Pocket feature shared by deadly coronaviruses could lead to pan-coronavirus antiviral treatment23 November 2022Scientists have discovered why some coronaviruses are more likely to cause severe disease, which has remained a mystery, until now. Researchers of the University of Bristol-led study, published in Science Advances today [23 November], say their findings could lead to the development of a pan-coronavirus treatment to defeat all coronaviruses—from the 2020 SARS-CoV outbreak to Omicron, the current variant of SARS-CoV-2, as well as dangerous variants that may emerge in future.
Reprogramming of immune cells shown to fight off melanoma31 October 2022A new way of reprogramming our immune cells to shrink or kill off cancer cells has been shown to work in the otherwise hard to treat and devastating skin cancer, melanoma. The University of Bristol-led discovery, published in Advanced Science today [31 October], demonstrates a new way to clear early stage pre-cancerous and even late-stage tumour cells.
Discovery of Er Blood Group System24 September 2022Scientists from the University of Bristol and NHS Blood & Transplant (NHSBT) have discovered a rare new blood group system. The findings, published in Blood, the journal of the American Society of Hematology, also solve a 30-year mystery.
Novel host cell pathway hijacked during COVID-19 infection uncovered by Bristol researchers14 June 2022An international team of scientists, led by the University of Bristol, has been investigating how the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the coronavirus responsible for the COVID-19 pandemic, manipulates host proteins to penetrate into human cells. After identifying Neuropilin-1 (NRP1) as a host factor for SARS-CoV-2 infection, new findings published in the journal of the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS) today [14 June] describe how the coronavirus subverts a host cell pathway in order to infect human cells.
Professor Imre Berger elected Fellow of prestigious Academy of Medical Sciences11 May 2022Imre Berger, Professor of Biochemistry and Chemistry and Director of Bristol’s Max Planck Centre for Minimal Biology has been elected as a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences for his outstanding contributions to biomedical science and notable discoveries during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Bioengineering - one key to solving global challenges5 May 2022A new centre for engineering biology will build on Bristol’s success in synthetic biology and accelerate translation of its pioneering research to address global challenges and boost the UK’s bioeconomy.
£4.9 million award to investigate pioneering biological electronics28 January 2022Researchers from universities across the UK, led by the University of Bristol, have been awarded £4.9 million from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), the UK’s largest bioscience funder, to investigate how electrons and energy flow through biological molecules by building artificial protein-based wires and circuits.