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ATR inhibitor resistance mechanism

Inhibitors of the protein kinase ATR (ATRi) are in clinical trials for the treatment of cancers. Studies from the Jackson lab now provide a comprehensive overview of genes that, when inactivated, enhance or diminish ATRi efficacy. They implicate Cyclin C and CDK8 in resistance mechanisms. This new knowledge could help in...

Drug repurposing infographic crop Han et al

Drug repurposing strategies for COVID-19

A team led by researchers at the Milner Therapeutics Institute and Gurdon Institute used a combination of computational biology and machine learning to create a comprehensive map of proteins that are involved in SARS-CoV-2 infection. This analysis identified 200 drugs predicted to target SARS-CoV-2–induced pathways, 40 of...

Intestinal epithelium in cross section with multicoloured cells

Remodelled environment allows tumour cells to flourish

Min Kyu Yum, Seungmin Han and colleagues from the Simons lab, together with collaborators in Vienna, have discovered that mutant intestinal epithelial cells remodel their environment to gain competitive advantage, providing a first step in cancer initiation. The discovery paves the way for new kinds of prevention and...

Schematic of bilaminar disc in human early embryo

New ISSCR guidelines for research on human development

Azim Surani is a member of an international team of experts who have prepared new guidelines for research on human development, issued by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) in response to rapid progress and technical developments in this field. Azim is also a co-author of two papers explaining the new...

Super-resolution microscopy images of microtubules

STED visualises microtubules in damaged heart

The STED imaging system built by Allgeyer and Sirinakis at the Gurdon Institute has proved crucial in a research collaboration to understand why heart muscle weakens after a heart attack. By visualising microtubules in cardiac cells, the St Johnston lab researchers helped an international team to identify a new target for...

Graphic illustrates factors in limb bud promoting or obstructing regeneration

Secreted inhibitors drive loss of regeneration competence

Research by Can Aztekin with the Gurdon and Simons labs has provided new insight into why the innate regenerative capacity of Xenopus laevis tadpole limbs becomes suppressed during later stages of development.

Crop of graphic showing how histone modification licenses replication origins

Histone modification regulates origins of DNA replication

The Kouzarides lab find that two enzymes, Set1 and Set2, are responsible for methylation of H3K37, which protects the genome from inappropriate origin licensing and spurious DNA replication.

Schematic of early embryo features in different animals

Modelling early human development

In this review, Azim Surani and collaborators discuss the advantages of investigations in the pig embryo as an exemplar of development of a bilaminar disc embryo with relevance to early human development. Part of a 'Stem Cell Reports' special issue on embryo models.

Simons elected to Academy of Medical Sciences

Congratulations to Senior Group Leader and Royal Society E.P. Abraham Professor, Ben Simons, who is among 50 prominent biomedical and health scientists who have today joined the Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences.

Congratulations to two new FRSs

The Gurdon Institute is very proud to announce that two of our scientists have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society. Our Director Julie Ahringer and Senior Group Leader Ben Simons are newly honoured.

Public engagement award for Institute

The Gurdon Institute is the first part of the University of Cambridge to receive a Silver Engage Watermark from the National Co-ordinating Centre for Public Engagement. The award acknowledges the strategic support for public engagement across the Institute, as well as the plans to develop this work in the future.

The Gurdon Institute

ATR inhibitor resistance mechanism

Drug repurposing strategies for COVID-19

Remodelled environment allows tumour cells to flourish

New ISSCR guidelines for research on human development

STED visualises microtubules in damaged heart

Secreted inhibitors drive loss of regeneration competence

Histone modification regulates origins of DNA replication

Modelling early human development

Simons elected to Academy of Medical Sciences

Congratulations to two new FRSs

Public engagement award for Institute

Institute reopening

The Gurdon Institute reopened on Monday 15th June. Many staff will continue to work from home, and all staff may be contacted by email.

Studying development to understand disease

The Gurdon Institute is funded by Wellcome and Cancer Research UK to study the biology of development, and how normal growth and maintenance go wrong in cancer and other diseases.

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