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The technique, called hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging, can increase the detected signal in an MRI scanner by more than 10,000 times. Scientists have found that the technique can distinguish between two different subtypes of ovarian cancer, to reveal their sensitivities to treatment.

They used it to look at patient-derived cell models that closely mimic the behaviour of human high grade serous ovarian cancer, the most common lethal form of the disease. The technique clearly shows whether a tumour is sensitive or resistant to Carboplatin, one of the standard first-line chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer. 

This will enable oncologists to predict how well a patient will respond to treatment, and to see how well the treatment is working within the first 48 hours. 

Different forms of ovarian cancer respond differently to drug treatments. With current tests, patients typically wait for weeks or months to find out whether their cancer is responding to treatment. The rapid feedback provided by this new technique will help oncologists to adjust and personalise treatment for each patient within days.

The study compared the hyperpolarised imaging technique with results from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, which are already widely used in clinical practice. The results shows that PET did not pick up the metabolic differences between different tumour subtypes, so could not predict the type of tumour present.

The report is published today in the journal Oncogene.

“This technique tells us how aggressive an ovarian cancer tumour is, and could allow doctors to assess multiple tumours in a patient to give a more holistic assessment of disease prognosis so the most appropriate treatment can be selected,” said Professor Kevin Brindle in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry, senior author of the report. 

Ovarian cancer patients often have multiple tumours spread throughout their abdomen. It isn’t possible to take biopsies of all of them, and they may be of different subtypes that respond differently to treatment. MRI is non-invasive, and the hyperpolarised imaging technique will allow oncologists to look at all the tumours at once.

Brindle added: “We can image a tumour pre-treatment to predict how likely it is to respond, and then we can image again immediately after treatment to confirm whether it has indeed responded. This will help doctors to select the most appropriate treatment for each patient and adjust this as necessary. 

“One of the questions cancer patients ask most often is whether their treatment is working. If doctors can speed their patients onto the best treatment, then it’s clearly of benefit.”

The next step is to trial the technique in ovarian cancer patients, which the scientists anticipate within the next few years.

Hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging uses an injectable solution containing a ‘labelled’ form of the naturally occurring molecule pyruvate. The pyruvate enters the cells of the body, and the scan shows the rate at which it is broken down - or metabolised – into a molecule called lactate. The rate of this metabolism reveals the tumour subtype and thus its sensitivity to treatment.

This study adds to the evidence for the value of the hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging technique for wider clinical use. 

Brindle, who also works at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, has been developing this imaging technique to investigate different cancers for the last two decades, including breast, prostate and glioblastoma - a common and aggressive type of brain tumour. Glioblastoma also shows different subtypes that vary in their metabolism, which can be imaged to predict their response to treatment. The first clinical study in Cambridge, which was published in 2020, was in breast cancer patients.

Each year about 7,500 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer - around 5,000 of these will have the most aggressive form of the disease, called high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). 

The cure rate for all forms of ovarian cancer is very low and currently only 43% of women in England survive five years beyond diagnosis. Symptoms can easily be missed, allowing the disease to spread before a woman is diagnosed - and this makes imaging and treatment challenging. 

The research was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Reference: Chia, M.L.: ‘Metabolic imaging distinguishes ovarian cancer subtypes and detects their early and variable responses to treatment.’ Oncogene, December 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03231-w

An MRI-based imaging technique developed at the University of Cambridge predicts the response of ovarian cancer tumours to treatment, and rapidly reveals how well treatment is working, in patient-derived cell models.

We can image a tumour pre-treatment to predict how likely it is to respond, and then we can image again immediately after treatment to confirm whether it has indeed respondedKevin Brindle

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

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The technique, called hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging, can increase the detected signal in an MRI scanner by more than 10,000 times. Scientists have found that the technique can distinguish between two different subtypes of ovarian cancer, to reveal their sensitivities to treatment.

They used it to look at patient-derived cell models that closely mimic the behaviour of human high grade serous ovarian cancer, the most common lethal form of the disease. The technique clearly shows whether a tumour is sensitive or resistant to Carboplatin, one of the standard first-line chemotherapy treatments for ovarian cancer. 

This will enable oncologists to predict how well a patient will respond to treatment, and to see how well the treatment is working within the first 48 hours. 

