The Francis Crick Institute
@crick.ac.uk
We're the Crick, a biomedical research lab in London working to figure out how life works. Home to more than 2,000 scientists and a free public exhibition space. https://www.crick.ac.uk/
“I didn’t think we could cure this condition, but I now do.” In a profile interview, Veronica Kinsler reflects on one amazing evening of scientific discovery that opened up the possibility of a cure for congenital melanocytic naevi (CMN). Watch the full interview: youtu.be/Gqtm6G587SQ
Scientists at the Crick have identified three crucial proteins that make up the ‘portal complex’ in the vaccinia poxvirus. The finding could lead to new ways of treating other poxviruses like mpox which have similar portal complexes. https://bit.ly/45vMhbi
Tuning into the channel helping poxviruses replicate
Uncovering the structure of the poxvirus ‘portal complex’, a channel used by the virus to release its genetic material into infected cells, could help develop new antiviral treatments.
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Our clinical director Charlie Swanton spoke to James Gallagher on Inside Health this morning about his team's work investigating the biological processes that link inflammation and lung cancer. Catch up on BBC Sounds from 5:35 https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m002zggr
Inside Health - Is inflammation behind all chronic disease? - BBC Sounds
How understanding inflammation could transform treatments from cancer to Alzheimer’s.
bbc.co.uk
Following his death from lymphoma, Edward Speed left his body to PEACE, a study revealing the hidden impacts of cancer treatment, including how DNA in healthy tissue might change. Read more about Edward’s story and the @cancerresearchuk.org-funded PEACE study: https://bit.ly/4x0KKpl
A legacy written in DNA
Distinctive patterns of DNA mutations in otherwise healthy tissue could help scientists understand the lasting effects of both cancer and the treatments used to beat it.
crick.ac.uk
Last week we held our annual Bring Your Culture to Work Day. The Crick community came together to share and celebrate each others’ cultures through food, clothes, art, music and activities - from fan making to Salsa dancing.
Our new free exhibition, We Go Way Back, opens today. Stop by and learn how revolutionary ancient DNA research reveals the deep connections that link us all. We’re open Wednesday – Saturday with late opening on Wednesday evenings. https://bit.ly/4frAkZ4
Do you or someone you know work tirelessly to stand up for science? Then enter your nominations now for the 2026 John Maddox Prize, supported by @royalsociety.org Enter or nominate 👇 johnmaddoxprize.awardstage.com#!/p0
The John Maddox Prize - AwardStage
johnmaddoxprize.awardstage.com
Find out more about this new research from @zenahadjivasiliou.bsky.social's lab at the Crick and @ucl.ac.uk
UCL Faculty of Life Sciences@ucllifesciences.bsky.social · 3w agoHow do cells build complex tissues? 🧬 New research from UCL shows how morphogens and other signalling systems collaborate to guide individual cell identities, revealing how tissues create precise patterns during development. Read more: www.ucl.ac.uk/life-science...
Join us on 2 November for the 29th Molecular Haemopoiesis Conference, an annual UK-European meeting on blood cell development, stem cells, gene regulation & leukemia, with keynote speaker @cmullighan.bsky.social Book your virtual or in-person tickets now: https://bit.ly/4gAC1FG
Molecular Haemopoiesis 29
Molecular Haemopoiesis is an annual UK-European meeting on blood cell development, stem cells, gene regulation & leukemia.
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Nearly 40 Crick scientists, staff, friends and family were part of the 35,000 people who marched in this year’s London Pride. Thanks to everyone who joined us to celebrate everything that Pride represents, and to remind people of the day-to-day challenges that still exist in LGBTQIA+ communities.
Myricx Bio, a cancer therapy spinout based on research carried out at the Crick and @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social, has reached an agreement to be acquired by @novartis.bsky.social. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-07...
