The ministers visited the Renold Innovation Hub on Friday, 23 October, where they were welcomed by Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方 and Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President (Enterprise), and SISTER Director of Place, Liz Bamber.

They heard how the University is working with business and civic partners to turn new ideas into commercial opportunities and help companies establish themselves, innovate and grow.

During a tour of the , the ministers visited SISTER's co-working spaces and met businesses based within the innovation district, including Technologies, , and .

NeuWave Technologies is a University of Manchester spin-out using artificial intelligence and ocean science to provide predictive information for offshore operations. LanthaGen Bio is a Manchester-based tech-bio company using engineered binders to recover rare-earth and other critical metals from waste and MolMart is a Manchester genomics company offering preconception genetic screening to prospective parents, while Brain Feed Therapeutics is a research-driven brand that formulates and sells natural brain health and cognitive supplements.

The ministers then visited the nearby Pariser Building where they met the founders of . The company develops a graphene-based additive for concrete that can improve its performance while reducing the amount of cement needed, helping to cut its carbon footprint.

The technology was developed at the University鈥檚 with Nationwide Engineering, an innovation-led construction company co-founded by a Manchester graduate. The partnership helped take Concretene from the lab to a commercial product in just 18 months.

Partnership for growth

Sister is a joint venture between 糖心Vlog官方 and Bruntwood SciTech, bringing together research, entrepreneurial talent and business expertise to support innovation and economic growth.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淯niversities have a really important role to play in driving economic growth, not just through our research and the talent we develop, but by helping turn great ideas into new businesses, products and jobs.

鈥淪ister is a fantastic example of how we鈥檙e doing that in Manchester. It was great to show the Secretary of State and Small Business Minister what innovation looks like in practice and what can be achieved when universities, businesses and civic partners work together.鈥�

Liz Bamber, Director of Place at Sister, added: 鈥淲elcoming the Business Secretary and Small Business Minister to the Renold Innovation Hub highlights the sheer strength and ambition of Manchester鈥檚 innovation ecosystem. Sister is designed to give pioneering companies - from AI spin-outs to breakthrough bio-techs - the physical space, supportive community, and connection to world-class research they need to thrive.

鈥淲e鈥檙e proud to be creating a vibrant home where great ideas quickly translate into real-world impact and sustainable economic growth for the region.鈥�

The visit came ahead of an SME conference in Manchester and in the run-up to the government's forthcoming budget, which is expected to include support for small businesses.

Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds said:聽"Small businesses and innovation go hand in hand in this country, with so many great entrepreneurs creating and聽embracing new technology that sets them apart from the competition.聽That鈥檚 why we鈥檙e helping unlock their potential through removing 拢800 million worth of everyday paperwork and bureaucracy.

聽"Sister is a聽key driver of this change in Manchester and it was excellent to meet businesses like聽LanthaGen Bio, MolMart and聽Concretene聽on Friday to discuss how they are turning new ideas into jobs and growth for the city."聽

The new Medical Research Council (MRC) Centre of Research Excellence (CoRE) for Human Neural Development will integrate world-leading expertise with cutting-edge research to fill in major gaps in the fundamental understanding of brain growth and development.

Led by King鈥檚 College London, in partnership with University College London (UCL) and the University of Manchester, the key aim is to understand the critical mechanisms underpinning early brain development, from the womb to early childhood, and how their disruption can inform effective treatments.

Until recently, there were very few ways to study the development of the human brain in a meaningful way. Now, using the latest technological developments, including the ability to image the developing brain before and after birth, grow models of brain tissue in the laboratory, and harness the power of artificial intelligence, the centre will provide unprecedented insights into the development of the human cerebral cortex, the region of our brain that enables language, planning and creativity. Using these insights from the laboratory, the centre aims to develop markers of healthy brain development, which can be measured in babies and children to help develop and evaluate treatments in clinic.

Centre lead Professor Oscar Mar铆n, based at King鈥檚 College London, said: 鈥淭he human brain is a bit of a black box.

鈥淲e can measure patterns of brain activity from the outside, and we can even potentially connect them to what happens later in life, but we don't yet know how these signals actually relate to what's happening inside the child鈥檚 brain.

鈥淭his means we cannot tell which signals reflect something important about how the circuits inside the brain are developing. Until we can make that distinction, we cannot reliably predict which children are at risk or intervene early enough to make a difference.

鈥淲e have now reached a point where the technologies exist to close that gap, and we can turn that understanding into real differences for children and families.

鈥淭he one thing that makes King鈥檚 a very special place to tackle this problem is that there are very few places in the world that has this universe of discovery scientists and clinical scientists and facilities that will allow us to bring this program together.鈥�

The centre will use organoid technologies to build human models of brain tissue in the newly established Brain Organoids Laboratory at King鈥檚, which was funded through an initial donation of 拢1.5m from the Wolfson Foundation in 2024.

This pioneering technology allows researchers Professor Marin and Dr Laura Pellegrini to model how parts of the human brain develop and to tailor their genetic makeup to understand the specific genes involved in neurodevelopmental disorders.

鈥淲e have the tools to essentially generate a primordial mini functional tissue that resembles a part of the cerebral cortex. This would help us to understand what goes wrong with, for example, with the cellular architecture in certain diseases,鈥� commented Dr Pellegrini, Wellcome Trust CDA Fellow at King鈥檚, on the doors opened by organoid technologies.

Professor Tomoki Arichi, Professor of Perinatal Neuroscience at King鈥檚, and honorary consultant at the Evelina London Children鈥檚 Hospital, will form part of a clinical team collaborating closely with clinical lead Professor Shruti Garg from the University of Manchester to help translate findings from the laboratory into new treatments and improvements in clinical care for children.

Professor Centre translational lead and Deputy director, based at 糖心Vlog官方, said: "Working within NHS clinical networks in Manchester, we'll turn discoveries about brain development into tools clinicians can use making a real difference for children and families here and across the country."

Dr Ilias Tachtsidis, Centre Innovation Lead and Deputy Director, based in UCL鈥檚 Department of Medical Physics and Biomedical Engineering, will lead on engineering aspects of the project. He added: "To deliver this ambitious vision of the centre, we need first-of-their-kind technologies that can safely and non-invasively image brain biology across scales鈥攆rom blood vessels that deliver oxygen and nutrients to brain cells, down to the mitochondria that power them. This is a major engineering challenge we will tackle at UCL."

Professor Emily Jones, Professor of Developmental Translational Neuroscience at King鈥檚, will follow how newly identified markers of healthy brain development translate to developmental outcomes beyond infancy at the new Pears Maudsley Centre for Children and Young People.

When genetic mutations and environmental factors affect brain development in infants, the consequences are felt throughout their life.

These outcomes are disproportionately felt by minorities and families from economically disadvantaged backgrounds.

Dr Ceri Williams, Executive Director of Challenge Led Themes at MRC, said: 鈥淲e are delighted to announce this new MRC CoRE for Human Neural Development, backed by 拢50 million of public investment.

鈥淏y untangling the mysteries of human brain development in the very early stages, this centre offers a powerful opportunity to transform lives, giving us the tools to make earlier and fairer interventions for a future where every child has the best possible chance to realise their full potential.鈥�

A student from 糖心Vlog官方 is preparing to climb Africa鈥檚 highest mountain to raise money for young people with cancer, drawing on his own family鈥檚 experiences of the disease.

Next August, 30 year old Joseph Mooney from Whitefield will take on the challenge of trekking up the 5895 metre Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania to raise funds for Teenage Cancer Trust, a charity supporting young people facing cancer.

For Joseph, the challenge is deeply personal - he lost his grandfather to pancreatic cancer in 2022, his mother and sister have both survived ovarian cancer, and his uncle is currently receiving treatment for lung cancer at Manchester Royal Infirmary and The Christie.

Joseph is planning a series of training hikes over the next nine months, including revisiting the UK鈥檚 Three Peaks - Ben Nevis, Scafell Pike and Snowdon - ahead of the expedition. He climbed Ben Nevis in 2024 and first hiked Snowdon as a teenager. He also plans to hike the Rock of Gibraltar when visiting his mother, who lives there.

Earlier this year, Joseph completed a multi-day trek through Morocco鈥檚 Atlas Mountains - but he says Kilimanjaro will be the biggest and toughest challenge he has faced.

His passion for hiking is also closely connected to his own wellbeing. Joseph says spending time in nature, hiking alone and getting outdoors help him manage his mental health and provide a welcome sense of perspective.

