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Exploring the link between alcohol relapse and pain

A group of people posing in front of a glass research institute on a sunny day

22 February 2022

It has been suggested that there is a link between pain and relapse into alcohol use disorder, two important areas of concern in the medical field. The mechanisms underlying this connection are not well understood, but the dynorphinergic system likely plays a key role. A DMM Travelling Fellowship recently supported a collaborative effort to investigate this in more detail.

A stimulating trip to study some novel neurons

A researcher in the lab wearing a mask and giving the 'thumbs up' sign

2 February 2022

Every time we eat, from hurried snacks to three-course meals, our oesophagus gets to work and delivers the food from our mouths to our stomachs. We usually take this process for granted, but have you ever wondered how it happens so smoothly?

Two Travelling Fellowships to study ageing in a long-lived shark

The prow of a boat moving through a fjord

22 November 2021

The Greenland shark (Somniosus microcephalus) is a vast creature, reaching up to five metres long. The shark grows very slowly but can reach this impressive size because it is also incredibly long-lived, with reports of some sharks living for up to 400 years.

Did you know Scientific Meeting Grants can be used for virtual events?

26 May 2021

Lab closures, project delays, funding concerns and restricted travel – 2020 as a scientist was a tough one. Thankfully, labs are back open and delayed projects are picking up once again. Travel restrictions are still in place however, meaning that in-person events are still a way off.

A Travelling Fellowship unravels 3D chromatin structure

16 October 2020

Three-dimensional chromatin architecture is vital for cell functionality. In recent years, there’s been a marked increase in the effort to bridge the gap between transcription activity and 3D chromatin structure.

A Travelling Fellowship to investigate the cardiotoxic effects of oil

Four people posing for the camera on a jetty at sunset

14 February 2022

Oil production in the Arctic is on the rise, which in turn makes oil pollution an ever-increasing threat. Crude oil spills can have devastating repercussions for marine organisms, including cardiotoxicity. It is thought that polyaromatic hydrocarbons such as phenanthrene are responsible for causing this damage to the heart. However, previous research into their effects have rarely considered the whole organism and have largely been concerned with embryonic fishes.

Reunited: the lung research community’s return to in-person conferences

Four people wearing masks posing for the camera in a conference hall

27 January 2022

For Dr Anne-Karina Perl, an associate professor at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital, November 2021 was truly uplifting. Almost two years into the coronavirus pandemic, she was finally heading to an in-person meeting in the form of the Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Lung Development, Injury and Repair. Even more significantly, this was a conference that she herself had coordinated, steering the meeting through the uncertainties of the pandemic with the help of Dr Daniel Tschumperlin, Dr Rory Morty, and Dr Xin Sun.

Pre-pandemic meetings: The 32nd Head Group Meeting

Successful applicants for one of our Meeting Grants are asked to submit a short report about the event after it has taken place. We always enjoy reading the reports as we can find out about all the incredible science taking place thanks to our financial support.

Life after a Travelling Fellowship

6 April 2021

With much of the world still ground to a halt, we’ve missed sharing stories from our Travelling Fellowship recipients. These grants provide early-career researchers with the means to visit international labs and while travel remains restricted, we decided to use this time to catch up with some of our previous recipients.

The mysterious case of the cassowary casque

15 October 2020

For biologists around the world, the UK’s Natural History Museum is one of the most significant icons in the field. Housing 80 million items spanning 4.5 billion years, the Museum first opened its doors in 1881 and is known as the leading centre of natural history and research in the world.

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