Earth’s earliest sea creatures drove evolution by stirring the water
A study involving the University of Cambridge has used virtual recreations of the earliest animal ecosystems, known as marine animal forests, to demonstrate the part they played in the evolution of our planet.
Using state-of-the-art computer simulations of fossils from the Ediacaran time period - approximately 565 million years ago - scientists discovered how these animals mixed the surrounding seawater. This may have affected the distribution of important resources such as food particles and could have increased local oxygen levels.
Through this process, the scientists think these early communities could have played a crucial role in shaping the initial emergence of large and complex organisms prior to a major evolutionary radiation of different forms of animal life, the so-called Cambrian ‘explosion’.
Over long periods of time, these changes might have allowed life forms to perform more complicated functions, like those associated with the evolution of new feeding and movement styles.
The study was led by the Natural History Museum and is published today in the journal Current Biology.
Dr Emily Mitchell at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, a co-author of the report, said: “It’s exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim. We’ve found they mixed up the water and enabled resources to spread more widely - potentially encouraging more evolution.”
Scientists know from modern marine environments that nutrients like food and oxygen are carried in seawater, and that animals can affect water flow in ways that influence the distribution of these resources.
To test how far back this process goes in Earth’s history, the team looked at some of the earliest examples of marine animal communities, known from rocks at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada. This world-famous fossil site perfectly preserves early life forms thanks to a cover of volcanic ash (sometimes referred to as an ‘Ediacaran Pompeii’).
Although some of these life forms look like plants, analysis of their anatomy and growth strongly suggests they are animals. Owing to the exceptional preservation of the fossils, the scientists could recreate digital models of key species, which were used as a basis for further computational analyses.
First author Dr Susana Gutarra, a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, said: “We used ecological modelling and computer simulations to investigate how 3D virtual assemblages of Ediacaran life forms affected water flow. Our results showed that these communities were capable of ecological functions similar to those seen in present-day marine ecosystems.”
The study showed that one of the most important Ediacaran organisms for disrupting the flow of water was the cabbage-shaped animal Bradgatia, named after Bradgate Park in England. The Bradgatia from Mistaken Point are among some of the largest fossils known from this site, reaching diameters of over 50 centimetres.
Through their influence on the water around them, the scientists believe these Ediacaran organisms might have been capable of enhancing local oxygen concentrations. This biological mixing might also have had repercussions for the wider environment, possibly making other areas of the sea floor more habitable and perhaps even driving evolutionary innovation.
Dr Imran Rahman, lead author and Principal Researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: “The approach we’ve developed to study Ediacaran fossil communities is entirely new in palaeontology, providing us with a powerful tool for studying how past and present marine ecosystems might shape and influence their environment.”
The research was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the US National Science Foundation.
Reference: Gutarra-Diaz, S.“Ediacaran marine animal forests and the ventilation of the oceans.” May 2024, Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.059
Adapted from a press release by the Natural History Museum
3D reconstructions suggest that simple marine animals living over 560 million years ago drove the emergence of more complex life by mixing the seawater around them
evolutionEmily MitchellNatural History MuseumDepartment of ZoologySchool of the Biological SciencesIt’s exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim.Emily MitchellHugo Salais, Metazoa StudioArtistic recreation of the marine animal forest
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Earth’s earliest sea creatures drove evolution by stirring the water
A study involving the University of Cambridge has used virtual recreations of the earliest animal ecosystems, known as marine animal forests, to demonstrate the part they played in the evolution of our planet.
Using state-of-the-art computer simulations of fossils from the Ediacaran time period - approximately 565 million years ago - scientists discovered how these animals mixed the surrounding seawater. This may have affected the distribution of important resources such as food particles and could have increased local oxygen levels.
Through this process, the scientists think these early communities could have played a crucial role in shaping the initial emergence of large and complex organisms prior to a major evolutionary radiation of different forms of animal life, the so-called Cambrian ‘explosion’.
Over long periods of time, these changes might have allowed life forms to perform more complicated functions, like those associated with the evolution of new feeding and movement styles.
The study was led by the Natural History Museum and is published today in the journal Current Biology.
Dr Emily Mitchell at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology, a co-author of the report, said: “It’s exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim. We’ve found they mixed up the water and enabled resources to spread more widely - potentially encouraging more evolution.”
Scientists know from modern marine environments that nutrients like food and oxygen are carried in seawater, and that animals can affect water flow in ways that influence the distribution of these resources.
To test how far back this process goes in Earth’s history, the team looked at some of the earliest examples of marine animal communities, known from rocks at Mistaken Point, Newfoundland, Canada. This world-famous fossil site perfectly preserves early life forms thanks to a cover of volcanic ash (sometimes referred to as an ‘Ediacaran Pompeii’).
Although some of these life forms look like plants, analysis of their anatomy and growth strongly suggests they are animals. Owing to the exceptional preservation of the fossils, the scientists could recreate digital models of key species, which were used as a basis for further computational analyses.
First author Dr Susana Gutarra, a Scientific Associate at the Natural History Museum, said: “We used ecological modelling and computer simulations to investigate how 3D virtual assemblages of Ediacaran life forms affected water flow. Our results showed that these communities were capable of ecological functions similar to those seen in present-day marine ecosystems.”
The study showed that one of the most important Ediacaran organisms for disrupting the flow of water was the cabbage-shaped animal Bradgatia, named after Bradgate Park in England. The Bradgatia from Mistaken Point are among some of the largest fossils known from this site, reaching diameters of over 50 centimetres.
Through their influence on the water around them, the scientists believe these Ediacaran organisms might have been capable of enhancing local oxygen concentrations. This biological mixing might also have had repercussions for the wider environment, possibly making other areas of the sea floor more habitable and perhaps even driving evolutionary innovation.
Dr Imran Rahman, lead author and Principal Researcher at the Natural History Museum, said: “The approach we’ve developed to study Ediacaran fossil communities is entirely new in palaeontology, providing us with a powerful tool for studying how past and present marine ecosystems might shape and influence their environment.”
The research was funded by the UK Natural Environment Research Council and the US National Science Foundation.
Reference: Gutarra-Diaz, S.“Ediacaran marine animal forests and the ventilation of the oceans.” May 2024, Current Biology. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2024.04.059
Adapted from a press release by the Natural History Museum
3D reconstructions suggest that simple marine animals living over 560 million years ago drove the emergence of more complex life by mixing the seawater around them
evolutionEmily MitchellNatural History MuseumDepartment of ZoologySchool of the Biological SciencesIt’s exciting to learn that the very first animals from 580 million years ago had a significant impact on their environment, despite not being able to move or swim.Emily MitchellHugo Salais, Metazoa StudioArtistic recreation of the marine animal forest
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Over 20,000 people join search for new dementia treatments
Using the resource, scientists have already been able to show for the first time that two important bodily mechanisms – inflammation and metabolism – play a role in the decline in brain function as we age.
By 2050, approximately 139 million people are expected to be living with dementia worldwide. In the UK, in 2022, UK Prime Minister launched the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, part of the government’s commitment to double increase research funding for dementia.
Although there has been recent progress developing drugs that slow down progression of the disease, the two leading treatments only have a small effect, and the vast majority of new approaches that work in animal studies fail when it comes to patient clinical trials.
One explanation for these failures is that the drugs are tested in people who already have memory loss – and by this point, it may be too late to stop or reverse the disease. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand what is going on before people develop symptoms at the very early stages of disease, and to test new treatments before people come to their doctor with cognitive problems. This approach requires a large cohort of participants willing to be recalled for clinical and experimental studies of cognitive decline.
Today, writing in the journal Nature Medicine, scientists led by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society report how they have recruited 21,000 people aged 17-85 to the Genes and Cognition Cohort within the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) BioResource.
The NIHR BioResource was established in 2007 to recruit volunteers keen to engage in experimental medicine and clinical trials across the whole of medicine. Approximately half of its participants are recruited to disease specific cohorts, but the other half are from the general public, and detailed information about their genetics and their physical makeup has been collected. They have all given their consent to be contacted about future research studies.
For the Genes and Cognition Cohort, researchers used a combination of cognitive tests and genetic data, combined with other health data and demographic information, to enable the first at-scale study of cognitive changes. This will allow the team to recruit participants for studies of cognitive decline and new treatments for this.
For example, a pharmaceutical company with a promising new drug candidate to slow the cognitive decline could recruit people through the BioResource based on their profile and invite them to join in the clinical trial. Having a baseline measurement for their cognitive performance will allow scientists to observe whether the drug slows their expected cognitive decline.
Professor Patrick Chinnery from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and co-Chair of the NIHR BioResource, who has led the project, said: “We’ve created a resource that is unmatched anywhere else in the world, recruiting people who are not showing any signs of dementia rather than people already having symptoms. It will allow us to match individuals to particular studies and speed up the development of much-needed new drugs to treat dementia.
“We know that over time our cognitive function decreases, so we’ve plotted out the expected trajectory of various different cognitive functions over our volunteers’ life course according to their genetic risk. We’ve also asked the question, ‘What are the genetic mechanisms that predispose you to slow or fast cognitive decline as you age?’.”
Using the research, the team have identified two mechanisms that appear to affect cognition as we age and could serve as potential targets to slow down cognitive decline and thereby delay the onset of dementia. The first of these is inflammation, with immune cells specific to the brain and central nervous system – known as microglia – causing gradual deterioration of the brain and hence its ability to perform key cognitive functions. The second mechanism relates to metabolism – in particular, how carbohydrates are broken down in the brain to release energy.
Professor Chinnery added: “Cognitive decline is a natural process, but when it drops below a particular threshold, that’s when there’s a problem – that is when we would diagnose dementia. Anything that slows that decline will delay when we drop below that threshold. If you could put off the onset of dementia from 65 to 75 or even 85, it would make a huge difference at an individual and at a population level.”
Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This exciting study, funded by Alzheimer’s Society, is an important step in helping us to better understand how the diseases that cause dementia begin, and will aid in the development of new treatments that target the early stages of these diseases.
“The data, from over 20,000 volunteers, helps us to better understand the connection between participants’ genes and cognitive decline and allows for further ground-breaking analysis in future.
“One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime but research will beat dementia. We need to make it a reality sooner through more funding, partnership working and people taking part in dementia research.”
For further information about how you can join the BioResource and contribute to studies like this one and many others, please visit www.bioresource.nihr.ac.uk.
The research was carried out in collaboration with the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit and was supported by the Alzheimer’s Society and the NIHR BioResource. The researchers were also supported by Wellcome and the Medical Research Council.
