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August 2018
6 Aug 18	Stem cell transplants to be used in treating Crohn’s disease A clinical trial has begun which will use stem cell transplants to grow a new immune system for people with untreatable Crohn’s disease – a painful and chronic intestinal disease which affects at least 115,000 people in the UK. The study, led by Queen Mary University of London and Barts Health ... [more]
1 Aug 18	Cannabinoid improves survival rates of mice with pancreatic cancer A new study led by Queen Mary University of London and Curtin University, Australia found that Cannabinoid improves survival rates of mice with pancreatic cancer. The study reported mice with pancreatic cancer that were treated with a naturally occurring constituent of medicinal cannabis alongside chemotherapy, survived almost three times longer ... [more]

July 2018
30 Jul 18	Queen Mary researchers contribute to the future of dental research The International Association for Dental Research (IADR) is a non-profit organisation with over 10,800 individual members worldwide. As part of the conference, Professor Cynthia Pine from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, was named the 2018 recipient of the IADR E.W. Borrow Memorial Award. The IADR E.W. ... [more]
23 Jul 18	Mechanical regulation of primary cilia in tendon cells suggests a novel feedback mechanism controlling tendon health and mechanosensitivity. New research from Prof Martin Knight and Prof Hazel Screen's group at Queen Mary University of London reveals a novel feedback mechanism regulating tendon health and homeostasis during mechanical loading. The study published in Scientific Reports investigates primary cilia in tendon cells subject to physiological and pathological mechanical loading. Primary ... [more]
4 Jul 18	The NHS70 Parliamentary Awards Innovating surgeon wins NHS70 Parliamentary Award Professor Shafi Ahmed from Barts and The London School of Medicine and Dentistry, Queen Mary University of London, and The Royal London Hospital has won a prestigious award to mark the NHS’s 70th birthday. Nominated by Rushanara Ali, MP for Bethnal Green and ... [more]

June 2018
11 Jun 18	New lab technology could reveal treatments for muscle-wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed new cell-based technologies which could improve understanding of the muscle-wasting disease Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) and test potential drugs for the disease. DMD is a genetic disorder causing muscle degeneration and weakness, caused by an absence of the protein dystrophin. DMD ... [more]
1 Jun 18	Scientists develop material that could regenerate dental enamel Researchers at Queen Mary University of London have developed a new way to grow mineralised materials which could regenerate hard tissues such as dental enamel and bone. Enamel, located on the outer part of our teeth, is the hardest tissue in the body and enables our teeth to function for ... [more]

May 2018
29 May 18	Queen Mary awarded funding to build instrument which will revolutionise monitoring of cellular processes Queen Mary University of London has been awarded funding to lead a joint project to build an instrument which will revolutionise the monitoring of cellular processes in tissues that line organs. The grant from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) has a total value of £823,329 over three years, ... [more]
15 May 18	Queen Mary Awarded Funding to Establish Organ-on-a-Chip UK Network Queen Mary University of London has been awarded funding to establish and lead a UK network in the development of ‘Organ-on-a-chip’ devices. The network will be part of a major new Research Councils UK (RCUK) funding venture, Technology Touching Life [1], which aims to foster interdisciplinary research into innovative technology in ... [more]
1 May 18	New animation from the British Heart Foundation shows how SEMS research into tiny tech is helping to treat heart failure Heart failure affects an estimated 920,000 people in the UK. It means that your heart can't pump blood as well as it should do. One of the most common causes of heart failure is a heart attack. After a heart attack the damaged heart muscle can become stiff. This means your ... [more]

April 2018
20 Apr 18	Technology network awarded funding to capture musculoskeletal degeneration Queen Mary University of London - as part of a group of universities, hospitals and research centres - has been awarded funding to create a network seeking to develop new, high energy imaging methods to capture the dynamic biochemical and biophysical processes in biological samples. The human body is highly ... [more]
20 Apr 18	What is a Neuron Pod? Find out more about the ‘nerve cell’ in London’s East End Construction has begun on the Neuron Pod - a striking 23-metre long and 10-metre high free-standing structure which will be used as an informal science learning centre at Queen Mary University of London’s Whitechapel campus. The pod is a new addition to Centre of the Cell – an award-winning science ... [more]
11 Apr 18	Dan Rowson passes his PhD on the effect of mechanical loading on tendon cells Congratulations to Dan Rowson who passed his PhD viva. Dan's PhD thesis investigated the effect of mechanical stimulation on tendon cells in order to better understand the process of tendon injury. In particular, Dan investigated the effect of mechanical forces on tiny hair-like cellular structures structures, known as primary cilia. ... [more]
10 Apr 18	New Dunhill Medical Trust grant awarded to Prof Hazel Screen to investigate the development of tendon injury with ageing. Professor Hazel Screen has been awarded a Dunhill Medical Trust grant of £190,000, to investigate the causes of age-related tendon injury. Tendon injuries are extremely painful and highly debilitating, and become increasingly common as we age, where they can dramatically affect quality-of-life. Developing treatments is of the utmost importance, but scientists ... [more]
5 Apr 18	Storytelling project for engineers and young east Londoners wins funding A Queen Mary University of London project which aims to give engineers the skills to create digital stories about how their work can improve the world has received funding from the Ingenious Awards. ‘Engineer the Story’ will bring together engineers to work alongside disadvantaged young people from east London who ... [more]

