News

A new paper titled “Mechanical stress combines with planar polarised patterning during metaphase to orient embryonic epithelial cell divisions” has been published in Development from Guy Blanchard, Elena Scarpa, Leila Muresan and Bénédicte Sanson.A large body of work supports the Hertwig Rule, which states that the orientation of cell division foll…

A new paper The first two blastomeres contribute unequally to the human embryo,published in Cell, and whose authors include members of the Zernicka-Goetz Lab, finds that when a human embryo is one day old and comprises just two cells, only one cell will create most of the fetus in addition to placenta, while the other cell will create placenta.This…

A new paper from Professor Dino Giussani, and Emily Brown Cause of Fetal Growth Restriction During High Altitude Pregnancyhas been published in iScience. The publication is the result of a Part II student undergraduate project by Emily. She is currently studying medicine MB BChir, but her 3rd year course was Natural Sciences Tripos, Part II: Biolog…

Congratulations to Professor Dino A. Giussani, who received the International Society for Reproductive Investigation (SRI) 2024 President’s Achievement Award at this year’s annual meeting in Vancouver.  This award recognises ‘a member of the Society whose record in scientific investigation is outstanding and assures a continued productive career in…

New research from the Raffan Lab has found that a genetic mutation in a quarter of all Labrador retriever dogs makes them more prone to obesity. This mutation, in a gene called POMC, plays a major role in hunger and energy use, and means that dog owners must be particularly strict with feeding and exercising their Labradors to keep them slim.Around…

We are delighted to hear that Deputy Head of Teaching Professor Steve Edgley is one of the winners of the 2024 Pilkington Prize. Initiated by Sir Alastair Pilkington, the Pilkington Prizes are awarded annually to members of academic staff in recognition of their contributions to teaching excellence in support of Cambridge undergraduate and postgrad…

Congratulations to Professor Matt Mason, PDN Professor of Comparative Physiology, who has been selected as the 2025 winner of the Physiological Society's Otto Hutter Teaching Prize. This prestigious annual award recognises "excellence and originality in physiology teaching at undergraduate level, with special consideration given to those nomination…

PDN PhD Student and Gates-Cambridge Scholar ’23, Spatika Jayaram, recently won an Outreach Grant to participate and speak at the India Science Festival, where she hosted an exhibit explaining behavioural neuroscience to wide audiences of over 2000 people in India. Spatika wrote about her experience:"Why do we forget most of our memories from infanc…

The annual PDN Symposium is back for 2024 on Friday 19th April!All 1st year PhD students and MPhil Research students will be giving a short talk in the Symposium, and it is a great opportunity to hear about all the amazing work going on in the department.There will be a poster exhibition held during the conference with generous prizes, and anyone i…

Congratulations to PDN Postdoctoral Researcher Jonas Zaugg - Sferuzzi-Perri Lab and Centre for Trophoblast Research, who received the prestigious and highly competitive Society of Reproduction and Fertility Poster Prize at the international 'Fertility 2024' conference (EICC) in Edinburgh.Jonas presented “Pre-pregnancy obesity disturbs placental iro…

Our congratulations to PDN Emeritus Professor of Neuroscience, Professor Roger Keynes, who has been awarded the prestigious Anatomical Society Prize for 2023.This biennial prize consists of a medal, and is awarded to a distinguished morphological scientist. Professor Keynes visited the Anatomical Society's Winter Meeting, held at the University of …

Researchers, including PDN Professor of Comparative Physiology, Matthew Mason, have discovered the key to how Arctic seals stay warm in icy climates: intricate, maze-like nasal passages.Many birds and mammals, including humans, have a pair of thin, porous nasal bones called maxilloturbinates or nasal concha, which are covered by a layer of tissue. …

PDN Professor of Behavioural Neuroscience, Professor Angela Roberts, and her colleague Professor Diego Pizzagalli have been awarded the NEAR prize from Neuropsychopharmacology for the review, ‘Prefrontal Cortex and Depression’. The award is given by the Editors of Neuropsychopharmacology for the top review type article in 2023.Professor Roberts sai…

Postdoc Research Associate Dr Christian Wood was recently selected for a 2023 NARSAD Young Investigator Grant from the Brain & Behavior Research Foundation (BBRF; previously called the National Alliance for Research on Schizophrenia & Depression [NARSAD].The BBRF is a US charity that funds research focusing on understanding mental illnesses, awardi…

'You rarely get a black and white result in biology. But when I walked into the lab in the morning, there was Doug with the result – axons failed to navigate properly if they were prevented from making new proteins locally. Oh my goodness, I thought, we’ve just opened up a whole lot of new biology here.'PDN Professor Emerita of Developmental Neuros…