Dr Jessica Lewis, from the Sagona Lab, has discovered a new bacterial killer that can target common lung infection caused by Burkholderia bacteria that has exciting potential for biotechnological applications.
Press release (3 April 2024)
Spring equinox is fast approaching, on 20 March, but the changing seasons are playing havoc with UK wildlife and crops. This comes after England and Wales had their warmest Februarys on record, according to the Met Office. Professor Rosemary Collier and Dr Dave Chandler comment on what the changing seasons mean for wildlife.
Press Release (20 March 2024)
We are delighted to announce that the School of Life Sciences (SLS) has successfully renewed its Athena Swan Silver Award. The award recognises the progress made by the School towards the goal of addressing gender inequalities and embedding an inclusive culture.
(March 2024)
A £1.5 million donation will drive joint research into antimicrobial resistance (AMR) by scientists in the UK and Japan.
Antimicrobial resistance poses a huge problem in healthcare, risking modern medicine becoming ineffective. This could lead to common infections becoming deadly illnesses. Now, thanks to visionary philanthropy from The Great Britain Sasakawa Foundation, which encourages innovative research between Japan and the UK, and The Sir Howard Dalton Centre at The University of Warwick, the research can progress at pace.
Press Release (6 March 2024)
The British Onions Producers’ Association (BOPA) leads a £1 million project, with researchers from Warwick, industry leaders, and innovators to combat Fusarium Basal Rot (FBR), a menace to the UK onion industry.
Professor John Clarkson, Plant Pathologist, said: “This project is an exciting opportunity for the School of Life Sciences and School of Engineering to provide new approaches to tackling Fusarium basal rot of onion, which is increasingly devastating for UK onion growers. As well as supporting Engineering and the wider consortium with expertise on the disease, my team at the Warwick Crop Centre will develop new DNA-based molecular diagnostic approaches to detect the pathogen in soil so that growers can use this test to avoid planting onions in highly infested fields. The test may also help to assess the risk of onions developing basal rot in storage”.
Press Release (19 February 2024)
A team of academics from The University of Warwick and Aston University has secured a £1.8m grant to engineer microbial cell factories to produce membrane proteins which will support future drug screening and sustainable chemical production.
Press Release (19 February 2024).
New varieties of Britain’s favourite pulse are available for purchase from 10 February 2024. These UK Registered beans (URBeans) were created by Professor Eric Holub as part of his work to diversify British cooking using home-grown ingredients.
A dry bean mix of Godiva and Capulet are on sale from Zero Store shops in Stratford-on-Avon and Leamington Spa.
Press Release (9 February 2024)
The recently published BBSRC Impact Showcase 2023 presents a collection of impact stories arising from BBSRC investments. The showcase highlights the vital role bioscience has in addressing key strategic global challenges and features research by Professor Eric Holub to develop new varieties of beans compatible with the British Climate.
Find out more (Scroll down the homepage to find 'Homegrown production of designer dry beans').
Lincolnshire farmer Andy Ward, known for cultivating the first British Baked Beans in partnership with University of Warwick scientist Eric Holub, is facing a harsh reality as standing waters inundate his farmlands.
Press Release (5 January 2023)
The University of Warwick recently announced the formation of Warwick Agri-Tech to help the future of farming with automation – addressing issues such as labour shortages, food insecurity and loss of biodiversity.
On Thursday 25 January, Emilio Loo Monardez, WMG and Dave Chandler, Warwick Crop Centre will talk about some of the projects that Warwick Agri-Tech are undertaking currently and their plans for the future.
We are deeply saddened by the death of Professor David Hodgson, who passed away on 29 December 2023 after a long illness.
David Hodgson was a microbiologist of worldwide renown who was a highly valued member of the Department of Biological Sciences and latterly the School of Life Sciences. His generous nature and encyclopaedic knowledge were shared freely with Warwick staff and students alike. His wisdom and humour were also highly appreciated by his colleagues from around the globe, whose esteem was illustrated by the international roll-call of distinguished contributors to the two-day celebration of his career in 2015 when he retired. He had uniquely diverse expertise in the genetics of streptomycetes, myxococci and Caulobacter (types of bacteria unusual in having different cell types), and his fascination with their life cycles and physiology led to intriguing insights into their regulatory mechanisms. His innovative research in this area, which benefited from a Fulbright Senior Research Scholarship to spend a year working with US-based academics sharing his interests, was reflected in his DSc, awarded in 2007. David collaborated with many other academics and was a visiting academic at the University of Surrey. He was an important contributor to collaborative research work at Warwick, in particular playing a key part in a large Warwick-based transnational research programme which helped to redraw the carbon metabolic pathways of Streptomyces coelicolor.
