Topic description and stories

Man undergoing an eye examination

Cambridge researchers play key role in evidence leading to approval of new treatment for hereditary blindness

07 Aug 2025

The National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) has today announced the approval of a new treatment for a form of hereditary blindness...

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Mitochondria surrounded by cytoplasm

New route to evolution: how DNA from our mitochondria gets into our genomes

05 Oct 2022

Scientists have shown that in one in every 4,000 births, some of the genetic code from our mitochondria – the ‘batteries’ that power our cells –...

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Blood samples

Whole genome sequencing increases diagnosis of rare disorders by nearly a third

04 Nov 2021

Whole genome sequencing from a single blood test picks up 31% more cases of rare genetic disorders than standard tests, shortening the ‘diagnostic...

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A young man's eye

Gene therapy injection in one eye surprises scientists by improving vision in both

10 Dec 2020

Injecting a gene therapy vector into one eye of someone suffering from LHON , the most common cause of mitochondrial blindness, significantly...

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Three mitochondria surrounded by cytoplasm

Interplay between mitochondria and the nucleus may have implications for changing cell’s ‘batteries’

23 May 2019

Mitochondria, the ‘batteries’ that produce our energy, interact with the cell’s nucleus in subtle ways previously unseen in humans, according to...

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Mitochondria

Mitochondrial diseases could be treated with gene therapy, study suggests

24 Sep 2018

Researchers have developed a genome-editing tool for the potential treatment of mitochondrial diseases: serious and often fatal conditions which...

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Three mitochondria surrounded by cytoplasm

How incurable mitochondrial diseases strike previously unaffected families

15 Jan 2018

Researchers have shown for the first time how children can inherit a severe – potentially fatal – mitochondrial disease from a healthy mother. The...

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Patrick Chinnery

Mitochondrial disease expert to lead Department of Clinical Neurosciences

23 Jul 2015

Professor Patrick Chinnery, an expert in diseases that affect mitochondria – the ‘batteries’ that power our cells – has been appointed as Professor...

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Genetic mutations linked to Parkinson’s disease

12 Aug 2013

Mutations might play a key role in the death of brain cells.

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