鈥淐ancer has affected my family in so many ways, and it is a cause that is very close to my heart,鈥� he said. 鈥淗aving lost my grandad and seen my mum and sister come through cancer, with my uncle currently undergoing treatment, I know how much the disease can affect not just the person diagnosed but their whole family. I wanted to do something positive with those experiences and take on a challenge that could make a difference to other people going through something similar.

鈥淗iking is also something that means a lot to me personally. Getting out into nature and pushing myself on a trail can do wonders for my wellbeing. Kilimanjaro will be the biggest and hardest trek I鈥檝e ever done, but knowing I鈥檓 doing it to support young people with cancer will make it all worthwhile.鈥�

Teenage Cancer Trust provides specialist nursing care and support for teenagers and young adults with cancer, including through specialist hospital units and services across the UK. Joseph hopes to use his training hikes to raise awareness of the charity as well as funds, wearing a Teenage Cancer Trust T-shirt on the trails and talking to fellow hikers about its work.

He is appealing to the University of Manchester community and the wider public to support his fundraising effort. Donations of any size will help him work towards his fundraising target and support the charity鈥檚 work with young people affected by cancer.

Support Joseph鈥檚 fundraising

To donate to Joseph鈥檚 Kilimanjaro challenge, visit his JustGiving page:

Joseph will be posting about his training and his climb on Instagram:

International pressure intended to encourage democratic reform can sometimes strengthen the very governments it seeks to hold to account, according to new research from 糖心Vlog官方.

The study examined Zimbabwe's decision to withdraw from the Commonwealth in December 2003, finding that the move was driven less by a rejection of international institutions in principle than by the ruling party's determination to remain in power.

Why Zimbabwe left the Commonwealth

Zimbabwe was suspended from the Commonwealth in 2002 amid concerns about its presidential election and democratic standards. When the suspension continued following a Commonwealth meeting in Abuja, Nigeria, in December 2003, President Robert Mugabe's government announced its withdrawal.

But the research, by Dr Arthur Shirichena of 糖心Vlog官方 and Pofela Ndzozi of Lupane State University in Zimbabwe, argues that withdrawal was a strategic political choice.

The authors examined documentary evidence, including Commonwealth and Zimbabwean government records, parliamentary material and contemporary reporting, to understand the decisions behind the country's departure.

They argue that meeting the conditions for reinstatement 鈥� including improvements to elections, media freedom, judicial independence and political violence 鈥� risked weakening ZANU-PF's control.

The government continued to pursue a return to the Commonwealth while that appeared possible on terms it could accept. Once the Abuja outcome made that prospect less realistic, leaving became a way to protect its domestic position rather than accept reforms that might undermine it.

Turning criticism into a defence of sovereignty

The study finds that the government also used international criticism to reinforce its political narrative at home.

By presenting the dispute as an attack on Zimbabwe's sovereignty and its anti-colonial liberation struggle, ZANU-PF could portray external pressure as foreign interference. The government could also cast domestic opponents who called for reform as aligned with outside interests.

This helped the ruling party mobilise political support and shift responsibility for Zimbabwe's international isolation onto its critics.

The authors argue that this strategy served the interests of the ruling coalition, even if withdrawal reduced Zimbabwe's diplomatic access and standing. The government's political survival, rather than the country's wider national interest, was the central consideration.

Lessons for international pressure today

The research highlights a challenge for governments and international organisations seeking to encourage democratic change: diplomatic isolation does not automatically lead to reform.

Where leaders see international demands as a threat to their hold on power, they may reject those demands, challenge the legitimacy of their critics or use the dispute to rally domestic support.

The authors caution that the Zimbabwe case does not provide a universal explanation for how governments respond to international pressure, but say it shows why the likely domestic political consequences of diplomatic action need to be considered alongside its intended goals.

Publication details

The research was published in
The Round Table: The Commonwealth Journal of International Affairs.

Title:
Zimbabwe鈥檚 withdrawal from the Commonwealth: a foreign policy analysis through the logics of consequences and appropriateness

DOI:


URL:

Nicola will join the University Executive and lead our finance function, bringing a wealth of experience, strategic insight and a deep understanding of the higher education sector as we continue to deliver From Manchester for the world and ensure the University鈥檚 long-term financial sustainability.聽

Nicola joins us from the University of Liverpool, where she is currently Chief Financial Officer with responsibility for finance, procurement, strategic planning and strategic change, as well as serving as Executive Lead for Sustainability. During her career, she has led major finance transformation programmes, strengthened institutional financial planning and performance and helped shape investment, partnership and sustainability strategies to support long-term success. 聽

With more than 25 years鈥� leadership experience, including over two decades in higher education, Nicola has built a reputation for combining strong financial stewardship with collaborative leadership and informed decision making. She brings a proven ability to navigate complexity in large organisations and respond proactively to challenging external environments.

This appointment also marks a welcome return to Manchester. Between 2005 and 2017, Nicola held a number of senior finance roles at the University, including Deputy Director of Finance, Head of Faculty Finance for Medical and Human Sciences, Head of Management Accounts and Financial Controller. She therefore joins us not only with extensive experience in the sector, but also with an understanding of our people and our values. Earlier in her career, she worked in professional practice with Baker Tilly, EY and Grant Thornton.

Nicola is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants and holds a BSc in Mathematics from Newcastle University and an MSc in Applied Mathematics and Fluid Mechanics from 糖心Vlog官方.

Please join us in giving Nicola a very warm welcome back to Manchester. We look forward to working with her and wish her every success in the role.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: 鈥淣icola brings a wealth of experience, sector insight and a strong track record of financial leadership and the opportunities and challenges facing the sector today. Having previously had a number of senior roles at Manchester, she also knows the University well and shares our commitment to the ambitions we鈥檝e set out in our strategy. I am delighted to welcome Nicola back to the University and look forward to working with her.鈥�

Nicola Davies said: 鈥淚 am delighted to be returning to 糖心Vlog官方 as Chief Financial Officer. Having both worked and studied here, Manchester is an institution I know well and care about deeply. I am looking forward to working with colleagues across the University to build on its strong foundations, support its strategic ambitions and ensure that our financial planning and investment continue to deliver real impact for our students, staff, city and wider communities.鈥�

Nicola will take up the role on Monday 8 February 2027.

糖心Vlog官方 has been selected to establish a new ELIAS Node, becoming only the second UK institution to join the European AI innovation network, alongside Cambridge.

The Manchester Node is one of eight newly selected nodes announced at the ELIAS Frontier AI Innovation Summit in Stuttgart, Germany, on 8 October 2026. The expansion brings the ELIAS Alliance to 16 nodes across nine European countries, strengthening collaboration in frontier artificial intelligence research, innovation and entrepreneurship.

Led by Professor Sophia Ananiadou, Professor of Computer Science and Deputy Director of the Christabel Pankhurst Institute, the Manchester ELIAS Node will be hosted at the Christabel Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology Research and Innovation at 糖心Vlog官方.

The ELIAS Alliance (European Leadership in Innovation with AI and Science), initiated by the European Laboratory for Learning and Intelligent Systems (ELLIS), brings together leading AI researchers, universities, innovation centres and industry partners to strengthen Europe's leadership in AI research and its translation into technological, economic and societal impact.

Advancing frontier AI research and innovation

The Manchester ELIAS Node will connect the University's internationally recognised strengths in artificial intelligence with interdisciplinary research, entrepreneurship and industrial innovation.

Its research activities will focus on three complementary areas:

• Trustworthy AI for digital twins, in-silico trials and regulatory-grade evidence, bringing together multimodal learning, causal AI, simulation and computational medicine to support reliable scientific and healthcare applications.
• Open foundation models, agentic AI and trustworthy AI, advancing language technologies, domain-specialised foundation models, multilingual AI, intelligent agents and methods for evaluating the reliability and safety of AI systems.
• AI foundations for scientific discovery and complex systems, including probabilistic machine learning, optimisation, uncertainty quantification, scientific machine learning and human-centred AI.

The Node builds on Manchester's established research environment, including the National Centre for Text Mining (NaCTeM), ELLIS Manchester, the Centre for AI Fundamentals, the University's doctoral training programmes and the Christabel Pankhurst Institute. It will support new opportunities for collaborative research, doctoral education, researcher mobility, open-source AI development and knowledge exchange across Europe.

