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Bird flu pandemic would require multi-drug approach
14 May 2008
NIMR scientists have characterised a change in the N1 component of H5N1 which makes it resistant to the anti-viral drug Tamiflu. The mutation was found in human cases of the disease and suggests that a single drug approach is likely to be ineffective in case of a bird flu pandemic in humans. The findings are published online in Nature.
Secret to testis development lies in gene interaction
07 May 2008
NIMR scientists have uncovered the relationship between two genes that work in synergy to form the testicles. The study, published online in Nature, sheds light on how just a single gene difference between XX (female) and XY (male) embryos is amplified, eventually generating the dramatic differences in anatomy, physiology and behaviour between the sexes.
An unexpected role for the X chromosome in male fertility
06 May 2008
NIMR scientists have shown that the mouse X chromosome is greatly enriched in genes functioning in male germ cell development. They have found that around 18% of all X-linked protein-coding genes are expressed exclusively in the testis, and some of these genes could be important candidates in male infertility.
Two NIMR scientists elected as Academy of Medical Sciences fellows
01 May 2008
Two NIMR scientists, Steve Gamblin and Victor Tybulewicz, have been elected as fellows of the Academy of Medical Sciences.
Scientists discover the travel patterns of seasonal flu
18 April 2008
Scientists have found that outbreaks of the most common type of influenza virus, A (H3N2), are seeded by viruses that originate in East and Southeast Asia and migrate around the world. This discovery, published in Science, may help to improve flu vaccines and make the evolution of the virus more predictable.
NIMR Everest scientist remembered
03 April 2008
The latest issue of the MRC Network newsletter includes an article about Griffith Pugh, the NIMR scientist who accompanied the 1953 expedition to climb Everest.
A transcription factor linking environmental toxins to autoimmunity
24 March 2008
NIMR scientists have discovered that a transcription factor that is well known for mediating the toxic effects of dioxin and other environmental toxins, is expressed in a population of immune cells that are involved in the pathology of many immune diseases. Activation of this transcription factor causes increased pathology in a murine autoimmune model, suggesting a mechanism by which environmental factors could play a role in the etiology of autoimmune diseases.
NIMR image is a Wellcome Image Awards winner
12 March 2008
A confocal image produced at NIMR is among the winners of the Wellcome Image Awards 2008.
Steve Sedgwick awarded inaugural Genome Stability Network Medal
07 March 2008
The inaugural Genome Stability Network Medal has been awarded to Steve Sedgwick from NIMR's Division of Stem Cell Biology and Developmental Genetics.
Choosing the correct partner for DNA repair
07 March 2008
Researchers at NIMR have shown in a recent paper in Cell how cells ensure that the correct chromosome is utilized for repairing broken DNA.
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