Sanger Science
15 January 2026When 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.
23 December 20259.5 min readFor 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?
12 November 20249.1 min readDr David Adams, Senior Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, is a pioneer in cancer biology and uncovering skin cancer genetics. We explore his 20-year career at Sanger and the global impact of his research.
8 November 202412.5 min readThis month we are celebrating a new milestone of sequencing 50 Petabases of DNA. Large-scale sequencing projects have contributed to this achievement, providing us with unprecedented insights into human health and disease.
31 October 20243.8 min readArnav Lal is interested in merging clinical practice with infectious disease research. He has recently completed his year-long Master’s in Biological Science through the Churchill Scholarship, provided by the University of Cambridge. For his Master’s he conducted research at the Wellcome Sanger Institute on antimicrobial resistance and used genomics to study how bacteria pass mobile genetic elements around. We caught up with him to talk about his experiences before he moved on to his next step, beginning his studies at Harvard medical school.
24 October 202410.2 min readDr Leopold Parts, Group Leader at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, studies the effects of DNA mutations by engineering variation in cells. After almost 10 years at Sanger, he has worked across different research areas and experienced significant changes in the field of biology. We spoke with Leo to hear his vision for the role of AI in enhancing gene editing and how it may revolutionise generative and synthetic genomics.
22 October 20245.5 min readMeet the next generation of genomic scientists who are benefiting from the Sanger Prize. Damilola Gbore won the Prize in 2023, after first applying in 2020. He joined the Parasites and Microbes Programme to work alongside Ewan Harrison’s research group. During his three-month placement, he analysed virus sequencing data, learning the techniques that researchers can use to diagnose and track viruses in humans.
17 October 20247.2 min readArtificial intelligence (AI) is transforming biology by enabling researchers to build predictive models from vast biological datasets. Wellcome Sanger Institute researchers are leveraging AI tools to predict, design, and engineer biological sequences, such as DNA and proteins.