Manchester ELIAS Node leadership and research team

The Manchester ELIAS Node is led by Professor Sophia Ananiadou, who serves as its Lead and Spokesperson within the European ELIAS Alliance. Her research spans natural language processing, large language models, trustworthy and agentic AI, and biomedical and scientific language technologies. The Node brings together leading researchers from 糖心Vlog官方 and European academic partners.

ELLIS Fellows associated with the Manchester Node:

• Professor Sophia Ananiadou 鈥� 糖心Vlog官方; Manchester ELIAS Node Lead and Spokesperson.
• Professor Magnus Rattray 鈥� 糖心Vlog官方; ELLIS Manchester Lead, Machine Learning and AI.
• Professor Alejandro Frangi 鈥� 糖心Vlog官方; Computational Medicine and AI.
• Professor Samuel Kaski 鈥� 糖心Vlog官方 and ELLIS Institute Finland; Machine Learning and AI.

Manchester Node Members:

• Dr Mauricio Alvarez 鈥� Machine Learning and AI Fundamentals.
• Professor Julia Handl 鈥� Optimisation, Machine Learning and Decision Sciences.
• Dr Mingfei Sun 鈥� Machine Learning, Reinforcement Learning and Open-Source AI.
• Dr Tingting Mu 鈥� Theoretical Machine Learning and AI Fundamentals.
• Dr Claudia Lindner 鈥� Translational Medical Imaging and AI for Health.
• Professor Matthew Sperrin 鈥� Biostatistics, Health Data Science and Causal Inference.

Together, the team brings complementary expertise across AI foundations, trustworthy machine learning, language technologies, biomedical AI, optimisation and scientific discovery, supporting the Node's research, innovation and training activities.

糖心Vlog官方ing Manchester to Europe's AI research community

As the second ELIAS Node in the UK, Manchester will strengthen the country's contribution to European AI research and innovation. Working closely with the Cambridge ELIAS Node, Manchester will help establish a stronger north鈥搒outh connection within the UK, while developing new collaborations with European partners, including the ELLIS Institute Finland, ELLIS Unit Franconia and ELLIS Unit Barcelona. These partnerships will support joint research initiatives, researcher exchanges, doctoral training, innovation activities and participation in the wider ELIAS network. The Node will also contribute to the ELIAS Alliance Innovation PhD initiative, connecting doctoral researchers with opportunities in AI research, entrepreneurship, industrial collaboration and international mobility.

Building on Greater Manchester's industry and innovation ecosystem

A distinctive strength of the Manchester ELIAS Node is its integration with the region's growing AI, life sciences and innovation ecosystem.

The Node is supported by a network of academic, industry and innovation organisations, including:

• Unit M 鈥� Supporting science entrepreneurship, venture creation and innovation.
• University of Manchester Innovation Factory 鈥� Supporting technology transfer, intellectual property and commercialisation.
• Turing Innovation Catalyst 鈥� 糖心Vlog官方ing AI research with industry, startups and regional economic growth.
• Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Catalyst (IBIC) 鈥� Supporting innovation, industrial collaboration and translation.
• Bionow 鈥� 糖心Vlog官方ing the Node with the regional life sciences and biotechnology industry.
• Cambridge鈥揗anchester Innovation Partnership 鈥� Strengthening collaboration, entrepreneurship and innovation across the two cities.

The Node will also draw on established industry relationships and wider international partnerships to create pathways from frontier AI research to real-world applications. These collaborations will help researchers and students engage with entrepreneurs, industry experts and investors, supporting the development of innovative AI technologies and new ventures.

A new chapter for Manchester's European AI collaboration

Professor Sophia Ananiadou, Lead of the Manchester ELIAS Node, said:鈥淲e are delighted that 糖心Vlog官方 has been selected to join the ELIAS Alliance as its second UK Node. This is an important recognition of Manchester's research excellence in artificial intelligence and the strength of our interdisciplinary research community. The Manchester Node brings together outstanding expertise in AI foundations, trustworthy and agentic AI, language technologies and AI for scientific discovery. We look forward to developing new opportunities for research collaboration, doctoral training and innovation through the ELIAS Alliance.

Professor Ian Hall, Director at 糖心Vlog官方, said: "I am excited at the potential for the Manchester ELIAS Node and look forward to hosting it in the Christabel Pankhurst Institute. Trust and openness in AI solutions for health research are critical for public and clinical acceptability, and we look forward to leading work on these and other key foundations with partners in the European Leadership in Innovation with AI and Science"

The establishment of the Manchester ELIAS Node reinforces 糖心Vlog官方's commitment to internationally leading AI research, interdisciplinary collaboration and responsible innovation. Hosted by the Christabel Pankhurst Institute, the Node will provide a new platform for connecting research excellence with European collaboration, entrepreneurship and societal benefit.

Further information:

The relative North鈥揝outh gap in this age group has therefore more than tripled over four decades. These comparisons take account of differences in age and sex between the populations.

In the 1980s, northern women in their late twenties and thirties had no excess mortality compared with the South; today every five-year band of women aged 25鈥�49 shows a 35鈥�60% excess, and the gap for women has grown 3.5-fold overall, from around 12% to 41%.

In this study, 鈥渘orthern excess mortality鈥� means how much higher death rates are in the North than in the South of England in the same year.

The study, led by researchers from the University of Liverpool, the University of Manchester and Health Equity North, analysed national death registrations and population estimates from 1981 to 2024. It examined how the divide varied by age and sex, and whether trends changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic.

Mortality rates fell overall during the four decades studied, although improvements were interrupted by the pandemic. The North鈥揝outh gap persisted, and the widening among adults aged 25鈥�49 began well before COVID-19.

During 2010鈥�19, the relative North鈥揝outh mortality gap among 25鈥�49-year-olds widened for both women and men, with a faster increase among women.

There was no evidence of a narrowing of the gap during 2020鈥�24 in any of the age or sex groups studied. Across all people under 75, death rates were 26% higher in the North than in the South in 2024, after adjustment for age and sex.

The study examined deaths from all causes combined, rather than the specific causes of the divide. The researchers plan further analyses to investigate which causes of death are contributing to the differences.

The authors describe the persistence of the North鈥揝outh health divide and its widening among working-age adults and women in early to mid-life as 鈥渕ajor challenges for government鈥�.

They call for sustained, coordinated action by central government and strategic regional authorities to tackle the social and economic drivers of excess mortality in the North. This includes:

• Giving regional strategic authorities sufficient powers to address the social and economic determinants of health.
• Targeting funding at areas of high deprivation to narrow health gaps.

Professor Iain Buchan, W.H. Duncan Professor of Public Health Systems and Associate Pro Vice Chancellor for Innovation at the University of Liverpool, Director of Civic Health Innovation Labs (CHIL), and Executive Director of Science and Technology at Liverpool Health Partners, said: 鈥淭hese findings are deeply concerning for England鈥檚 health, social fabric and economy. The more than tripling of the relative North鈥揝outh mortality gap between 1981 and 2024 among 25鈥�49-year-olds is the tip of the iceberg of rising regional inequalities in the health of working-age adults, which risk compounding economic divides and reinforcing a vicious circle of disadvantage in the North compared with the South of England.

鈥淧olicymakers need to consider radical steps to improve health, work and opportunity in the North of England, not only for public health but for the whole UK economy.鈥�

Professor in Data Science and Health Services Research, University of Manchester, said: 鈥淏y bringing previous analyses of the North鈥揝outh mortality divide up to date, the study paints a picture of persistent regional inequalities and exposes a concerning trajectory for the North.

鈥淚t also provides robust evidence for the need for sustained policy action in the North that extends beyond healthcare and tackles the wider factors that shape health outcomes, such as deprivation, multimorbidity, poor housing and adverse employment conditions.鈥�

Professor Benjamin Barr, Professor in Applied Public Health Research at the University of Liverpool, said: 鈥淭ackling the increasing health gap between the North and the South should be a top priority for government. Our research shows that the problem is getting worse, with northern excess mortality rising steeply among 25-49-year-olds, who make up a significant proportion of the working age population. There is both a moral imperative to tackle these regional disparities and a strong economic case for doing so.鈥�

Co-Director of the NIHR Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester, Academic Co-Director at Health Equity North, and Senior Lecturer in Health Economics at the University of Manchester, said: 鈥淥ur study reveals a deepening of the North鈥揝outh mortality gap, with worrying long-term trends among northern working-age adults and women in early to mid-life, which is particularly concerning given their role in shaping the health and life chances of the next generation.

