Lightnews — Scholar-powered news

Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 2d

Selena Gomez has shared her experiences living with #lupus since 2015 - writes Foundation-funded researcher @bcellsrosser.bsky.social for @uk.theconversation.com.

To learn more, you can meet Dr Lizzy Rosser at our New Scientist Live stand (C20) on 18-19 October! shorturl.at/BusFG

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 6d

@autistica.org.uk @autisticsociety.bsky.social @autismallianceuk.bsky.social

Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 6d

We spoke to Emily, 31, who lives with autism and an eating disorder. She shared the challenges she’s faced with standard treatment approaches.

To support people like Emily, we've funded research into the overlap between autism & eating disorders.

Read Emily's story: shorturl.at/1Di51

#Autism

Emily's story

Emily, 31, is one of many young people who have had to endure immense challenges as an Autistic person undergoing traditional eating disorder treatment.

www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 6d

Despite media focus on autism’s ‘causes,’ Autistic people have voiced what truly matters to them - mental health, communication, and education.

In a 2016 survey of over 1,000 Autistic individuals, parents & professionals, none prioritised finding a cause.

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 6d

A new study from @drtesutherland.bsky.social (@uniofaberdeen.bsky.social) suggests future asthma treatments could reverse lung damage.

Funded by @medresfdn.bsky.social + @asthmaandlung.org.uk, this research may transform care for asthma + other fibrosis-linked diseases.💡

📖➡️ https://bit.ly/4mHTOKq

Research points to new treatment target for asthma

A new way to treat asthma symptoms and even repair previously irreversible lung damage could be on the horizon following the discovery of a potential new therapeutic target by Foundation-funded Dr Tara Sutherland and a team of scientists at the University of Aberdeen.

bit.ly

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 7d

Are you a Foundation or @ukri.org MRC-funded researcher, member of staff or student? Enter our 2025 Festive Science Image Competition now! ✨🔬

🥇 The winner will have their image feature on our seasonal greetings card and receive up to £500!

Full competition details here: https://bit.ly/3IOlkrF

Montage of previous entries into the MRC and Medical Research Foundation's Festive Science Image Competition, depicting a Christmas tree branch with baubles, several Christmas trees, and an ice crystal-style background.

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 12d

Our ELP winner @grovearmada.bsky.social and his team have launched Viro3D, an AI-powered virus protein database, which will help scientists understand and combat emerging viral threats more efficiently.

Read more here: https://bit.ly/3IIfND1

@cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social

Researchers launch world’s most comprehensive human virus protein database

A look at new Foundation-funded research by Dr Joe Grove and his team at the MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research.

bit.ly

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 12d

Maya was diagnosed with anorexia at 13 - a moment which impacted her daily life and education.

“I had to drop out of school for a year to focus on my recovery. Even when I returned, I struggled to focus or care about my education, which had always meant so much to me.” 💬

📚 https://bit.ly/4gdlLYO

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 14d

🔬👁 Stop by our stand (C20) at New Scientist Live this October, and meet some of our amazing eye health researchers.

Learn about their work and take part in hands-on, interactive activities - including 3D vision tests, double vision glasses and more! 🕶️🔎✨

#NationalEyeHealthWeek

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 15d

💡Professor Rina Dutta (@kingscollegelondon.bsky.social) is uncovering how smartphone use and social media impacts young people with mental health conditions.

"We hope these findings will lead to better support for young people who are struggling with their mental health."💬

📚 https://bit.ly/4gdlLYO

A photo of Professor Rina Dutta from King's College London.

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 15d

See our ELP winner Dr Joe Grove discussing his work with Dr Chris van Tulleken at 9pm tonight on BBC2, or right now on BBC iPlayer: bbc.in/47WjAXM

Joe and his team at @cvrinfo.bsky.social @uofglasgow.bsky.social are using #AI to better understand how viruses evolve and function.

Drs Chris van Tulleken and Joe Grove are sitting in front of a computer screen which is displaying a model of a virus protein. Joe is pointing at the model onscreen, explaining its significance to Chris.

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 19d

🚨 We’re hiring a Director of Voluntary Income and Engagement!

Combining #fundraising and #communications, help us inspire more people to support us and grow our voluntary income.

📍Central London
💼£71–74k
⏳Apply by 10 Oct
🔗Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/4gkc5vF

#CharityJobs #Leadership

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 19d

When Abbie gave birth to identical twin girls at just 27 weeks, they stayed in neonatal intensive care for five months, undergoing numerous procedures everyday.

❤️‍🩹 Now, Abbie is campaigning to make this heart-breaking experience easier for other families. Read her story now: https://bit.ly/4gdlLYO

Photo of Abbie in hospital with her twin babies.

Photos of Abbie and her family as the twins have just turned three. A graphic explains Professor Lorenzo Fabrizi's research.

Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 22d

📈 Every year, over half a million older people in the UK break a bone due to osteoporosis, having an huge impact on their health, mobility, and independence.

Professor Nick Harvey (@unisouthampton.bsky.social) is working to change how the condition is managed in the UK.

📚Read more: bit.ly/4ppIPYD

$A photo of researcher Professor Nick Harvey, with the quote: "as many people die of fracture-related causes as they do from lung cancer and diabetes. As scientists, it's critical that we turn our research into reality on the ground."$

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 26d

Could eczema be disrupting more than just your skin — and what does it have to do with your sleep & mental health?