The University of Warwick announces Warwick Agri-Tech to help the future of farming with automation – addressing issues such as labour shortages, food insecurity and loss of biodiversity.
Warwick Agri-Tech, will also support the UK to meet climate targets while enabling the production of enough nutritious food for the growing population. It will combine two world class faculties at WMG at The University of Warwick and the School of Life Sciences (SLS), working with the High Value Manufacturing Catapult to spearhead automation in areas such as horticulture, crops and forestry.
Press release (21 December 2023)
Godiva, Capulet and Olivia are new varieties of the nation’s favourite pulse, common beans, developed and grown in the UK. The trio are set to go plastic-free in the new year when they go on sale in local zero-waste stores.
The UK Registered beans (URBeans) mark an important milestone, kicking-off the celebrations of 75 years of horticultural research at the site of the National Vegetable Research Station, now Warwick Crop Centre, at the University of Warwick Innovation Campus, near Stratford-upon-Avon.
The URBeans are named after iconic figures from the Stratford and Coventry areas. These common beans represent the latest efforts of the University of Warwick’s Professor Eric Holub, in his work to to diversify British cooking. He’s starting close to home - in and around Warwickshire.
Press Release (7 Dec 2023)
The first ever commercial crop of British-grown baked beans have progressed to the tinning phase, a pivotal step in their journey orchestrated by Professor Eric Holub. It is hoped that the baked bean breakthrough will reduce the reliance on imports.
Press Release (29 November 2023)
On 29 and 30 December, Warwick Agri-Tech is showcasing its expertise at The CropTec Show 2023 at Stoneleigh. Warwick Agri-Tech is a WMG-SLS collaboration combining advanced engineering with plant science to shape the future of agriculture.
Emilie Cummerson, a Biomedical Science with Placement Year student, has just completed a year-long placement in the Sagona Lab and the university’s spinout company Cytecom. She describes her experience in an article for the Microbiologist.
Read the article.
New research by Professor Andre Pires da Silva is underway to decipher a fascinating biological puzzle—how some animals can naturally discard more than half of their genetic information during embryonic development. The new study is part of the BBSRC Pioneer Awards, which could revolutionise our understanding of the rules of life. Sixty two researchers across the UK, including Professor Pires da Silva, are to receive a share of £12 million to pursue visionary bioscience research.
Press Release (9 November 2023)
On 6 November, the House of Lords published a report entitled ‘Sowing the seeds: A blooming English horticultural sector’. The report looks at the development of the horticultural sector in England and includes citations from Professor Richard Napier and contributions from Professor Rosemary Collier and Alex Kelly.
Chelsea Brown, a PhD student with Professor Phill Stansfeld and Dr Liz Fullam, won the Sir Howard Dalton Young Microbiologist of the Year for her talk entitled 'Modelling Mycobacterial Membranes: Anyone for PIMS?' at the 2023 Annual Microbiology conference. Chelsea presented her research to a panel of judges at the Microbiology Society Showcase on Tuesday 3 October 2023.
Professor Rosemary Collier has been Highly Commended by the British Guild of Agricultural Journalists in the first Caroline Drummond Award, Celebrating and Communicating Farming Excellence. Rosemary will be presented with a trophy later in the year.
Find out about the awardLink opens in a new window.
Dr Amol Bhandare has been appointed as an Early Career Lead on the 'Mortality, Morbidity and Risk' theme of the Epilepsy Research Institute. On Wednesday 25 October, Amol attended the official launch of the Epilepsy Research Institute at a reception hosted by George Freeman MP, Minster for Science, Research and Innovation, at 10 Downing Street. The event brought together research leaders, industry representatives, founding partners, research programme theme leads and people affected by epilepsy.
Find out about the Epilepsy Research Institute launch
Researchers at The University of Warwick are among four world-class teams receiving a share of £18 million to pursue transformational bioscience research programmes. The School of Life Sciences team will investigate the bacterial cell wall – which could help to develop new classes of antibiotics, tackling the global challenge of antibiotic resistance. The project is led by Professor David Roper in collaboration with Dr Séamus Holden, Professor Phill Stansfeld and Dr Stephen Cochrane (Queen's University Belfast).
Press Release (29 September 2023)
Researchers at Warwick Crop Centre have celebrated the successful harvest of a homegrown bean developed to thrive in a British summer.
Press Release (9 September 2023)
Professor Eric Holub and research fellow Rosanne Maguire discuss the novel bean varieties on BBC CWR.