鈥淭hese are trends that government cannot ignore. They need to invest in health, specifically in areas that have poorer health outcomes, to build a healthier, more resilient society and a stronger economy.鈥�

Hannah Davies, Chief Executive of the Northern Health Science Alliance and Executive Director of Health Equity North (HEN), said: 鈥淭his paper adds to the evidence on health inequalities in the North. HEN鈥檚 separate research has also examined the economic consequences of poor health and the circumstances in which people leave work.

鈥淭argeted action is needed in the hardest-hit communities, informed by robust research and combining prevention and healthcare with action on the wider social and economic determinants of health.鈥�

• 鈥楾he north鈥搒outh divide in English mortality, 1981鈥�2024: a longitudinal population study鈥�, published in The Lancet Public Health, can be accessed here:

An , published today, estimates that a fully funded UK Centre of Excellence for In-Silico Regulatory Science and Innovation (UK CEiRSI) could generate 37,282 additional quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) within its first five years. A QALY is a measure that combines length and quality of life, representing a year lived in perfect health. The report values that health gain at around 拢2.4 billion, applying the Treasury's 拢70,000 valuation of a QALY and discounting future benefits.

Headquartered at 糖心Vlog官方, UK CEiRSI's mission is to accelerate the use of in silico methods, which use computer modelling and simulations alongside, or in place of, laboratory experiments or tests involving animals or people, as a key evidence base for developing and regulating medicines and medical devices. UK CEiRSI is supported by the Office of Life Sciences, Innovate UK, the Medical Research Council, and the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency.

The analysis also estimates potential savings within the next five years of 拢1.2 billion for the NHS and 拢325 million globally for industry through research and development efficiencies and additional revenue. It projects a 拢21.9 billion contribution to the UK economy through investment, employment, and productivity gains. The authors caution that some of these quantified health and productivity benefits may overlap.

The report suggests that in silico methods could also reduce reliance on animal testing and improve access to treatments for groups often under-represented in clinical trials, including children and pregnant women.

UK CEiRSI鈥檚 work is referenced in the Government鈥檚 Replacing Animals in Science Strategy and aligns with their Life Sciences Sector Plan, AI for Science Strategy, and the 10-Year Health Plan for England.

To estimate the impact, researchers modelled how UK CEiRSI could enable 14 additional uses of medicines and medical devices by 2030, comprising two medicines and 12 devices. Over 15 years, that figure could rise to 77 new uses. The resulting health gains were valued at 拢14 billion. Separately, the report links 拢12.5 billion of new research and development investment to the creation of 267,000 jobs by 2040.

The analysis drew on published evidence and a survey of 46 experts from the medical device, pharmaceutical, and supporting sectors, with the headline figures based on OHE鈥檚 medium impact scenario.

Professor , Executive Director of at 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淚n silico technologies let us test ideas, treatments and devices using sophisticated computer models before, or alongside, conventional studies. UK CEiRSI is unlocking the potential of these methods and this report shows how the country stands to gain. More years of healthy life is a tantalising prospect and one that is now within our grasp. The economic benefits that we can offer will create and protect British jobs. We are helping to reduce animal testing in research by advancing the use of human-relevant evidence. We look forward to delivering this transformational agenda alongside the government, medical regulators, and businesses."

Professor Sarah Sharples, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering at 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淐omputer modelling is an extremely beneficial component of delivering safe and effective technology. The report sets out an opportunity that the UK is well placed to take. The rules by which computer-based evidence is accepted in medicine and medical device regulation are being written now, and the countries that help write those rules will shape how these products are developed well beyond their own borders.

鈥漊K CEiRSI, headquartered here and drawing on partners across the UK and beyond, demonstrates how a Manchester strategic approach brings this approach to life. It takes modelling, computing at scale, and validation to a standard that holds up under scrutiny 鈥� and people who can do all three. Manchester has this.鈥�

Professor Ashley Blom, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health at 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淓very medicine and device that reaches a patient has been tested on somebody, and for decades that somebody has rarely been a child, rarely someone who is pregnant, and rarely someone from the communities our trials reach least well. Simulation changes who can be represented in the evidence, which makes this a matter of safety and of fairness at once. The report highlights these benefits and the potential for improved patient safety and enhanced product efficacy more generally."

A simple daily blood test could help critically ill sepsis patients come off antibiotics sooner, potentially reducing drug overuse and helping tackle the growing threat of antibiotic resistance, new research shows.

The study, led by researchers at University of Manchester and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, and mainly funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), involved 2,760 patients in 41 intensive care units across the UK and is published in the journal

They found monitoring levels of a blood marker called procalcitonin (PCT) prompted doctors to consider stopping antibiotics significantly earlier than another commonly used marker, C-reactive protein (CRP).

The ADAPT-Sepsis trial examines how doctors respond to automated advice generated from daily blood tests designed to guide decisions on when antibiotic treatment could safely end.

The new data adds to the evidence already gathered through the ADAPT-Sepsis research programme. This process evaluation provides the final piece of the puzzle on whether the approach could be adopted across the NHS.

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by the body's overwhelming response to infection and is responsible for thousands of deaths every year.

Patients often receive prolonged courses of powerful antibiotics because doctors are understandably cautious about stopping treatment too soon in severely ill patients.

But unnecessary antibiotic use can fuel antimicrobial resistance, increase side effects and add to healthcare costs.

The researchers found that procalcitonin-based guidance generated "stop antibiotics" recommendations nearly two days earlier than guidance based on CRP 鈥� a significant reduction.

Though doctors were more likely to follow advice generated from CRP testing, the earlier signals produced by procalcitonin offer greater potential to cut the total amount of antibiotics patients receive.

CRP testing more closely reflects existing prescribing habits and tends to recommend continuing standard care.

More than 17,000 blood samples and pieces of treatment advice were analysed during the trial.

The most common reason doctors chose not to follow recommendations to stop antibiotics was existing microbiology guidance recommending fixed treatment durations.

Other reasons included concerns about ongoing severe illness, persistent fever and raised inflammation markers.

Principle researcher Professor is Vice Dean for health and care partnerships at 糖心Vlog官方 and Professor of critical care medicine at the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust.

He said: "For decades, intensive care doctors have faced an impossible balancing act.

鈥淣obody wants to stop antibiotics too early and risk a patient's life, but continuing them unnecessarily also carries real dangers for individuals and society.

鈥淲hat our study shows is that simple biomarker tests can provide an additional layer of reassurance when making these difficult decisions.

鈥淭he challenge now is helping healthcare teams feel confident acting on that information so patients receive exactly the treatment they need, for exactly as long as they need it."

He added: 鈥淏lood-test-guided antibiotic stewardship could become an important tool in the fight against antimicrobial resistance if implemented alongside existing clinical guidance and prescribing frameworks.

鈥淭丑别蝉别听 findings provide new insight into how hospitals could safely reduce antibiotic exposure in some of the sickest patients in the NHS while helping preserve the effectiveness of life-saving drugs for future generations.鈥�

Professor Rupert Pearse, Chair of the NIHR-HTA commissioning committee, said: "NIHR-funded research like the ADAPT-Sepsis trial plays a key role in tackling the threat posed globally by antimicrobial resistance.

"The study team's results help to provide vital evidence for medical professionals, giving them a greater understanding of how best to treat sepsis patients and, crucially, identify when it is safe for antibiotic treatment to be halted."

The trial is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Applied Research Collaboration Greater Manchester (ARC-GM), the NIHR Manchester HealthTech Research Centre in Emergency and Acute Care and the NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), in collaboration with The Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.聽

• The paper Delivery and adherence of biomarker-guided antibiotic treatment protocols in the ADAPT-Sepsis clinical trial: an in trial descriptive process evaluation of daily procalcitonin- and C-reactive protein-guided protocols is published in he journal . 聽DOI https://doi.org/10.1111/anae.70439

Professor Ashley Blom, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, will leave 糖心Vlog官方 next year to take up the role of Provost at the University of Melbourne.

During his time at Manchester, Ashley has made an important contribution to both the Faculty and the wider University. He has sharpened our approach to growing and diversifying research income, brought focus to how we attract, support and retain outstanding people, and provided thoughtful and determined leadership in addressing areas of challenge within the Faculty. As a highly valued member of the University Executive, he has also contributed insight and constructive challenge to the University鈥檚 strategy, strengthened engagement with philanthropists through Challenge Accepted, helped develop initiatives to improve the student experience and our NSS performance, and laid the groundwork for the renewal of the health estate through the integrated infrastructure plan.

