Research

Dr Raphaël Rodriguez, wins ICBS Global Lectureship Award

Dr Raphäel Rodriguez, a former group member, has been awarded the 2023 ICBS Global Lectureship Award.  The Society state that, “The ICBS Global Lectureship award was created to recognize distinguished investigators whose research has significantly advanced and impacted the field of chemical biology. Selection of the awardee is based on their impact on chemical biology […]

Dr Marco Di Antonio wins international awards

Former group member, Dr Marco Di Antonio has been awarded not one, but two, international awards.  He is the second Balasubramanian alumni, along with Dr Raphaël Rodriguez, to have been selected for a major award from the International Chemical Biology Society (ICBS). Marco is one of three young investigators to win a 2023 International Chemical Biology […]

Final year PhD student, Bel Esain, wins early career researcher award

STEM for Britain is a major scientific poster competition organised by the Parliamentary and Scientific Committee. The competition and exhibition has been held in Parliament every year since 1997, and aims to provide Members of both Houses with an insight into the outstanding work conducted by early-career researchers at universities throughout the UK. At this event, […]

Shining a light on epigenetic sequencing

DNA is made up of four bases (nucleotides), cytosine, guanine, adenine and thymine which are arranged in the genome in many different sequences. These bases can also be modified by cells to produce new, `epigenetic’ bases.  These epigenetic changes do not alter the DNA sequence but do affect gene expression, determining whether genes are switched […]

International recognition for departmental researchers

Professor Sir Shankar Balasubramanian and Professor Jane Clarke have been elected as International Members of the National Academy of Sciences of the USA. Head of Department Dr James Keeler said: “This is a very particular distinction for them both, and the highest international recognition of their standing as scientists.” Balasubramanian is perhaps best known for […]

Chemistry Spin-out creates better sequencing method

Researchers at Balasubramanian Group spin-out Cambridge Epigenetix have found a new way to sequence genetic and epigenetic information in the same work flow, which could help detect diseases like cancer. This new method allows for a simultaneous, phased reading of both genetic and epigenetic bases, which provides a more complete picture of the information stored […]

New DNA sequencing method ‘lifts veil’ from genome black box

Many life-saving drugs directly interact with DNA to treat diseases such as cancer, but scientists have struggled to detect how and why they work – until now. In a new paper published today in Nature Biotechnology, researchers in the Balasubramanian group describe a new DNA sequencing method which can detect where and how small molecule […]

Cambridge researchers receive Breakthrough Prize

Professors Shankar Balasubramanian and David Klenerman have been awarded the 2022 Breakthrough Prize in Life Sciences – the world’s largest science prize. They share the award with Pascal Mayer, from the French company Alphanosos, for the development of next-generation DNA sequencing. Professors Balasubramanian and Klenerman, who have both been awarded knighthoods for their services to […]