Sanger Science – Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

Malaria Cell Atlas research. Image credit: Petra Korlevic

Malaria Cell Atlas: mapping a murderous parasite’s life cycle

August 22, 2019August 22, 2019 MarkThomson MarkThomson malaria, malaria cell atlas, mca, parasites and microbes, Plasmodium, single cell min read

Malaria – and the parasite that causes it – is complicated. Not only does the single-celled parasite move between humans and mosquitoes, but it exists in different forms, each with different shapes and functions. Researchers have now mapped out its life cycle in more detail than ever before.

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The modern rise of an ancient disease

August 8, 2019August 8, 2019 Communications Team bacteria, drug resistance, macrolides, sexually transmitted disease, std, syphilis, treponema pallidum, yaws min read

Sanger scientists have sequenced the largest number of Treponema pallidum bacterial genomes to date. The bacterium causes syphilis, a sexually transmitted disease that is making a comeback. Their findings show us how the bacteria have evolved over time and developed resistance to antibiotics.

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Vaccines: Life savers against infectious diseases

August 2, 2019August 5, 2019 Communications Team E. coli, etec, group a streptococcus, hpv, Infectious disease, malaria, measles, Plasmodium, polio, smallpox, vaccines min read

Smallpox has been stamped out and various other diseases are declining, thanks to vaccination. But not all diseases have vaccines yet – can genomics help speed up the search?

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COSMIC: setting the path for tomorrow’s cancer treatments

July 17, 2019 Communications Team BRAF, cancer, cancer genetics, Cancer Genome Project, COSMIC, melanoma min read

From gene discovery, to database, to cancer treatment. COSMIC celebrates 15 years of fuelling cancer research.

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DECIPHER: Fuelling Rare Disease Research

July 3, 2019July 4, 2019 Communications Team DDD, decipher, deciphering developmental disorders, developmental disorders, families, Genetics, Genomics, learning disorders min read

More than 15 years ago, a hospital doctor realised that bringing people’s genetic data together could provide answers for families affected by rare diseases. With the help of the Sanger Institute, the DECIPHER project has been helping families ever since

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What if medicine could be tailored ‘just for you’?

June 17, 2019June 17, 2019 Sanger Institute cancer, personalised medicine, precision medicine, sepsis min read

The information in our genomes is helping doctors diagnose and treat disease. But how far can personalised medicine go?

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Tracking a deadly shapeshifter

June 12, 2019June 12, 2019 Communications Team bacteria, Centre for Genomic Pathogen Surveillance, pneumonia, poppunk, serotypes, Streptococcus pneumoniae, vaccination, vaccines min read

A global child killer constantly changes its coat to evade destruction, but a worldwide network of scientists is using genetics to get one step ahead.

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Breaking the mould – the story of penicillin

June 6, 2019 Sanger Institute AMR, antibiotic resistance, drug resistant infections, penicillin min read

From a contaminated dish in London to saving lives on the D-Day beaches of Normandy (via dedicated scientists in Oxford and Peoria), pencillin has saved many millions of lives