Different forms of ovarian cancer respond differently to drug treatments. With current tests, patients typically wait for weeks or months to find out whether their cancer is responding to treatment. The rapid feedback provided by this new technique will help oncologists to adjust and personalise treatment for each patient within days.

The study compared the hyperpolarised imaging technique with results from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) scans, which are already widely used in clinical practice. The results shows that PET did not pick up the metabolic differences between different tumour subtypes, so could not predict the type of tumour present.

The report is published today in the journal Oncogene.

“This technique tells us how aggressive an ovarian cancer tumour is, and could allow doctors to assess multiple tumours in a patient to give a more holistic assessment of disease prognosis so the most appropriate treatment can be selected,” said Professor Kevin Brindle in the University of Cambridge’s Department of Biochemistry, senior author of the report. 

Ovarian cancer patients often have multiple tumours spread throughout their abdomen. It isn’t possible to take biopsies of all of them, and they may be of different subtypes that respond differently to treatment. MRI is non-invasive, and the hyperpolarised imaging technique will allow oncologists to look at all the tumours at once.

Brindle added: “We can image a tumour pre-treatment to predict how likely it is to respond, and then we can image again immediately after treatment to confirm whether it has indeed responded. This will help doctors to select the most appropriate treatment for each patient and adjust this as necessary. 

“One of the questions cancer patients ask most often is whether their treatment is working. If doctors can speed their patients onto the best treatment, then it’s clearly of benefit.”

The next step is to trial the technique in ovarian cancer patients, which the scientists anticipate within the next few years.

Hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging uses an injectable solution containing a ‘labelled’ form of the naturally occurring molecule pyruvate. The pyruvate enters the cells of the body, and the scan shows the rate at which it is broken down - or metabolised – into a molecule called lactate. The rate of this metabolism reveals the tumour subtype and thus its sensitivity to treatment.

This study adds to the evidence for the value of the hyperpolarised carbon-13 imaging technique for wider clinical use. 

Brindle, who also works at the Cancer Research UK Cambridge Institute, has been developing this imaging technique to investigate different cancers for the last two decades, including breast, prostate and glioblastoma - a common and aggressive type of brain tumour. Glioblastoma also shows different subtypes that vary in their metabolism, which can be imaged to predict their response to treatment. The first clinical study in Cambridge, which was published in 2020, was in breast cancer patients.

Each year about 7,500 women in the UK are diagnosed with ovarian cancer - around 5,000 of these will have the most aggressive form of the disease, called high-grade serous ovarian cancer (HGSOC). 

The cure rate for all forms of ovarian cancer is very low and currently only 43% of women in England survive five years beyond diagnosis. Symptoms can easily be missed, allowing the disease to spread before a woman is diagnosed - and this makes imaging and treatment challenging. 

The research was funded by Cancer Research UK.

Reference: Chia, M.L.: ‘Metabolic imaging distinguishes ovarian cancer subtypes and detects their early and variable responses to treatment.’ Oncogene, December 2024. DOI: 10.1038/s41388-024-03231-w

An MRI-based imaging technique developed at the University of Cambridge predicts the response of ovarian cancer tumours to treatment, and rapidly reveals how well treatment is working, in patient-derived cell models.

We can image a tumour pre-treatment to predict how likely it is to respond, and then we can image again immediately after treatment to confirm whether it has indeed respondedKevin Brindle

The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.

Yes

We are excited to announce an opportunity for a Research Associate position in Prof. Sarah Teichmann's group at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute.

Our lab is at the forefront of the Human Cell Atlas (HCA) project, a global initiative that unites thousands of scientists to create a comprehensive reference map of all human cell types and properties. This endeavor aims to deepen our understanding of the fundamental units of life and serve as a foundation for diagnosing, monitoring, and treating various health conditions and diseases. We employ state-of-the-art single-cell genomic technologies to characterize the cellular compositions and states of human tissues in both health and disease.

The Human Cell Atlas is providing unprecedented insights into the identity and function of cells, revealing cellular states with unparalleled resolution and depth. These discoveries not only advance our understanding of human biology but also guide the in vitro engineering of human cells towards specific cellular states.