During National Organic Month, the University of Warwick's Crop Centre takes a pioneering stance in the realm of low-input farming, shedding light on the concept of 'organic farming.'
Press Release (1 September 2023)
The future of farming could involve robots– as farmers seek to address labour shortages and increase crop yields.
Warwick Crop Centre and WMG are working in close collaboration to combine their robotics expertise and plant science expertise to investigate how they can apply autonomous robotics to greenhouses and croppable fields.
Press Release (25 August 2023)
Researchers are listening to earthworms to monitor soil health, in what could be a major innovation for maintaining soil health. In the first study of its kind, scientists are using a technique called ecoacoustics to listen to the activity of earthworms and other invertebrates in the soil. The theory is that a noisy soil is a healthy soil – and that the sounds generated in soil can be recorded, measured and used to evaluate soil condition. Press release (14 July 2023)
Jackie was interviewed about the research by David Gregory-Kumar for BBC Midlands Today.
Watch the interview (16 July 2023)
Combining honey and vinegar could be an old, yet new, way of treating persistent infections. The mixture of honey and vinegar, also known as oxymel, has been used as a medical treatment throughout history and now scientists have established that this combination could have modern applications in the treatment of wounds. New research by Dr Erin Connelly, Dr Freya Harrison and team, published in Microbiology, is the first comprehensive exploration of how the mixture could be applied to modern medicine and improve treatments for infections.
Press release (13 July 2023)
On Friday 29 September 2023, the School of Life Sciences will be hosting a free workshop: "Are the university learning environments as inclusive as we think? An investigation from the awarding perspective".
Based on a thorough data analysis from recent years and first-hand practical experience, the workshop will identify existing reasons for lack of inclusivity and unbiased awarding in biological science and related degree streams.
The workshop participants, comprising academic leaders, teaching professionals and a diverse student community, will also provide on consensus recommendations on how to close existing awarding gaps for a more inclusive learning and teaching environment throughout the UK.
Consensus recommendations will be published in a peer-reviewed journal.
Today, published in Microbiome, Dr Beatriz Lagunas and colleagues at the Universities of Warwick and Justus Liebig (Germany) have shown a new way to boost plant nutrient uptake and growth. This could reduce the need for fertilisers, an input to agriculture which can be harmful for the environment. Fertilisers can run into waterways, or get broken down by microbes in the soil, releasing the potent greenhouse gas nitrous oxide into the atmosphere.
Press release (3 July 2023)
Professor Eric Holub, a plant scientist at Warwick Crop Centre, has developed Haricot bean varieties which can be sown in early May and harvested as a dry grain before mid-September, matching the UK's warmer months. Until now, it has been impossible for farmers to grow the haricot variety used for baked beans in the UK because they are incompatible with the climate.
Press Release (16 June 2023)
The story was also on BBC Breakfast. Watch it on iPlayer (from 22m 30s)
Each year, the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine (SEM) funds a prize for the best Warwick-affiliated research output from an Early Career Researcher (ECR). Each department nominates a winner out of the applications received after a judging process as determined by the Faculty. This year the School of Life Sciences has awarded two prizes:
The Panel recognised the scientific excellence of the research published in these outputs and the leading roles that both researchers had taken in conceiving and undertaking the research.
A new discovery by Dr Antonia Sagona and colleagues could help stop bacteria being contaminated with viruses, reducing disruption and decreasing costs in industry and research.
Press Release (18 April 2023)
We are thrilled to announce that the University of Warwick has been ranked 12th Best University for Work Experience by RateMyPlacement, in their inaugural Best University for Work Experience table.
The School of Life Sciences is proud of the work we do to support our students in accessing and engaging with quality work experience opportunities, from internships to yearlong placements.
Mineli, BSc Biomedical Science with Placement Year, currently on placement at Pfizer says:
“The University has been really helpful in providing a variety of resources that help students find work experience opportunities. Particularly within the School of Life Sciences, there are weekly 'Careers round-ups' which all students receive. These detail the latest updates and opportunities that companies are advertising - whether that be internship, placement of research opportunities.
The Careers and Placements team are dedicated to ensuring students can maximise their chances of securing a placement as well. They ensure students have access to mock interviews as well as providing useful feedback on applications.
The combination of all these services and resources has allowed Warwick students, myself included, to have the best possible chances of securing our ideal work experience, gaining a competitive advantage when entering the job market.“
Professor Murray Grant has been re-elected as an Honorary Fellow of the Academy of the Royal Society of New Zealand. Fellows have made contributions to knowledge at the highest levels in their different fields and across disciplinary boundaries. Find out more
Dr Joe Mckenna has been awarded a BBSRC Discovery Fellowship of £535,000 to investigate actin – a natural molecule contained in plant cells – to see whether it can be engineered to move faster and so grow bigger plants with more biomass.