Reference
Rahman, MS et al. Dynamics of cognitive variability with age and its genetic underpinning in NIHR BioResource Genes and Cognition Cohort participants. Nat Med; 14 May 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02960-5
More than 20,000 volunteers have been recruited to a resource aimed at speeding up the development of much-needed dementia drugs. The cohort will enable scientists in universities and industry to involve healthy individuals who may be at increased risk of dementia in clinical trials to test whether new drugs can slow the decline in various brain functions including memory and delay the onset of dementia.
Spotlight on neuroscienceNeurosciencedementiaPatrick ChinneryNIHR BioresourceAlzheimer's SocietyWellcomeMedical Research CouncilSchool of Clinical MedicineDepartment of Clinical NeurosciencesMedical Research Council (MRC) Biostatistics UnitWe’ve created a resource that is unmatched anywhere else in the world, recruiting people who are not showing any signs of dementia rather than people already having symptomsPatrick ChinneryHalfpoint Images (Getty Images)Smiling elderly woman speaking to a healthcare worker
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Over 20,000 people join search for new dementia treatments
Using the resource, scientists have already been able to show for the first time that two important bodily mechanisms – inflammation and metabolism – play a role in the decline in brain function as we age.
By 2050, approximately 139 million people are expected to be living with dementia worldwide. In the UK, in 2022, UK Prime Minister launched the Dame Barbara Windsor Dementia Mission, part of the government’s commitment to double increase research funding for dementia.
Although there has been recent progress developing drugs that slow down progression of the disease, the two leading treatments only have a small effect, and the vast majority of new approaches that work in animal studies fail when it comes to patient clinical trials.
One explanation for these failures is that the drugs are tested in people who already have memory loss – and by this point, it may be too late to stop or reverse the disease. Hence, there is an urgent need to understand what is going on before people develop symptoms at the very early stages of disease, and to test new treatments before people come to their doctor with cognitive problems. This approach requires a large cohort of participants willing to be recalled for clinical and experimental studies of cognitive decline.
Today, writing in the journal Nature Medicine, scientists led by the University of Cambridge in partnership with the Alzheimer’s Society report how they have recruited 21,000 people aged 17-85 to the Genes and Cognition Cohort within the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) BioResource.
The NIHR BioResource was established in 2007 to recruit volunteers keen to engage in experimental medicine and clinical trials across the whole of medicine. Approximately half of its participants are recruited to disease specific cohorts, but the other half are from the general public, and detailed information about their genetics and their physical makeup has been collected. They have all given their consent to be contacted about future research studies.
For the Genes and Cognition Cohort, researchers used a combination of cognitive tests and genetic data, combined with other health data and demographic information, to enable the first at-scale study of cognitive changes. This will allow the team to recruit participants for studies of cognitive decline and new treatments for this.
For example, a pharmaceutical company with a promising new drug candidate to slow the cognitive decline could recruit people through the BioResource based on their profile and invite them to join in the clinical trial. Having a baseline measurement for their cognitive performance will allow scientists to observe whether the drug slows their expected cognitive decline.
Professor Patrick Chinnery from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and co-Chair of the NIHR BioResource, who has led the project, said: “We’ve created a resource that is unmatched anywhere else in the world, recruiting people who are not showing any signs of dementia rather than people already having symptoms. It will allow us to match individuals to particular studies and speed up the development of much-needed new drugs to treat dementia.
“We know that over time our cognitive function decreases, so we’ve plotted out the expected trajectory of various different cognitive functions over our volunteers’ life course according to their genetic risk. We’ve also asked the question, ‘What are the genetic mechanisms that predispose you to slow or fast cognitive decline as you age?’.”
Using the research, the team have identified two mechanisms that appear to affect cognition as we age and could serve as potential targets to slow down cognitive decline and thereby delay the onset of dementia. The first of these is inflammation, with immune cells specific to the brain and central nervous system – known as microglia – causing gradual deterioration of the brain and hence its ability to perform key cognitive functions. The second mechanism relates to metabolism – in particular, how carbohydrates are broken down in the brain to release energy.
Professor Chinnery added: “Cognitive decline is a natural process, but when it drops below a particular threshold, that’s when there’s a problem – that is when we would diagnose dementia. Anything that slows that decline will delay when we drop below that threshold. If you could put off the onset of dementia from 65 to 75 or even 85, it would make a huge difference at an individual and at a population level.”
Dr Richard Oakley, Associate Director of Research and Innovation at Alzheimer’s Society, said: “This exciting study, funded by Alzheimer’s Society, is an important step in helping us to better understand how the diseases that cause dementia begin, and will aid in the development of new treatments that target the early stages of these diseases.
“The data, from over 20,000 volunteers, helps us to better understand the connection between participants’ genes and cognitive decline and allows for further ground-breaking analysis in future.
“One in three people born in the UK today will go on to develop dementia in their lifetime but research will beat dementia. We need to make it a reality sooner through more funding, partnership working and people taking part in dementia research.”
For further information about how you can join the BioResource and contribute to studies like this one and many others, please visit www.bioresource.nihr.ac.uk.
The research was carried out in collaboration with the Medical Research Council Biostatistics Unit and was supported by the Alzheimer’s Society and the NIHR BioResource. The researchers were also supported by Wellcome and the Medical Research Council.
Reference
Rahman, MS et al. Dynamics of cognitive variability with age and its genetic underpinning in NIHR BioResource Genes and Cognition Cohort participants. Nat Med; 14 May 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02960-5
More than 20,000 volunteers have been recruited to a resource aimed at speeding up the development of much-needed dementia drugs. The cohort will enable scientists in universities and industry to involve healthy individuals who may be at increased risk of dementia in clinical trials to test whether new drugs can slow the decline in various brain functions including memory and delay the onset of dementia.
Spotlight on neuroscienceNeurosciencedementiaPatrick ChinneryNIHR BioresourceAlzheimer's SocietyWellcomeMedical Research CouncilSchool of Clinical MedicineDepartment of Clinical NeurosciencesMedical Research Council (MRC) Biostatistics UnitWe’ve created a resource that is unmatched anywhere else in the world, recruiting people who are not showing any signs of dementia rather than people already having symptomsPatrick ChinneryHalfpoint Images (Getty Images)Smiling elderly woman speaking to a healthcare worker
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Birth by C-section more than doubles odds of measles vaccine failure
A study by the University of Cambridge, UK, and Fudan University, China, has found that a single dose of the measles jab is up to 2.6 times more likely to be completely ineffective in children born by C-section, compared to those born naturally.
Failure of the vaccine means that the child’s immune system does not produce antibodies to fight against measles infection, so they remain susceptible to the disease.
A second measles jab was found to induce a robust immunity against measles in C-section children.
Measles is a highly infectious disease, and even low vaccine failure rates can significantly increase the risk of an outbreak.
A potential reason for this effect is linked to the development of the infant’s gut microbiome – the vast collection of microbes that naturally live inside the gut. Other studies have shown that vaginal birth transfers a greater variety of microbes from mother to baby, which can boost the immune system.
“We’ve discovered that the way we’re born - either by C-section or natural birth - has long-term consequences on our immunity to diseases as we grow up,” said Professor Henrik Salje in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Genetics, joint senior author of the report.
He added: “We know that a lot of children don't end up having their second measles jab, which is dangerous for them as individuals and for the wider population.
“Infants born by C-section are the ones we really want to be following up to make sure they get their second measles jab, because their first jab is much more likely to fail.”
The results are published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.
At least 95% of the population needs to be fully vaccinated to keep measles under control but the UK is well below this, despite the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine being available through the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.
An increasing number of women around the world are choosing to give birth by caesarean section: in the UK a third of all births are by C-section, in Brazil and Turkey over half of all children are born this way.
“With a C-section birth, children aren’t exposed to the mother’s microbiome in the same way as with a vaginal birth. We think this means they take longer to catch up in developing their gut microbiome, and with it, the ability of the immune system to be primed by vaccines against diseases including measles,” said Salje.
To get their results, the researchers used data from previous studies of over 1,500 children in Hunan, China, which included blood samples taken every few weeks from birth to the age of 12. This allowed them to see how levels of measles antibodies in the blood change over the first few years of life, including following vaccination.
They found that 12% of children born via caesarean section had no immune response to their first measles vaccination, as compared to 5% of children born by vaginal delivery. This means that many of the children born by C-section did still mount an immune response following their first vaccination.
Two doses of the measles jab are needed for the body to mount a long-lasting immune response and protect against measles. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2022 only 83% of the world's children had received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday – the lowest since 2008.
Salje said: “Vaccine hesitancy is really problematic, and measles is top of the list of diseases we’re worried about because it’s so infectious.”
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases, spread by coughs and sneezes. It starts with cold-like symptoms and a rash, and can lead to serious complications including blindness, seizures, and death.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, there were major measles epidemics every few years causing an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.
The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Reference
Wang, W. et al: ‘Dynamics of measles immunity from birth and following vaccination.’ Nature Microbiology, 13 May 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01694-x
Researchers say it is vital that children born by caesarean section receive two doses of the measles vaccine for robust protection against the disease.
vaccinationInfectious diseasesHenrik SaljeFudan UniversitySchool of the Biological SciencesDepartment of GeneticsWolfson CollegeCHBD / E+ / Getty Images Very sick 5 year old little boy fighting measles infection, boy is laying in bed under the blanket with a agonizing expression, boy is covered with rash caused by virus.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Birth by C-section more than doubles odds of measles vaccine failure
A study by the University of Cambridge, UK, and Fudan University, China, has found that a single dose of the measles jab is up to 2.6 times more likely to be completely ineffective in children born by C-section, compared to those born naturally.
Failure of the vaccine means that the child’s immune system does not produce antibodies to fight against measles infection, so they remain susceptible to the disease.
A second measles jab was found to induce a robust immunity against measles in C-section children.
Measles is a highly infectious disease, and even low vaccine failure rates can significantly increase the risk of an outbreak.
A potential reason for this effect is linked to the development of the infant’s gut microbiome – the vast collection of microbes that naturally live inside the gut. Other studies have shown that vaginal birth transfers a greater variety of microbes from mother to baby, which can boost the immune system.
“We’ve discovered that the way we’re born - either by C-section or natural birth - has long-term consequences on our immunity to diseases as we grow up,” said Professor Henrik Salje in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Genetics, joint senior author of the report.
He added: “We know that a lot of children don't end up having their second measles jab, which is dangerous for them as individuals and for the wider population.
“Infants born by C-section are the ones we really want to be following up to make sure they get their second measles jab, because their first jab is much more likely to fail.”
The results are published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.