We are seeking a motivated candidate to carry out bioinformatics analysis for the single molecule proteomics project. The successful candidate will source existing genomic and proteomics data to complement the data obtained from nanometric techniques. There will also be an opportunity to work on other projects and collaborate with the rest of the group. This position is available for a 24-month term.

A PhD computational biology, bioinformatics or related field is required.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 24 months in the first instance.

This appointment requires a Research Passport application.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please ensure that you upload a covering letter and a CV in the Upload section of the online application. The covering letter should outline how you match the criteria for the post and why you are applying for this role. If you upload any additional documents which have not been requested, we will not be able to consider these as part of your application.

Please include details of your referees, including email address and phone number, one of which must be your most recent line manager.

The closing date for applications is: 19th December 2024

The interview date for the role is: To be confirmed

Please quote reference PS44315 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

The post 52North secures $6M with landmark UK-US hospital VC deal appeared first on Cambridge Enterprise.

Applicants are invited for a 4-year PhD studentship in the Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience (PDN) from October 2025. The student will participate in training and cohort-building events of the Cambridge Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme and undertake a Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) of 3 months.

A list of supervisors and projects is available at: https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate/pdn-phd-studentships-projects

For full details including eligibility and application procedure - see https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate/pdn-phd-studentships

For this award applicants can specify any College as their first choice.

Completed applications (with ALL supporting documentation and references) to be submitted by 23:59pm (midnight) UK time on Tuesday 7 January 2025 at the latest.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Applicants are invited for a 4-year PhD studentship in the Department of Physiology, Development & Neuroscience (PDN) from October 2025. Jointly funded by PDN and Wolfson College, the student will participate in training and cohort-building events of the Cambridge Biosciences Doctoral Training Programme and undertake a Professional Internship for PhD Students (PIPS) of 3 months.

A list of supervisors and projects is available at: https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate/pdn-phd-studentships-projects.

For full details including eligibility and application procedure - see https://www.pdn.cam.ac.uk/postgraduate/pdn-phd-studentships.

This studentship covers fees at the 'Home' rate, maintenance, research consumables and training costs.

College information:

The successful applicant will become a member of Wolfson College which offers a lively and welcoming home to a diverse and cosmopolitan community of postgraduate and older (21+) undergraduate students. Wolfson offers all of its PhD students at least two years' housing in reasonably priced student accommodation. First year accommodation is not guaranteed but is usually available to new students who meet all their offer conditions by 31 July (and often thereafter). Detailed information is available at https://www.wolfson.cam.ac.uk/accommodation

To ensure that they are considered for this award, applicants should specify Wolfson College as their first choice.

Completed applications (with ALL supporting documentation and references) to be submitted by 23:59pm (midnight) UK time on Tuesday 7 January 2025 at the latest.

Interview dates to be confirmed.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

The post Illumion closes £2.1 million Seed round to further develop their cutting-edge battery technology appeared first on Cambridge Enterprise.

Applications are invited for a fully-funded 4-year PhD studentship based in the Department of Pathology at the University of Cambridge under the supervision of Julia Kenyon starting October 2025.

HIV-1 has a compact genome containing multiple, often overlapping, RNA structures that it uses to control its lifecycle. Such structures and structural switches have been shown to be effective antiviral drug targets. This project will use cutting-edge techniques such as Nanopore direct RNA sequencing, SHAPE and in-gel SHAPE, to identify and model important RNA structures used by the virus during different phases of the lifecycle. In addition, it will further study the RNA structural effects of a novel drug that we previously identified as having potent antiretroviral action- a small molecule inhibitor of packaging, NSC260594.

Please visit https://www.path.cam.ac.uk/graduate/fully-funded-studentships for a more detailed description of the project and application.

Applicants should hold (or expect to obtain) the equivalent of a UK 2.1 or higher in an undergraduate honours or Masters degree in a relevant subject. The studentship is open to those eligible for the Home rate of University fees only. Please check your fee status before applying; https://www.postgraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/fees/what-my-fee-status

Applications should include academic transcripts, CV, statement of purpose and 2 references. Please also explain your motivation why you wish to pursue a PhD in this area, outline your research interests and background, and describe the qualities and experience you will bring to the role.

Please quote reference PK44278 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

We are looking to appoint a Flow Cytometry Facility Research Technician to join the Flow Cytometry Core Facility at the MRC Toxicology Unit, University of Cambridge.

