The Sanger Institute in the Media

The Sanger Institute's research often has implications and significance for wider society. We work with media to try to explain our work and its implications. Here is a selection of the coverage for our research for the current year. Please use the box on the right to browse coverage for previous years.

[Wellcome Library, London]

17.05.12 Untangling the development of breast cancer

Researchers sequenced the genomes of 21 breast cancers and analysed the mutations that emerged during the tumours' development. The results of each paper are explored in more detail in the accompanying press releases on mutation processes and on evolution in breast cancers. [Press Release]

16.05.12 Understanding breast cancer

Researchers describe nine new genes that drive the development of breast cancer. This takes the tally of all genes associated with breast cancer development to 40. [Press Release]

29.04.12 Gene against pancreatic cancer discovered

Researchers identified a potential new therapeutic target for pancreatic cancer. The team found that when a gene involved in protein degradation is switched-off through chemical tags on the DNA's surface, pancreatic cancer cells are protected from the bodies' natural cell death processes, become more aggressive, and can rapidly spread. [Press Release]

19.04.12 Key genes that switch off with ageing identified

Scientists identified a group of 'ageing' genes that are switched on and off by natural mechanisms called epigenetic factors, influencing the rate of healthy ageing and potential longevity. [Press Release]

28.03.12 The path to personalised cancer treatment

In the largest study of its kind, researchers have profiled genetic changes in cancer with drug sensitivity in order to develop a personalised approach to cancer treatments. [Press Release]

25.03.12 Genetics of flu susceptibility

A genetic finding could help explain why influenza becomes a life-threating disease to some people while it has only mild effects in others. New research led by the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute has identified for the first time a human gene that influences how we respond to influenza infection. [Press Release]

22.03.12 Subtle differences can lead to major changes in parasites

Researchers have found the subtle genetic differences that make one parasite far more virulent than its close relative. [Press Release]

11.03.12 Tracing the UK's No1 sexually transmitted infection

Researchers found that Chlamydia has evolved more actively than was previously thought. Using whole genome sequencing the researchers show that the exchange of DNA between different strains of Chlamydia to form new strains is much more common than expected. [Press Release]

07.03.12 What have we got in common with a Gorilla?

Researchers completed the genome sequence for the gorilla - the last genus of the living great apes to have its genome decoded. While confirming that our closest relative is the chimpanzee, the team show that much of the human genome more closely resembles the gorilla than it does the chimpanzee genome. [Press Release]

26.02.12 Elusive platelet count and limb development gene discovered

Researchers identified an elusive gene responsible for Thrombocytopenia with Absent Radii (TAR), a rare inherited blood and skeletal disorder. As a result, this research is now being transformed into a medical test that allows prenatal diagnosis and genetic counselling in affected families. [Press Release]

16.02.12 When is a gene not a gene?

A high-quality reference catalogue of the genetic changes that result in the deactivation of human genes has been developed by a team of researchers. This catalogue of loss-of-function (LoF) variants is needed to find new disease-causing mutations and will help us to better understand the normal function of human genes. [Press Release]

16.02.12 Preventing the devil's downfall

Researchers sequenced the genome of a contagious cancer that is threatening the Tasmanian devil, the world's largest carnivorous marsupial, with extinction. Cataloguing the mutations present in the cancer has led to clues about where the cancer came from and how it became contagious. [Press Release]

02.02.12 Paths to Cardiovascular Diseases and Type 2 Diabetes

Researchers found 31 regions on the genome that associate with biological indicators of common diseases such as cardiovascular disease and type II diabetes. These results may provide valuable insights into the biological processes of common and often fatal diseases. [Press Release]

31.01.12 What are your views on what happens to your genomic information?

An ethics team from the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute launch an online survey to capture the views of as many people as possible: they hope it will be the largest collection of opinions gathered to date. [Press Release]

25.01.12 Genetic screens bring new hope for tackling sleeping sickness

Research has exploited a revolutionary genetic technique to discover how human African Trypanosomiasis (HAT) drugs target the parasite which causes the disease. [Press Release]

The Sanger Institute in the Media

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Contact the Press Office

Don Powell Media and Public Relations Manager
Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute, Hinxton, Cambs, CB10 1SA, UK

Tel +44 (0)1223 496 928
Mobile +44 (0)7753 775 397
Fax +44 (0)1223 494 919
Email press.office@sanger.ac.uk

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