News 2021

Professor Tim Aitman received the medal on behalf of the team for significant achievements in pioneering a way to mass population testing in an epidemic: December 2021

A recent publication from Dr Kathy Evans’ research group in the journal Cellular and Molecular Neurobiology finds an association between the protein SORCS2 and double-strand breaks in neuronal DNA.

Professor Tim Aitman has been appointed the Academy of Medical Sciences regional champion for Scotland

Researchers and commercial partners agree licensing to advance work on treatment for life-threatening lung condition.

IGC PI working to develop new therapies for difficult-to-treat cancers is among the first recipients of funding from the $20 million beLAB1407, recently launched to advance life sciences innovation.

DNA methylation patterns linked to smoking explain ten times more variance than self-reported data: September 2021

Yanick Crow's team, working with clinical colleagues worldwide, and together with Ashish Dhir (CGEM, IGC) and Tim Wai (Institute Pasteur), have identified mutations in ATAD3A as a novel cause of interferon induction: August 2021

Research, including Generation Scotland volunteer data, identifies nearly 300 variations in genes that can affect reproductive lifespan in women

Prof Sara Brown’s recent collaboration with artist Beverley Hood appeared in an Edinburgh Science festival exhibition in Summerhall. Sara and Beverley launched the exhibition with a recorded interview discussing their work.

Lauranne Derikx, advanced clinical research fellow in the Edinburgh Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) unit and member of Professor Charlie Lees research group, will present this Friday (9 July) baseline data of the PREdiCCt study on the ECCO (European Crohn’s and Colitis Organisation) 2021 congress. Her abstract shows that fatigue is highly prevalent in IBD and significantly impacts on all domains of quality of life. July 21.

A new Doctoral Training Centre led by Prof Richard Chin (Child Life and Health) and Prof Cathy Abbott (Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine) has been funded by the charity Epilepsy Research UK. June 21.

ASCUS Art and Science Collaboration brings the two fields together to produce art work inspired by scientific research. May 21

A recent publication in the journal Brain Communications from Riccardo Marioni’s group compares DNA methylation patterns seen in blood as predictors of lifestyle traits with epigenetic changes in brain tissue. May 21

A £1.8 million award from UK Research and Innovation will enable the TestEd team to provide fast and cost-effective twice weekly COVID-19 testing across the University.

A recent publication in Science Immunology from Dr Kenneth Baillie, including work from Prof Yanick Crow and Prof David Hunt, identifies inflammatory mediators implicated in COVID-19 severity. April 21

Dr Riccardo Marioni wins Alzheimer’s Society award to study genetic and proteomic predictors of Alzheimer's disease. April 21

A spinout from the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine targets the early diagnosis of difficult-to-detect cancers with a new blood-based biopsy device.

From 1 April the Institute of Genetics and Molecular Medicine (IGMM) will go by a new name, the Institute of Genetics and Cancer (IGC): April 2021

On 2 March, people living with XLH, a rare genetic bone disease, as well as scientists, staff and students from across the Institute and wider university heard about exciting new developments in research into XLH from Professor Stuart Ralston and Ryan Frew, who has XLH, described how his life has been transformed by a new treatment: March 2021

Professor Sara Brown has recently moved from Dundee to become part of the Centre for Genomic and Experimental Medicine.

Research from Dr Kathy Evans’ group (first author Dr Rosie Walker) identifies epigenetic differences between carriers of the APOE ε4 and APOE ε2 alleles, variants associated with an increased and decreased risk of Alzheimer’s disease, respectively. Jan 21.

Edinburgh researchers collaborating in the global GenOMICC consortium identify potential treatments for Covid-19 after the discovery of five genes associated with the most severe form of the disease: December 2020

The Universities of Edinburgh and Glasgow are joining forces to train young doctors in research relevant to the causes and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders. The ambitious new project which will see the institutions combine their global excellence in biomedical research and teaching to advance understanding of musculoskeletal diseases.

A publication in Nature Genetics from Prof Yanick Crow’s laboratory has identified two new genes involved in the Mendelian inflammatory disorder Aicardi-Goutières syndrome.