Imperial Medicine

Meet your worm avatar: How microscopic worms are helping find new drugs for rare diseases New research from the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) provides a powerful, scalable method for finding treatments for rare genetic diseases using tiny, transparent worms.

Tomorrow is #RareDiseaseDay 🧬

What if your “avatar” was a tiny transparent worm? 🪱

At @mrc-lms.bsky.social, scientists are modelling rare genetic diseases in worms, then screening existing drugs to find treatments faster and cheaper 👇 lms.mrc.ac.uk/meet-your-wo...

In Profile: Dr Naoto Watamura – Edmond and Lily Safra Research Fellow at Imperial College London - DoBS Staff Blog “In experimental neuroscience, success often comes after many failed attempts. I learned to treat each failure as data, not defeat,” says Dr Naoto Watamura, Edmond and Lily Safra Research Fellow at Im...

“In experimental #neuroscience, success often comes after many failed attempts.”

Dr Naoto Watamura from @imperialbrains.bsky.social is uncovering why some #dementia patients decline faster than others, and turning failure into discovery. 🧠

Read more 👇 blogs.imperial.ac.uk/dobs-staff/2...

New research maps the genetic drivers of #DownSyndrome 🧬

Scientists have created the most detailed molecular map of the developing Down syndrome brain to date, revealing new gene targets that could inform future treatments.

Led by @imperialbrains.bsky.social 👇 www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

First-in-class drug candidate for multiple myeloma shows promise in Phase 1 trial A multiple myeloma candidate with a new mode of action is now in Phase 2 patient trials following positive Phase 1 results showing it kills cancer ce...

A new drug being developed at @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social could offer new hope for people with #MultipleMyeloma.

Early trials suggest it can kill #cancer cells without harming healthy cells, and the research is now moving to the next stage. 🔬

www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

UK prostate cancer patients denied ‘quality of life’ treatment Focal therapy, which targets cancerous cells without damaging surrounding tissue, reduces the risk of side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction

"Men have a right to know."

Prof Hashim Ahmed (@londonprostate1.bsky.social) highlights the benefits of focal therapy for #ProstateCancer – a treatment that can reduce life-changing side effects.

Yet thousands still lack access 👇 www.thetimes.com/uk/healthcar... @imperialsandc.bsky.social

Striking genomic architecture discovered in embryonic reproductive cells before they start developing into sperm and eggs Researchers at the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences (LMS) and Imperial College London have shown for the first time that, before they can start developing into egg and sperm cells, the embryonic pre...

New LMS research shows for the first time that, before they can start developing into egg and sperm cells, the embryonic precursors of these cells uniquely reshape the 3D organisation of their genetic material.

Could the #psychedelic drug DMT be a future treatment for depression? Researchers @imperialmed.bsky.social found a single dose of DMT – the psychoactive component of ayahuasca - had a ‘significant and lasting’ effect.

👉 More: www.nature.com/articles/s41...

@imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social

Using hallucinogens to produce a 'flexible brain state' can help with depression The lead researcher on this study said that hallucinogens can "produce a flexible brain state and open up a window of opportunity for the brain to reshape", which helps people suffering from depressio...

🧠 A small study, published in Nature Medicine, found that people with depression saw significant symptom reductions from a single dose of DMT.

👉Watch the Sky News interview with Dr David Erritzoe, the lead researcher on the study: news.sky.com/video/using-...

@imperialmed.bsky.social

BBC Radio 4 - What's Up Docs?, Does your immune system need boosting? Drs Chris and Xand van Tulleken want to know how to navigate immune health.

Does your immune system need a boost? 🦠
Our Head of Department @dandavis101.bsky.social is featured on What's Up Docs? where Chris & Xand dive into the biology of immunity, how immune systems differ, what can go wrong & which health myths need busting. Check it out:

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m...

Imperial project to test AI mental health tool for girls in rural India Researchers at Imperial College London are collaborating on a new £5.3m project to adapt and scale an AI enabled digital mental health programm...

India has the world’s largest adolescent population – and many girls struggle to access #MentalHealth support.

A £5.3M project led by @imperialsph.bsky.social will test if an #AI chatbot can help reduce anxiety + low mood for girls in rural India.

www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article... #DigitalHealth

YouTube video by Imperial College London Come for a lab tour with PhD student Sophie to explore the Centre of Myeloma Research 🔬🥼🧫

Curious about the work happening in our Centre of Myeloma Research?