Beyond the University, Ashley has worked closely with partners across Greater Manchester's health and care system. Through his roles with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and Health Innovation Manchester, and his engagement with the NHS, civic and community partners, he has strengthened the Faculty's connections across the city-region and championed the contribution that research, education and innovation can make to better health outcomes.

Ashley is an orthopaedic surgeon and internationally recognised researcher in arthroplasty. Before joining Manchester, he was Vice-President and Head of the Faculty of Health at the University of Sheffield and, before that, Head of Bristol Medical School. He is an NIHR Senior Investigator, a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and a former President of the European Orthopaedic Research Society. His research has informed national guidance on joint replacement.

The University is extremely sorry to see Ashley leave, but we congratulate him on his appointment and wish him every success in this major new role. Interim leadership arrangements for the Faculty will be communicated in due course.

The University will begin the recruitment process for a new Vice-President and Dean immediately.

Professor Ashley Blom said: 鈥淭his has been an exceptionally difficult decision. Manchester is a remarkable university, and I have enormous belief in the direction Duncan and colleagues have set through Manchester 2035. The University has developed a genuinely world-leading plan: ambitious about research and education, deeply rooted in its city and region, and focused on turning excellence into lasting public benefit.

鈥淚 am immensely grateful to colleagues, students and partners across the University and Greater Manchester for the openness, commitment and generosity they have shown me. It has been a privilege to work alongside them. Although the opportunity to become Provost at Melbourne is one I am honoured to take up, I will leave Manchester with real sadness and with every confidence in what the University will achieve between now and 2035.鈥�

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方 said: 鈥淚 am sorry that Ashley will be leaving us, but I understand the opportunity he has been offered at a world-leading university and warmly congratulate him on his appointment. In a relatively short time at Manchester, he has made a significant contribution, sharpening our approach to research income, bringing open and collaborative leadership to the Faculty, responding with care and determination in tackling challenges, and strengthening our relationships across Greater Manchester鈥檚 health and care system.

鈥淎shley has been a valued colleague and member of the University Executive, and we will miss his judgement, generosity and commitment to Manchester. Melbourne is gaining an outstanding academic leader.

鈥淲e will communicate interim arrangements shortly and begin the recruitment of Ashley鈥檚 successor as soon as possible. In the meantime, I know colleagues will join me in thanking Ashley and wishing him and his family every success for the future.鈥�

Professor Blom will take up the role in March 2027.

The study offers a powerful reminder that survival is only the beginning of recovery.

Published in the journal , the study evaluated the Enhanced Rehabilitation Programme (ERP), a specialist multidisciplinary rehabilitation service established following the 2017 Manchester Arena attack.

The programme provided intensive, personalised support for survivors who were still struggling with the physical and psychological consequences of their injuries more than a year after the event.

The researchers from the Universities of Salford and Manchester, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust, found that participants experienced substantial improvements in physical recovery, confidence, fitness, mental wellbeing and overall quality of life.

Survivors described achieving goals they once thought impossible, from walking without aids and reducing pain medication to returning to work, pursuing further education and rebuilding their independence.

While advances in trauma care mean more people than ever survive devastating injuries, many continue to live with long-term physical, psychological and social consequences that can persist for years after discharge from hospital.

The ERP brought together physiotherapists, psychologists, occupational therapists, surgeons, sports scientists and rehabilitation specialists to address the complex challenges faced by major trauma survivors, at the renowned Manchester Institute of Health and Performance.

Participants consistently reported that the programme's personalised, holistic approach, and elite sport environment, helped them regain confidence, restore function and rebuild their lives.

Patients described how the programme shifted their focus from simply coping with injury to actively 鈥渢raining like an athlete鈥�, pursuing future goals and aspirations.

The study identified several important lessons for the future of trauma rehabilitation:

• Recovery after major trauma must address psychological and social wellbeing, not just physical injuries.
• Personalised goal-setting and progress tracking help maintain motivation and confidence throughout recovery.
• Multidisciplinary rehabilitation allows patients with complex injuries to receive coordinated support tailored to their individual needs.
• Despite the overwhelmingly positive experiences reported by participants, the study also highlighted concerns about what happens when specialist rehabilitation ends.
• Both patients and clinicians expressed anxieties about maintaining progress and accessing ongoing support through existing NHS services, with some describing a feeling of stepping off a rehabilitation "cliff edge" once the programme concluded.

, Professor of Reconstructive Plastic Surgery and Regenerative Medicine at 糖心Vlog官方 and Consultant Trauma Surgeon at MFT, said: "This study is ultimately a story about resilience. The survivors we worked with faced life-changing injuries and experiences, yet many went on to achieve things they never thought would be possible. We saw people regain independence, rebuild confidence, return to work, improve their fitness and ultimately adopt a new healthier mindset.

"What was clear from both patients and clinicians is that recovery after major trauma involves much more than healing physical wounds. Psychological wellbeing, confidence, identity and social participation are all fundamental parts of rebuilding lives after injury.鈥�

Professor Wong, who is also a Dermatology Theme researcher at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester which supported the study, added: "Our findings show that structured, multidisciplinary rehabilitation can make a real difference, but they also highlight an important challenge. Recovery doesn't end when someone leaves hospital, and access to rehabilitation does not always provide the specialist input required.

"This is an opportunity to celebrate the extraordinary courage and determination of survivors of trauma, while recognising that many continue to need support long after their immediate injuries have healed. If we want to improve long-term outcomes, we must ensure that trauma survivors have access to sustainable rehabilitation pathways that support them throughout their recovery journey."

Paul Price, a Manchester Arena attack survivor who took part in the Enhanced Rehabilitation Programme at the Manchester Institute of Health and Performance (MIHIP) over two years, said: 鈥淭he NHS saved my life and put me back together, but it was the support and specialist care I received at MIHIP that gave me the means to carry on living.

鈥淭he programme helped me rebuild not just physically, but mentally and emotionally, and showed me that recovery could mean more than simply coping 鈥� it could mean finding a way forward.鈥�

• The programme was funded through the We Love Manchester Emergency Fund and Greater Manchester Clinical Commissioning Groups, with support from the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester.
• The paper The enhanced rehabilitation programme for significant musculoskeletal injuries from the Manchester arena bombing 鈥� A process evaluation study investigating patients鈥� and physiotherapists鈥� experiences is published in Physiotherapy聽 DOI
• Image: view of the floral tribute in Manchester. Credit: Tomasz " Kozlowski

LanthaGen Bio was named the winner at the University of Manchester鈥檚 inaugural Innovation Festival following pitches from five shortlisted teams developing AI solutions to address real-world challenges.

LanthaGen Bio is developing technology that combines artificial intelligence, computational chemistry and physics-based modelling to accelerate the recovery of critical metals while reducing waste, costs and the need for resource-intensive laboratory testing.

Rare earth elements and other critical metals are essential to a wide range of technologies, including electric vehicles, smartphones and clean-energy infrastructure. However, recovering these materials efficiently and sustainably remains a significant challenge.

LanthaGen Bio aims to address this by developing proteins that selectively bind to target metals. These proteins known as Biomagnets, help recover valuable materials from existing waste streams, reducing reliance on conventional extraction and separation processes.

By combining computational chemistry, AI and physics-based modelling, LanthaGen Bio designs custom metal-binding proteins in days rather than months. This makes metal recovery faster, more efficient and sustainable.

LanthaGen Bio has already secured 拢2.4 million in grant funding, allowing their six-person team to build sustainably towards future development.

Dan Healy, co-founder of LanthaGen Bio Ltd, said: 鈥淭his funding has unlocked our next project, meaning we can extend the contracts of our amazing PhD scientists in Greater Manchester, keeping talent local and allowing us to target an entirely new metal for recycling that we couldn't previously research. As well as delivering skilled employment in Greater Manchester, our product aims to vastly increase circularity and reduce carbon emissions for a metal that has no established supply chain in Europe.鈥�

The Coller AI competition, established by 糖心Vlog官方 and the Jeremy Coller Foundation, supports early-stage ventures using artificial intelligence to tackle global challenges while ensuring technology is developed responsibly and for the benefit of people and society.

The competition attracted applications from students, staff and alumni across the University. The four other finalists were:

Health Equity Chain, building and AI tool that helps doctors and patients make better prostate cancer treatment decisions.

SporeSense, created an AI-powered early-warning system that detects crop disease before any symptoms are visible, helping farmers reduce losses and unnecessary pesticide use.