At least 95% of the population needs to be fully vaccinated to keep measles under control but the UK is well below this, despite the Measles, Mumps and Rubella (MMR) vaccine being available through the NHS Routine Childhood Immunisation Programme.
An increasing number of women around the world are choosing to give birth by caesarean section: in the UK a third of all births are by C-section, in Brazil and Turkey over half of all children are born this way.
“With a C-section birth, children aren’t exposed to the mother’s microbiome in the same way as with a vaginal birth. We think this means they take longer to catch up in developing their gut microbiome, and with it, the ability of the immune system to be primed by vaccines against diseases including measles,” said Salje.
To get their results, the researchers used data from previous studies of over 1,500 children in Hunan, China, which included blood samples taken every few weeks from birth to the age of 12. This allowed them to see how levels of measles antibodies in the blood change over the first few years of life, including following vaccination.
They found that 12% of children born via caesarean section had no immune response to their first measles vaccination, as compared to 5% of children born by vaginal delivery. This means that many of the children born by C-section did still mount an immune response following their first vaccination.
Two doses of the measles jab are needed for the body to mount a long-lasting immune response and protect against measles. According to the World Health Organisation, in 2022 only 83% of the world's children had received one dose of measles vaccine by their first birthday – the lowest since 2008.
Salje said: “Vaccine hesitancy is really problematic, and measles is top of the list of diseases we’re worried about because it’s so infectious.”
Measles is one of the world’s most contagious diseases, spread by coughs and sneezes. It starts with cold-like symptoms and a rash, and can lead to serious complications including blindness, seizures, and death.
Before the measles vaccine was introduced in 1963, there were major measles epidemics every few years causing an estimated 2.6 million deaths each year.
The research was funded by the National Natural Science Foundation of China.
Reference
Wang, W. et al: ‘Dynamics of measles immunity from birth and following vaccination.’ Nature Microbiology, 13 May 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-024-01694-x
Researchers say it is vital that children born by caesarean section receive two doses of the measles vaccine for robust protection against the disease.
vaccinationInfectious diseasesHenrik SaljeFudan UniversitySchool of the Biological SciencesDepartment of GeneticsWolfson CollegeCHBD / E+ / Getty Images Very sick 5 year old little boy fighting measles infection, boy is laying in bed under the blanket with a agonizing expression, boy is covered with rash caused by virus.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Baby born deaf can hear after breakthrough gene therapy
Opal Sandy from Oxfordshire is the first patient treated in a global gene therapy trial, which shows “mind-blowing” results. She is the first British patient in the world and the youngest child to receive this type of treatment.
Opal was born completely deaf because of a rare genetic condition, auditory neuropathy, caused by the disruption of nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain.
Within four weeks of having the gene therapy infusion to her right ear, Opal responded to sound, even with the cochlear implant in her left ear switched off.
Clinicians noticed continuous improvement in Opal’s hearing in the weeks afterwards. At 24 weeks, they confirmed Opal had close to normal hearing levels for soft sounds, such as whispering, in her treated ear.
Now 18 months old, Opal can respond to her parents’ voices and can communicate words such as “Dada” and “bye-bye.”
Opal’s mother, Jo Sandy, said: “When Opal could first hear us clapping unaided it was mind-blowing - we were so happy when the clinical team confirmed at 24 weeks that her hearing was also picking up softer sounds and speech. The phrase ‘near normal’ hearing was used and everyone was so excited such amazing results had been achieved.”
Auditory neuropathy can be due to a variation in a single gene, known as the OTOF gene. The gene produces a protein called otoferlin, needed to allow the inner hair cells in the ear to communicate with the hearing nerve. Approximately 20,000 people across the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and UK and are deaf due to a mutation in the OTOF gene.
The CHORD trial, which started in May 2023, aims to show whether gene therapy can provide hearing for children born with auditory neuropathy.
Professor Manohar Bance from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and an ear surgeon at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is chief investigator of the trial. He said:
“These results are spectacular and better than I expected. Gene therapy has been the future of otology and audiology for many years and I’m so excited that it is now finally here. This is hopefully the start of a new era for gene therapies for the inner ear and many types of hearing loss.”
Children with a variation in the OTOF gene often pass the newborn screening, as the hair cells are working, but they are not talking to the nerve. It means this hearing loss is not commonly detected until children are 2 or 3 years of age – when a delay in speech is likely to be noticed.
Professor Bance added: “We have a short time frame to intervene because of the rapid pace of brain development at this age. Delays in the diagnosis can also cause confusion for families as the many reasons for delayed speech and late intervention can impact a children’s development.”
“More than sixty years after the cochlear implant was first invented – the standard of care treatment for patients with OTOF related hearing loss – this trial shows gene therapy could provide a future alternative. It marks a new era in the treatment for deafness. It also supports the development of other gene therapies that may prove to make a difference in other genetic related hearing conditions, many of which are more common than auditory neuropathy.”
Mutations in the OTOF gene can be identified by standard NHS genetic testing. Opal was identified as being at risk as her older sister has the condition; this was confirmed by genetic test result when she was 3 weeks old.
Opal was given an infusion containing a harmless virus (AAV1). It delivers a working copy of the OTOF gene and is delivered via an injection in the cochlea during surgery under general anaesthesia. During surgery, while Opal was given the gene therapy in right ear, a cochlear implant was fitted in her left ear.
James Sandy, Opal’s father said: “It was our ultimate goal for Opal to hear all the speech sounds. It’s already making a difference to our day-to-day lives, like at bath-time or swimming, when Opal can’t wear her cochlear implant. We feel so proud to have contributed to such pivotal findings, which will hopefully help other children like Opal and their families in the future.”
Opal’s 24-week results, alongside other scientific data from the CHORD trial are being presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGC) in Baltimore, USA this week.
Dr Richard Brown, Consultant Paediatrician at CUH, who is an Investigator on the CHORD trial, said: “The development of genomic medicine and alternative treatments is vital for patients worldwide, and increasingly offers hope to children with previously incurable disorders. It is likely that in the long run such treatments require less follow up so may prove to be an attractive option, including within the developing world. Follow up appointments have shown effective results so far with no adverse reactions and it is exciting to see the results to date.
“Within the new planned Cambridge Children’s Hospital, we look forward to having a genomic centre of excellence which will support patients from across the region to access the testing they need, and the best treatment, at the right time.”
The CHORD trial has been funded by Regeneron. Patients are being enrolled in the study in the US, UK and Spain.
Patients in the first phase of the study receive a low dose to one ear. The second phase are expected to use a higher dose of gene therapy in one ear only, following proven safety of the starting dose. The third phase will look at gene therapy in both ears with the dose selected after ensuring the safety and effectiveness in parts 1 and 2. Follow up appointments will continue for five years for enrolled patients, which will show how patients adapt to understand speech in the longer term.
In Cambridge, the trial is supported by NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
Adapted from a press release from CUH
A baby girl born deaf can hear unaided for the first time, after receiving gene therapy when she was eleven months old at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Future therapeuticsManohar BanceNIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research CentreRegeneronSchool of Clinical MedicineDepartment of Clinical NeurosciencesCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustAddenbrooke's HospitalGene therapy has been the future of otology and audiology for many years and I’m so excited that it is now finally hereManohar BanceCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustBaby Opal and mother Jo
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Baby born deaf can hear after breakthrough gene therapy
Opal Sandy from Oxfordshire is the first patient treated in a global gene therapy trial, which shows “mind-blowing” results. She is the first British patient in the world and the youngest child to receive this type of treatment.
Opal was born completely deaf because of a rare genetic condition, auditory neuropathy, caused by the disruption of nerve impulses travelling from the inner ear to the brain.
Within four weeks of having the gene therapy infusion to her right ear, Opal responded to sound, even with the cochlear implant in her left ear switched off.
Clinicians noticed continuous improvement in Opal’s hearing in the weeks afterwards. At 24 weeks, they confirmed Opal had close to normal hearing levels for soft sounds, such as whispering, in her treated ear.
Now 18 months old, Opal can respond to her parents’ voices and can communicate words such as “Dada” and “bye-bye.”
Opal’s mother, Jo Sandy, said: “When Opal could first hear us clapping unaided it was mind-blowing - we were so happy when the clinical team confirmed at 24 weeks that her hearing was also picking up softer sounds and speech. The phrase ‘near normal’ hearing was used and everyone was so excited such amazing results had been achieved.”
Auditory neuropathy can be due to a variation in a single gene, known as the OTOF gene. The gene produces a protein called otoferlin, needed to allow the inner hair cells in the ear to communicate with the hearing nerve. Approximately 20,000 people across the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Italy and UK and are deaf due to a mutation in the OTOF gene.
The CHORD trial, which started in May 2023, aims to show whether gene therapy can provide hearing for children born with auditory neuropathy.
Professor Manohar Bance from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Cambridge and an ear surgeon at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is chief investigator of the trial. He said:
“These results are spectacular and better than I expected. Gene therapy has been the future of otology and audiology for many years and I’m so excited that it is now finally here. This is hopefully the start of a new era for gene therapies for the inner ear and many types of hearing loss.”
Children with a variation in the OTOF gene often pass the newborn screening, as the hair cells are working, but they are not talking to the nerve. It means this hearing loss is not commonly detected until children are 2 or 3 years of age – when a delay in speech is likely to be noticed.
Professor Bance added: “We have a short time frame to intervene because of the rapid pace of brain development at this age. Delays in the diagnosis can also cause confusion for families as the many reasons for delayed speech and late intervention can impact a children’s development.”
“More than sixty years after the cochlear implant was first invented – the standard of care treatment for patients with OTOF related hearing loss – this trial shows gene therapy could provide a future alternative. It marks a new era in the treatment for deafness. It also supports the development of other gene therapies that may prove to make a difference in other genetic related hearing conditions, many of which are more common than auditory neuropathy.”
Mutations in the OTOF gene can be identified by standard NHS genetic testing. Opal was identified as being at risk as her older sister has the condition; this was confirmed by genetic test result when she was 3 weeks old.
Opal was given an infusion containing a harmless virus (AAV1). It delivers a working copy of the OTOF gene and is delivered via an injection in the cochlea during surgery under general anaesthesia. During surgery, while Opal was given the gene therapy in right ear, a cochlear implant was fitted in her left ear.
James Sandy, Opal’s father said: “It was our ultimate goal for Opal to hear all the speech sounds. It’s already making a difference to our day-to-day lives, like at bath-time or swimming, when Opal can’t wear her cochlear implant. We feel so proud to have contributed to such pivotal findings, which will hopefully help other children like Opal and their families in the future.”
