Changes in the PTEN gene, that causes PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (PHTS), can lead to a range of different manifestations that vary from person to person, including an increased risk of certain cancers. A new project aims to understand why some tissues in people with PHTS become cancerous, and if there is a way of identifying individuals with PTEN variants who are most at risk.

From aspiring dentist to sequencing specialist, Ashleigh Williams, Advanced Research Assistant at the Wellcome Sanger Institute shares how following her curiosity led to a career full of cutting-edge technologies and unexpected turns.

In the latest installment of our innovator blog series, we caught up with Dr Matthew Coelho, Cancer Research UK Career Development Fellow at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. Matthew works within the Somatic Genomics programme and is co-founder of BASE Rx alongside Group Leader, Dr Mathew Garnett.

Dr Omer Bayraktar takes us on a journey through the intertwining of his life and science – a journey that spans continents and generations to shape new scientific narratives about one of our most complex organs: the brain.

Professor Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, traces a path from books to nematodes, community gardens to new technologies – guided by a lifelong interest in the world around him.