News

On 6th December, staff and students from the MRC Toxicology Unit and guests from external organisations and partners gathered at St Catharine's College in Cambridge to celebrate 75 years of the MRC Toxicology Unit.The afternoon started off with an overview of the Unit and toxicology from Anne Willis, Director of the Unit, followed by a brief histor…

Mesothelioma is a type of cancer predominantly caused by breathing in asbestos fibres. However, the disease usually doesn’t develop for decades after exposure. Once diagnosed, the tumours are already at an advanced stage and current therapies have minimal impact on prolonging the life of patients, so there is an urgent need for new ways to diagnose…

Elderberries, flaxseeds, manuka honey, garlic and the juice of an orange. A recipe for a vampire-repelling poultice, perhaps? No, but these ingredients have all made their way from ancient folklore into current public consciousness as “immune-boosting superfoods”.The midst of a global infectious disease pandemic is a perfect time to market anything…

As someone who hovers between being a millennial and gen-Zer, I often wonder how great thinkers of the past would view the extensive ways in which social media are intertwined with our everyday lives. Plato, for instance, might have thought that these virtual alternatives to real-life interactions are mere shadows of reality, nothing but empty rese…

The New York Times report on a synthetic human microbiome that has been created for the first time combining 119 species of bacteria naturally found in the human body.Dr Kiran Patil provided his expert comment on the work. Kiran commented: “It is remarkable how a hundred-plus human gut strains form a stable and resilient community. It’s like a hund…

The supply chain disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic have highlighted the trade-off between external supply and local production. Importing from further away where it is more economically manufactured might be ok for many things, but not for those essential, say, medical and defence systems. Biology seems to have faced the same question.For ou…

The 1st episode of the British Toxicology Society's 'Flying the NEST' podcast features Unit Director Prof Anne Willis. In this episode, Anne discusses her career path so far, what she wishes she had known at the start of her career and insights in the Unit's research. Listen online now.The British Toxicology Society (BTS) Network for Early-Stage To…

Roberto Campalastri, a PhD student in Ritwick Sawarkar's group, won the prestigious Gates Trust Scholarship. In his future research he will focus on the identification of novel cis-and trans- regulatory elements of human RNA Polymerase III by using artificial intelligence (AI) methods and genomic tools.

A research focus in our Unit is the link between chemical exposure and adverse outcome pathways. You may have seen the recent news about chemicals in Cambridgeshire water supplies. Our own Dr Kiran Patil was asked to give his view on the 6.30pm BBC One Look East news on the 8th February 2022.

Marco Travaglio, PhD student in Dr Miguel Martin's research programme, has spoken about the COVID-19 research that they are conducting in an article published by New Scientist:'Are you more likely to die of covid-19 if you live in a polluted area?' Marco has also been quoted in the Financial Times article:'Academics probe links between coronavirus…

Our Programme Leader, Dr Miguel Martins, has contributed to two articles written by The Guardian about the links between air pollution and coronavirus deaths:  Preliminary study links air pollution to coronavirus deaths in England​Is air pollution making the coronavirus pandemic even more deadly?

On the 27th April, Yizhou Yu, a student in Dr Miguel Martin's research programme, spoke on France 24 about the possible link between levels of air pollution and the severity of the COVID-19 illness.To watch the video on the France 24 website please click here.

Metal particles from the abrasion of brake pads - up to a fifth of fine particulate matter (PM2.5) air pollution at roadsides - may cause inflammation and reduce the ability of immune cells to kill bacteria, a new study has found, similarly to particles derived from diesel exhaust.The scientists, primarily funded by the MRC, say this suggests that …

Professor Andy Smith, Head of the Integrative Toxicology Training Partnership (ITTP) at the MRC Toxicology Unit in Leicester, was nominated to deliver the 2019 Barnes Prize Lecture on 16 April at the British Toxicology Society (BTS) Annual Congress in Cambridge. The award was established in memory of Dr John Barnes, a pioneer in scientific toxicolo…

Professor Anne Willis OBE, Unit Director, is pleased to announce that the MRC Toxicology Unit has successfully transferred to the University of Cambridge as an MRC University Unit. The transfer took place on 1 March 2018. The Unit will still be known as the Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit and will still be based at the Hodgkin Building in …