Join Sophie Ball for a behind‑the‑scenes look at the lab and hear what life is really like as a PhD student.

Watch now👇
youtube.com/shorts/WBRrY...

Urgent warning issued over five ‘devastating’ diseases surging in UK — full list EXCLUSIVE: Campaigners have warned that several nasty 'global diseases' are on the rise.

"If politicians retreat from investing in global health security today, it means we will see more devastating diseases tomorrow."

Prof Aubrey Cunnington (@acunningid.bsky.social) in @express.co.uk calls for renewed investment in international health programmes.👇
www.express.co.uk/news/uk/2167...

Imperial hosts WHO Europe and EASL to strengthen action on steatotic liver disease Imperial College London hosted senior leaders from WHO Europe and the European Association for the Study of the Liver (EASL) to advance a coordinated...

Steatotic liver disease affects millions across Europe, but most people with the most severe form don’t even know they have it.

@imperialmdr.bsky.social brought together @whoeurope.bsky.social & EASL to turn research into real-world action.

🔗 www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article... #GlobalHealth

Sex hormones linked to immune responses that may help explain differences in asthma severity Imperial researchers have uncovered a hormone‑linked immune pathway in a mouse model that may help explain why asthma is often more severe in w...

New research by @imperialnhli.bsky.social suggests sex #hormones may help explain why #asthma can be worse in women. 🫁

#Oestrogen appears to amplify allergic inflammation, and unlocking this could lead to better treatments.

More 👇 www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

National study launches to improve understanding of heart disease in pregnancy A major new national study led by researchers at Imperial's National Heart and Lung Institute aims to transform understanding of heart disease in pre...

#HeartDisease is the leading cause of maternal death in the UK – yet it's still poorly understood in pregnancy. 🫀

The PREG-HEART study led by @imperialnhli.bsky.social is inviting pregnant women across the UK to take part from home to help change that.

More 👇 www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

Photograph of members of the MUSICC team chatting with members of the public at the Would You Get Sick for Science stand.

What are the impacts of two-way public engagement?

Our new article reflects on our busy and successful evening engaging with the public at the recent #ImperialLates: Happiness & Health event!

Some interesting shifts in thinking were revealed!

📖 Find out what happened: bit.ly/4ac1y4v

🧪

Wishing for lifelong health for every child - Imperial Medicine Blog Professor Sejal Saglani shines a light on the pressing need to transform how we understand and manage childhood asthma.

Children’s health starts from the very beginning – and Professor Sejal Saglani of @imperialnhli.bsky.social is making sure it isn’t ignored. 🙅‍♀️

Her research into childhood #asthma is shaping how we prevent lifelong lung disease.

blogs.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-med... #WomenInScience #ChildHealth

My journey into addiction research and psychiatry - Imperial Medicine Blog Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes, Professor of Addiction Biology, reflects on the journey that led her to become one of the UK’s leading experts in addiction psychiatry.

“I was advised I didn’t need a career – just a job until I got married!”

Now Professor of Addiction Biology at @imperialbrains.bsky.social, Anne Lingford-Hughes has helped revolutionise how we understand the brain and #addiction.

blogs.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-med... #WomenInScience

Weight, hormones and health: Rethinking research for women and older adults - Imperial Medicine Blog Dr Chioma Izzi-Engbeaya from Imperial's Department of Metabolism, Digestion and Reproduction explores how decades of research into obesity and metabolic health are beginning to translate into better c...

First up: Dr Chioma Izzi-Engbeaya of @imperialmdr.bsky.social and @imperialnhs.bsky.social 💫

Her research is transforming how we understand weight, #hormones and health – from #PCOS and fertility to menopause, liver disease and healthy ageing.

blogs.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-med... #WomenInScience

From left to right: Dr Chioma Izzi-Engbeaya, Professor Anne Lingford-Hughes, Professor Sejal Saglani

On #InternationalDayOfWomenAndGirlsInScience, we're celebrating Three Wise Women from @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social 👩‍🔬👩‍⚕️👩‍🏫

Researchers whose work is transforming #health across the lifespan – for women, children and communities.