Opal’s 24-week results, alongside other scientific data from the CHORD trial are being presented at the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ASGC) in Baltimore, USA this week.
Dr Richard Brown, Consultant Paediatrician at CUH, who is an Investigator on the CHORD trial, said: “The development of genomic medicine and alternative treatments is vital for patients worldwide, and increasingly offers hope to children with previously incurable disorders. It is likely that in the long run such treatments require less follow up so may prove to be an attractive option, including within the developing world. Follow up appointments have shown effective results so far with no adverse reactions and it is exciting to see the results to date.
“Within the new planned Cambridge Children’s Hospital, we look forward to having a genomic centre of excellence which will support patients from across the region to access the testing they need, and the best treatment, at the right time.”
The CHORD trial has been funded by Regeneron. Patients are being enrolled in the study in the US, UK and Spain.
Patients in the first phase of the study receive a low dose to one ear. The second phase are expected to use a higher dose of gene therapy in one ear only, following proven safety of the starting dose. The third phase will look at gene therapy in both ears with the dose selected after ensuring the safety and effectiveness in parts 1 and 2. Follow up appointments will continue for five years for enrolled patients, which will show how patients adapt to understand speech in the longer term.
In Cambridge, the trial is supported by NIHR Cambridge Clinical Research Facility and NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
Adapted from a press release from CUH
A baby girl born deaf can hear unaided for the first time, after receiving gene therapy when she was eleven months old at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge.
Future therapeuticsManohar BanceNIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research CentreRegeneronSchool of Clinical MedicineDepartment of Clinical NeurosciencesCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustAddenbrooke's HospitalGene therapy has been the future of otology and audiology for many years and I’m so excited that it is now finally hereManohar BanceCambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation TrustBaby Opal and mother Jo
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
‘Wraparound’ implants represent new approach to treating spinal cord injuries
A team of engineers, neuroscientists and surgeons from the University of Cambridge developed the devices and used them to record the nerve signals going back and forth between the brain and the spinal cord. Unlike current approaches, the Cambridge devices can record 360-degree information, giving a complete picture of spinal cord activity.
Tests in live animal and human cadaver models showed the devices could also stimulate limb movement and bypass complete spinal cord injuries where communication between the brain and spinal cord had been completely interrupted.
Most current approaches to treating spinal injuries involve both piercing the spinal cord with electrodes and placing implants in the brain, which are both high-risk surgeries. The Cambridge-developed devices could lead to treatments for spinal injuries without the need for brain surgery, which would be far safer for patients.
While such treatments are still at least several years away, the researchers say the devices could be useful in the near-term for monitoring spinal cord activity during surgery. Better understanding of the spinal cord, which is difficult to study, could lead to improved treatments for a range of conditions, including chronic pain, inflammation and hypertension. The results are reported in the journal Science Advances.
“The spinal cord is like a highway, carrying information in the form of nerve impulses to and from the brain,” said Professor George Malliaras from the Department of Engineering, who co-led the research. “Damage to the spinal cord causes that traffic to be interrupted, resulting in profound disability, including irreversible loss of sensory and motor functions.”
The ability to monitor signals going to and from the spinal cord could dramatically aid in the development of treatments for spinal injuries, and could also be useful in the nearer term for better monitoring of the spinal cord during surgery.
“Most technologies for monitoring or stimulating the spinal cord only interact with motor neurons along the back, or dorsal, part of the spinal cord,” said Dr Damiano Barone from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who co-led the research. “These approaches can only reach between 20 and 30 percent of the spine, so you’re getting an incomplete picture.”
By taking their inspiration from microelectronics, the researchers developed a way to gain information from the whole spine, by wrapping very thin, high-resolution implants around the spinal cord’s circumference. This is the first time that safe 360-degree recording of the spinal cord has been possible – earlier approaches for 360-degree monitoring use electrodes that pierce the spine, which can cause spinal injury.
The Cambridge-developed biocompatible devices – just a few millionths of a metre thick – are made using advanced photolithography and thin film deposition techniques, and require minimal power to function.
The devices intercept the signals travelling on the axons, or nerve fibres, of the spinal cord, allowing the signals to be recorded. The thinness of the devices means they can record the signals without causing any damage to the nerves, since they do not penetrate the spinal cord itself.
“It was a difficult process, because we haven’t made spinal implants in this way before, and it wasn’t clear that we could safely and successfully place them around the spine,” said Malliaras. “But because of recent advances in both engineering and neurosurgery, the planets have aligned and we’ve made major progress in this important area.”
The devices were implanted using an adaptation to routine surgical procedure so they could be slid under the spinal cord without damaging it. In tests using rat models, the researchers successfully used the devices to stimulate limb movement. The devices showed very low latency – that is, their reaction time was close to human reflexive movement. Further tests in human cadaver models showed that the devices can be successfully placed in humans.
The researchers say their approach could change how spinal injuries are treated in future. Current attempts to treat spinal injuries involve both brain and spinal implants, but the Cambridge researchers say the brain implants may not be necessary.
“If someone has a spinal injury, their brain is fine, but it’s the connection that’s been interrupted,” said Barone. “As a surgeon, you want to go where the problem is, so adding brain surgery on top of spinal surgery just increases the risk to the patient. We can collect all the information we need from the spinal cord in a far less invasive way, so this would be a much safer approach for treating spinal injuries.”
While a treatment for spinal injuries is still years away, in the nearer term, the devices could be useful for researchers and surgeons to learn more about this vital, but understudied, part of human anatomy in a non-invasive way. The Cambridge researchers are currently planning to use the devices to monitor nerve activity in the spinal cord during surgery.
“It’s been almost impossible to study the whole of the spinal cord directly in a human, because it’s so delicate and complex,” said Barone. “Monitoring during surgery will help us to understand the spinal cord better without damaging it, which in turn will help us develop better therapies for conditions like chronic pain, hypertension or inflammation. This approach shows enormous potential for helping patients.”
The research was supported in part by the Royal College of Surgeons, the Academy of Medical Sciences, Health Education England, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Reference:
Ben J Woodington, Jiang Lei et al. ‘Flexible Circumferential Bioelectronics to Enable 360-degree Recording and Stimulation of the Spinal Cord.’ Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl1230
A tiny, flexible electronic device that wraps around the spinal cord could represent a new approach to the treatment of spinal injuries, which can cause profound disability and paralysis.
spinalNeurosciencesurgerynervous systemdisabilityelectronicsFlexible electronicsbrainEngineeringGeorge MalliarasDamiano BaroneEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)The Academy of Medical SciencesRoyal College of SurgeonsNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Department of Clinical NeurosciencesDepartment of EngineeringSchool of Clinical MedicineSchool of TechnologyBecause of recent advances in both engineering and neurosurgery, the planets have aligned and we’ve made major progress in this important areaGeorge MalliarasSEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARYIllustration of spinal cord
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
‘Wraparound’ implants represent new approach to treating spinal cord injuries
A team of engineers, neuroscientists and surgeons from the University of Cambridge developed the devices and used them to record the nerve signals going back and forth between the brain and the spinal cord. Unlike current approaches, the Cambridge devices can record 360-degree information, giving a complete picture of spinal cord activity.
Tests in live animal and human cadaver models showed the devices could also stimulate limb movement and bypass complete spinal cord injuries where communication between the brain and spinal cord had been completely interrupted.
Most current approaches to treating spinal injuries involve both piercing the spinal cord with electrodes and placing implants in the brain, which are both high-risk surgeries. The Cambridge-developed devices could lead to treatments for spinal injuries without the need for brain surgery, which would be far safer for patients.
While such treatments are still at least several years away, the researchers say the devices could be useful in the near-term for monitoring spinal cord activity during surgery. Better understanding of the spinal cord, which is difficult to study, could lead to improved treatments for a range of conditions, including chronic pain, inflammation and hypertension. The results are reported in the journal Science Advances.
“The spinal cord is like a highway, carrying information in the form of nerve impulses to and from the brain,” said Professor George Malliaras from the Department of Engineering, who co-led the research. “Damage to the spinal cord causes that traffic to be interrupted, resulting in profound disability, including irreversible loss of sensory and motor functions.”
The ability to monitor signals going to and from the spinal cord could dramatically aid in the development of treatments for spinal injuries, and could also be useful in the nearer term for better monitoring of the spinal cord during surgery.
“Most technologies for monitoring or stimulating the spinal cord only interact with motor neurons along the back, or dorsal, part of the spinal cord,” said Dr Damiano Barone from the Department of Clinical Neurosciences, who co-led the research. “These approaches can only reach between 20 and 30 percent of the spine, so you’re getting an incomplete picture.”
By taking their inspiration from microelectronics, the researchers developed a way to gain information from the whole spine, by wrapping very thin, high-resolution implants around the spinal cord’s circumference. This is the first time that safe 360-degree recording of the spinal cord has been possible – earlier approaches for 360-degree monitoring use electrodes that pierce the spine, which can cause spinal injury.
The Cambridge-developed biocompatible devices – just a few millionths of a metre thick – are made using advanced photolithography and thin film deposition techniques, and require minimal power to function.
The devices intercept the signals travelling on the axons, or nerve fibres, of the spinal cord, allowing the signals to be recorded. The thinness of the devices means they can record the signals without causing any damage to the nerves, since they do not penetrate the spinal cord itself.
“It was a difficult process, because we haven’t made spinal implants in this way before, and it wasn’t clear that we could safely and successfully place them around the spine,” said Malliaras. “But because of recent advances in both engineering and neurosurgery, the planets have aligned and we’ve made major progress in this important area.”
The devices were implanted using an adaptation to routine surgical procedure so they could be slid under the spinal cord without damaging it. In tests using rat models, the researchers successfully used the devices to stimulate limb movement. The devices showed very low latency – that is, their reaction time was close to human reflexive movement. Further tests in human cadaver models showed that the devices can be successfully placed in humans.
The researchers say their approach could change how spinal injuries are treated in future. Current attempts to treat spinal injuries involve both brain and spinal implants, but the Cambridge researchers say the brain implants may not be necessary.
“If someone has a spinal injury, their brain is fine, but it’s the connection that’s been interrupted,” said Barone. “As a surgeon, you want to go where the problem is, so adding brain surgery on top of spinal surgery just increases the risk to the patient. We can collect all the information we need from the spinal cord in a far less invasive way, so this would be a much safer approach for treating spinal injuries.”
While a treatment for spinal injuries is still years away, in the nearer term, the devices could be useful for researchers and surgeons to learn more about this vital, but understudied, part of human anatomy in a non-invasive way. The Cambridge researchers are currently planning to use the devices to monitor nerve activity in the spinal cord during surgery.