SenseVale, developing smart glasses to help blind and partially sighted people navigate their surroundings more independently.

Forkprint Ltd, developing AI-enabled models helping food businesses measure and reduce greenhouse gas emissions associated with ingredients and food preparation.

Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice President (Enterprise) and CSO of Unit M at 糖心Vlog官方 said: 鈥淭he quality of every pitch was exceptional and a powerful reflection of the ambition and growing entrepreneurial spirit across our University ecosystem. Huge congratulations to LanthaGen Bio - it has been fantastic to see how far the team has come over the past 18 months, since first winning an Ideas with Impact Award in 2025. The competition was a fitting way to close our inaugural Innovation Festival: a week full of energy, bold ideas and a real sense of excitement about what comes next.鈥�

Jeremy Coller said: 鈥淎I will completely transform the way we live, work and communicate, solving challenges that have baffled us for generations and allowing humanity to achieve in the real world what was previously confined to our wildest imaginations. To make the most of that potential we have to support the innovators and entrepreneurs who are working so hard to unleash it, and that's what the Coller AI Competition is all about - identifying incredible people doing amazing things in the University of Manchester community and getting behind the very best of them.鈥�

is the philanthropic vehicle of private equity entrepreneur Jeremy Coller. The Foundation supports initiatives focused on education, entrepreneurship, pensions innovation and the transition to a more sustainable food system.

The Coller AI Competition forms part of 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 Challenge Accepted campaign, which supports ideas with the potential to tackle major global challenges. Challenge Accepted | Give | 糖心Vlog官方

The initiative run by Unit M brings together the University of Manchester鈥檚 research strength, entrepreneurial talent and commitment to responsible innovation, supporting students, staff and alumni.

The proposed Centre in Bengaluru will provide a permanent platform for 糖心Vlog官方 to deepen its engagement with one of the world鈥檚 most dynamic education, research and innovation ecosystems. It will help to bring together academic expertise, industry knowledge and entrepreneurial talent to address shared challenges and create opportunities for students and researchers.

Building on 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 successful Partner-Enabled Learning (PEL) model in the UK, the centre in Bengaluru will create opportunities for students to gain practical experience through internships, work placements and industry-led projects.

The PEL model aims to close skills gaps by embedding real-world projects with employers, public bodies and community organisations into degree programmes, ensuring students graduate with practical experience as well as academic knowledge. It focuses on developing skills such as adaptability, problem-solving, collaboration and employer engagement through credit-bearing projects and micro-internships.

糖心Vlog官方 has established relationships with leading businesses and industry partners across India, including organisations such as Reliance, Tata and Infosys, alongside a wider network of technology companies. The Centre will build on these connections to strengthen industry engagement and create new opportunities for students and researchers.

The announcement comes as 糖心Vlog官方 joins the first-ever Great North Mayoral Mission to India, taking place from 12 to 16 October 2026. The mission brings together universities, businesses, civic leaders and cultural organisations from across the North of England to forge new connections, build lasting relationships and share expertise with India.

Bengaluru has been identified as the preferred location for the Centre due to its position as one of India鈥檚 leading hubs for higher education, technology and innovation. The city is home to some of the country鈥檚 foremost universities and research institutes, alongside a thriving community of global businesses and technology companies. Many already collaborate with Manchester鈥檚 academics and graduates, providing a strong foundation for the University鈥檚 future presence in the city.

The announcement marks a significant step in the University鈥檚 ambition to strengthen its global presence, as set out in its strategy, From Manchester for the World. It builds on decades of collaboration with partners across India and will create new opportunities to tackle global challenges by connecting Manchester鈥檚 expertise with India鈥檚 dynamic research, technology and innovation communities.

The Centre was announced at a special event at the Science Gallery Bengaluru, which featured alumni and leaders from sectors such as culture and business. The Mayor of Greater Manchester, Bev Craig also attended and there were panel discussions on innovation and culture led by President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方, Professor Duncan Ivison.

Professor Ivison said: 鈥淭here is an incredible depth to Manchester鈥檚 relationship with India across education, business and culture. Our new Centre will be at the heart of deepening those relationships and I鈥檓 very excited to see what we can give, and what we can learn over the coming years.鈥�

糖心Vlog官方 has international centres in Dubai, Hong Kong, Shanghai and Singapore.

The proposed Centre aligns closely with the University鈥檚 International Delivery Plan, which places global engagement as a key objective of Manchester 2035. The plan recognises that international partnerships will be central to delivering world-leading research, creating new educational opportunities, strengthening innovation ecosystems and ensuring Manchester remains a partner of choice around the world.

糖心Vlog官方 was the first in the UK to establish a joint PhD programme with an Indian institution, launching its dual award PhD with IIT Kharagpur in 2021.

It also established collaborations with institutions including the Indian Institute of Science Bangalore, BITS Pilani in fields of engineering and computer science, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific research and the Manipal Academy of Higher Education.

This visit forms part of the University's Challenge Accepted fundraising and volunteering campaign, which has included launch events in Delhi and Mumbai.

The inaugural Innovation Festival ended on a high at the Nancy Rothwell Building, where five ventures went head to head in the Coller AI Competition final, pitching live for a 拢100,000 equity investment from the Jeremy Coller Foundation.

LanthaGen Bio Ltd won with an AI platform that designs metal-capturing proteins computationally, helping recover valuable metals from electronic waste and onshore the UK's critical-mineral supply. CTO and co-founder Dan Healy led the pitch, and accepted the award alongside CSO Ellie Goulding, which was presented by Investment Principal Harry Kalms.

Nearby, Prime Minister Andy Burnham addressed a local summit, calling for the UK to become the world's leading "innovation nation" and praising the University's role in Manchester's innovation story. Organisers confirmed the festival returns 1鈥�5 November 2027.

Amid the buzz of the Nancy Rothwell Building, five finalist ventures pitched live for a 拢100k investment at the Coller AI Competition final today. Each team applies AI to a different social challenge: LanthaGen Bio Ltd pitched their platform for combining biomolecules and machine-learning modelling to identify candidates for selectively recovering valuable metals from electronic waste鈥斺�榰rban mines鈥欌�攁nd help onshore the UK鈥檚 critical-mineral supply. SenseVale pitched smart glasses that help blind and partially sighted users navigate more independently.

Spore Sense pitched an AI-enabled system that reduces pesticide use by detecting crop disease before symptoms appear. Health Equity Chain pitched a treatment analyser that helps prostate cancer patients understand where they stand among people like them. Finally, Forkprint pitched models that analyse food business data to track greenhouse gas emissions and develop lower-carbon recipes.

LanthaGen Bio Ltd wins, turning electronic waste into a UK mineral supply

took home the prize鈥攑resented by Investment Principal Harry Kalms from the Jeremy Coller Foundation鈥攕ecuring the six-figure equity investment for its AI platform that simulates how proteins and peptides bind metals, allowing new metal-capturing proteins to be designed computationally rather than found by trial and error. The approach drastically shortens development while cutting the energy, chemicals, plastic and solvent waste of repeated screening 鈥� supporting UK efforts to recover valuable metals from electronic waste and onshore critical-mineral supply. CTO and co-founder Dan Healy led the pitch, with Healy and CSO and co-founder Ellie Goulding accepting the award. The prize adds to 拢2.4 million in grant funding already secured, allowing their six-person team to build sustainably towards future development.

"We were pitching against the best of the best, which makes it just so exciting鈥攊t feels amazing,鈥� Healy shared, adding encouragement for others who might be dreaming of a venture in the future, 鈥淵our idea doesn't have to be perfect... we really believed in this and it had some scientific integrity behind it. You really just go from that."

鈥淭he three co-founders at LanthaGen Bio each bring their own set of skills... they have such a positive, candid attitude. They've faced stumbling blocks, they've pivoted their thinking, but they are willing to talk to everybody, to absorb the information, and to work out which advice to listen to.鈥� 鈥� Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President (Enterprise), University of Manchester

A week that showcased Manchester's role in building an Innovation Nation

As the University鈥檚 inaugural Innovation Week closed, Prime Minister Andy Burnham called for the UK to become the world's leading "innovation nation" at a , praising the University's role in Manchester鈥檚 innovation story. Friday wraps five days of activity, with the festival hosting more than 25 events across 17 venues, including 116 speakers, 21 new ideas pitched, and over 3,000 registrations. For the University of Manchester鈥檚 President and Vice-Chancellor Duncan Ivison, the week capped 18 months of work: "We've created a new innovation agency, set up a first ever 拢10M Founders Fund, and launched an innovation hub on Oxford Road... I think the festival sends a big message that innovation is a huge part of our future." As the week came to a close, organisers, confirmed the event will return next year, 1鈥�5 November 2027.

