NIHR Maudsley BRC Blog

Our latest news and events

Diagnosis of a genetic cause in hundreds of people with motor neuron disease could be missed due to “arbitrary age limits and rules” on genetic testing, new study shows

Based on the findings of a new study published in Brain, researchers from the Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience (IoPPN) at King’s College London are calling for a complete rethink of the national guidelines surrounding who can access genetic testing for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also called motor neuron disease.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 27 Sep 2022

New research suggests a causal link between blood group and severe COVID-19

A new study has analysed over 3000 proteins to identify which are causally linked to the development of severe COVID-19. This is the first study to assess such a large number of proteins for their connection to COVID-19. The findings provide insight into potential new targets for approaches to treat and prevent severe COVID-19.

 

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 3 Mar 2022

Genetics helps estimate the risk of disease – but how much does it really tell us?

Genetics research has made momentous strides in the 21st century. At the start of the century, we had a broad understanding that most medical problems in the developed world are partly genetically determined but lacked the technology to fully explore the secrets hiding in our genome.

 

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 26 Jan 2022

Bringing together imaging and genetic mapping to investigate patterns of vulnerability in the brain

Dr Daniel Martins is a Clinical Research Associate, Dr Mattia Veronese is a senior molecular imaging scientist and Dr. Ottavia Dipasquale is a Research Associate, all in the Department of Neuroimaging at King’s College London. In this blog they discuss their recent study which is funded by the NIHR Maudsley BRC and has brought together scientists from across the world to define a new approach to integrate neuroimaging and a form of genetic mapping.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 21 Jan 2022

Genetic risk of mental health conditions may influence where people choose to live, study suggests

Research on around 386,000 UK adults has found that a high genetic risk for schizophrenia and other mental health conditions, including bipolar disorder, anorexia and autism, is associated with living in and moving to urban areas. In contrast, people with low genetic risk of ADHD preferentially moved from rural/suburban environments to cities.

By NIHR Maudsley BRC at 25 Oct 2021