Press release (21 March 2023)
Professor Robin Allaby gives his perspective in Science, on the evolutionary events that led to grape domestication. The article made the front cover.
Read the paper (3 March 2023)
On Thursday 2 March, Professor Richard Napier was featured on the BBC Radio 4 Farming Today programme talking about a new green paper “Growing British” he helped to create. It’s a strategy highlighting how to increase fruit and veg production in the UK. Listen (from 1:14).
A new study has shown that zinc plays a key role in a hospital superbug, that doctors struggle to treat due to its resistance to antibiotics.
Press Release (15 February 2023)
Like the neurons firing in human brains, bacteria use electricity to communicate and respond to environmental cues. Now, researchers have discovered a way to control this electrical signalling in bacteria, to better understand resistance to antibiotics.
In the study published in Advanced Science, Dr Munehiro and colleagues, report a major step forward in regulating bacterial electric signals with light.
Press Release (13 February 2023)
Chelsea Brown, a PhD student with Professor Phill Stansfeld and Dr Liz Fullam, has published a first author paper on tackling Tuberculosis (TB) by modelling mycobacterial membranes.
TB rivals covid-19 as the biggest infectious disease killer of humans, claiming millions of lives each year. Now, ground-breaking research from the Universities of Warwick and Toulouse has identified a new method to help tackle this global issue.
Press Release (30 January 2023)
Professor John Walsh talks about his research into how viruses interact with agricultural crop plants, and how to improve vegetable crops’ resistance to viruses without using pesticides.
His food and agricultural research has helped to improve natural resistance to the viruses that infect plants, reduce the use of pesticides and improve health and welfare.
Researchers from Warwick Crop Centre are sharing food for thought about the humble sprout this Christmas and tell us:
• Why having a gene mutation makes sprouts taste horrid
• Why sprouts taste better after frost
• Why they make us gassy
Press release (15 December 2022)
We wish to appoint four excellent and ambitious early to mid-career principal investigators who are capable of developing innovative and original research programmes:
A £1.7m laboratory building which will investigate infectious diseases has opened at the University of Warwick – helping to tackle some of the most globally important human diseases and prepare for pandemics of the future. The new containment suite will enable scientists to conduct cutting-edge research into infectious diseases, including tuberculosis (TB), influenza and COVID-19.
Press release (8 December)
Professor Matt Keeling and Dr Louise Dyson were part of the Warwick Zeeman team invited to attend the Weldon Prize giving in Oxford.
This prize is awarded annually for ‘noteworthy contributions to the development of mathematical or statistical methods applied to problems in Biology’. This year it was given to the SPI-M-O group (part of SAGE) in recognition for their work during the COVID-19 pandemic.
A facility using gene-editing technology to improve quality, resilience and sustainability of vegetable crops has opened at the University of Warwick.
The Elizabeth Creak Horticultural Technology Centre (ECHTC), which also contains The Jim Brewster Laboratory, is a £1.5 million facility which will use cutting edge techniques such as gene-editing to improve vegetable crops.
Addressing issues relating to disease resistance, crop yield, adaptability to climate change and nutritional value in horticultural plants, the research will help with the key global challenges of climate change and feeding the world’s growing population.
Press Release (10 November 2022)
Our Research Facility Manager, Dr Sarah Bennett, gives her thoughts on research culture from a technician's perspective.
Read the blog (9 November 2022)
Professor Murray Grant is part of a team of international researchers who have identified and classified new isomers that could help develop more robust and resistant crops – via synthetic biology approaches.
Press Release (4 November 2022)
iGEM is a global synthetic biology competition aimed at University and High School students.This year, 360 teams from across the world took part in iGEM, including a team from Warwick - team PyRe. The team attended the Grand Jamboree in Paris, on 26-28 October.
After delivering their presentation and attending the judging session, the team were awarded a gold medal for their project. They were also nominated for the Best Environment Project for their excellent work on the detection and degradation of pyrethroid pesticides. Read about the project.
Team PyRe members:
The team were supported by Dr Fabrizio Alberti and Dr Alexander Darlington (Engineering), and postgraduate advisors Sandie Lai, Daniel Richmond (Chemistry), Michaël Dagne Tadesse and Nathan Burton.
The School of Life Sciences is delighted to host Professor Cathie Martin MBE FRS for the Elizabeth Creak Distinguished Guest Lecture on Food Security on Thursday 10 November 2022.
Title: Engineering nutritional traits conferring the benefits of a plant-rich diet.