Announcements and developments

• Atom Valley takes shape: The Festival鈥檚 final day also marked a major milestone in Rochdale, where the base build of the Sustainable Materials and Manufacturing Centre (SMMC) is now complete. It will give businesses in advanced materials and manufacturing access to specialist space, facilities and expertise, helping them move from concept to commercial application. 糖心Vlog官方 is lead delivery partner for the centre鈥檚 innovation ecosystem, working with Rochdale Development Agency, the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, Innovation Greater Manchester and UKRI. The SMMC is forecast to generate 拢107 million in economic value over ten years. 鈥淎tom Valley is an exciting opportunity and key to our plans to bring good growth to every postcode in Greater Manchester.鈥� 鈥� Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival

鈥淗aving more startups based in the north would be great. We're quite passionate about putting our roots of a company down here.鈥� 鈥� Ellie Goulding, CSO and co-founder, LanthaGen Bio Ltd

鈥淚nnovation can breed social mobility. I'd love to see more opportunities for entrepreneurs from working class backgrounds, as queer and female founders.鈥� 鈥� Dan Healy, CTO and co-founder, LanthaGen Bio Ltd

鈥淲e have worked with over 1,500 people across the city region over the last three years to help them explore and enter into careers in AI. That is a civic responsibility... By 2035, we'll be awash with it.鈥� 鈥� Liz Scott MBE, Coller AI Competition judge and Chief Executive Director, Turing Innovation Catalyst

The 30,000 sq ft centre is the first major physical development within the Atom Valley Innovation District (AVID), a 25-acre hub for advanced materials and manufacturing in Rochdale, bringing together businesses, researchers, investors and innovation partners in one location.聽AVID provides an environment where organisations can innovate, grow and commercialise new technologies, strengthening Greater Manchester's position as a leading centre for advanced materials and manufacturing.聽

Completion of the building represents a major milestone for years of partnership working between Rochdale Development Agency (RDA), Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), 糖心Vlog官方 and wider innovation partners.

RDA has led the physical development of the SMMC, working with partners to secure investment and position advanced materials and manufacturing as a priority opportunity for Rochdale and Greater Manchester. The next phase will see work move from construction towards specialist fit-out ahead of bringing the centre into operation in 2027.

The RDA brought together partners from industry, academia and government to establish the Centre of Expertise in Advanced Materials and Sustainability (CEAMS) in 2023. Since then, businesses have been able to connect with a national network of specialist expertise, facilities and innovation support through the CEAMS partners, including 糖心Vlog官方, the Henry Royce Institute, National Physical Laboratory (NPL), CPI and NCC.

CEAMS has already supported more than 90 companies, developing new products and processes and demonstrating the value of a more connected innovation ecosystem.

The SMMC will provide a permanent physical gateway into the UK鈥檚 renowned advanced materials and manufacturing network. It will offer advanced materials and manufacturing businesses access to specialist space, facilities, expertise and the CEAMS national network of innovation support, helping them move from concept towards commercial application.

The development of the SMMC building has received 拢15.2 million from the UK Government's Towns Fund, 拢15m from the GMCA鈥檚 Good Growth Fund and 拢10 million from the Greater Manchester Investment Zone.

The next phase for the innovation district has received a further major boost through 拢16.4 million from the Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF), a flagship UK government programme delivered through UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) in partnership with GMCA and Innovation Greater Manchester (IGM), investing 拢500 million to strengthen regional innovation economies across the country. 糖心Vlog官方 is the lead delivery partner for the programme, working with RDA and the CEAMS consortium of national innovation partners to activate the ecosystem around the SMMC. Independent analysis forecasts that the centre will generate 拢107 million of economic value over ten years, delivering a 2:1 return on public investment while helping to attract new businesses, inward investment and high-value employment into Atom Valley.

Councillor Daniel Meredith, Portfolio Holder for Regeneration and Housing at Rochdale Borough Council, said: 鈥淭he building completion of the Sustainable Materials & Manufacturing Centre is fantastic news for Rochdale residents. This landmark facility will help create new employment opportunities, support the development of high-value skills and ensure local people can benefit from some of the most exciting advances in modern manufacturing and materials science.

鈥淲e've worked hard to position Rochdale at the forefront of innovation and advanced manufacturing, and the SMMC is a clear example of that ambition becoming reality. It's a major investment in our future, creating opportunities for local businesses, attracting new employers and helping to build a stronger economy for generations to come.鈥�

Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation at 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淐ompleting the base build is a major achievement and testament to the partnership that has brought the SMMC this far. The opportunity now is to bring that physical investment to life by drawing together businesses, research, expertise and innovation in a way that creates lasting value for Rochdale, Greater Manchester and the UK.

鈥淭he University is the lead delivery partner charged with delivering the innovation ecosystem that will accelerate the growth of the advanced materials and manufacturing cluster already in the region, connecting our research strengths with businesses and national partners to help new ideas develop, scale and reach the market at pace, and attracting over 拢60 million in private sector investment. The SMMC and wider Atom Valley Innovation District is a crucial part of our commitment to driving innovation-led growth right across Greater Manchester.鈥�

Charlotte Deane, UK Research & Innovation senior sponsor for Greater Manchester said: 鈥淕reater Manchester has outstanding strengths in advanced materials and manufacturing. This 拢16.4m Local Innovation Partnerships Fund (LIPF) investment backs those strengths by connecting businesses with a national network of expertise and support to turn world-class research and innovation into economic opportunity by powering the growth of an advanced materials focused cluster of companies on the Kingsway Business Park.

鈥淭he SMMC and the wider Atom Valley Innovation District show the potential of universities, industry and

civic partners working together to support innovation-led growth, unlock new supply chain opportunities, create new jobs and strengthen the region鈥檚 ability to attract and grow innovative businesses.鈥�

Mayor of Greater Manchester Bev Craig said: 鈥淎tom Valley is an exciting opportunity and key to our plans to bring good growth to every postcode in Greater Manchester. The completion of the SMMC building is a major milestone for what will become a nationally significant hub for innovation.

鈥淲e鈥檙e providing space for businesses and connecting them with investment, world-class research, facilities and support within the wider Atom Valley Innovation District. In practice, that means more opportunities for our businesses to grow, attracting new investment to this part of Greater Manchester, and more high-value jobs for our residents.鈥�

The milestone was announced during a week where 糖心Vlog官方 hosted its inaugural Innovation Festival, to showcase Manchester's vibrant, globally connected innovation ecosystem and bring together researchers, students, entrepreneurs, partners, investors and civic leaders to explore how ideas become impact.

Where earlier days celebrated what Manchester is building, Thursday looked outwards. The first Cambridge x Manchester Partnership Innovation Summit filled Sister to the brim with founders, researchers, investors and policymakers from both cities. Panels explored the partnership鈥檚 mission to 鈥榮upercharge innovation-led growth鈥�, with speakers from the University, Arm, Northern Gritstone, No. 10 North, UKRI and the British Chambers of Commerce.

Six Manchester founders pitched their innovations in lightning talks, and Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, gave the keynote before closing remarks from University of Manchester President and Vice-Chancellor, Duncan Ivison and Shaun Grady, UK Chair of AstraZeneca. The Investor Summit continued the conversation on growth capital in the afternoon. In the evening, University of Manchester founders pitched to investors, mentors and partners at Manchester Venture Builder Demo Day, also at Sister, while Holiferm鈥檚 co-founders shared how they built their biotechnology company at The Founders Playbook at Manchester Museum.

Co-opetition: the experiment linking two innovation powerhouses

Opening the summit, Faye Holland, Partnership Director of the Cambridge x Manchester Partnership, argued that the UK's challenge may be less about talent or funding than about systems. The partnership is the UK's first deliberately designed cross-city innovation partnership, with three objectives: driving economic growth, building for global growth, and making sure that growth is good growth that reaches communities beyond the innovation economy. Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方, said the UK too often gets caught in binaries, such as north versus south, and needs to "multiply our relationships, not narrow them" to compete globally.