Prof Carsten Flohr from @kingslsm.bsky.social discussed this in a recent Public Science Seminar. If you missed it, don't worry, you can watch the recording here! shorturl.at/4UmWV

Public Science Seminar: Exploring the links between eczema, sleep disruption and mental health

YouTube video by Medical Research Foundation

youtu.be

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 27d

🚨 We’re hiring a Director of Voluntary Income and Engagement!

Combining #fundraising and #communications, help us inspire more people to support us and grow our voluntary income.

📍Central London
💼£71–74k
⏳Apply by 10 Oct
🔗Find out more and apply: https://bit.ly/4gkc5vF

#CharityJobs #Leadership

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 29d

We’re pleased to announce the recipients of our 2025 Peter Horlock Travel Bursary! This funding has enabled 3 outstanding technicians to attend today's UK #PETChemistry Conference.

Congratulations to:
▪️ Jennifer McLaren
▪️ Federico Luzi
▪️ Manikandan Kadirvel

Read more: shorturl.at/gWtqo
#PETImaging

Medical Research Foundation | Supporting innovation in diagnostic…

www.medicalresearchfoundation.org.uk

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · 29d

Inside our Impact Report 🔎

After experiencing eating disorder treatments that didn't meet her needs as an Autistic person, Emily used her lived experience to improve autism-inclusive treatments and clinical care for others. 💚

📖 Read Emily's story and more in our 2025 Impact Report: bit.ly/4gdlLYO

A photo on Emily sat on a bench with a quote saying "Being Autistic, I struggled to understand what was happening with my eating disorder treatment."

A photo of Emily leaning against the wall, with the quote: "If I'd had access to PEACE earlier, my experience would have been vastly different. Everyone deserves a treatment approach that sees them as a person first, not just a diagnosis."

Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · Sep 5

📸Snapshots from Pol's experience during the 'Mind and Skin' project, which explores how inflammation and itching caused by eczema affect sleep disturbance and mental health.

🗓️Prof Flohr, the lead researcher, will share insights at our upcoming Science Seminar on 10 September: shorturl.at/WUsd1

Pol, one of the teenage participants, with members of the team at the sleep and eczema clinic at St Thomas' Hospital.

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · Sep 4

🏃‍♀️ Congratulations to Foundation fellow Dr Jenni Naisby (@northumbriauni.bsky.social) and her mother-in-law Mary, who completed the Middlesbrough 10K and raised £455 for @medresfdn.bsky.social! 💚

Jenni's research explores pain management for people with #Parkinsons.

🔗 Read more: bit.ly/47o9MFD

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · Sep 3

Period pain isn’t just part of growing up - it's linked to #ChronicPain later in life.

A new @medresfdn.bsky.social study at @oxfordwomenshealth.bsky.social shows teens with severe period pain at 15 had a higher risk of chronic pain by 26, incl. headaches, back & joint pain.

➡️ More: bit.ly/4640vQF

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Reposted by Medical Research Foundation

The Guardian @theguardian.com · Aug 31

Teenagers with period pain more likely to have chronic adult pain, study says

Research finds 76% higher risk for 15-year-olds with dysmenorrhorea than those without painful menses Teenagers who have moderate or severe period pain are much more likely to develop chronic pain as adults, according to research. Researchers said the findings should serve as a wake-up call to improve menstrual education, reduce stigma, and ensure young people have access to effective support and treatment early on. Continue reading...

www.theguardian.com

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · Sep 1

🚨 Teenage period pain matters!

A new @oxfordwomenshealth.bsky.social study - funded by @medresfdn.bsky.social - shows teens with moderate or severe #PeriodPain are more likely to have #ChronicPain as adults, including pain beyond the pelvis.

➡️More: bit.ly/4640vQF

@childrenofthe90s.bsky.social 🎈

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Reposted by Medical Research Foundation

NIHR Bristol Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) @bristolbrc.bsky.social · Aug 28

🍰Our researcher @lpaternoster.bsky.social has teamed up with Great British Bake Off finalist @joshpsmalley.bsky.social to bring a research project to life through the medium of cake, to kick off @medresfdn.bsky.social's Science Bake Off!
#GBBO #ScienceBaking
www.bristolbrc.nihr.ac.uk/researcher-a...

Researcher and GBBO finalist team up to explain Bristol BRC project in cake form - Bristol Biomedical Research Centre

Bristol Biomedical Research Centre researcher Lavinia Paternoster has teamed up with Great British Bake Off 2023 finalist Josh Smalley to bring a research project to life through the medium of cake. ...

www.bristolbrc.nihr.ac.uk

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Medical Research Foundation @medresfdn.bsky.social · Aug 29

🧁🧬 Great British Bake Off finalist @joshpsmalley.bsky.social joined @lpaternoster.bsky.social to turn her genetic research into delicious vanilla & passionfruit cupcakes - with a scientific twist.

🎥 Watch the full video here: youtu.be/xcc200LksM4?...

@bristolbrc.bsky.social @uob-ieu.bsky.social

Explaining science through baking with Bake Off finalist Josh Smalley and Dr Paternoster

YouTube video by Medical Research Foundation

youtu.be

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