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MBU Researchers at Pint of Science (Cambridge)

25 May 2023

Pint of Science is a worldwide science festival which brings researchers to your local pub/cafe/space to share their scientific discoveries with you - no prior knowledge required. The event recently took place in 37 towns and cities across the UK and Dr Stephen Burr (senior postdoctoral researcher in the Chinnery group)...

Cambridge Festival 2023

29 March 2023

On 18 March, the MBU joined other scientific organisations based on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus for our first CBC in-person Cambridge Festival event since lockdown. Alongside Penny Peck and Alex Whitworth , Alva Casey ( Murphy Group ), Dnyanesh Dubal ( van den Ameele Group ), Alannah King ( Kunji Group ), Nell Nie (...

Potential new therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases

29 March 2023

The results of a collaborative research study recently published in Nature , with Dylan Ryan as co-corresponding author, identifies fumarate hydratase (FH) as a potential new therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases. Macrophages are a frontline inflammatory cell type that are implicated in a range of diseases including...

New discovery unveils how fumarate drives mitochondria to release their DNA through vesicles formation to induce innate immunity

8 March 2023

Every cell in the body contains a small organelle, called mitochondrion, that houses thousands of biochemical reactions essential for life. These reactions provide energy for cells through the breakdown of sugar and fat, also generating the building blocks to make protein and DNA. Each cell has hundreds of individual...

Visit by Beaulieu School, Jersey

8 March 2023

On 2 March we hosted a visit by A’ Level students and tutors from Beaulieu School, Jersey, who were treated to Dr Martin King’s Biology Masterclass, a presentation on ATP synthase from Professor John Walker and a tour of the fly lab by Dr Alex Whitworth. Dr Lyuba Bozhilova joined the “meet the scientists” session, where...

MBU researchers help discover a new therapeutic strategy for a common form of ALS and dementia

2 March 2023

The most common subtypes of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a type of motor neurone disease, and frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is caused by a hexanucleotide expansion in C9orf72 . This leads the aberrant production of dipeptide-repeat proteins that cause toxicity and neuronal cell death. Researchers from the...

ISAC/M 2023: Inspiring Scientists at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit

1 March 2023

This free, widening participation programme for Cambridgeshire-based Year 12 students (16+) took place from 14-17 February (half-term) at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research (CIMR) and MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit (MBU), in association with St Catharine's College , Cambridge. Eleven students were involved in the...

Single-cell analysis explains why mitochondrial defects target some cells and not others.

27 February 2023

Mitochondria are essential for cell function and contain their own genome (mtDNA). Mutations of mtDNA are a major cause of inherited disease but it is known why they target some organs and not others. In a research study led by Patrick Chinnery and recently published in Cell , Cambridge researchers used high-throughput...

Discovery of the molecular binding/interaction sites between biguanides and complex I sheds light on the basis of metformin’s therapeutic effects, and paves the way for structure-based biguanide development

24 January 2023

The results of a study from Professor Judy Hirst , Dr Hannah Bridges and co-workers in collaboration with McGill University and ImmunoMet Therapeutics Inc. have been published in Science . Mitochondrial respiratory complex I is a major proposed cellular target enzyme of the anti-diabetic metformin, and for related...

AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of MTFR1L regulates mitochondrial morphology

20 December 2022

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles that undergo membrane remodeling events in response to metabolic alterations to generate an adequate mitochondrial network. These dynamic shape transitions are regulated by cycles of fusion and fission events and are critical to maintain cellular homeostasis. A research article published...

MBU Researchers at Pint of Science (Cambridge)

Cambridge Festival 2023

Potential new therapeutic target for inflammatory diseases

New discovery unveils how fumarate drives mitochondria to release their DNA through vesicles formation to induce innate immunity

Visit by Beaulieu School, Jersey

MBU researchers help discover a new therapeutic strategy for a common form of ALS and dementia

ISAC/M 2023: Inspiring Scientists at the Cambridge Institute for Medical Research and the MRC Mitochondrial Biology Unit

Single-cell analysis explains why mitochondrial defects target some cells and not others.

Discovery of the molecular binding/interaction sites between biguanides and complex I sheds light on the basis of metformin’s therapeutic effects, and paves the way for structure-based biguanide development

AMPK-dependent phosphorylation of MTFR1L regulates mitochondrial morphology

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