Stefan Marciniak

Whoops Apocalypse, 1986

An Iranian leader falls, world powers blunder, Russia threatens

A Labour gov faces an aggressively posturing US administration

I’m really not sure why this 1980s political comedy, in which the world nearly ends by mistake, came to mind

Celebrating the efforts that many scientists put into understanding and curing #rarediseases
+++investment needed!!

11 years for me working on #CF #IPF, now #BHD #FPF @lifearc.bsky.social
@profmarciniak.bsky.social @jennydickens41.bsky.social
@thecimr.bsky.social
@universitypress.cambridge.org

Diversity should be a strength. We think differently, behave uniquely, contribute individually

But populists target difference. They identify a small, weak group—they wouldn’t pick on strong billionaires—and encourage the majority first to fear, then to hate them

Don’t be manipulated by populism

Her work was v important. She used her chemistry knowledge to alter the pharmacokinetics (PK = how the body handles a drug) of chaulmoogra oil, which was available for leprosy but limited by its PK. We still don’t know how the oil works, but her advance was to turn it into water‑soluble ethyl esters

Ah that old chestnut: instruction of the poor risks raising them above “their proper station”

Henrietta Lacks: Family of 'stolen cells' woman settle second lawsuit Novartis is the second drug company to settle a lawsuit brought by the family of a woman whose cells have enabled huge advances in science.

For anyone who knows about HeLa cells
www.bbc.co.uk/news/article...

bsky.app/profile/prof...

Researchers praise ‘stunning’ results of new prostate cancer treatment Early trials of the drug VIR-5500 showed it shrinking tumours in some patients

VIR‑5500 shows strong activity in advanced prostate cancer in phase 1 trial with minimal toxicity. Many showed tumour shrinkage, incl. complete resolution of liver mets in one case. Not yet peer‑reviewed; larger trials planned.
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

My lab on this day in 2014 ❤️🥼🧬

Vruti is now in pharma
Lizzy is an oncologist
Jenny is a PI in CIMR
Elke is a scientist in Holland
Caia works in pandemic preparedness
Hannah is a dietitian
Alex is a PI in Manchester
Adriana is a PI in Spain
Joe is senior research scientist

@thecimr.bsky.social

Drop in overseas workers is ‘car crash’ for UK hospitals and care homes, say experts Care roles hit particularly hard by UK’s lurch to the right on migration, according to analysis of Home Office data

Care roles hit particularly hard by UK’s lurch to the right on migration, according to analysis of Home Office data
www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

One of my lovely PhD students has a place medical school in the US after she finished here. As a thank you for helping her prepare for interviews* she had this mug made with my favourite NHS quote on it

*I would say she got in _despite_ my help. I can’t believe my lefty views would have helped her😆

In which we show that Tatton-Brown-Rahman syndrome due to a pathogenic variant of DNA methyl transferase DNMT3A can be associated with Familial Pneumothorax 🫁🧬

#RareDisease
#Pneumothorax

@cuh.nhs.uk
@royalpapworth.bsky.social

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Prof. Stefan Marciniak

Congratulations to our Fellow Stefan Marciniak (2011) on receiving a #RareDisease Science Grant from the EQT Foundation to progress AI-enabled diagnosis of Birt-Hogg-Dubé syndrome, a rare genetic disorder affecting skin, lungs & kidneys: eqtgroup.com/eqt-fou...

📸 Stephen Bond/CIMR

Maha’s big reversal and a Scotus decision on tariffs Podcast Episode · Swamp Notes · 20 February · 22m

Helpful explainer here

podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/s...

A welcome U-turn

Hopefully a sign RFK’s antivaccine faction is being marginalised

FDA political appointee Prasad had first overruled FDA scientists. Then POTUS reported to have pressured FDA Commissioner Makary. Next, FDA agreed to review the application

www.theguardian.com/us-news/2026...

A lot of people, including me, were wondering how an IRB could ever approve this study.

The answer is that no IRB did. The person who “signed off” on approval from the only ethics board that reviewed it had resigned three years earlier. His signature was used without his knowledge.

