Members from the MRC Toxicology Unit, Department of Pharmacology and the Gurdon Institute took part in the Chariots of Fire event, a charity race that takes a scenic route through central Cambridge. Read more about the event here: buff.ly/QgJr1DK @phar.cam.ac.uk @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social

Working together on the same topics allows us to benefit from the expertise of our colleagues across the School of Biological Sciences. This theme focusses on the building blocks of life - cells and molecules. How they interact is key to understanding health and disease.

Did you know that around 20% of the world’s meat and fish is eaten by our pets? The BioPet project aims to boost the ability of the yeast Yarrowia lipolytica to produce lipids, creating sustainable alternatives for pet food. View the 'Journey of Yarrowia' here: buff.ly/SL8yGEw

For Postdoc Appreciation Week 2025 we are recognising the substantial contribution postdocs make to research and research culture. Thank you Postdocs, for all the ideas and hard work you bring to the MRC Toxicology Unit. Find a PAW event near you: buff.ly/CkuJQ7L #npaw2025

We're excited to share that we will be coming to the Big Biology Day at Hills Road Sixth Form College, Cambridge from 10-4pm on Saturday 11th October. Do share this event with your friends and family! Watch this space to find out what activities the Tox Unit will be bringing this year...

Our latest comic from the Willis lab is about anti-sense oligonucleotide therapies and the challenge of getting them to their target. Each comic, created with @claudiaflandoli.bsky.social tells a story from the microworld and relates it to real world research. Find out more here: buff.ly/SWp8G4v

As many MPhil students are finishing, we want to highlight some of our amazing MPhil students who have been part of the Tox Unit over the past year. We asked Amy Lewis, an MPhil student in the MacFarlane Lab about her research at the Tox Unit and why she chose to study an MPhil: buff.ly/MwT0bCv

Congratulations to Niall Buckley, who was awarded the Outstanding Poster by a Postdoc prize for his work on how CDK9 inhibitors can damage liver cells at the Gordon Research Conference on the Molecular and Cellular Mechanisms of Toxicity. Read more: buff.ly/UKkt37d

David O'Loughlin, a PhD student in the MacFarlane Lab went to the 2025 edition of the prestigious Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting in Germany, which this year focused on chemistry. David has written an article about the meeting and how he found the experience which you can read here: buff.ly/N4C4Yhi

CLOSING SOON: Research Assistant position in the Sawarkar Lab. The successful candidate will investigate transcriptional changes in the context of stress and neurodegeneration and work as part of an interdisciplinary team. Sawarkar lab research: buff.ly/kk3P5ia Apply here: buff.ly/oSlJ5J4

Closing soon: We are looking for a reliable and well organised person to join the MRC Toxicology Unit as our Building Manager. The post is integral for maintaining the infrastructure and facilities that allows research to continue in the Unit. Apply here: buff.ly/uuYIuMo

We have been collaborating with scientific illustrator @claudiaflandoli.bsky.social to share our research in an exciting new way - through comic books! We will share more about them soon but you can read the comics here now: buff.ly/SWp8G4v A huge thank you to everyone who has been involved.

Our scientists admire beauty on the microscale. Using immunofluorescence imaging, scientists can marvel at the tiny structures inside our cells. Xiao-Ming Sun shows us the cardiomyocytes he is working with, why he finds them beautiful and what proteins he is looking at. Watch ➡️ buff.ly/nQJK44k

We are recruiting for two full-time Research Assistants to work in the Hollfelder group on the discovery of novel catalytic peptides and proteins. Apply here by 25 August 2025: www.jobs.cam.ac.uk/job/52353/

The Sawarkar lab is looking for a Research Assistant to investigate transcriptional changes in the context of stress and neurodegeneration with the goal of developing novel therapeutics. Sawarkar lab research: buff.ly/kk3P5ia Apply here: buff.ly/oSlJ5J4 Closes 31st August 2025

With the news of cuts to mRNA vaccine development in the US, Unit Director Anne Willis joined Marnie Chesterton yesterday to discuss the evidence behind vaccines. Listen to the BBC inside science episode here: buff.ly/deJ4NZf

Want to support research at the University of Cambridge? We are looking for a reliable and organised person to join the MRC Toxicology Unit as Building Manager. This post is essential to ensure effective operation of research activities in the Unit. Apply here: buff.ly/uuYIuMo @cam.ac.uk

