Scientists have uncovered new weak spots in cancer that could support the development of more effective therapies. 🧬 By using organoids created from patient cells, this work could help researchers develop better, less toxic treatments for patients⤵️ bit.ly/3Sh5t9M

Applications for the EMBL-EBI–Sanger Postdoc Programme are now open! Here, current fellows Leticia & Ouli talk about how working across the Institute and @ebi.embl.org enables interdisciplinary research tackling important questions in human health. Apply by 27 Sept: www.ebi.ac.uk/research/pos...

6 years 646 patients 1193 samples 100 endoscopists 9 lab scientists 3 postdocs 2 PhD students 502 courier runs from Addenbrooke’s Hospital to @sangerinstitute.bsky.social IBDverse is the largest single-cell dataset of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD)—and generating the data for it was no mean feat

Professor Mark Blaxter shares the story behind a career shaped by curiosity – from childhood encyclopaedias and nematodes to leading Sanger’s Tree of Life programme. A fascinating read on science, collaboration and biodiversity. Read more 👉 https://bit.ly/4pFJoOs

“I stand on the shoulders of giants”: Mark Blaxter on being a bookworm, building a programme from scratch and his love of small wiggly creatures - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

Professor Mark Blaxter, Head of the Tree of Life programme at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, traces a path from books to nematodes, community gardens to new technologies – guided by a lifelong interest in the world around him.

sangerinstitute.blog

The #BigButterflyCount is back! 🦋 Sanger scientist Charlotte Wright studies these insects by peering into their evolutionary history ⤵️ https://sangerinstitute.blog/2025/12/11/five-questions-on-butterfly-and-moth-genomics-with-charlotte-wright/

Five questions on butterfly and moth genomics with Charlotte Wright - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

Drawn to genomics like a moth to a flame, Wellcome Sanger Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Charlotte Wright, shares with us how she uses genomics to shed light on the evolutionary history of butterflies and moths, and how they might change...

sangerinstitute.blog

Bad hair day? Blame biology. 💇 Six surprising hair facts you did not ask for – but will definitely share. Plus, how our researchers are uncovering the science behind every strand. Read more 👉 sangerinstitute.blog/2026/07/21/s....

Six things you may not know about hair - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

There may be a series of products for it and even a musical named after it – but what do we actually know about hair? And how are researchers at the Wellcome Sanger Institute working to uncover what i...

sangerinstitute.blog

Early warning signs of drug resistance in parasitic worms have been revealed 📢 Scientists have identified genetic changes in the parasite that causes schistosomiasis that may reduce its response to praziquantel, the only widely available treatment. Read more here 👇 bit.ly/4yuCEXP

Parasitic worms are a big deal, but their genomes have been tricky to study 🪱. New technologies now let us generate high-quality genomes from individual worms, opening the door to a new era of parasite genomics. Steve Doyle (@stephenrdoyle.bsky.social) and I discuss what this means for the field 👇

Trends in Parasitology@cp-trendsparasitol.bsky.social · 4w ago

Sequencing parasite genomes, one worm at a time

❄️🧬 Can we generate high-quality reference genomes without the cold chain? A new study suggests the answer is yes. DNA preserved at room temperature for up to one week produced chromosome-scale reference genomes. 📖 tinyurl.com/3zwtj9ka #Genomes @gigascience.bsky.social @sangerinstitute.bsky.social

Cholera is an ancient disease that still impacts millions of people today. Here, Lia Bote answers our questions about the past, present, and future of cholera research. ⤵️ https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/07/14/5-questions-on-cholera-with-lia-bote/

5 questions on Cholera with Lia Bote - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

We are in the seventh global cholera pandemic, which has been going on since the early 1960s. But what is cholera, and why is it still a global issue? Lia Bote, PhD student at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, answers our questions about the p...

sangerinstitute.blog

Can we predict what cancer will do next, and find ways to target its vulnerabilities at every stage? 🔎 This is what a new international initiative, PRECISE, plans to do. Find out more ⤵️ https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/building-on-cancer-dependency-maps/

Building on cancer dependency maps

A new international initiative aims to predict cancer vulnerabilities at scale across multiple tumour types to understand why these occur and accelerate the discovery of ways to target them.

sanger.ac.uk

Using DNA data from UK birth cohorts, researchers have found that rare DNA changes are most strongly linked to cognition in early childhood, while common DNA changes become more influential as children grow. 🧬 https://bit.ly/4b5w0xh

Links between genetics and cognition change across childhood

New study uncovers how genetics influence children’s cognitive ability as they age.

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A faster, lower-cost way to track microbes. 🦠 Researchers have developed a new platform that sequences DNA of bacteria and other harmful microbes more efficiently, making it easier to monitor outbreaks in resource-limited settings. Read more here 👇 https://bit.ly/4phwvdu

For Joe Christopher, collaboration is at the heart of better science. Working alongside patients, families, and researchers, he is helping to uncover the earliest genetic changes linked to inherited cancer risk. Read more 👉 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/07/07/detecting-cancer-early-together/

Detecting cancer early, together - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

Dr Joe Christopher, clinician scientist in Dr Raheleh Rahbari’s team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, is contributing to efforts to uncover cancer at its earliest stages – guided by patients, driven by curiosity and built on the belief tha...

sangerinstitute.blog

Eczema is more than “just dry skin.” Read our latest blog to explore what it really is – and how our researchers are working to better understand it 👇 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/07/01/5-questions-on-eczema-with-anna-vathrakokoili-pournara/

Congratulations to Iñigo Martincorena, who has been elected as an EMBO member for his contribution to the understanding of somatic evolution and its role in disease. 👏 Read more: https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/sanger-scientist-recognised-by-embo/

Bit late posting this... MicroFinder is now published in GigaScience: academic.oup.com/gigascience/....

