¹ú¼ÊÃ×À¼¶ÔÕó¿ÆĪ

Ten outstanding ¹ú¼ÊÃ×À¼¶ÔÕó¿ÆĪ researchers have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society, the UK’s national academy of sciences and the oldest science academy in continuous existence.

More than 20,000 volunteers have been recruited to a resource aimed at speeding up the development of much-needed dementia drugs. The cohort will enable scientists in universities and industry to involve healthy individuals who may be at increased risk of dementia in clinical trials to test whether new drugs can slow the decline in various brain functions including memory and delay the onset of dementia.

¹ú¼ÊÃ×À¼¶ÔÕó¿ÆĪ researchers will play key roles in two new centres dedicated to developing improved tests, treatments and potentially cures for thousands of people living with rare medical conditions.

Professor Patrick Chinnery, Head of the Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the ¹ú¼ÊÃ×À¼¶ÔÕó¿ÆĪ, has been appointed as the new Executive Chair of the Medical Research Council (MRC).

Scientists have shown that in one in every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from our mitochondria – the ‘batteries’ that power our cells – inserts itself into our DNA, revealing a surprising new insight into how humans evolve.

Whole genome sequencing from a single blood test picks up 31% more cases of rare genetic disorders than standard tests, shortening the ‘diagnostic odyssey’ that affected families experience, and providing huge opportunities for future research.

Mitochondria -  the ‘batteries’ that power our cells – play an unexpected role in common diseases such as type 2 diabetes and multiple sclerosis, concludes a study of over 350,000 people conducted by the ¹ú¼ÊÃ×À¼¶ÔÕó¿ÆĪ.

Mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ that produce our energy, interact with the cell’s nucleus in subtle ways previously unseen in humans, according to research published today in the journal Science.

Only a small proportion of cases of dementia are thought to be inherited – the cause of the vast majority is unknown. Now, in a study published today in the journal Nature Communications, a team of scientists led by researchers at the ¹ú¼ÊÃ×À¼¶ÔÕó¿ÆĪ believe they may have found an explanation: spontaneous errors in our DNA that arise as cells divide and replicate.