News

16th September 2020

New online course launched to demystify the microbiome

‘The Human Microbiome’ course runs over three weeks, starting on 30th November 2020. It will introduce the human microbiome and explain how this population of microbes that live in our body affects our health. During the course you’ll learn how the composition of the...

14th September 2020

Human milk oligosaccharides: sweet treats not just for kids

Using highly advanced “gut-on-chip” technology, they showed that the fermentation products of HMOs made the gut lining less “leaky.” A leaky intestinal barrier has been linked to gut conditions such as coeliac disease, Crohn’s disease, and irritable bowel syndrome as well as a range...

3rd September 2020

Quadram researcher wins €1.5m EU grant to investigate the role of elusive microbes in the human gut

Quadram Institute scientist Dr Falk Hildebrand has won a €1.5 million grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to research the role elusive microbes may play in the gut microbiome and human health. The funding comes from the ERC’s prestigious Starting Grants, designed to...

27th August 2020

Mass testing pilot paves way for weekly COVID checks

– Norwich pilot project offers local template for asymptomatic testing as Norfolk braces for second wave – Weekly COVID testing has moved a step closer in Norwich thanks to the success of a pilot project on Norwich Research Park, with the region readying itself...

25th August 2020

Probiotics for premature babies provide microbiome boost

Probiotics can improve the microbiome in premature babies, according to the results of a major new study from the Quadram Institute

7th August 2020

Pseudomonas aeruginosa in biofilms undergo natural transformation, exacerbating the spread of antimicrobial resistance genes

Professor Cynthia Whitchurch’s team from the Quadram Institute and the ithree institute at the University of Technology Sydney, showed that P. aeruginosa has all of the necessary proteins for natural transformation and can actively acquire and incorporate DNA from the environment whilst in biofilms....

28th July 2020

UK Charity Invest in ME Research Pledges £625,000 for Research into ME in Norwich Research Park

This major investment is an increase of the charity’s previous pledge of £500,000 that was announced in late 2019. This research builds on the foundations already made for a UK/European Centre of Excellence for ME research hub in Norwich Research Park. The new pledge...

21st July 2020

Keeping hold or sharing your sweets: Sialic acid catabolism in bacteria

To understand the microbiome’s role in keeping us healthy, we need to understand what keeps it healthy, including its sources of nutrition. One source is sialic acid, a sugar-based molecule produced by the host organism in the mucus that lines the gut. In this...

21st July 2020

Quadram Institute spin-out company The Smarter Food Company raises capital to help reduce risk of diabetes

The Smarter Food Company, a spin-out company from Quadram Institute Bioscience, has raised £1m in funding to accelerate the development of food products with health benefits.  Its first product will be a vegetable-based soup containing glucoraphanin, a naturally occurring compound found in broccoli. The...

15th July 2020

Looking at how eating plant fibre affects your gut

Fibre is an important part of a healthy diet, but we don’t fully understand how it is handled by the body. In this blog, Dr Hannah Harris from the Quadram Institute talks about recently published collaborative work that looks to address this. A better...