The UK Proteostasis Network, launched in 2024 by The Babraham Institute, with support from the Pharmacology Department and the MRC Toxicology Unit, has been awarded a Network Grant from the BBSRC. Read more here: www.mrc-tox.cam.ac.uk/news/uk-prot... @ukproteostasis.bsky.social #proteostasis

Odara Medagedara, a PhD student in the Willis and MacFarlane groups with co-supervision from the Rawlins group at the Gurdon Institute, had the pleasure and the challenge of co-organising her first conference. Read about the symposium and how she found the experience here: buff.ly/KnP4WFo

Congratulations to Cameron Cole who was awarded the Oral Communication Prize at the 30th Translation UK meeting held by the Biochemical Society. His talk was titled "Probing translation surveillance with a constitutive RNA binding ASCC3 mutant." @biochemsoc.bsky.social #translationuk

Last week we welcomed three sixth-form students for the Aspiring Scientists Training Programme. They joined us as researchers for the week, conducting their own lab projects and attending bespoke workshops. Read more about the week here: buff.ly/Ht5gZjv @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the annual Integrative Toxicology Training Partnership (ITTP) Summer School at the MRC Toxicology Unit. It was an excellent week spent sharing knowledge and building networks in toxicology. @cam.ac.uk @labliston.bsky.social @liverpooluni.bsky.social @ukri.org

Find out about the story behind recent findings from the Patil lab that gut bacteria can absorb forever chemicals, with this feature article written by our Science Communications Manager Rachel Fellows. @kiranrpatil.bsky.social

Congratulations to Unit director Professor Anne Willis, who is one of three Fellows admitted to St Catherine's college. Anne will be inducted in a special ceremony today and will start her Professorial Fellowship in October, contributing to the academic and social life of the college.

Congratulations to Dr Kiran Patil who has been awarded a €150,000 proof-of-concept grant from the European Research Council (ERC) to develop novel live biotherapeutics for boosting cancer therapy. Read more about the award here: buff.ly/KcfT1gW @erc.europa.eu @kiranrpatil.bsky.social

We are sharing entries from our first Science Writing Competition. Each essay answered the question: "Are non-scientific qualities necessary to perform high quality research?" Read our next entry titled "You don’t have to be mad to work here, but would it help?" here: buff.ly/J4JqSTe

We are looking for a Research Assistant to join the Patil lab to use a combination of microbiological, genetic and analytical techniques to isolate and engineer bacteria for use as next-generation probiotics. Apply here: buff.ly/tP0ZQxs Closes 21st July 2025 @kiranrpatil.bsky.social

During June, the MRC Toxicology Unit, Department of Biochemistry, Department of Pharmacology, and the Gurdon Institute joined together for Pride Month with a series of events to support LGBTQIA+ staff and students. @phar.cam.ac.uk @gurdoninstitute.bsky.social @cambiochem.bsky.social @cam.ac.uk

A new study has found that toxic PFAS could be absorbed by a gut microbe, potentially protecting us from a range of health issues associated with ‘forever chemicals’. www.ukri.org/news/gut-bac... @mrc-tu.bsky.social

Researchers in the Patil Lab have discovered that certain species of gut bacteria can absorb PFAS. Boosting these species in our gut microbiome could be a new way to protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS. Read more here: buff.ly/4FsVFsS @kiranrpatil.bsky.social @indraroux.bsky.social

Stephan Kamrad and Tara Davis in the Patil lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit have identified that some drugs and environmental contaminants alter gut bacterial amine metabolism. Find out more here: buff.ly/5akzsgs @kiranrpatil.bsky.social @skamrad.bsky.social

PhD student in the MacFarlane Lab, David O'Loughlin is representing us at the 74th Lindau Nobel Laureate Meeting. Congratulations David for being selected! @davidoloughlin.bsky.social

ONE WEEK LEFT TO APPLY: We are looking for one or two Research Assistants to join the group of James Thaventhiran. Thaventhiran Lab Research: buff.ly/LI9mh40 More information and apply here: buff.ly/vyk0qiz Closes: 7th July 2025

