Search results (29)
« Back to NewsPioneering new software to analyse intracellular calcium signals
1 September 2023
Cell Physiology Postdoctoral Publication Research
A collaborative team of UC Davis and University of Oxford researchers have developed an innovative new software tool – SparkMaster 2 – which will enable automatic analysis of calcium sparks which are known to cause cardiac arrythmias in a variety of disease settings. First and co-corresponding author Dr Jakub Tomek, who is a Sir Henry Wellcome Fellow based in DPAG's Zaccolo group, conducted this research as part of his fellowship year spent at UC Davis.
Researchers discover how cancer cells adapt under acidity
27 June 2023
Cell Physiology EDI News Postdoctoral Publication Research
New research led by Dr Johanna Michl and Professor Pawel Swietach has solved the longstanding mystery of how cancer cells are able to maintain a relatively alkaline intracellular pH, despite being surrounded by an acidic environment. A raised intracellular pH is required for cancer progression because it allows cancer cells to efficiently proliferate and metastasise. However, until now the exact molecular mechanism underlying this adaptation was unknown.
New computational technique reveals changes to lung function post COVID-19 infection
5 October 2022
Cell Physiology Publication Research
A collaborative DPAG-led study studied patients at six and twelve months after COVID-19 infection, finding that prior COVID-19 infection was associated with more uneven inflation of the lungs during normal breathing. There was also an association between hospitalisation with COVID-19 and smaller lung volumes, and admission to the intensive care unit (ICU) was associated with an enlarged respiratory dead space.
Researchers describe how cancer cells can defend themselves from the consequences of certain genetic defects
16 September 2022
Cell Physiology Publication Research
Swietach Group scientists have identified a rescue mechanism that allows cancers to overcome the consequences of inactivating mutations in critically important genes.
Anant Parekh to deliver The Physiological Society's Annual Review Prize Lecture
4 July 2022
Awards and Honours Cell Physiology
The Annual Review Prize Lecture is The Physiological Society's most prestigious lecture.
Collaborative team driven by DPAG and Chemistry awarded RSC Horizon Prize
7 June 2022
Awards and Honours Cell Physiology Research
The Molecular Flow Sensor Team, with collaborating members principally from DPAG’s Robbins and Talbot groups and the Department of Chemistry, has been named the winner of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s (RSC) Analytical Division Horizon Prize for the development of a new technology for measuring lung function.
DPAG researchers showcased at premier European Society of Cardiology meeting
5 May 2022
Awards and Honours Cardiac Theme Cell Physiology EDI News Heather Group News Postdoctoral Riley Group News
DPAG scientists across four research groups were highlighted at the major annual European Society of Cardiology basic science conference (FCVB 2022). Congratulations are in order for Dr KC Park on receiving the Young Investigator Award and to Dr Elisabetta Gamen on winning the Moderated Poster Prize.
The effect of nuclear pH on cardiac gene expression
13 April 2022
Cardiac Theme Cell Physiology Postdoctoral Publication Research
Research led by Dr Alzbeta Hulikova and Professor Pawel Swietach has, for the first time, described the potential regulation of nuclear acid-base chemistry in neonatal and adult cardiomyocytes, and explained its relevance in the context of heart physiology and pathology.
An unexpected role for the cell’s largest membrane network
7 April 2022
Cell Physiology Klemm Group News Publication Research
A new Klemm Lab-led paper has uncovered a new mechanism involving the endoplasmic reticulum that is critical to the organisation and position of the microtubule (MT) cytoskeleton, which ultimately dictates the shape and function of our body’s cells.
New insights into little understood regulator of blood sugar levels
25 March 2022
Cell Physiology Postdoctoral Publication Research
A new Novo Nordisk project paper has uncovered the role of ACC1 enzyme in the regulation of glucagon secretion for the first time. This raises the prospect of a potential new therapeutic target in the context of type 2 diabetes and metabolic disorders characterised by hyperglycaemia.
Pawel Swietach appointed to Oxford Cancer Oversight Committee
21 March 2022
Awards and Honours Cell Physiology
Congratulations are in order to Professor Pawel Swietach, who will represent the Department in strategic decision-making for Oxford Cancer.
New gene target identified to prevent tumour growth under acidity
11 March 2022
Cell Physiology Postdoctoral Publication Research
A new paper led by Dr Johanna Michl and Professor Pawel Swietach from DPAG’s Swietach Group has identified a new gene that allows cancer cells to survive in the typically acidic microenvironment of a malignant tumour. They have discovered drugs that inhibit the gene in other medical conditions also selectively kill cancer cells at acidic pH, without damaging healthy tissue. This defines a novel strategy for targeting acidic tumour regions.
Blood bank storage can reduce ability of transfusions to treat anaemia
13 September 2021
Cell Physiology Publication Research
New research from the Swietach Group in collaboration with NHS Blood and Transplant has demonstrated that the process of storing blood in blood banks can negatively impact the function of red blood cells and consequently may reduce the effectiveness of blood transfusions, a treatment commonly used to combat anaemia.
Overlapping second messengers increase dynamic control of physiological responses
3 September 2021
Cell Physiology Publication Research
New research from the Parekh and Zaccolo groups reveals that a prototypical anchoring protein, known to be responsible for regulating several important physiological processes, also orchestrates the formation of two important universal second messengers.
New target to develop immunosuppressants
18 May 2021
Cell Physiology Publication Research
A new study from the Parekh Group has resolved a long-standing question in our understanding of intracellular Ca2+ signalling, namely how a specific type of Ca2+ channel is uniquely able to signal to the nucleus to regulate gene expression. By unravelling this mechanism, researchers have identified a new approach for developing immunosuppressant drugs.
Nchimunya Nelisa Tebeka wins Diabetes UK Early Career Investigator Award
10 May 2021
Awards and Honours Cell Physiology EDI News Students
Congratulations are in order to Rhodes Scholar Nchimunya Nelisa Tebeka, who has been awarded this year's Diabetes UK Early Career Investigator Award for her DPhil work. This award is awarded for the best basic or clinical science oral abstract presentation at the Diabetes UK Professional Conference.
Drug trial that could improve respiratory recovery from COVID-19 now underway
10 February 2021
A clinical trial has commenced this week to test whether a drug called almitrine can help people who are seriously ill with COVID-19 to recover from the disease.
Pawel Swietach becomes Professor Pawel Swietach
30 October 2020
Awards and Honours Cell Physiology Head of Department's News
Congratulations are in order to Pawel Swietach on his conferral of the title of full Professor. Research in the Swietach Lab is driven by an interest in how biological processes are affected by chemical acidity.
New insights into mitochondria quality control could hold the key to treating metabolic disorders
21 October 2020
Cell Physiology Publication Research Students
The Zaccolo Group has identified a new mechanism that regulates mitochondria quality control, a process that is crucial to maintaining healthy cells and preventing disease.
Acidic niche keeps lymphatic system in check during immune response
1 September 2020
Cell Physiology Publication Research
Collaborative research from a leading US cancer centre and the Swietach Group has found that Low pH in lymph nodes inhibits effector T cells, while still allowing T cell activation.