News 2015

Patients are being invited to donate blood left over from routine tests as part of a wider scheme to aid medical science.

Children with more symmetrical hands have speedier mental responses than others, according to a study.

Public anatomy workshops taking place at the University will be the first of their kind in the UK for more than 180 years.

Giving freshly donated blood to patients confers no major benefits compared with current practices of transfusing older blood, a study suggests.

Routine heart scans for patients referred to cardiac clinics with chest pain could reduce heart attack rates, research suggests.

Genes linked with a greater risk of developing autism may also be associated with higher intelligence, a study suggests.

Breeding dogs on the basis of a single genetic test carries risks and may not improve the health of pedigree lines, experts warn.

A gene linked to a type of dwarfism has been identified, in a development that will help to provide better diagnoses for those families affected.

Painkillers can help dogs with osteoarthritis to run about nearly in the same way as healthy dogs, a study of their movements has shown.

Women who have suffered recurrent miscarriages are being invited to trial a drug that could help maintain their pregnancy.

Patients with bile duct cancer could be helped by a new class of experimental drug, a study has shown.

Bacteria may be able to jump between species with greater ease than was previously thought, a study suggests.

Scientists at The Roslin Institute are aiming to unlock vast amounts of information held within farmed animal genomes with the help of a £1.9 million boost from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.

New doctors are being put to the test in the first national assessment of their prescribing skills.

People who give up smoking might reduce accelerated thinning of the cortex - the brain’s outer layer which is important for thinking skills, a study suggests.

People are being asked to share their top five greatest loves this Valentine’s Day to raise awareness of childhood epilepsy through social media.

Children and young people with learning difficulties are set to benefit from a new £5 million research and support centre at the University in association with the charity Mindroom.

Scientists investigating the causes of dementia will study how lifestyle factors impact blood flow in the brain.

Striking images reveal new insights into how the kidney develops from a group of cells into a complex organ.

Smoking while pregnant causes chemical changes to the DNA of the unborn baby that may predispose them to lifelong health conditions, research shows.

People at risk of osteoarthritis following orthopaedic surgery could be helped by new way to protect cartilage from damage.

Some older women with breast cancer could avoid radiotherapy, without harming their chances of survival, scientists say.

Scientists have shed light on how naturally occurring mutations can be introduced into our DNA.

Scientists have identified five key genes that impact the size of structures in the brain, a study in Nature reveals.

Applications for the second round of the Wellcome Trust-University of Edinburgh Institutional Strategic Support Fund (WT-ISSF) should be submitted by CMVM staff before the internal deadline of Friday 27th March 2015, 5.00pm

More than 1,000 Scots are to have their entire genetic make-up decoded to help explain why some people’s brains age better than others.

A major investment in gene sequencing technology will secure Scotland’s place as a world leader in a genomics revolution that is set to transform healthcare.

People at risk of dementia will benefit from a £50 million initiative to improve drugs that could prevent the condition.

How far north a person lives could influence their risk of developing dementia, a study suggests.

Hospital patients who require treatment in intensive care units could be helped by new research that seeks to reduce hospital readmission rates.

British scientists are playing a key role in a global quest to find the causes of an incurable bowel condition.

The Muir Maxwell Epilepsy Centre may be a ‘centre without walls’ but it is not a centre without a website as it launches its brand new home on the web.

Public lectures given by Professors or Chairs newly appointed by the University.