“It’s been almost impossible to study the whole of the spinal cord directly in a human, because it’s so delicate and complex,” said Barone. “Monitoring during surgery will help us to understand the spinal cord better without damaging it, which in turn will help us develop better therapies for conditions like chronic pain, hypertension or inflammation. This approach shows enormous potential for helping patients.”
The research was supported in part by the Royal College of Surgeons, the Academy of Medical Sciences, Health Education England, the National Institute for Health Research, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Reference:
Ben J Woodington, Jiang Lei et al. ‘Flexible Circumferential Bioelectronics to Enable 360-degree Recording and Stimulation of the Spinal Cord.’ Science Advances (2024). DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adl1230
A tiny, flexible electronic device that wraps around the spinal cord could represent a new approach to the treatment of spinal injuries, which can cause profound disability and paralysis.
spinalNeurosciencesurgerynervous systemdisabilityelectronicsFlexible electronicsbrainEngineeringGeorge MalliarasDamiano BaroneEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)The Academy of Medical SciencesRoyal College of SurgeonsNational Institute for Health Research (NIHR)Department of Clinical NeurosciencesDepartment of EngineeringSchool of Clinical MedicineSchool of TechnologyBecause of recent advances in both engineering and neurosurgery, the planets have aligned and we’ve made major progress in this important areaGeorge MalliarasSEBASTIAN KAULITZKI/SCIENCE PHOTO LIBRARYIllustration of spinal cord
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
New vaccine effective against coronaviruses that haven’t even emerged yet
This is a new approach to vaccine development called ‘proactive vaccinology’, where scientists build a vaccine before the disease-causing pathogen even emerges.
The new vaccine works by training the body’s immune system to recognise specific regions of eight different coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and several that are currently circulating in bats and have potential to jump to humans and cause a pandemic.
Key to its effectiveness is that the specific virus regions the vaccine targets also appear in many related coronaviruses. By training the immune system to attack these regions, it gives protection against other coronaviruses not represented in the vaccine – including ones that haven’t even been identified yet.
For example, the new vaccine does not include the SARS-CoV-1 coronavirus, which caused the 2003 SARS outbreak, yet it still induces an immune response to that virus.
“Our focus is to create a vaccine that will protect us against the next coronavirus pandemic, and have it ready before the pandemic has even started,” said Rory Hills, a graduate researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Pharmacology and first author of the report.
He added: “We’ve created a vaccine that provides protection against a broad range of different coronaviruses – including ones we don’t even know about yet.”
The results are published today in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
“We don’t have to wait for new coronaviruses to emerge. We know enough about coronaviruses, and different immune responses to them, that we can get going with building protective vaccines against unknown coronaviruses now,” said Professor Mark Howarth in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Pharmacology, senior author of the report.
He added: “Scientists did a great job in quickly producing an extremely effective COVID vaccine during the last pandemic, but the world still had a massive crisis with a huge number of deaths. We need to work out how we can do even better than that in the future, and a powerful component of that is starting to build the vaccines in advance.”
The new ‘Quartet Nanocage’ vaccine is based on a structure called a nanoparticle – a ball of proteins held together by incredibly strong interactions. Chains of different viral antigens are attached to this nanoparticle using a novel ‘protein superglue’. Multiple antigens are included in these chains, which trains the immune system to target specific regions shared across a broad range of coronaviruses.
This study demonstrated that the new vaccine raises a broad immune response, even in mice that were pre-immunised with SARS-CoV-2.
The new vaccine is much simpler in design than other broadly protective vaccines currently in development, which the researchers say should accelerate its route into clinical trials.
The underlying technology they have developed also has potential for use in vaccine development to protect against many other health challenges.
The work involved a collaboration between scientists at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and Caltech. It improves on previous work, by the Oxford and Caltech groups, to develop a novel all-in-one vaccine against coronavirus threats. The vaccine developed by Oxford and Caltech should enter Phase 1 clinical trials in early 2025, but its complex nature makes it challenging to manufacture which could limit large-scale production.
Conventional vaccines include a single antigen to train the immune system to target a single specific virus. This may not protect against a diverse range of existing coronaviruses, or against pathogens that are newly emerging.
The research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Reference: Hills, R.A. et al: ‘Proactive vaccination using multiviral Quartet Nanocages to elicit broad anti-coronavirus responses.’ Nature Nanotechnology, May 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01655-9
Researchers have developed a new vaccine technology that has been shown in mice to provide protection against a broad range of coronaviruses with potential for future disease outbreaks - including ones we don’t even know about
coronaviruspandemicvaccineRory HillsMark HowarthUniversity of OxfordCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech)Department of PharmacologyCambridge Infectious DiseasesSchool of the Biological SciencesDarwin CollegeOur focus is to create a vaccine that will protect us against the next coronavirus pandemic, and have it ready before the pandemic has even started.Rory HillsStefan Cristian Cioata on GettySyringe and vaccine bottle
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
New vaccine effective against coronaviruses that haven’t even emerged yet
This is a new approach to vaccine development called ‘proactive vaccinology’, where scientists build a vaccine before the disease-causing pathogen even emerges.
The new vaccine works by training the body’s immune system to recognise specific regions of eight different coronaviruses, including SARS-CoV-1, SARS-CoV-2, and several that are currently circulating in bats and have potential to jump to humans and cause a pandemic.
Key to its effectiveness is that the specific virus regions the vaccine targets also appear in many related coronaviruses. By training the immune system to attack these regions, it gives protection against other coronaviruses not represented in the vaccine – including ones that haven’t even been identified yet.
For example, the new vaccine does not include the SARS-CoV-1 coronavirus, which caused the 2003 SARS outbreak, yet it still induces an immune response to that virus.
“Our focus is to create a vaccine that will protect us against the next coronavirus pandemic, and have it ready before the pandemic has even started,” said Rory Hills, a graduate researcher in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Pharmacology and first author of the report.
He added: “We’ve created a vaccine that provides protection against a broad range of different coronaviruses – including ones we don’t even know about yet.”
The results are published today in the journal Nature Nanotechnology.
“We don’t have to wait for new coronaviruses to emerge. We know enough about coronaviruses, and different immune responses to them, that we can get going with building protective vaccines against unknown coronaviruses now,” said Professor Mark Howarth in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Pharmacology, senior author of the report.
He added: “Scientists did a great job in quickly producing an extremely effective COVID vaccine during the last pandemic, but the world still had a massive crisis with a huge number of deaths. We need to work out how we can do even better than that in the future, and a powerful component of that is starting to build the vaccines in advance.”
The new ‘Quartet Nanocage’ vaccine is based on a structure called a nanoparticle – a ball of proteins held together by incredibly strong interactions. Chains of different viral antigens are attached to this nanoparticle using a novel ‘protein superglue’. Multiple antigens are included in these chains, which trains the immune system to target specific regions shared across a broad range of coronaviruses.
This study demonstrated that the new vaccine raises a broad immune response, even in mice that were pre-immunised with SARS-CoV-2.
The new vaccine is much simpler in design than other broadly protective vaccines currently in development, which the researchers say should accelerate its route into clinical trials.
The underlying technology they have developed also has potential for use in vaccine development to protect against many other health challenges.
The work involved a collaboration between scientists at the University of Cambridge, the University of Oxford, and Caltech. It improves on previous work, by the Oxford and Caltech groups, to develop a novel all-in-one vaccine against coronavirus threats. The vaccine developed by Oxford and Caltech should enter Phase 1 clinical trials in early 2025, but its complex nature makes it challenging to manufacture which could limit large-scale production.
Conventional vaccines include a single antigen to train the immune system to target a single specific virus. This may not protect against a diverse range of existing coronaviruses, or against pathogens that are newly emerging.
The research was funded by the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
Reference: Hills, R.A. et al: ‘Proactive vaccination using multiviral Quartet Nanocages to elicit broad anti-coronavirus responses.’ Nature Nanotechnology, May 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41565-024-01655-9
Researchers have developed a new vaccine technology that has been shown in mice to provide protection against a broad range of coronaviruses with potential for future disease outbreaks - including ones we don’t even know about
coronaviruspandemicvaccineRory HillsMark HowarthUniversity of OxfordCalifornia Institute of Technology (Caltech)Department of PharmacologyCambridge Infectious DiseasesSchool of the Biological SciencesDarwin CollegeOur focus is to create a vaccine that will protect us against the next coronavirus pandemic, and have it ready before the pandemic has even started.Rory HillsStefan Cristian Cioata on GettySyringe and vaccine bottle
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, combined flexible electronics and soft robotics techniques to develop the devices, which could be used for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of disorders, including epilepsy and chronic pain, or the control of prosthetic limbs.
Current tools for interfacing with the peripheral nerves – the 43 pairs of motor and sensory nerves that connect the brain and the spinal cord – are outdated, bulky and carry a high risk of nerve injury. However, the robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ developed by the Cambridge team are sensitive enough to grasp or wrap around delicate nerve fibres without causing any damage.
Tests of the nerve cuffs in rats showed that the devices only require tiny voltages to change shape in a controlled way, forming a self-closing loop around nerves without the need for surgical sutures or glues.
The researchers say the combination of soft electrical actuators with neurotechnology could be an answer to minimally invasive monitoring and treatment for a range of neurological conditions. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials.
Electric nerve implants can be used to either stimulate or block signals in target nerves. For example, they might help relieve pain by blocking pain signals, or they could be used to restore movement in paralysed limbs by sending electrical signals to the nerves. Nerve monitoring is also standard surgical procedure when operating in areas of the body containing a high concentration of nerve fibres, such as anywhere near the spinal cord.
These implants allow direct access to nerve fibres, but they come with certain risks. “Nerve implants come with a high risk of nerve injury,” said Professor George Malliaras from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research. “Nerves are small and highly delicate, so anytime you put something large, like an electrode, in contact with them, it represents a danger to the nerves.”
“Nerve cuffs that wrap around nerves are the least invasive implants currently available, but despite this they are still too bulky, stiff and difficult to implant, requiring significant handling and potential trauma to the nerve,” said co-author Dr Damiano Barone from Cambridge’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences.
The researchers designed a new type of nerve cuff made from conducting polymers, normally used in soft robotics. The ultra-thin cuffs are engineered in two separate layers. Applying tiny amounts of electricity – just a few hundred millivolts – causes the devices to swell or shrink.
The cuffs are small enough that they could be rolled up into a needle and injected near the target nerve. When activated electrically, the cuffs will change their shape to wrap around the nerve, allowing nerve activity to be monitored or altered.