Crick and Imperial spinout agrees to be acquired by Novartis
Myricx Bio, a cancer therapy spinout based on research carried out at the Francis Crick Institute and Imperial College London, has reached an agreement to be acquired by Novartis.
crick.ac.uk
Scientists have combined theory and experiments to show that genetic differences in seemingly identical yeast sex cells evolved due to competing demands during the asexual and sexual phases of their life cycle. https://bit.ly/3Tf7Uty
The evolutionary pressure behind sexual asymmetry
A major transition in evolution is the shift from asexual to sexual reproduction in early organisms. But why would a yeast cell, which usually reproduces asexually, choose to mate with a very differen...
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Group leader @pippa-matt.bsky.social and her team, the HBV Elimination Lab, are working with an international team of research groups to better understand the impact of scaling up hepatitis B treatment on African populations. https://bit.ly/4weLN4S
Often mutated in cancer, the ATRX gene helps cells copy their DNA without damage. Crick scientists have uncovered new functions for this gene that might leave ATRX-deficient cancer cells vulnerable to potential treatments. https://bit.ly/4v7HTcW
Loss of DNA protector gene exposes vulnerabilities in cancerous cells
Often mutated in cancer, the ATRX gene helps cells copy their DNA without damage. Crick scientists have uncovered new functions that leave ATRX-deficient cancer cells vulnerable.
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to @pontus-skoglund.bsky.social on being elected as a member of @embo.org. Read more about Pontus and his lab’s work using ancient DNA to redefine how scientists understand human evolution, disease, and migration. https://bit.ly/3QNZrgg
Pontus Skoglund elected to EMBO Membership
Pontus Skoglund has been elected to the prestigious membership of the European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO), an honour that recognises outstanding achievements in the life sciences.
crick.ac.uk
Crick researchers have found specific immune responses in the lungs that could provide clues as to why some people develop active tuberculosis (TB), while others keep it in check. This research was led by Will Branchett with corresponding author Anne O’Garra. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
The early immune clues that determine who develops TB
An early view of the immune response to bacteria in the lungs provides clues as to why some people keep TB in check, while others develop disease, suggesting new ways to intervene earlier and stop TB.
crick.ac.uk
Our ambition to combine artificial intelligence with fundamental biology and medicine continues to evolve as we welcome Mihaela van der Schaar as our Chief AI Scientist. Read more: www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
Mihaela van der Schaar appointed Crick Chief AI Scientist
The Francis Crick Institute has appointed Professor Mihaela van der Schaar as its Chief AI Scientist, advancing its ambition to combine artificial intelligence with fundamental biology and medicine, c...
crick.ac.uk
Crick researchers are investigating how our immune system allows us to live alongside fungi through a delicate balance, with minimal adverse effects. Read about the new project, led by Veni Papayannopoulos and funded through an Advanced Grant from the @erc.europa.eu: www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
How the body lives alongside fungi
Fungi live around and inside us, but not every encounter leads to illness. Crick researchers are investigating how our immune system allows us to live alongside fungi through a delicate balance, recog...
crick.ac.uk
Read ‘HLA-DRB1*01:03 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a genotype–phenotype association study’ from @sangerinstitute.bsky.social, @crick.ac.uk and @nihrbioresource.bsky.social in The Lancet Gastroenterology and Hepatology, here www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti...
HLA-DRB1*01:03 in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a genotype–phenotype association study
The association between HLA-DRB1*01:03 and severe ulcerative colitis has long been recognised. However, the recent discovery of an association with ne…
sciencedirect.com
Cells have evolved careful checks to ensure DNA is copied only once, but how they switch on replication at the right moment has been the focus of a thirty-year research question. Thanks to new work at the Crick, we’ve now recorded that missing step. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
Capturing the missing step in DNA replication
Cells have evolved careful checks to ensure DNA is copied only once, but how they switch on replication at the right moment has been the focus of a thirty-year research question. New work from the Cri...
