With applications being sought for the University of Edinburgh’s prestigious ECAT-i programme (Edinburgh Clinical Academic Track – inclusive) by 29 October, we spoke to former and current participants to find out more about how the posts have benefited them. Paul Brennan, Professor of Clinical and Experimental Neurosurgery at the University of Edinburgh and Honorary Consultant […]

Dr Olga Oikonomidou is one of the UK’s leading breast cancer academic oncologists based in the Edinburgh hub of the Cancer Research UK Scotland Centre at the Institute of Genetics and Cancer. As part of Breast Cancer Awareness Month, we talk to Olga about why she chose her career path and what her role involves. […]

During Postdoc Appreciation Week, which recognises the exceptional contribution of research staff to the University, we speak to Lawrence Bates about life as a postdoc in Jenny Nichols’ lab, which studies the early stages of mammalian development, from formation of the blastocyst to implantation, gastrulation and the onset of organogenesis. What was your route to […]

“I can’t imagine what it’s like to have a child and be told they have an incurable brain tumour and there’s nothing that can be done about it.” It’s a stark message but it’s the motivation that led Dr Gerry Brien to work in the field of childhood cancer. He leads the Chromatin Biochemistry and […]

By Dr Robb Hollis Ovarian cancer ‘Ovarian cancer’ is really an umbrella term for a collection of different cancers that we detect at or around the ovary. While we used to think these all represented the same disease, we now know  that there are multiple different types of ovarian cancer that each display unique clinical […]

Rare diseases are defined by the European Union as a disease or condition that effects fewer than 1 in 2000 people within the general population. Despite their individual rarity the sheer number of rare diseases results in a much higher figure as 1 in 17 people in the UK will suffer from a rare disease […]

Above: RNAse H2 structure, predicted with AlphaFold-Multimer. The visualization of interfaces raises questions on mechanisms of action, which can then be experimentally tested in the wet lab.   Artificial Intelligence, or AI, is slowly starting to make its way into every aspect of life. In the increasingly data-driven field of Biology, tools like AlphaFold are […]

By Caroline Hayward and Shona Kerr   Professor Caroline Hayward has decided to retire, after 45 years of service between the University and the MRC Human Genetics Unit. In January 2024 the Senatus Academicus conferred on her the title of Professor Emeritus. We wanted to learn about her career, so project manager Shona Kerr interviewed […]

By Andrew Papanastasiou and Liusaidh Owen   Andrew Papanastasiou and Liusaidh Owen take us on a deep dive into their study at the MRC Human Genetics Unit.   The eye field, its development and challenges in understanding   The establishment or `specification’ of the eye field marks the first known stage of vertebrate eye development. […]

Do you have different groups you want to compare, but don’t know how? Or are you wondering what sample sizes are needed to get reliable results? There is a man at the IGC who can help with power and your analyses: Hannes Becher is the statistician at the IGC’s Bioinformatics Analysis Core Team. Hannes joined […]