“To ensure the safe use of these devices inside the body, we have managed to reduce the voltage required for actuation to very low values,” said Dr Chaoqun Dong, the paper’s first author. “What's even more significant is that these cuffs can change shape in both directions and be reprogrammed. This means surgeons can adjust how tightly the device fits around a nerve until they get the best results for recording and stimulating the nerve.”
Tests in rats showed that the cuffs could be successfully placed without surgery, and formed a self-closing loop around the target nerve. The researchers are planning further testing of the devices in animal models, and are hoping to begin testing in humans within the next few years.
“Using this approach, we can reach nerves that are difficult to reach through open surgery, such as the nerves that control, pain, vision or hearing, but without the need to implant anything inside the brain,” said Barone. “The ability to place these cuffs so they wrap around the nerves makes this a much easier procedure for surgeons, and it’s less risky for patients.”
“The ability to make an implant that can change shape through electrical activation opens up a range of future possibilities for highly targeted treatments,” said Malliaras. “In future, we might be able to have implants that can move through the body, or even into the brain – it makes you dream how we could use technology to benefit patients in future.”
The research was supported in part by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Cambridge Trust, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Reference:
Chaoqun Dong et al. ‘Electrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.’ Nature Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01886-0
Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibres without damaging them.
Neurosciencenervous systemnerveroboticsanimal researchpainsurgeryEngineeringGeorge MalliarasDamiano BaroneChaoqun DongCambridge TrustsEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)Department of EngineeringDepartment of Clinical NeurosciencesSchool of TechnologySchool of Clinical MedicineThe ability to make an implant that can change shape through electrical activation opens up a range of future possibilities for highly targeted treatmentsGeorge MalliarasXH4D via iStock / Getty Images PlusIllustration of the human nervous system
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ could help treat a range of neurological conditions
The researchers, from the University of Cambridge, combined flexible electronics and soft robotics techniques to develop the devices, which could be used for the diagnosis and treatment of a range of disorders, including epilepsy and chronic pain, or the control of prosthetic limbs.
Current tools for interfacing with the peripheral nerves – the 43 pairs of motor and sensory nerves that connect the brain and the spinal cord – are outdated, bulky and carry a high risk of nerve injury. However, the robotic nerve ‘cuffs’ developed by the Cambridge team are sensitive enough to grasp or wrap around delicate nerve fibres without causing any damage.
Tests of the nerve cuffs in rats showed that the devices only require tiny voltages to change shape in a controlled way, forming a self-closing loop around nerves without the need for surgical sutures or glues.
The researchers say the combination of soft electrical actuators with neurotechnology could be an answer to minimally invasive monitoring and treatment for a range of neurological conditions. The results are reported in the journal Nature Materials.
Electric nerve implants can be used to either stimulate or block signals in target nerves. For example, they might help relieve pain by blocking pain signals, or they could be used to restore movement in paralysed limbs by sending electrical signals to the nerves. Nerve monitoring is also standard surgical procedure when operating in areas of the body containing a high concentration of nerve fibres, such as anywhere near the spinal cord.
These implants allow direct access to nerve fibres, but they come with certain risks. “Nerve implants come with a high risk of nerve injury,” said Professor George Malliaras from Cambridge’s Department of Engineering, who led the research. “Nerves are small and highly delicate, so anytime you put something large, like an electrode, in contact with them, it represents a danger to the nerves.”
“Nerve cuffs that wrap around nerves are the least invasive implants currently available, but despite this they are still too bulky, stiff and difficult to implant, requiring significant handling and potential trauma to the nerve,” said co-author Dr Damiano Barone from Cambridge’s Department of Clinical Neurosciences.
The researchers designed a new type of nerve cuff made from conducting polymers, normally used in soft robotics. The ultra-thin cuffs are engineered in two separate layers. Applying tiny amounts of electricity – just a few hundred millivolts – causes the devices to swell or shrink.
The cuffs are small enough that they could be rolled up into a needle and injected near the target nerve. When activated electrically, the cuffs will change their shape to wrap around the nerve, allowing nerve activity to be monitored or altered.
“To ensure the safe use of these devices inside the body, we have managed to reduce the voltage required for actuation to very low values,” said Dr Chaoqun Dong, the paper’s first author. “What's even more significant is that these cuffs can change shape in both directions and be reprogrammed. This means surgeons can adjust how tightly the device fits around a nerve until they get the best results for recording and stimulating the nerve.”
Tests in rats showed that the cuffs could be successfully placed without surgery, and formed a self-closing loop around the target nerve. The researchers are planning further testing of the devices in animal models, and are hoping to begin testing in humans within the next few years.
“Using this approach, we can reach nerves that are difficult to reach through open surgery, such as the nerves that control, pain, vision or hearing, but without the need to implant anything inside the brain,” said Barone. “The ability to place these cuffs so they wrap around the nerves makes this a much easier procedure for surgeons, and it’s less risky for patients.”
“The ability to make an implant that can change shape through electrical activation opens up a range of future possibilities for highly targeted treatments,” said Malliaras. “In future, we might be able to have implants that can move through the body, or even into the brain – it makes you dream how we could use technology to benefit patients in future.”
The research was supported in part by the Swiss National Science Foundation, the Cambridge Trust, and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Reference:
Chaoqun Dong et al. ‘Electrochemically actuated microelectrodes for minimally invasive peripheral nerve interfaces.’ Nature Materials (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41563-024-01886-0
Researchers have developed tiny, flexible devices that can wrap around individual nerve fibres without damaging them.
Neurosciencenervous systemnerveroboticsanimal researchpainsurgeryEngineeringGeorge MalliarasDamiano BaroneChaoqun DongCambridge TrustsEngineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)UK Research and Innovation (UKRI)Department of EngineeringDepartment of Clinical NeurosciencesSchool of TechnologySchool of Clinical MedicineThe ability to make an implant that can change shape through electrical activation opens up a range of future possibilities for highly targeted treatmentsGeorge MalliarasXH4D via iStock / Getty Images PlusIllustration of the human nervous system
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Study highlights increased risk of second cancers among breast cancer survivors
For the first time, the research has shown that this risk is higher in people living in areas of greater socioeconomic deprivation.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Around 56,000 people in the UK are diagnosed each year, the vast majority (over 99%) of whom are women. Improvements in earlier diagnosis and in treatments mean that five year survival rates have been increasing over time, reaching 87% by 2017 in England.
People who survive breast cancer are at risk of second primary cancer, but until now the exact risk has been unclear. Previously published research suggested that women and men who survive breast cancer are at a 24% and 27% greater risk of a non-breast second primary cancer than the wider population respectively. There have been also suggestions that second primary cancer risks differ by the age at breast cancer diagnosis.
To provide more accurate estimates, a team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed data from over 580,000 female and over 3,500 male breast cancer survivors diagnosed between 1995 and 2019 using the National Cancer Registration Dataset. The results of their analysis are published today in Lancet Regional Health – Europe.
First author Isaac Allen from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge said: “It’s important for us to understand to what extent having one type of cancer puts you at risk of a second cancer at a different site. The female and male breast cancer survivors whose data we studied were at increased risk of a number of second cancers. Knowing this can help inform conversations with their care teams to look out for signs of potential new cancers.”
The researchers found significantly increased risks of cancer in the contralateral (that is, unaffected) breast and for endometrium and prostate cancer in females and males, respectively. Females who survived breast cancer were at double the risk of contralateral breast cancer compared to the general population and at 87% greater risk of endometrial cancer, 58% greater risk of myeloid leukaemia and 25% greater risk of ovarian cancer.
Age of diagnosis was important, too – females diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 were 86% more likely to develop a second primary cancer compared to the general population of the same age, whereas women diagnosed after age 50 were at a 17% increased risk. One potential explanation is that a larger number of younger breast cancer survivors may have inherited genetic alterations that increase risk for multiple cancers. For example, women with inherited changes to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at increased risk of contralateral breast cancer, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.
Females from the most socioeconomically deprived backgrounds were at 35% greater risk of a second primary cancer compared to females from the least deprived backgrounds. These differences were primarily driven by non-breast cancer risks, particularly for lung, kidney, head and neck, bladder, oesophageal and stomach cancers. This may be because smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption – established risk factors for these cancers – are more common among more deprived groups.
Allen, a PhD student at Clare Hall, added: “This is further evidence of the health inequalities that people from more deprived backgrounds experience. We need to fully understand why they are at greater risk of second cancers so that we can intervene and reduce this risk.”
Male breast cancer survivors were 55 times more likely than the general male population to develop contralateral breast cancer – though the researchers stress that an individual’s risk was still very low. For example, for every 100 men diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or over, about three developed contralateral breast cancer during a 25 year period. Male breast cancer survivors were also 58% more likely than the general male population to develop prostate cancer.
Professor Antonis Antoniou from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, the study’s senior author, said: “This is the largest study to date to look at the risk in breast cancer survivors of developing a second cancer. We were able to carry this out and calculate more accurate estimates because of the outstanding data sets available to researchers through the NHS.”
The research was funded by Cancer Research UK with support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
Cancer Research UK’s senior cancer intelligence manager, Katrina Brown, said: “This study shows us that the risk of second primary cancers is higher in people who have had breast cancer, and this can differ depending on someone’s socioeconomic background. But more research is needed to understand what is driving this difference and how to tackle these health inequalities.”
People who are concerned about their cancer risk should contact their GP for advice. If you or someone close to you have been affected by cancer and you’ve got questions, you can call Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday.
Reference
Allen, I, et al. Risks of second primary cancers among 584,965 female and male breast cancer survivors in England: a 25-year retrospective cohort study. Lancet Regional Health – Europe; 24 April 2024: DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100903
Survivors of breast cancer are at significantly higher risk of developing second cancers, including endometrial and ovarian cancer for women and prostate cancer for men, according to new research studying data from almost 600,000 patients in England.
Cancerbreast cancerAntonis AntoniouIsaac AllenCancer Research UK (CRUK)School of Clinical MedicineDepartment of Public Health and Primary CareCambridge Cancer CentreIt’s important for us to understand to what extent having one type of cancer puts you at risk of a second cancer at a different site. Knowing this can help inform conversations with their care teams to look out for signs of potential new cancersIsaac AllenNational Cancer InstituteDoctor standing near woman patient doing breast cancer
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Study highlights increased risk of second cancers among breast cancer survivors
For the first time, the research has shown that this risk is higher in people living in areas of greater socioeconomic deprivation.
