From conception to birth: celebrating a decade of the Centre for Trophoblast Research
The Centre for Trophoblast Research, ten years old today, is helping transform our understanding of the earliest stages of our lives — and in particular, the role of the placenta and interactions between the mother and her unborn child.
Breath of life: how your risk of heart disease may stem back to your time in the womb
The environment in the womb as we first begin to grow may also determine our future: researchers from PDN, CTR and Barcroft center featured on the latest issue of Research Horizons.
Studies begin on first Huntington’s disease sheep imported to UK
Cambridge researchers led by Jenny Morton will this week begin studying sheep that have been genetically modified to carry the mutation that causes Huntington’s disease. The sheep are believed to be the first Merinos to have been imported into the UK from Australia for about 50 years.
Prof Bill Harris interviewed on Development
The PDN Head of Department and recent Waddington Medallist talks science, art and ice hockey in the latest issue of Development
10 years of CTR: top 10 achievements
This year marks the 10th Anniversary of the Centre for Trophoblast Research; here are some of its most important achievements.
Prof Graham Burton interviewed on Cambridge Independent
Graham Burton explains the importance of organoids in studying early pregnancy in an article published on Cambridge Independent
New Academic promotions for PDN members
The General Board on Senior Academic Promotions has new established positions for three PDN members.
Human reproduction likely to be more efficient than previously thought
How difficult is it to conceive? According to a widely-held view, fewer than one in three embryos make it to term, but a new study from Gavin Jarvis suggests that human embryos are not as susceptible to dying in the first weeks after fertilisation as often claimed.
Amanda Sferruzzi-Perri awarded 2017 Andrée Gruslin Award
The award from the International Federation of Placenta Associations recognizes her work in the field of placental biology
Structure and function of the mammalian middle ear in small desert mammals
Article by Matt Mason awarded runner up Best Paper Prize 2016 by the Journal of Anatomy
Himalayan powerhouses: how Sherpas have evolved superhuman energy efficiency
Research by Andrew Murray published on PNAS shows how Sherpas have adapted to a very low oxygen environment
Whisker movements can be used to assess motor deficits in HD mice
Jenny Morton's research team in collaboration with Manchester University has used whisker movement to characterize motor deficits in mouse with Huntington's Disease
Mechanistic insights into the more potent effect of KP-54 compared to KP-10 in vivo
New research from Bill Colledge's team published on PLOS ONE compares the stimulation output of kisspeptins of different lenghts
The heart of emotion - how brain areas govern both emotional responses and heart patterns
Hannah Clarke and colleagues discover how brain areas govern both emotional responses and heart patterns.
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz awarded international IVI Foundation Award
Prof Zernicka-Goetz was awarded the IVI Foundation Award for Basic Research in Reproductive Medicine 2017.
Algorithm matches genetic variation to disease symptoms and could improve diagnosis of rare diseases
A faster and more accurate method of identifying which of an individual’s genes are associated with particular symptoms has been developed by a team of researchers from the UK and Saudi Arabia. This new approach could enable scientists to take advantage of recent developments in genome sequencing to improve diagnosis and potential treatment options.
Womb lining grown in lab could reveal secrets of menstrual cycle and early pregnancy
CTR was able to grow miniature functional models of the lining of the uterus, reports study published in Nature Cell Biology
Evolution of the hypoxia-sensitive cells involved in amniote respiratory reflexes
New research by Clare Baker lab published on eLife sheds light on the evolution of carotid body cells
Geometry can provide long-range mechanical guidance for embryogenesis
Paper from Guy Blanchard, Claire Lye, Benedicte Sanson & Jocelyn Etienne makes cover of Plos Computational Biology
High fat, high sugar diet during pregnancy 'programs' for health complications in mother and child
Eating a high fat and high sugar diet when pregnant leads to metabolic impairments in both the mother and her unborn child, which may 'program' them for potential health complications later in life, a study in mice has shown.
Four PDN members awarded prizes at BSCB/BSDB/Genetics Society Joint Spring meeting
Bill Harris, Jenny Nichols, Hadi Boukhatmi and Marcia Kishida have all been awarded prizes in four different categories
PDN research group featured on cover of RSTB
Guy Blanchard, Stephen Young & Richard Adams image featured on cover Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B
Fish electroreceptors development related to inner ear hair cells, study finds
Clare Baker's group reveals how the electroreceptor cells in fish and the inner ear hair cells in other vertebrates are closely related in new paper published on eLife
Nick Brown awarded HFSP research grant
The 3-year program was jointly awarded for an international collaboration research project.
The soft mechanical signature of glial scars in the central nervous system
New study by Franze lab on Nature Communications reveals possible reasons why neurons do not regenerate after injury in mammals
Viagra protects the fetal heart
Sildenafil may be a good candidate for human translational antioxidant therapy to protect fetal the developing cardiovascular system, reveals new study by Dino Giussani featured on the cover of the Journal of Physiology
Detect. Lock on. Intercept. The remarkable hunting ability of the robber fly
A small fly posseses the remarkable ability to detect and intercept its prey mid-air, changing direction mid-flight if necessary before sweeping round for the kill, new research on Current Biology reveals
Research on the brain’s reward system wins the world’s largest prize for neuroscience
PDN's Wolfram Schultz jointly awarded The 2017 Brain Prize for his analysis of reward recognition and processing.
PDN scientists create artificial mouse ‘embryo’ from stem cells for first time
New tecnique developed by Magda Zernicka-Goetz's group published on Science
Oxygen and placental development, parallels and differences with tumour biology
Graham Burton and Andrew Murrey discuss the similarities between placental development and tumour biology in latest Placenta article