A study by Lisa Ronan (Psychiatry) and Paul Fletcher (Psychiatry) has uncovered distinct differences in brain structure in obese children compared to those of normal weight. Published in Cerebral Cortex, the study aimed to determine whether differences in brain structure mediate the relationship between executive function and childhood obesity. The researchers analysed MR-derived measures of cortical thickness […]
Researchers find Genetic mutation that causes obesity
Researchers from the University of Cambridge and Boston Children’s Hospital have discovered a genetic cause of severe obesity which, although rare, raises new questions about weight gain and energy use. To investigate the gene in humans, Dr Joseph Majzoub, Chief of Endocrinology at Boston Children’s Hospital and lead investigator on the study, collaborated with Professor […]
4. Enhancing research capability
Cambridge’s reputation in biomedical research – spanning discovery to clinical and public health – is currently outstanding with particular strengths in genomics, molecular and cellular biology. Biomedical research is extraordinarily competitive nationally and internationally, and there is absolutely no room for complacency. For Cambridge to maintain a leading position in biomedicine we need to: See […]
2. Our aims, values and strategic priorities
Many of us could carry up to 17kg of fat due to a change in a single gene
New research has found that one in every 340 people might carry a mutation in a single gene that makes them more likely to have a greater weight from early childhood and, by 18 years of age, they could be up to 30 pounds heavier with the excess weight likely to be mostly fat. Our […]
Becoming less active and gaining weight: downsides of becoming an adult revealed in scientific reviews
Two new papers published in Obesity Reviews by Eleanor Winpenny and Kirsten Corder (MRC Epidemiology and CEDAR) and colleagues examined changes in physical activity, diet and body weight as young adults move from education into employment and to becoming a parent. To do this, they carried out systematic reviews and meta-analyses of existing scientific literature […]
Inflammation links heart disease and depression
A study by Golam Khandaker (Psychiatry) and Stephen Burgess (MRC Biostatistics Unit) has identified potential reasons behind the comorbidity between depression and heart disease. It is known that it is not only people with heart disease that are more likely to suffer from depression but also that people with depression have an increased risk of […]
Low levels of oxygen in the womb may cause fertility issues in daughters
Research by Catherine Aiken (Obstetrics and Gynaecology), led by Suzanne Ozanne’s group (Metabolic Research Laboratories) in collaboration with the Giussani lab (Physiology, Development and Neuroscience), found that exposing rat fetuses to hypoxia (low oxygen levels) during development led to advanced ageing of ovaries and fewer eggs available in female offspring. Published in FASEB Journal, the team […]
Genetics of thinness
In a study published in PLOS Genetics, Sadaf Farooqi (Institute of Metabolic Science) and colleagues look at why some people stay thin while others gain weight. The team recruited people who were thin (Body Mass Index (BMI) of less than 18 kg/m2) but otherwise well. Working with Inês Barroso’s team (Wellcome Sanger Institute) they examined […]
Genetic mutations affecting wiring of brain centres that control weight regulation
In a paper published in Cell, Agatha van der Klaauw from Sadaf Farooqi’s team (Wellcome-MRC Institute of Metabolic Science) describes the role of a group of neural guidance molecules, the Semaphorins in the development of hypothalamic brain circuits that regulate body weight. The team characterised rare genetic variants affecting the function of multiple genes encoding the […]