Paediatricians’ blood used to make new treatments for RSV and colds Antibodies harvested from the blood of paediatricians are up to 25 times better at protecting against the common respiratory infection RSV than existing antibody therapies, and are now being developed...

Pediatricians are cool to begin with

Now their blood is being used to make new treatments for RSV and colds! 👏🏽👏🏽

www.newscientist.com/article/2516...

Zarah just sent me this nice photo of Noor, Zarah and me in front of John Addenbrooke’s late 17th early 18th century medical book collection
#GirlsInSTEM

All the pupils were terrific

It can be nerve wracking to give a scientific talk to a packed room of fellow students and some university professors

Here they’re getting certificates from Julian Rayner, our head of department

School pupils Noor and Zarah spent a few days in our lab at @thecimr.bsky.social over half-term as part of the ISAC/M programme. Their mini projects had them studying cellular senescence & antitrypsin polymerisation respectively

Their talks at @stcatharines.bsky.social today did us proud 🥹🔬🧬

Today local pupils who spent part of their half-term having lectures and doing experiments in @thecimr.bsky.social will have a day in @stcatharines.bsky.social learning about university life and giving talks about the experiments they did.
www.cimr.cam.ac.uk/inspiring-sc...

Chlorine Dioxide, Raw Camel Milk: The FDA No Longer Warns Against These and Other Ineffective Autism Treatments The FDA has taken down a webpage warning about therapies and products making “false claims” of treating autism. It’s part of a series of actions the agency has taken under Secretary Robert F. Kennedy ...

The webpage warning chlorine dioxide & raw camel milk are NOT cures for autism (they can kill you) has disappeared, courtesy of 🧠🪱 & co.

The throughline of flipping facts, & cozying up to quack cures persists; this all makes Americans less safe & less healthy.

RFK Jr’s MAHA mission accomplished?🙄

Nurses, doctors, AHPs, pharmacists, midwives, want to know more about everyday genomics?

🧬A case presentation of familial pneumothorax

🧬Best practice

🧬How the rare disease collaborative network can help you

📅 Monday, 2 March 2026
⏰ 12:00 PM – 12:45 PM
💻 Online Teams
➡️ Register lnkd.in/eSm2YtzW

An image of a child wrapped in cotton wool, playing in a colourful ball pit. The text reads: “Wrap your children up with the best protection – vaccinations. Stay strong. Get vaccinated.”

🆕 We’re excited to announce the launch of a new government campaign urging parents and guardians to get their little ones vaccinated to protect against serious illnesses such as measles.
🔗 nhs.uk/childhoodvaccinations
#StayStrongGetVaccinated

CDC Chaos and Calls for HHS Secretary to Step Down This JAMA Medical News article discusses the growing demand for the resignation or firing of US Health and Human Services (HHS) Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr because of what critics view as an agenda unsupported by science.

Top medical groups warn that HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr poses a risk to US public health amid vaccine policy turmoil.

Here’s the latest on the mounting pressure to remove him from the HHS.

ja.ma/4n8weqs

Looking forward to hosting Dr Natalie Robert’s @docnat.bsky.social - Executive Director​ of Médecins Sans Frontières / Doctors Without Borders in the UK

She will be giving the 2026 John Addenbrooke lecture at @stcatharines.bsky.social tonight

@cuh.nhs.uk
@royalpapworth.bsky.social
@cam.ac.uk

'Fast-spreading' measles outbreak in north London leaves over 60 children infected Health authorities are urging families to vaccinate their children against measles as a surge in cases in several Enfield and Haringey schools threatens to spark a widespread outbreak.

The ‘success’ of antivaccine activists

Inevitability there will be lasting harm, but those responsible won’t ever accept that their ignorance and untruths caused this

"1 in 5 children have been hospitalised due to measles and all of them had not been fully immunised.

news.sky.com/story/fast-s...

Thank you 🙏

Fine dining recommendations in Kraków in April please

Also, anyone know the classical music available then? How best to book?

“The gender pay gap, which stands at £2,548 a year, means that women have effectively worked for free so far this year, the TUC said”

This is a stain on the country

Ask yourself, are your mother, sister, daughter, wife less valuable than their male colleagues?