The Flow Facility provides state-of-the-art equipment, software, training and expertise in flow cytometry analysis and Fluorescence Activated Cell Sorting (FACS). As the Flow Cytometry Facility Research Technician you will be responsible for the day-to-day operation of the Flow Cytometry facility. This includes setting up and running cell sorting experiments and conducting routine inspection and maintenance of instruments; ensuring lab stocks are maintained and monitoring expenditure budgets. You will train new users in the use of instruments, provide technical advice on the design of experiments/specification of equipment and assist with the analysis and interpretation of results.

You will need to have a degree (or equivalent) in a scientific discipline with practical experience in the operation of Flow Cytometers (analysers and cell sorter) with a good knowledge of its scientific principles. Familiarity with FACS Diva software is desirable. Good IT skills and the ability to work with a high degree of precision is essential. Importantly you will need to have excellent communication skills and an empathy with the life sciences work of the Unit. A willingness to work flexibly when necessary is required together with the desire for continued professional development. The Medical Research Council Toxicology Unit is an internationally renowned institution focussed on the delivery of field-changing mechanistic insights into toxicology and disease and is based in the newly refurbished Gleeson building, central Cambridge.

Alongside a competitive salary, University staff are eligible for a comprehensive package of benefits and services include discounts on shopping, health care, financial services and public transport. We also offer defined benefits pension schemes and tax-efficient bicycle, car lease and charity-giving schemes.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31 March 2027 in the first instance.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process, please contact hradmin@mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk

Further information can be found on our website: https://www.mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk

Please quote reference PU44273 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

We are looking for a highly motivated post-doctoral scientist and a lab manager to join the laboratory of Dr. Sumru Bayin at the Gurdon Institute, and the Department of Physiology, Development and Neuroscience at the University of Cambridge. You will work in the Bayin Lab to explore the molecular mechanisms of neural stem cell behaviours during cerebellum development and upon injury using various techniques including but not limited to single cell genomics, and in vivo and in vitro stem cell assays, organoid models and mouse genetics.

The Bayin Lab is interested in identifying the molecular mechanisms that regulate self-renewal, differentiation and plasticity of neural stem/progenitor populations during development and homeostasis, in order to discover how to stimulate repair of the brain upon injury. The cerebellum, which is a folded hindbrain structure that is important for skilled motor movements and higher order cognitive functions, has emerged as a powerful system to study the regenerative responses in the brain. We have previously shown that the cerebellum can recover from the loss of at least two types of neurons via distinct regenerative mechanisms (Wojcinski, Nature Neuroscience, 2017; Bayin, eLife, 2018; Bayin, Science Advances, 2021, Bayin and Joyner, Development, 2022). However, the full repertoire of molecular and cellular mechanisms that regulate neonatal cerebellar development and injury response remain to be studied. Importantly, the regenerative potential of the neonatal cerebellum dramatically decreases once development ends, despite the presence of stem-like cells in the adult mouse cerebellum. This project involves using in vivo and in vitro approaches to identify mechanisms that control the developmental and regenerative responses of cerebellar progenitors in neonates and determine how it differs in adults in order to understand how we can facilitate efficient repair after injury to the brain. A variety of other projects on neural stem cell biology during brain development and pathologies are possible, depending on the candidate's interest and background.

Applicants must have (or expect to obtain) a PhD (or equivalent) in biological sciences, preferably in cell, developmental biology or in genetics. A strong background in molecular biology, stem cell biology and an interest in bioinformatics is required for the postdoctoral research post, and experience in genetics and in vivo models is desired. The lab manager is expected to do ordering, mouse colony management, lab organisation and maintenance, in addition to helping others with their projects when needed. Experience in histology, cell culture and molecular biology is required.

Importantly, we are looking for a highly motivated and enthusiastic team member who is a critical thinker, can work independently and has excellent communication skills with the ability to work collaboratively within and outside of the laboratory and promote a positive research culture within the laboratory.

Successful candidates who have not been awarded their PhD by the appointment date will be appointed as a Research Assistant at Grade 5 (£33,882-£34,866 per annum). Upon award of the PhD the individual will be promoted to Research Associate, Grade 7 (£36,924-£45,163 per annum).

