Sanger Life

24 February 2026
“I am reborn as a wannabe population geneticist”: Jukka Corander on modelling bacterial dynamics, keeping an open mind and over 40s raves
Step inside the world of Professor Jukka Corander, Associate Faculty at the Wellcome Sanger Institute. From exploring the wonders of nature to investigating the tiny organisms that inhabit it, Jukka is guided by an insatiable curiosity.

20 February 202615 min read
Exonerating the exon: what happens when the genome loses its instructions?
Dr Britt Hanson, Postdoctoral Fellow, tells us about hitting the “delete all” button on the blueprint of life as she works at the forefront of generative and synthetic genomics.

21 January 20269.1 min read
Building a resource to trace early human development
From looking at the human body down the microscope to writing code; Manas Dave is using his range of skills to create a resource that will help inform our understanding of the origins of human development.
16 December 202514.2 min read
Growing tiny placentas to unlock the mysteries of pregnancy
Scientist by day, nature-lover by weekend – in Alisha Dordi’s hands, stem cells become organoids, and the lab becomes a window into life itself.
26 November 202511.2 min read
How to get grant funding: Expert advice for a successful application
Securing grant funding can feel like a maze. We share practical tips drawn from successful applications to help you turn a great idea into a funded project.
20 November 20257.9 min read
Unravelling the mysteries of the worm through bioinformatics
Meet the next generation of genomic scientists who are benefiting from the Wellcome Sanger Institute founder, John Sulston's legacy. Beatriz Rodrigues Estevam was awarded the Sanger Prize in 2024, and joined the Tree of Life Programme to work alongside Mark Blaxter’s research group. During her three-month Sanger Prize placement, she is building data pipelines while learning and adapting new techniques for researchers to study the fascinating biology of nematode worms.
29 October 20258.2 min read
AI and genomics pave the way to new data-driven scientific discoveries
Artificial intelligence (AI) is reshaping how we analyse biological data – from predicting protein structures to uncovering insights from vast genomic datasets. Ronnie Crawford, Science Solutions Lead at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, bridges AI and genomics. His work covers predicting protein stability from sequence data and building communities around AI‑driven research. From a reluctant programmer to an AI innovator, Ronnie’s path shows how career flexibility can lead to new opportunities in computational biology.
25 September 20255.6 min read
How young coders used micro:bits to tackle real science challenges
What do heat, noise and motion have in common? These forms of energy all make brilliant micro:bit coding challenges for young learners. Recently, a team from the Wellcome Sanger Institute invited school-aged children for a morning of fun coding at the Centre for Computing History in Cambridge.