Sanger Science

When most people think about genetic changes, or mutations, they imagine inherited conditions that are passed on from parents to offspring. However, the vast majority of mutations in our DNA are not inherited at all. Instead, they arise quietly, cell-by-cell throughout our lifetime. These are somatic mutations, and they are one of the most important – yet least understood – forces acting inside our bodies.

For many, flu season has come earlier this year with hospitalisations rising by more than 50 per cent in one week in the UK. The so-called ‘super flu’ is causing a media frenzy – but what actually is it? Why are we seeing it earlier than usual? And how can we be better prepared in the future?

Drawn to genomics like a moth to a flame, Wellcome Sanger Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Charlotte Wright, shares with us how she uses genomics to shed light on the evolutionary history of butterflies and moths, and how they might change in the future.

The use of embryonic and foetal material in research is an emotive topic. We break this topic down by taking a closer look at the promise of this work, the regulatory requirements necessary to conduct it, and how the Wellcome Sanger Institute is upholding these standards.

The CARRIAGE study reveals critical insights into the role of Staphylococcus aureus in antimicrobial resistance (AMR). We caught up with Dr Ewan Harrison to discuss how the CARRIAGE study impacts our understanding of how to tackle AMR.

Imagine if our bodies held secret playbooks for stopping cancer before it ever gains ground. A new international research team – led by scientists at the Wellcome Sanger Institute – is setting out to uncover exactly those natural defence mechanisms. Their ambitious Cancer Avoidance project hopes to reveal insights that could one day help us halt cancer in its tracks.