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Art and science come together to showcase Toxicology Unit research

16 September 2024

Throughout 2024, members of the public have been invited into the Toxicology Unit to create prints based on their interpretations of our research. In collaboration with Curwen Print Study Centre, we hosted five printmaking workshops between March and September. Each workshop was hosted by a different researcher who...

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Willis & Thaventhiran join BBC Inside Health to discuss cancer 'vaccines'

27 August 2024

Trials of a cancer 'vaccine' have begun. The vaccine is based on the same mRNA technology as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines. As part of this latest episode of BBC Radio 4's Inside Health programme, James Gallagher visits the Unit and speaks to Prof Anne Willis and Dr James Thaventhiran about how the vaccine is...

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Unit welcomes participants to annual ITTP Summer School

1 August 2024

From 15th-19th July, the Unit hosted the annual ITTP Summer School. Each year, four studentships are awarded as part of the MRC Integrative Toxicology Training Partnership (ITTP) to train the next generation of toxicologists. These students study at organisations across the UK from Norwich, to Newcastle, to Reading and...

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Unit welcomes our first cohort of ASTP students

22 July 2024

From 8th-12th July 2024, we welcomed budding young scientists to the Unit to try out their lab skills side-by-side with our researchers as part of the Aspiring Scientists Training Programme (ASTP) where Sixth Form students can gain invaluable work experience. During the week, the students spent a significant amount of time...

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A tale of two strands: how DNA strand asymmetry affects damage, repair and mutation rates

12 June 2024

From snowflakes and sunflowers, to butterflies and humans, symmetry is abundant throughout nature . There is also an elegant symmetry to the double helix structure of DNA – the blueprint of life. Yet, many of the DNA’s functions are asymmetrical: only one strand is needed for certain cellular processes, and some key...

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New mouse model allows researchers to track immune cell behaviour during an immune response

24 May 2024

Researchers at the MRC Toxicology Unit have developed a new mouse model for tracking the behaviour of immune cells once an immune response is triggered. This could help scientists to understand how our immune system responds to different insults in more detail to develop new and improved immune therapies. Our body triggers...

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UK proteostasis community comes together for a successful inaugural event

21 May 2024

The conference marked the inaugural event of the UK Proteostasis Network , an initiative launched by the Babraham Institute and shaped by Network Coordinators: Ritwick Sawarkar from the MRC Toxicology Unit, Della David and Oliver Florey at the Babraham Institute, and Laura Itzhaki at the University of Cambridge.

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Computational approach to minimise off-target toxicity of CAR T-cell therapy targeting myeloma

2 May 2024

Multiple myeloma is a type of bone marrow cancer which impacts a type of white blood cell called plasma cells, which are essential for the production of antibodies. Myeloma remains incurable but a treatment called CAR-T cell therapy - a type of cancer immunotherapy - could be a promising new avenue for treatment, if...

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Toxicology Unit returns to Cambridge Festival

27 March 2024

Researchers from the MRC Toxicology Unit were involved in the Cambridge Festival 2024 last weekend to engage families with our research. The Cambridge Festival is an annual event coordinated by the University of Cambridge’s Public Engagement team. It is a multi-disciplinary festival with a mixture of online, on-demand and...

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Tox student receives 2024 Mary Amdur Student Award

14 March 2024

David O'Loughlin, PhD student in the MacFarlane lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit, has been awarded the 2024 Mary Amdur Student Award by the Society of Toxicology (SOT) at their Annual Meeting in Salt Lake City, Utah. The prize, named in honour of a pioneer in air pollution toxicology who overcame gender, political and...

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