News 2014

Children with severe epilepsy could be helped by a new treatment derived from the cannabis plant.

How birds evolved to have characteristics including feathers, flight and song is revealed with new clarity in a major study of their family tree.

People affected by a common inherited form of autism could be helped by a drug that is being tested as a treatment for cancer.

Liver disease patients could be helped by a new cell therapy to treat the condition.

People in jobs that demand complex dealings with people or data are more likely to stay mentally sharp in later life, a study suggests.

Scientists have discovered how a gene mutation can lead to diseases that occur when the immune system attacks the body by mistake.

A high tech scanner could enable scientists to develop better treatments for dementia and other brain conditions.

Doctors need better peer support to deal with the challenges of a high-pressure career in medicine, a University academic and former GP is urging.

Fresh understanding of how body fat gathers around vital organs could help develop treatments for people affected by related conditions.

People who are shorter than average height have an increased risk of dying with dementia, a study has found.

Animal health experts are joining forces to combat emerging infectious diseases that affect farm animals and household pets across Europe.

Exposure to moderate amounts of sunshine may slow the development of obesity and diabetes, a study suggests.

Please join us this winter for a series of lively and interesting lectures looking at a variety of health issues.

University scientists are throwing a ceilidh with a twist to raise funds for ground breaking cancer research.

A team of researchers who are developing a device that has the potential to revolutionise respiratory and intensive care medicine are to meet later this week.

University experts say some MRSA bugs in UK hospitals can be traced back to a type of bacteria found in farm animals.

Health experts are to investigate whether replacing face-to-face doctor’s visits with telephone or internet consultations would bring benefits for patients and GPs.

The Roslin Institute has been shortlisted for several awards in recognition of its contribution to the representation of women in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

A team from the Centre for Population Health Sciences have recently won a category prize for Research Paper of the Year at the recent Royal College of General Practitioners' Annual Conference.

Two winners of the 2014 Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine are the latest of many laureates with University links.

Eggs from emus and chickens are helping scientists to understand how genes can go wrong and cause birth defects.

Business Secretary Vince Cable announced a boost for postgraduate training in Scotland’s biosciences during a visit to the University of Edinburgh.

Skin cancer diagnosis and detection has been boosted by the development of a new app.

Join us for a series of public lectures that bring together many of the brightest minds in medicine to address some of the toughest questions in human and animal health.

People who suffer from progressive forms of multiple sclerosis (MS) could be helped by a major global research initiative.

Edinburgh’s virtual cadaver - one of the first of its kind in the UK - will be used this year in teaching.

People can become addicted to eating for its own sake but not to consuming specific foods such as those high in sugar or fat, research suggests.

A unique international meeting, Clinical Genomes Scotland, will take place at the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh on Monday 6th October 2014.

Depression in cancer patients can be significantly improved with a new, integrated approach to care, research has revealed.

Animal experts are calling for better health surveillance of wild species to help stop the spread of diseases.

Laboratory-grown replacement organs have moved a step closer with the completion of a new study.

A new online tool will help doctors predict which patients are most likely to develop diabetes.

Genetic changes that occur in patients with the bowel condition Crohn’s disease could hold clues to fighting the illness.

The Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS) and the University have signed a five-year Memorandum of Understanding to encourage further collaboration on a range of research projects and RZSS activities.

Girls with cancer who are most likely to become infertile after treatment can be identified using guidelines developed almost 20 years ago, new research shows.

Babies suffering from bacterial infections like sepsis could benefit from better treatment, thanks to a ground-breaking study.

Complementary therapies are widely used by Scottish children with cancer, according to an Edinburgh-led study.

People carrying variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) could be identified from a urine test, research suggests.

Challenges faced by livestock farmers in tropical developing countries are the focus of a new alliance involving researchers from Scotland and Africa.

Bill Gates has visited the Easter Bush Campus to hear about research to improve the health and welfare of people and farm animals worldwide.

A recent graduate of the MSc in Surgical Science has been awarded a Royal College of Surgeons of England Fulbright Award that will support twelve months of research at Harvard University on one of the most prestigious and selective scholarship programmes operating worldwide.

A student’s mission to save an endangered bird in Africa has been recognised with a prestigious award.

Bowel cancer patients with high levels of vitamin D in their blood are more likely to survive the disease, a study shows.

A virtual cadaver - one of the first of its kind in the UK- is to go on display at the University’s School of Biomedical Sciences.

Researchers at Edinburgh have unravelled the genetic code of pigs in a radically new way.

Rare genetic diseases could be diagnosed with the aid of new computer software that scans ordinary photographs of patients’ faces, scientists say.

Dementia experts are forming the world’s largest research group in the field to tackle the condition.

White Scottish women are more likely to smoke during pregnancy than expectant mums from other ethnic groups, a study has found.

Bold and striking images capturing the beauty and complexity of the brain have gone on display in St Andrew Square, Edinburgh.

Scientists have cracked the genetic code of sheep to reveal how they became a distinct species from goats around four million years ago.