March 2018
22 Mar 18	Institute of Mechanical Engineers confirms accreditation of SEMS programmes The Institute of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) has confirmed the accreditation details for our programmes following their re-accreditation visit to SEMS in November. Students completing an IMechE accredited degree are deemed to have met part or all of the academic requirements for registration as a Chartered or Incorporated Engineer and are ... [more]
20 Mar 18	Exciting New Paper on the Tumour Microenvironment A new paper published in the journal Cancer Discovery, by Prof Martin Knight and colleagues describes, for the first time, an evolving human metastatic microenvironment. The work led by Prof Fran Balkwill measures gene expression, matrisome proteomics, cytokine and chemokine levels, cellularity, extracellular matrix organization, and relates this to changes ... [more]
12 Mar 18	Marie Curie Fellowship Award for Dr Luming Zhao Congratulations to Dr Luming Zhao, who has been awarded a two-year H2020 Marie Curie Fellowship (€200k), supervised by Dr Lei Su, Prof Martin Knight and Dr Manoj Ramachandran. He will develop novel compact optical fibre lasers for clinical imaging and laser surgery. [more]
12 Mar 18	Queen Mary student to take her research to Parliament Madeleine Hart, a PhD student from Queen Mary University of London, will present her research to the Houses of Parliament as part of a Parliamentary poster competition. Madeleine Hart, from the School of Biological and Chemical Sciences, was shortlisted from hundreds of applicants to take part in STEM for Britain, ... [more]
7 Mar 18	Industrial Liaison Forum is a Great Success The Spring School of Engineering and Materials Science Industrial Liaison Forum was a very popular event again this year. In the morning the annual taught student showcase took place in the Octagon which was followed in the afternoon by a wide range of alumni lead panel and networking sessions. There ... [more]
6 Mar 18	Life Sciences Image Awards The Life Sciences Image awards competition is open and seeks outstanding and engaging images produced by Queen Mary staff and students. Now in its second year, it focuses on three themes: health and well-being; health and technology; and beauty in medicine. Shortlisted submissions will be shown at 3 public exhibitions and ... [more]

February 2018
22 Feb 18	“Beetroot pill” could help save patients from kidney failure after heart x-ray Beetroot may reduce the risk of kidney failure in patients having a heart x-ray, according to research led by Queen Mary University of London. The new research project funded by national charity Heart Research UK will look into whether dietary inorganic nitrate, found commonly in beetroot, could be used in ... [more]
21 Feb 18	Cells can ‘walk’ on liquids a bit like the way geckos stick to other surfaces Cells are typically grown on solid materials, such as tissue culture plastic, degradable polymers and bioceramics. It is thought that the strong mechanical properties of these biomaterials are required to allow cell adhesion, an important process often controlling the behaviour of stem cells and promoting implant incorporation by surrounding tissues ... [more]
16 Feb 18	Researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering and Queen Mary herald in new printing technique using cells and molecules to recreate biological structures Researchers from Queen Mary University of London have developed a printing technique using cells and molecules normally found in natural tissues to create constructs that resemble biological structures. These structures are embedded in an ink which is similar to their native environment and opens the possibility to make them behave ... [more]
1 Feb 18	Virtual Lab project wins prestigious higher education award The Virtual Lab, a platform that allows students to learn lab skills in bioengineering and the life sciences, has won the Gold Award at the Life Sciences category. The Awards celebrate innovative higher education pedagogies which enhance learning and employability across the globe. The Virtual Lab uses the latest games ... [more]
1 Feb 18	New grant on mechanobiology of bone tumours 1 February 2018 Dr Stefaan Verbruggen has recently joined the bioengineering group at Queen Mary on a Marie Sklodowska-Curie Actions Individual Fellowship. Stefaan is working in Prof Martin Knight's research group investigating the role of mechanical forces in bone cancer and the involvement of primary cilia. Stefaan's project is entitled 'META-DORM: Mechanobiology of ... [more]

January 2018
29 Jan 18	Researchers from the Institute of Bioengineering (IoB) and Queen Mary identify a new mechanism in which adhesive structures within the cells of the heart sense stiffness through muscle contractions and resting tension at the same time Cells in the heart sense stiffness by measuring contraction forces and resting tension simultaneously. The study, published in 'Developmental Cell', further shows that the resting tension in the heart cells is increased after a heart attack and other heart diseases. This changes the way that heart cells can sense the ... [more]
24 Jan 18	Institute of Bioengineering Spring Seminar Series The Institute of Bioengineering Spring Seminar Series gets underway today with Professor Francisco Goycoolea, from the University of Leeds. His talk, Oil-core chitosan based nanocapsules and their influence on 'life networks', begins this series of talks that aim to bring you the very latest research findings in the field of ... [more]
10 Jan 18	Impact of renewables and trading on power grid frequency fluctuations The researchers also found that splitting a large grid into small microgrids – as a way of integrating additional renewable power generation or creating smaller, mostly independent grids - will lead to larger frequency deviations which can potentially damage sensitive electronic devices. The work was carried out by academics from the ... [more]