[Thread 🧵👇] #WomenInSTEM #WomenInScience

HRT via skin is best treatment for low bone density in women whose periods have stopped due to anorexia or exercise Hormone replacement therapy applied via the skin is the best way of protecting bone density in women whose periods have stopped due to anorexia or in...

Half of women whose periods stop because of anorexia or intense exercise have low bone density. 🦴⚠️

New research by @imperialmdr.bsky.social & @imperialnhs.bsky.social shows that giving oestrogen through the skin can help protect their bones.

👇 www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article... #HRT #WomensHealth

Superbugs are one of the biggest threats to modern medicine 🦠

In @gsk.bsky.social’s Behind the Science podcast, Alison Holmes, Director of @fleminginitiative.bsky.social, shares what it’s like when #antibiotics stop working + whether we can still turn the tide on #AMR.

Listen 👉 pod.fo/e/380f82

Exposure to burn injuries played key role in shaping human evolution, study suggests Humans’ exposure to high temperature burn injuries may have played an important role in our evolutionary development, shaping how our bodies he...

Did burning ourselves help make us human? 🤔🔥

New @imperialsandc.bsky.social research suggests that over a million years of living with fire may have shaped how our bodies heal, fight #infection + even scar.

Read more 👇 www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article... #HumanEvolution #HumanBiology

Video Conferencing, Web Conferencing, Webinars, Screen Sharing Zoom is the leader in modern enterprise video communications, with an easy, reliable cloud platform for video and audio conferencing, chat, and webinars across mobile, desktop, and room systems. Zoom ...

An online information session will be held on Monday 16 February from 16.30-17.30 GMT: please register using this link: imperial-ac-uk.zoom.us/meeting/regi...

Description Please note that job descriptions are not exhaustive, and you may be asked to take on additional duties that align with the key responsibilities ment...

If you are a dedicated and talented early-stage researcher with the ambition to establish your own group and a passion for education, find out more and apply by 11 March 2026:

www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Dr Vanessa Sancho-Shimizu (a UKRI Future Leaders Fellow and Reader in the sections of Paediatrics Infectious Diseases and Virology investigating the human genetic basis of life-threatening infections) in a lab environment. She is wearing safety glasses and a white lab coat.

✨We’re looking for up to 20 new non-clinical Assistant Professors to join our world-class academic community.💫

Could that be you?

Find out more and apply by 11 March 2026: www.imperial.ac.uk/jobs/search-...

Nan and Tommaso: Building community and visibility - Imperial people “It’s important for students to see people like them further along the career path they’re aiming for”  Within Imperial’s Department of Brain Sciences, the LGBTQ+ Allies Network has become a growing s...

Meet Nan Fletcher-Lloyd and Tommaso Barba from @imperialbrains.bsky.social, sharing how the #LGBTQ+ Allies Network is building visibility, connection and belonging for staff and students. 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️

Read more 👇 blogs.imperial.ac.uk/imperial-peo...

#LGBTQHistoryMonth @imperialcollegeldn.bsky.social

Sixth-form students have bright ideas for better #Cancer care as part of Imperial’s Science in Medicine School Teams Prize💡

So much creativity on show - congratulations to all involved! 👏
👉 Read more: www.convergencesciencecentre.ac.uk/news-events/...

@imperialmed.bsky.social
#ConvergenceScience

Introducing Professor Aubrey Cunnington, new Head of the Department of Infectious Disease We had a conversation with the Head of Department on his vision, priorities, and hopes for the future.

"I want the Department to be a happy, supportive, diverse, and inclusive environment where we attract talented individuals, deliver world‑leading education, research, and innovation..."

Get to know Prof Aubrey Cunnington, new Head of @imperialinfect.bsky.social

www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...

The next generation of cancer research: Meet the early career researchers driving innovation To mark World Cancer Day, we are spotlighting Department of Surgery and Cancer Postdoc-Fellows Dr Anke Nijhuis, Dr Ehsan Ghorani and Dr Mitch Chen.

Meet the early career researchers driving cancer research innovation

To mark #WorldCancerDay, we are spotlighting S&C Postdoc-Fellows that have secured prestigious external fellowships. Their research spans #immunotherapy, #AI and cancer genetics ⬇️
www.imperial.ac.uk/news/article...