News
17th March 2014
Tales from the crypt organoid culture
Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) affects 1 in 250 people in the UK. IBD, in the form of Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis, is a long term condition characterised by inflammation of the lining of the gastro-intestinal tract, but the exact triggers of this inflammation...
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14th March 2014
IFR supports call for more balanced regulation of GM
The Institute of Food Research fully supports the Council for Scientific Technology’s advice, published this morning, on the regulation of genetically modified crops. The scientific evidence has consistently shown no intrinsic risks in the genetic modification process itself, so the regulations should reflect that...
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11th March 2014
Institute of Food Research student presenting to Parliament
Ian Wood, 26, a PhD student at The Institute of Food Research, Norwich, is attending Parliament to present his science to a range of politicians and a panel of expert judges, as part of SET for Britain on Monday 17 March. Ian’s poster is...
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24th February 2014
New funding to understand how beneficial bacteria break down carbohydrate
Dr Nathalie Juge has received just under £490,000 to work out at the molecular level how the beneficial bacteria in our guts break down insoluble dietary carbohydrate and host glycans – carbohydrates associated with proteins in the mucus layer that lines the gut. This...
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21st February 2014
You’re only human, right? IFR public lecture
You’re only human, right? Well, actually no, you’re more bacteria than human. During National Science & Engineering week in March, the IFR is holding a free public lecture on probiotics and the microbes that live in our guts that are so vital to our...
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13th February 2014
How bacteria communicate with us to build a special relationship
Communication is vital to any successful relationship. Researchers from the Institute of Food Research and the University of East Anglia have discovered how the beneficial bacteria in our guts communicate with our own cells. This is a key step in understanding how our bodies...
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11th February 2014
New insights into how our guts fight off invaders
Researchers at the Institute of Food Research and the University of Leeds have uncovered a mechanism our bodies use to fight off invading bacteria like Salmonella. It may also help to maintain the balance of good bacteria in our gut. The lining of our...
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5th February 2014
Evolutionary approach to tackling Salmonella
The Institute of Food Research is pleased to welcome Dr Rob Kingsley as a new research leader in its Gut Health and Food Safety programme. Rob’s interests are in understanding how bacteria interact with the host, how they move through the food chain and...
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4th February 2014
Let the Institute of Food Research take you on an Incredible Journey at The Big Bang Fair
There’s an incredible journey that’s taken several times each day. It’s only 9 metres long, but without it we wouldn’t survive. It’s a journey that involves a cast of trillions, locked in a constant battle to keep out invaders whilst performing vital tasks that...
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22nd January 2014
How gut bacteria stick around to help keep us healthy
Nathalie Juge and her group have found the first evidence for the structural mechanisms bacteria use to attach themselves to the mucus layer that lines our gut. Understanding the role that the gut microbiota plays in maintaining our health needs a full understanding of...
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