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to the GSK-Crick Prosperity Partnership, whose goal is to discover new drug targets, on winning two prizes recently – a Horizon Prize from the @rsc.org, and the Innovation Enabled by Partnership award from the Society of Chemical Industry. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
Crick-GSK collaboration wins two major chemistry awards
The GSK-Crick Prosperity Partnership, a dedicated team of GSK and Crick scientists working on drug discovery, has been awarded two prizes, a Horizon Prize from the Royal Society of Chemistry (the Rita...
crick.ac.uk
How does the Cryptosporidium parasite find, recognise and successfully invade the cells lining the human intestine without triggering immunity? Adam Sateriale @saterialelab.bsky.social, Gavin Wright and Amandine Guerin have joined forces to find out, supported by a Wellcome Discovery Grant.
Finding the lock and key for a parasite and its host
The Cryptosporidium parasite lives within cells that line the human intestine, but how does this pathogen find, recognise and then successfully invade these cells without triggering immunity? An inter...
crick.ac.uk
Join @davidbalchin.bsky.social, group leader here at the Crick, as he describes the fascinating ways our cells ensure that proteins fold correctly, and what happens when this goes awry in disease. youtu.be/gEgK1JDNlZ8
How Are We So Good at Folding Proteins? - With David Balchin
YouTube video by The Francis Crick Institute
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An international team of scientists, led by @charlesswanton.bsky.social lab at the Crick and @ucl.ac.uk and funded by @cancerresearchuk.org, have identified a signature of 14 proteins in the blood that can predict lung cancer risk over five years before diagnosis. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-06...
In a collaboration between the Crick and @embl.org, researchers used a mix of experimental work in zebrafish and theoretical modelling to discover a feedback loop between an embryo’s changing material properties, such as its rigidity, and the signalling molecules that guide patterning.
The physical properties behind an embryo’s body plan
How rigid a tissue is coordinates a crucial period of cell patterning, ensuring that embryos develop the right shape and organise their cell layers correctly at the same time.
crick.ac.uk
What we can learn from microbes preserved on an ancient frozen body? Listen to group leader @pontus-skoglund.bsky.social, who heads up our Ancient Genomics Lab, discuss a recent discovery about Ötzi the Iceman on the Today programme. From 1:25:35 www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/...
Today - 03/06/2026 - BBC Sounds
News and current affairs, including Sports Desk, Weather and Thought for the Day.
bbc.co.uk
1/2 Meet the panellists for the first two recordings of season two of our podcast, A Question of Science. Book your tickets now to be part of the live studio audience at the recordings on 17 June, live at the Crick: lostintv.com/tv-show?id=1...
Congratulations to Jean Langhorne and Michael Way on being elected as Fellows of the Royal Society in recognition of their outstanding contributions to science. Read more about Jean and Michael’s election and their work: www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-05...
Crick Scientists Elected as Fellows of the Royal Society
Crick Principal Group Leaders Michael Way and Jean Langhorne have been elected Fellows of the Royal Society in recognition of their outstanding contributions to science.
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to all six Crick scientists who were recently elected to the @acmedsci.bsky.social: Sonia Gandhi, @dr-james-lee.bsky.social, Nic Tapon @taponlab.bsky.social, Samra Turajlic @turajliclab.bsky.social, Pietro Fratta @frattalab.bsky.social and Edith Heard www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-05...
Academy of Medical Sciences welcomes new Crick fellows
Six Crick scientists have been elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences in recognition of their outstanding contributions to advancing medical science, through discovery research, translational work...
crick.ac.uk
Researchers at the Crick have found a way to redirect immune cells using F-actin exposed from dead cancer cells, reducing tumour growth in mice. The technique opens new avenues for developing immunotherapy treatments that complement existing clinical approaches. www.crick.ac.uk/news/2026-05...
Overcoming a blind spot in cancer immunotherapy
New research from the Francis Crick Institute and Adendra Therapeutics shows that immune cells can be redirected to recognise cancer by exploiting F‑actin, a structural protein exposed when tumour cel...
crick.ac.uk