Breast cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in the UK. Around 56,000 people in the UK are diagnosed each year, the vast majority (over 99%) of whom are women. Improvements in earlier diagnosis and in treatments mean that five year survival rates have been increasing over time, reaching 87% by 2017 in England.
People who survive breast cancer are at risk of second primary cancer, but until now the exact risk has been unclear. Previously published research suggested that women and men who survive breast cancer are at a 24% and 27% greater risk of a non-breast second primary cancer than the wider population respectively. There have been also suggestions that second primary cancer risks differ by the age at breast cancer diagnosis.
To provide more accurate estimates, a team led by researchers at the University of Cambridge analysed data from over 580,000 female and over 3,500 male breast cancer survivors diagnosed between 1995 and 2019 using the National Cancer Registration Dataset. The results of their analysis are published today in Lancet Regional Health – Europe.
First author Isaac Allen from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge said: “It’s important for us to understand to what extent having one type of cancer puts you at risk of a second cancer at a different site. The female and male breast cancer survivors whose data we studied were at increased risk of a number of second cancers. Knowing this can help inform conversations with their care teams to look out for signs of potential new cancers.”
The researchers found significantly increased risks of cancer in the contralateral (that is, unaffected) breast and for endometrium and prostate cancer in females and males, respectively. Females who survived breast cancer were at double the risk of contralateral breast cancer compared to the general population and at 87% greater risk of endometrial cancer, 58% greater risk of myeloid leukaemia and 25% greater risk of ovarian cancer.
Age of diagnosis was important, too – females diagnosed with breast cancer under the age of 50 were 86% more likely to develop a second primary cancer compared to the general population of the same age, whereas women diagnosed after age 50 were at a 17% increased risk. One potential explanation is that a larger number of younger breast cancer survivors may have inherited genetic alterations that increase risk for multiple cancers. For example, women with inherited changes to the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes are at increased risk of contralateral breast cancer, ovarian and pancreatic cancer.
Females from the most socioeconomically deprived backgrounds were at 35% greater risk of a second primary cancer compared to females from the least deprived backgrounds. These differences were primarily driven by non-breast cancer risks, particularly for lung, kidney, head and neck, bladder, oesophageal and stomach cancers. This may be because smoking, obesity, and alcohol consumption – established risk factors for these cancers – are more common among more deprived groups.
Allen, a PhD student at Clare Hall, added: “This is further evidence of the health inequalities that people from more deprived backgrounds experience. We need to fully understand why they are at greater risk of second cancers so that we can intervene and reduce this risk.”
Male breast cancer survivors were 55 times more likely than the general male population to develop contralateral breast cancer – though the researchers stress that an individual’s risk was still very low. For example, for every 100 men diagnosed with breast cancer at age 50 or over, about three developed contralateral breast cancer during a 25 year period. Male breast cancer survivors were also 58% more likely than the general male population to develop prostate cancer.
Professor Antonis Antoniou from the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge, the study’s senior author, said: “This is the largest study to date to look at the risk in breast cancer survivors of developing a second cancer. We were able to carry this out and calculate more accurate estimates because of the outstanding data sets available to researchers through the NHS.”
The research was funded by Cancer Research UK with support from the National Institute for Health and Care Research Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre.
Cancer Research UK’s senior cancer intelligence manager, Katrina Brown, said: “This study shows us that the risk of second primary cancers is higher in people who have had breast cancer, and this can differ depending on someone’s socioeconomic background. But more research is needed to understand what is driving this difference and how to tackle these health inequalities.”
People who are concerned about their cancer risk should contact their GP for advice. If you or someone close to you have been affected by cancer and you’ve got questions, you can call Cancer Research UK nurses on freephone 0808 800 4040, Monday to Friday.
Reference
Allen, I, et al. Risks of second primary cancers among 584,965 female and male breast cancer survivors in England: a 25-year retrospective cohort study. Lancet Regional Health – Europe; 24 April 2024: DOI: 10.1016/j.lanepe.2024.100903
Survivors of breast cancer are at significantly higher risk of developing second cancers, including endometrial and ovarian cancer for women and prostate cancer for men, according to new research studying data from almost 600,000 patients in England.
Cancerbreast cancerAntonis AntoniouIsaac AllenCancer Research UK (CRUK)School of Clinical MedicineDepartment of Public Health and Primary CareCambridge Cancer CentreIt’s important for us to understand to what extent having one type of cancer puts you at risk of a second cancer at a different site. Knowing this can help inform conversations with their care teams to look out for signs of potential new cancersIsaac AllenNational Cancer InstituteDoctor standing near woman patient doing breast cancer
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Rare disease research at Cambridge receives major boost with launch of two new centres
The virtual centres, supported by the charity LifeArc, will focus on areas where there are significant unmet needs. They will tackle barriers that ordinarily prevent new tests and treatments reaching patients with rare diseases and speed up the delivery of rare disease treatment trials.
The centres will bring together leading scientists and rare disease clinical specialists from across the UK for the first time, encouraging new collaborations across different research disciplines and providing improved access to facilities and training.
LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial DiseasesProfessor Patrick Chinnery will lead the LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases, a national partnership with the Lily Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy UK, together with key partners at UCL, Newcastle University and three other centres (Oxford, Birmingham and Manchester).
Mitochondrial diseases are genetic disorders affecting 1 in 5,000 people. They often cause progressive damage to the brain, eyes, muscles, heart and liver, leading to severe disability and a shorter life. There is currently have no cure for most conditions, however, new opportunities to treat mitochondrial diseases have been identified in the last five years, meaning that it’s a critical time for research development. The £7.5M centre will establish a national platform that will connect patient groups, knowledge and infrastructure in order to accelerate new treatments getting to clinical trial.
Professor Chinnery said: “The new LifeArc centre unites scientific and clinical strengths from across the UK. For the first time we will form a single team, focussed on developing new treatments for mitochondrial diseases which currently have no cure.”
Adam Harraway has Mitochondrial Disease and says he lives in constant fear of what might go wrong next with his condition. “With rare diseases such as these, it can feel like the questions always outweigh the answers. The news of this investment from LifeArc fills me with hope for the future. To know that there are so many wonderful people and organisations working towards treatments and cures makes me feel seen and heard. It gives a voice to people who often have to suffer in silence, and I'm excited to see how this project can help Mito patients in the future."
LifeArc Centre for Rare Respiratory DiseasesProfessor Stefan Marciniak will co-lead the LifeArc Centre for Rare Respiratory Diseases, a UK wide collaborative centre co-created in partnership with patients and charities. This Centre is a partnership between Universities and NHS Trusts across the UK, co-led by Edinburgh with Nottingham, Dundee, Cambridge, Southampton, University College London and supported by six other centres (Belfast, Cardiff, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester and Royal Brompton).
For the first time ever, it will provide a single ‘go to’ centre that will connect children and adults with rare respiratory disease with clinical experts, researchers, investors and industry leaders across the UK. The £9.4M centre will create a UK-wide biobank of patient samples and models of disease that will allow researchers to advance pioneering therapies and engage with industry and regulatory partners to develop innovative human clinical studies.
Professor Marciniak said: “There are many rare lung diseases, and together those affected constitute a larger underserved group of patients. The National Translational Centre for Rare Respiratory Diseases brings together expertise from across the UK to find effective treatments and train the next generation of rare disease researchers.”
Former BBC News journalist and presenter, Philippa Thomas, has the rare incurable lung disease, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Her condition has stabilised but for many people, the disease can be severely life-limiting. Philippa said: “There is so little research funding for rare respiratory diseases, that getting treatment - let alone an accurate diagnosis - really does feel like a lottery. It is also terrifying being diagnosed with something your GP will never have heard of.”
Globally, there are more than 300 million people living with rare diseases. However, rare disease research can be fragmented. Researchers can lack access to specialist facilities, as well as advice on regulation, trial designs, preclinical regulatory requirements, and translational project management, which are vital in getting new innovations to patients.
Dr Catriona Crombie, Head of Rare Disease at LifeArc, says: “We’re extremely proud to be launching four new LifeArc Translational Centres for Rare Diseases. Each centre has been awarded funding because it holds real promise for delivering change for people living with rare diseases. These centres also have the potential to create a blueprint for accelerating improvements across other disease areas, including common diseases.”
Adapted from a press release from LifeArc
Cambridge researchers will play key roles in two new centres dedicated to developing improved tests, treatments and potentially cures for thousands of people living with rare medical conditions.
Rare diseasesPatrick ChinneryStefan MarciniakLifeArcSchool of Clinical MedicineDepartment Clinical NeurosciencesCambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR)Department of MedicineSt Catharine's CollegeGonville and Caius CollegeThe new LifeArc centre unites scientific and clinical strengths from across the UKPatrick ChinneryAlexander_Safonov (Getty)Woman inhaling from a mask nebulizer
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Rare disease research at Cambridge receives major boost with launch of two new centres
The virtual centres, supported by the charity LifeArc, will focus on areas where there are significant unmet needs. They will tackle barriers that ordinarily prevent new tests and treatments reaching patients with rare diseases and speed up the delivery of rare disease treatment trials.
The centres will bring together leading scientists and rare disease clinical specialists from across the UK for the first time, encouraging new collaborations across different research disciplines and providing improved access to facilities and training.
LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial DiseasesProfessor Patrick Chinnery will lead the LifeArc Centre for Rare Mitochondrial Diseases, a national partnership with the Lily Foundation and Muscular Dystrophy UK, together with key partners at UCL, Newcastle University and three other centres (Oxford, Birmingham and Manchester).
Mitochondrial diseases are genetic disorders affecting 1 in 5,000 people. They often cause progressive damage to the brain, eyes, muscles, heart and liver, leading to severe disability and a shorter life. There is currently have no cure for most conditions, however, new opportunities to treat mitochondrial diseases have been identified in the last five years, meaning that it’s a critical time for research development. The £7.5M centre will establish a national platform that will connect patient groups, knowledge and infrastructure in order to accelerate new treatments getting to clinical trial.
Professor Chinnery said: “The new LifeArc centre unites scientific and clinical strengths from across the UK. For the first time we will form a single team, focussed on developing new treatments for mitochondrial diseases which currently have no cure.”
Adam Harraway has Mitochondrial Disease and says he lives in constant fear of what might go wrong next with his condition. “With rare diseases such as these, it can feel like the questions always outweigh the answers. The news of this investment from LifeArc fills me with hope for the future. To know that there are so many wonderful people and organisations working towards treatments and cures makes me feel seen and heard. It gives a voice to people who often have to suffer in silence, and I'm excited to see how this project can help Mito patients in the future."
