鶹´«Ã½ University NHS Foundation Trust that implemented this innovative technology at MFT and allows for more patients with liver cancer to be detected an early stage when their cancer is potentially curable.â€�

University of Â鶹´«Ã½ students embraced entrepreneurial spirit with this innovative online challenge-based programme, which creates a unique platform for students to explore their entrepreneurial potential, offering participants the opportunity to win up to £500 and develop critical entrepreneurial and employability skills.

Turning Ideas into Opportunities

The programme's inaugural run demonstrated remarkable traction, attracting 113 students from across The University and generating 38 innovative project submissions with a total prize pool of £10,500.

The inaugural programme generated impressive interest and students submitted exceptional quality work:

• Total Participants: 113 students enrolled
• Submissions: 38 innovative project proposals
• Prize Pool: £10,500 to fuel student innovation

University-Wide Participation

Participants spanned the entire academic spectrum - all nine Schools were represented in enrolments and participants spanned undergraduate to PhD - showcasing the programme's broad appeal. As it continues to evolve, Get Started promises to be a pivotal platform for student innovation, acting as an accessible first-step to explore entrepreneurial creativity.

• 9 schools represented in enrolments
• 8 schools submitted innovative proposals
• Participants spanning undergraduate to PhD levels

All Levels of Study: Undergraduate students formed the largest cohort at 52.2% of participants, with taught master's students making up 39.8% of the programme's participants. PhD and doctoral candidates rounded out the group, bringing their specialised knowledge and research-driven approach to the entrepreneurial landscape.

Top Three Schools: Alliance Â鶹´«Ã½ Business School was the most represented School with 43 students (38.1% of total participants). The School of Engineering followed closely with 23 students (20.4%), while the School of Social Sciences rounded out the top three with 15 students (13.3%).

Gaining Momentum

As opposed to a competition, Get Started submissions are awarded funding and feedback based on individual progress and potential. The programme serves as a catalyst for innovation, providing as many students as possible with the tools, support, and motivation to explore their entrepreneurial ideas. The programme embraces digital learning, embeds skills development within real-world problem-solving, and breaks down barriers to taking early steps in a business journey.

By bridging the gap between academic learning and real-world innovation, the University of Â鶹´«Ã½ is nurturing the next generation of creative thinkers and business leaders. Get Started will run eaech semester and has now also opened to Â鶹´«Ã½â€™s international partner institutions.

For more information about the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, head to .