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Patil lab contributes to study pinpointing key mechanism of brain aging

5 August 2025

Researchers in the Patil Lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit have contributed liquid chromatography mass spectrometry (LC-MS) data to a new study that has mapped changes to killifish brains that occur in ageing. The research, published in Science found that there are problems translating mRNA to protein at the translation...

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Gut bacteria could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’

30 June 2025

Researchers in the Patil Lab have discovered that certain species of bacteria found in the human gut can take in and store PFAS, also known as ‘forever chemicals’. Boosting these species in our gut microbiome could be a new way to protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS. Per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are...

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Drugs and environmental contaminants alter metabolism of gut bacteria

30 June 2025

Scientists in the Patil lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit have identified that some drugs and environmental contaminants alter bacterial amine metabolism. Biogenic amines are linked to diseases including irritable bowel syndrome (IBS), neurological disorders and cancer. Understanding how amine production by bacteria is...

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A study in fruit flies reveals how aripiprazole, a common antipsychotic medication, has off-target effects on the intestine

15 April 2025

Researchers at the MRC Toxicology Unit have identified that the antipsychotic drug aripiprazole shows similar gastrointestinal side effects in fruit flies as in humans. For the first time they linked the mitochondria damaging effects of aripiprazole to death of the cells lining the intestine. Feeding the flies with an...

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Researchers identify new link between mitochondrial dysfunction and the development of COPD

20 December 2024

Researchers in the MacFarlane lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit have identified that a protein called TAp73 controls mitochondrial function in ciliated cells that line our airways. Ciliated cells are essential to clear mucus from our airways to maintain lung function. As this process is defective in diseases such as Chronic...

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New technology enables faster response to disease outbreaks like COVID-19

15 August 2024

New research from the Thaventhiran lab in collaboration with the groups of Florian Hollfelder , Marko Hyvonen , Nick Matheson and Charlotte Deane establishes a new, generalised technology for finding potentially therapeutic antibodies in response to infectious disease outbreaks faster than currently possible.

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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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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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Gut microbiome remains stable after COVID-19 vaccination

5 March 2024

Our gut microbiome is home to a diverse mix of microorganisms that are delicately balanced to preserve many aspects of our health including digestion, immunity and even our mental wellbeing. There are known factors that can impact our microscopic companions such as diet, lifestyle, antibiotic use and environmental...

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