MicroFinder: conserved gene-set mapping and assembly ordering for manual curation of bird dot microchromosomes

AbstractBackground. Obtaining chromosomally complete genome assemblies across the tree of life is an important goal of biodiversity genomics. However, some

academic.oup.com

It's certainly not classic springtail weather out there. Most are reliant on the cool & damp and have hidden themselves away. But there are some summer specialists: on Monday, I found all 3 of the UK's Deuterosminthurus species in the grounds of the @sangerinstitute.bsky.social ☀️ 🧵⬇️

Meet Cecilia, PhD student, whose research sits at the intersection of genomics and microbiology. 🦠 She hopes to develop new methods and apply genomics to study and treat chronic airway infections. 🫁 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/06/24/breathing-new-life-into-cystic-fibrosis-research/

Breathing new life into cystic fibrosis research - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

Cecilia Kyany’a studies the fascinating microbiology of the airway microbiome, especially in people living with cystic fibrosis. As part of her PhD research, Cecilia is uncovering the hidden microbial worlds that shape this complex conditio...

sangerinstitute.blog

Major recognition for Sanger science 🎉 David Adams and Jukka Corander have both been awarded the @erc.europa.eu Advanced Grant to support pioneering research into rare genetic diseases and bacterial evolution, respectively. Read more here 👇 https://bit.ly/3Qh7ORl

Sanger scientists to receive major grants from the European Research Council

The European Research Council (ERC) has announced the winners of its latest Advanced Grant competition.

sanger.ac.uk

Congratulations to David Adams on receiving the Royal College of Pathologists’ Leadership Award and for his new position as Head of Programme 🎉 Read more about his work in cancer genomics here ⤵️ https://bit.ly/4vVpjFI

David Adams wins Royal College of Pathologists Leadership Award

The award recognises Dr David Adams’ strategic leadership and his transformative research into the genetic causes of cancer.

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Imogen is 26 and in her first year of medical school. Living with Crohn’s disease has strongly influenced Imogen’s decision to study medicine at university. Read more about Imogen’s story, here ⤵️ sangerinstitute.blog/2026/06/16/l...

Living with IBD and finding hope for the future - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) looks different for everyone who has it. We spoke with medical student, Imogen about her personal experience of living with IBD, how it has influenced her career path ...

sangerinstitute.blog

Wellcome Sanger Institute@sangerinstitute.bsky.social · 2mo ago

A new genetic marker associated with severe IBD has been uncovered. Experts suggest genetic testing could lead to these patients receiving advanced treatment more quickly. 💊 www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/ib...

A new genetic marker associated with severe IBD has been uncovered. Experts suggest genetic testing could lead to these patients receiving advanced treatment more quickly. 💊 www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/ib...

IBD patients with severe disease could be identified and treated earlier due to new genetic marker

Researchers uncover a new genetic marker that is associated with more severe inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), suggesting these patients could benefit from receiving advanced treatment more quickly.

sanger.ac.uk

New study into Crohn’s disease helps explain why gut inflammation persists, and could help unlock more targeted treatments for patients. Researchers analysed millions of gut cells, uncovering lasting molecular changes and key inflammatory immune cells. 👇 www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/ce...

Cellular study maps gene activity changes across more than 50 gut cell types in Crohn’s disease

The latest IBDverse study identifies the genes expressed in Crohn's disease, revealing a lasting 'molecular scar' in the gut lining.

sanger.ac.uk

Every discovery starts with reading 📚 From papers to datasets to code, our library helps turn knowledge into impact – powering open access and scientific discovery. Read more 👉 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/06/11/how-our-library-powers-discovery-and-open-access/

How our library powers discovery and open access - Wellcome Sanger Institute Blog

sangerinstitute.blog

Sloths are the slowest mammals on the planet and now we know why. Scientists have sequenced the two-toed sloth genome and found ‘jumping genes’ linked to their extremely slow metabolism 🦥 Read more here ⤵️ https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/why-are-sloths-so-slow-its-in-their-dna/

We are launching a new AI consortium for genomics, in partnership with Google DeepMind and with support from Google.org. 🧬 The consortium will build large-scale, AI-ready genomic datasets to power breakthrough discoveries and advance biological research. Read here 👇 bit.ly/3RTG6dK

The largest study of its kind focused on the healthy human gut microbiome is underway in Bangladesh. 🧬 Our latest blog follows Archana Madhav and her large-scale effort to study the human gut through stool samples. 💩 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/06/04/chasing-the-secrets-of-healthy-stool/

The largest cellular study of gut tissue reveals how differences in DNA influence the genes and pathways driving inflammatory bowel disease, pointing to new therapeutic targets. 🧬 Read the story below: 👇 https://bit.ly/3Qk4tAP

Study of millions of cells reveals new way to understand genetic risk of disease

Largest cellular study of gut tissue unveils the genes and pathways driving inflammatory bowel disease, suggesting new therapeutic targets.

sanger.ac.uk

We’re pleased to announce that BASE Rx, a Sanger Institute spin-out looking to discover new cancer therapies, has been selected for the 2026 Accelerate@Babraham pre-seed programme. 👇 https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/sanger-spin-out-secures-spot-on-game-changing-accelerator-programme/

Sanger spin-out secures spot on game-changing accelerator programme

BASE Rx joins company support programme, Accelerate@Babraham, designed to help start-ups navigate the life science sector.

sanger.ac.uk