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available until 31 December 2026 in the first instance.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please quote reference PR44275 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

Early Years Studio is a fun, creative, immersive experience for children aged 0–4.

This display features a selection of photographs by the Ukrainian artist Yevheniia Laptii (b. 1992, Kharkiv).

This new display brings together works by Barbara Hepworth that are not ordinarily on permanent display in the Kettle’s Yard house.

The Commoners' Comedy Gong Show. Headlined by Annie McGrath.

Presenting new and recent paintings, this exhibition will be Portia Zvavahera’s first solo exhibition at a public gallery in Europe.

One of the foremost UK poets, Ruth Padel will read from her most recent collection: GIRL

The post Universities, founders and investors get behind Government’s spinout boom ambition appeared first on Cambridge Enterprise.

The herbarium collections comprise 1.1 million specimens of vascular plants, bryophytes, algae and fungi are held; an 8,000 photographic slide collection; with associated 6,000+ book collection and archives (co-managed by the University Library). The Collections Manager takes day-to-day responsibility for maintaining, organising and operating the University Herbarium, its collections and services. The Collections Manager will be point of contact for all visitors to the Herbarium, including researchers and members of the public, facilitating use of the collections for research, teaching and outreach purposes. They will respond to and manage requests for loans and samples of Herbarium materials in a timely fashion. They will support fundraising, assist in writing grant applications to trusts and foundations, and in developing relationships with potential donors (with the support of CUDAR and the Department of Plant Sciences). The Collections Manager will directly line manage the Collections and Digitisation Assistant, any specialist staff on fixed-term projects, and a team of regular volunteers. The post reports to the Academic lead for the Herbarium.

Limited funding: The funds for this post are available until 31 July 2029 in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.

Please quote reference PD44252 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

We are looking for a highly motivated post-doctoral researcher to help develop and use new models and analyses for landscape conservation aimed at problems of habitat loss, fragmentation, and connectivity, both locally and globally. The project is a growing collaborative effort to provide reliable science for landscape conservation efforts.

Your role in the project is to: 1) apply advanced models to map connectivity globally for terrestrial vertebrates; 2) develop new metrics for interpreting the role of connectivity, habitat loss, and fragmentation for biodiversity and extinction risk; 3) test these models empirically with existing data sets; and 4) engage in applications for conservation.

You will be self-motivated, passionate about ecology and conservation, and able to work efficiently and in collaboration with external organisations and individuals. You will hold a PhD in a relevant subject and have effective written and verbal communication skills. You be able to curate, analyse and interpret large and complex data sets and models. Experience in spatial ecology, mathematical modelling, and quantitative conservation science are desirable.

Informal enquiries are welcomed and should be directed to: Professor Robert Fletcher Email: rf497@cam.ac.uk.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 3 years in the first instance.

Applications are welcome from internal candidates who would like to apply for the role on the basis of a secondment from their current role in the University.

Flexible working requests will be considered.

We particularly welcome applications from women and candidates from a BME background for this vacancy as they are currently under-represented at this level in our University.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

If you have any queries regarding the application process please contact Anastasia Nezhentseva.

Email: an286@cam.ac.uk Telephone: (0)1223 330117

Please quote reference PF44189 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.

The Department of Plant Sciences is seeking to appoint a Collections and Digitisation Assistant in the University Herbarium.

Role purpose

To facilitate herbarium-based research this role aims to contribute to the creation and maintenance of a new digital archive for the Herbarium, carry out a collection level-level audit, provide digital herbarium services and advice to remote users, access and curatorial support to local users with a diverse range of needs, and guided tours to students and potential users. This role will also develop and manage the in-person volunteer program, providing curatorial and digitisation projects suited to individual strengths and needs of the collection.

Fixed-term: The funds for this post are available for 4 years in the first instance.

Once an offer of employment has been accepted, the successful candidate will be required to undergo a health assessment.

Click the 'Apply' button below to register an account with our recruitment system (if you have not already) and apply online.

Please notice that if you have not received any news from us 1 month after the closing date you should consider that on this occasion your application has not been successful.

Please quote reference PD44234 on your application and in any correspondence about this vacancy.

The University actively supports equality, diversity and inclusion and encourages applications from all sections of society.

The University has a responsibility to ensure that all employees are eligible to live and work in the UK.