LifeArc Centre for Rare Respiratory DiseasesProfessor Stefan Marciniak will co-lead the LifeArc Centre for Rare Respiratory Diseases, a UK wide collaborative centre co-created in partnership with patients and charities. This Centre is a partnership between Universities and NHS Trusts across the UK, co-led by Edinburgh with Nottingham, Dundee, Cambridge, Southampton, University College London and supported by six other centres (Belfast, Cardiff, Leeds, Leicester, Manchester and Royal Brompton).
For the first time ever, it will provide a single ‘go to’ centre that will connect children and adults with rare respiratory disease with clinical experts, researchers, investors and industry leaders across the UK. The £9.4M centre will create a UK-wide biobank of patient samples and models of disease that will allow researchers to advance pioneering therapies and engage with industry and regulatory partners to develop innovative human clinical studies.
Professor Marciniak said: “There are many rare lung diseases, and together those affected constitute a larger underserved group of patients. The National Translational Centre for Rare Respiratory Diseases brings together expertise from across the UK to find effective treatments and train the next generation of rare disease researchers.”
Former BBC News journalist and presenter, Philippa Thomas, has the rare incurable lung disease, Lymphangioleiomyomatosis (LAM). Her condition has stabilised but for many people, the disease can be severely life-limiting. Philippa said: “There is so little research funding for rare respiratory diseases, that getting treatment - let alone an accurate diagnosis - really does feel like a lottery. It is also terrifying being diagnosed with something your GP will never have heard of.”
Globally, there are more than 300 million people living with rare diseases. However, rare disease research can be fragmented. Researchers can lack access to specialist facilities, as well as advice on regulation, trial designs, preclinical regulatory requirements, and translational project management, which are vital in getting new innovations to patients.
Dr Catriona Crombie, Head of Rare Disease at LifeArc, says: “We’re extremely proud to be launching four new LifeArc Translational Centres for Rare Diseases. Each centre has been awarded funding because it holds real promise for delivering change for people living with rare diseases. These centres also have the potential to create a blueprint for accelerating improvements across other disease areas, including common diseases.”
Adapted from a press release from LifeArc
Cambridge researchers will play key roles in two new centres dedicated to developing improved tests, treatments and potentially cures for thousands of people living with rare medical conditions.
Rare diseasesPatrick ChinneryStefan MarciniakLifeArcSchool of Clinical MedicineDepartment Clinical NeurosciencesCambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR)Department of MedicineSt Catharine's CollegeGonville and Caius CollegeThe new LifeArc centre unites scientific and clinical strengths from across the UKPatrick ChinneryAlexander_Safonov (Getty)Woman inhaling from a mask nebulizer
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Training AI models to answer ‘what if?’ questions could improve medical treatments
Artificial intelligence techniques can be helpful for multiple medical applications, such as radiology or oncology, where the ability to recognise patterns in large volumes of data is vital. For these types of applications, the AI compares information against learned examples, draws conclusions, and makes extrapolations.
Now, an international team led by researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and including researchers from the University of Cambridge, is exploring the potential of a comparatively new branch of AI for diagnostics and therapy.
The researchers found that causal machine learning (ML) can estimate treatment outcomes – and do so better than the machine learning methods generally used to date. Causal machine learning makes it easier for clinicians to personalise treatment strategies, which individually improves the health of patients.
The results, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest how causal machine learning could improve the effectiveness and safety of a variety of medical treatments.
Classical machine learning recognises patterns and discovers correlations. However, the principle of cause and effect remains closed to machines as a rule; they cannot address the question of why. When making therapy decisions for a patient, the ‘why’ is vital to achieve the best outcomes.
“Developing machine learning tools to address why and what if questions is empowering for clinicians, because it can strengthen their decision-making processes,” said senior author Professor Michaela van der Schaar, Director of the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine. “But this sort of machine learning is far more complex than assessing personalised risk.”
For example, when attempting to determine therapy decisions for someone at risk of developing diabetes, classical ML would aim to predict how probable it is for a given patient with a range of risk factors to develop the disease. With causal ML, it would be possible to answer how the risk changes if the patient receives an anti-diabetes drug; that is, gauge the effect of a cause. It would also be possible to estimate whether metformin, the commonly-prescribed medication, would be the best treatment, or whether another treatment plan would be better.
To be able to estimate the effect of a hypothetical treatment, the AI models must learn to answer ‘what if?’ questions. “We give the machine rules for recognising the causal structure and correctly formalising the problem,” said Professor Stefan Feuerriegel from LMU, who led the research. “Then the machine has to learn to recognise the effects of interventions and understand, so to speak, how real-life consequences are mirrored in the data that has been fed into the computers.”
Even in situations for which reliable treatment standards do not yet exist or where randomised studies are not possible for ethical reasons because they always contain a placebo group, machines could still gauge potential treatment outcomes from the available patient data and form hypotheses for possible treatment plans, so the researchers hope.
With such real-world data, it should generally be possible to describe the patient cohorts with ever greater precision in the estimates, bringing individualised therapy decisions that much closer. Naturally, there would still be the challenge of ensuring the reliability and robustness of the methods.
“The software we need for causal ML methods in medicine doesn’t exist out of the box,” says Feuerriegel. “Rather, complex modelling of the respective problem is required, involving close collaboration between AI experts and doctors.”
In other fields, such as marketing, explains Feuerriegel, the work with causal ML has already been in the testing phase for some years now. “Our goal is to bring the methods a step closer to practice,” he said. The paper describes the direction in which things could move over the coming years.”
“I have worked in this area for almost 10 years, working relentlessly in our lab with generations of students to crack this problem,” said van der Schaar, who is affiliated with the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Engineering and Medicine. “It’s an extremely challenging area of machine learning, and seeing it come closer to clinical use, where it will empower clinicians and patients alike, is very satisfying.”
Van der Schaar is continuing to work closely with clinicians to validate these tools in diverse clinical settings, including transplantation, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Reference:
Stefan Feuerriegel et al. ‘Causal machine learning for predicting treatments.’ Nature Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02902-1
Adapted from an LMU media release.
Machines can learn not only to make predictions, but to handle causal relationships. An international research team shows how this could make medical treatments safer, more efficient, and more personalised.
Artificial intelligencemedicinemachine learninghealthEngineeringMihaela van der SchaarLudwig-Maximilians-UniversitätCambridge Centre for AI in MedicineDepartment of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical PhysicsDepartment of EngineeringDepartment of MedicineSchool of the Physical SciencesSchool of TechnologySchool of Clinical MedicineYuichiro Chino via Getty ImagesComputer-generated image of human brain
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Training AI models to answer ‘what if?’ questions could improve medical treatments
Artificial intelligence techniques can be helpful for multiple medical applications, such as radiology or oncology, where the ability to recognise patterns in large volumes of data is vital. For these types of applications, the AI compares information against learned examples, draws conclusions, and makes extrapolations.
Now, an international team led by researchers from Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) and including researchers from the University of Cambridge, is exploring the potential of a comparatively new branch of AI for diagnostics and therapy.
The researchers found that causal machine learning (ML) can estimate treatment outcomes – and do so better than the machine learning methods generally used to date. Causal machine learning makes it easier for clinicians to personalise treatment strategies, which individually improves the health of patients.
The results, reported in the journal Nature Medicine, suggest how causal machine learning could improve the effectiveness and safety of a variety of medical treatments.
Classical machine learning recognises patterns and discovers correlations. However, the principle of cause and effect remains closed to machines as a rule; they cannot address the question of why. When making therapy decisions for a patient, the ‘why’ is vital to achieve the best outcomes.
“Developing machine learning tools to address why and what if questions is empowering for clinicians, because it can strengthen their decision-making processes,” said senior author Professor Michaela van der Schaar, Director of the Cambridge Centre for AI in Medicine. “But this sort of machine learning is far more complex than assessing personalised risk.”
For example, when attempting to determine therapy decisions for someone at risk of developing diabetes, classical ML would aim to predict how probable it is for a given patient with a range of risk factors to develop the disease. With causal ML, it would be possible to answer how the risk changes if the patient receives an anti-diabetes drug; that is, gauge the effect of a cause. It would also be possible to estimate whether metformin, the commonly-prescribed medication, would be the best treatment, or whether another treatment plan would be better.
To be able to estimate the effect of a hypothetical treatment, the AI models must learn to answer ‘what if?’ questions. “We give the machine rules for recognising the causal structure and correctly formalising the problem,” said Professor Stefan Feuerriegel from LMU, who led the research. “Then the machine has to learn to recognise the effects of interventions and understand, so to speak, how real-life consequences are mirrored in the data that has been fed into the computers.”
Even in situations for which reliable treatment standards do not yet exist or where randomised studies are not possible for ethical reasons because they always contain a placebo group, machines could still gauge potential treatment outcomes from the available patient data and form hypotheses for possible treatment plans, so the researchers hope.
With such real-world data, it should generally be possible to describe the patient cohorts with ever greater precision in the estimates, bringing individualised therapy decisions that much closer. Naturally, there would still be the challenge of ensuring the reliability and robustness of the methods.
“The software we need for causal ML methods in medicine doesn’t exist out of the box,” says Feuerriegel. “Rather, complex modelling of the respective problem is required, involving close collaboration between AI experts and doctors.”
In other fields, such as marketing, explains Feuerriegel, the work with causal ML has already been in the testing phase for some years now. “Our goal is to bring the methods a step closer to practice,” he said. The paper describes the direction in which things could move over the coming years.”
“I have worked in this area for almost 10 years, working relentlessly in our lab with generations of students to crack this problem,” said van der Schaar, who is affiliated with the Departments of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, Engineering and Medicine. “It’s an extremely challenging area of machine learning, and seeing it come closer to clinical use, where it will empower clinicians and patients alike, is very satisfying.”
Van der Schaar is continuing to work closely with clinicians to validate these tools in diverse clinical settings, including transplantation, cancer and cardiovascular disease.
Reference:
Stefan Feuerriegel et al. ‘Causal machine learning for predicting treatments.’ Nature Medicine (2024). DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-02902-1
Adapted from an LMU media release.
Machines can learn not only to make predictions, but to handle causal relationships. An international research team shows how this could make medical treatments safer, more efficient, and more personalised.
Artificial intelligencemedicinemachine learninghealthEngineeringMihaela van der SchaarLudwig-Maximilians-UniversitätCambridge Centre for AI in MedicineDepartment of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical PhysicsDepartment of EngineeringDepartment of MedicineSchool of the Physical SciencesSchool of TechnologySchool of Clinical MedicineYuichiro Chino via Getty ImagesComputer-generated image of human brain
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