Happy World Microbiome Day! The Patil Lab at the MRC Toxicology Unit are fascinated by how our microbiome interacts with chemicals in our environment including in food, medicines and pollutants. Brush up on your knowledge with these great figures made by @rhboston95.bsky.social

Indra Roux, a postdoctoral researcher in the Patil lab, sat down with the Engineering Biology Interdisciplinary Research Centre to share what she has learnt about Engineering Biology. Share what you think of this evolving field with the hashtag #FacesofEngBio

CLOSING SOON: Postdoctoral position in the group of Professor Anne Willis to work on an exciting research programme investigating the effects of mRNA translation surveillance mechanisms on the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. Apply here: buff.ly/tQpAmlN Closes 1st July 2025

Congratulations to Dr James Thaventhiran, principal investigator at the MRC Toxicology Unit and clinical immunologist who has received the prestigious Lister Fellowship award. Read more here: buff.ly/sMmSIJA ‪@thav-lab.bsky.social‬ ‪@cambridgebiosci.bsky.social‬ @thelisterinstitute.bsky.social

Congratulations to Roberto Campalastri, a PhD Student in the Sawarkar Lab for receiving the Kate Hannon Award for Best Presentation at the International Transcription meeting at the Stowers Institute in the US. Roberto's talk was titled "A spatiotemporal expression atlas of mouse tRNA genes".

The Old Addenbrooke's Neighbourhood - Pharmacology, Gurdon Institute, Biochemistry and MRC Toxicology Unit, coming together to support Pride 🏳️‍🌈

Congratulations to Gili Zilberman-Schapira who is the winner of our inaugural Science Writing Competition. Entrants had to provide their own take on the question: "Are non-scientific qualities necessary to perform high quality research?" Read her winning entry here: buff.ly/J4JqSTe

We are looking for a postdoc to join Prof Anne Willis' group to investigate the effects of mRNA translation surveillance mechanisms on the cytotoxicity of chemotherapeutic agents. More information and apply here: buff.ly/tQpAmlN Closes 1st July 2025

Congratulations to the Postdoc Away Day committee for an excellent first Postdoc and Core Facilities Away Day! It was great to see Tox Unit members finding scientific and technical skills in common and working together to plan how to share research with different audiences.

A few photos from Café Synthetique last night. Thanks to our speakers Web Robertson from @mrclmb.bsky.social and Sonja Blasche @mrc-tu.bsky.social. Café Synthetique will have a short break and will be back in September.

At the MRC Toxicology Unit we are looking for one or two Research Assistants to join the Thaventhiran lab to work on projects relating to mRNA therapeutics, cancer and infectious disease vaccines. More information and apply here: buff.ly/Kbuk3JB Closes: 7th July 2025 ‪@thav-lab.bsky.social‬

Dimitris Aspri and Anfas Muhammed in the Sawarkar Group, are interested in genes that affect cell survival under stress conditions. Here you can see the two of them working in the lab - one has received the AI-generated anime treatment!

How can we design better, more effective treatments tailored to you? Our scientists explore how understanding individual biology is transforming the way we design medicines. buff.ly/OPfAK9A Maren Hunsberger @rossexton.bsky.social #Toxicology

Kiran Raosaheb Patil (@kiranrpatil.bsky.social) will be speaking at the Microbial Engineering Symposium on the 27th June at Kings College Cambridge. To hear from Kiran and other excellent speakers on their work in synthetic biology and microbial research, sign up here: buff.ly/SGaPYQE

Join us at CafeSynthetique on 2 June with talks from Wes Roberston @mrclmb.bsky.social 'Synthetic genomics for microbiome reprogramming' and SonjaBlasche @sonjablasche.bsky.social @mrc-tu.bsky.social 'milk kefir🥛 in fermented food applications' Register here 🦠👉 www.tickettailor.com/events/engin...

Congratulations to Gruffydd Behnan, a PhD student in the MacFarlane lab who was awarded the BTS Student Prize for Oral Communication. Gruffydd discussed how the lab uses in vitro patient derived cell models to assess mitochondrial health and susceptibility to Idiosyncratic Drug-induced Liver Injury

How do we respond to our environment? Your biology changes your body's reaction to the world around us. Researchers from the Unit discuss how our unique biology and interactions with our environment shape our health. buff.ly/aWV98LT Maren Hunsberger @rossexton.bsky.social #Toxicology