鈥淲hat typically happens is we compete. Our postcodes compete, our councils compete, our combined authorities compete鈥� I wonder why we don't use the word co-opetition, where we bring collaboration and competition together in a really positive way鈥� We only have three years from start to finish to prove that this model can actually work.鈥� 鈥� Faye Holland, Partnership Director, The Cambridge x Manchester Partnership

鈥淐ambridge and Manchester are not rivals; they are increasingly one ecosystem, and the UK innovation economy, as a whole, is stronger for it.鈥� 鈥� Shaun Grady, UK Chair, AstraZeneca

Six ventures, five minutes each: Manchester鈥檚 ideas take the stage

Six lightning talks showed the kind of companies the partnership wants to help scale. Hosted by Dr Karim Bahou, Head of Innovation at Sister, the founders pitched for the audience鈥檚 vote. Alongside pitches from N:SYM and Nanoco, Spore Sense, which spun out of the University just four weeks ago, has developed a sensor that detects crop disease before symptoms appear. Silveray has invented flexible digital X-ray film for inspecting pipes and welds, an industry still largely reliant on analogue film. CircKit is helping fashion brands design waste out from the start, and Fava Health is bringing genomics into everyday healthcare for better personalised treatment.

鈥淭here is still a major imbalance in where innovation capital flows within the UK鈥� Around 80% of venture capital still remains within London, Oxford and Cambridge鈥� A big part of the opportunity is making it easier for founders to move between these two ecosystems, and share deal flow across both of these regions.鈥� 鈥� Dr Karim A. Bahou, Head of Innovation, Sister

Competing with the world, not each other聽

A panel chaired by Fiona Tuck of Metro Dynamics asked what Britain鈥檚 innovation economy still lacks. Professor Dame Jessica Corner, Executive Chair of Research England, said the UK is too small to treat its regions as separate innovation ecosystems, with capital 鈥渟tuck鈥� in the places that are already well resourced. Harriet Gordon, Deputy Director at No. 10 North, said the UK鈥檚 real competition is Boston, Silicon Valley and Paris: for investors, the choice is rarely Manchester or Liverpool, but Manchester or Munich.聽聽

In her keynote, Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester, said regions need to 鈥渃omplement each other, not just compete with each other鈥�, and set out a vision of good growth that people can feel in their daily lives.聽

鈥淪imply creating growth to impact on someone鈥檚 bank balance, without seeing the number of jobs increase and the quality of someone鈥檚 life improve, is just growth for growth鈥檚 sake.鈥� 鈥� Bev Craig, Mayor of Greater Manchester聽

Announcements and developments聽

• The Cambridge x Manchester Partnership will launch an 鈥渋nnovation passport鈥� by the end of the year, giving founders and researchers easier access to office space, accelerator programmes, investors and corporate partners across both cities.
• A joint investment prospectus for Cambridge and Manchester is on its way, Shaun Grady, UK Chair of AstraZeneca, told the summit, urging investors to 鈥済et in early鈥�.聽

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival聽

鈥淚 would hope that eight- and nine-year-olds growing up in Ardwick and Brunswick, right next to us, or a young person growing up in Rochdale, not only see the University as part of the place they live, but see it as theirs in some way.鈥� 鈥� Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor, 糖心Vlog官方聽

鈥淏y 2035, I鈥檇 expect to see Graphene in many products, from shoes to clothing to computers to tyres to aircraft 鈥� not in there because it鈥檚 Graphene, but because it鈥檚 adding competitive advantage.鈥� 鈥� James Baker, founder, Baker Graphene, and former Chief Executive, Graphene@Manchester聽

Demo Day聽

On Thursday evening, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre and Venture Caf茅 Manchester hosted Manchester Venture Builder Demo Day 2026 at Sister. University of Manchester founders from the Venture Builder programme took to the stage to pitch ventures they had spent months testing and refining. They ranged from Remi, a platform that helps therapists manage clients and build personalised exercises, to a student startup growing organic bananas and drying them with solar power. Investors, mentors, alumni, corporate partners and a delegation from Hartford in the US then joined the founders for a showcase and networking reception, continuing the outward-looking theme of the day.聽

鈥淚鈥檝e made more progress in the paste ten minutes of networking here than in the past 30 days of cold emailing and cold LinkedIn messaging!鈥� 鈥� Jacob Katz, founder, AMBS, BSc Management with Strategy, Innovation, and Entrepreneurship聽

"Innovation doesn't happen just because you have a great idea鈥� Getting people that have money, people that have technology, people that know how to do business 鈥� you can't do it on your own, but you can pull them together into one location." 鈥� Gene Goddard, Chief Business Investment Officer, Metro Hartford聽

Around the Festival聽

Away from Sister, Sow the City shared community-led social innovation at Growing Change event, and showcased funded projects at Inclusive Innovation for People and Planet. Beyond the Hearing Loop explored how Auracast audio technology could benefit deaf, hard-of-hearing and neurodivergent communities, and the University and national initiative, E3M met to discuss social enterprise innovation in public services.聽

Coming up聽

The Festival closes on Friday 9 October with the final of the Coller AI Competition, where University of Manchester AI startups pitch live for a 拢100,000 equity investment from The Jeremy Coller Foundation.聽聽

In the first study of its kind, published in , the scientists show how changes in this gene can cause a much milder disease than previously known

They identified that in 14 patients with retinitis pigmentosa, it was caused by certain combinations of faults in a gene called IDUA.

The gene is normally associated with mucopolysaccharidosis type I (MPS I), a rare disorder that can cause severe physical disability, heart problems, skeletal abnormalities and shortened life expectancy.

Yet several of the patients in the study showed no signs of the disorder despite detailed medical assessments and follow-up into their forties, fifties, sixties and seventies.

Their failing eyesight was the first and sometimes only clue to an underlying health problem.

The findings suggest some people with retinitis pigmentosa may actually have an extremely mild form of a metabolic disease that has gone unrecognised for decades.

The discovery expands our understanding of MPS I and reveals that the condition can exist in a much milder form than previously thought.

None of the patients carried the combinations of severe genetic faults normally seen in classic MPS I.

Instead, they carried milder combinations of gene faults in IDUA.

Through a series of lab experiments, the scientists found these milder faults act in different ways - some directly reducing the enzyme's activity, others disrupting the gene's splicing instructions - but in each case leaving behind only a tiny fraction, as little as 0.5 to 2 per cent, of normal function.

The scientists suspect this tiny amount of residual activity may be enough to protect most organs from damage while leaving the retina vulnerable.

One theory is that the eye may be especially sensitive to defects in the body's cellular recycling machinery because of its exceptionally high energy demands.

The findings could have implications for genetic screening programmes designed to identify rare diseases, including MPS I, in newborn babies.

And they also underline the importance of including IDUA and related metabolic genes in genetic testing for inherited retinal diseases.

Lead author from 糖心Vlog官方 said: "This study shows that the same gene can cause dramatically different disease outcomes, depending on how much of its related enzyme activity remains.

鈥淚n some patients we found almost no evidence of the devastating multisystem disorder typically associated with IDUA - their disease appeared confined to the retina, the mildest presentation we've seen to date.

鈥淭hese findings broaden the recognised spectrum of disease, improve diagnosis for patients with inherited blindness, and provide important clues about why the retina appears especially susceptible to even very small reductions in enzyme function.

鈥淲e hope they will help clinicians identify hitherto unrecognised cases of IDUA-related disease and pave the way for future treatments aimed at preserving vision before irreversible damage occurs.鈥�

• The paper Hypomorphic IDUA genotypes are associated with retinitis pigmentosa in individuals without syndromic mucopolysaccharidosis type I , published in ,听 is available at DOI: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2026.09.008

糖心Vlog官方 celebrated the very best in collaboration and knowledge exchange on Wednesday 7 October at the inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards, recognising the people, projects and organisations delivering outstanding impact through partnership working.

Held at the Whitworth Art Gallery as part of the University's Innovation Festival, the awards brought together academics, researchers, professional services colleagues and their external partners and collaborators for an evening of celebration. The inaugural awards attracted more than 120 nominations, with 25 partnerships shortlisted across eight awards. They were organised by the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, led by Dr Louise Bates, Director of Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange, and hosted by compere Adam Lovell.

Welcoming guests, Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation, said partnership runs through the University's Manchester 2035 strategy. 鈥淣o matter how good we are as a university, we can only have the scale of impact we want by working with others,鈥� he said. Over the past year, he added, the University has created 191 new business partnerships, around one for every working day, and now ranks first in the UK for contract research with small and medium-sized enterprises.

The awards, Professor Holden said, were about 鈥渞ecognising the people and relationships that make those projects possible鈥� We all know that partnership working depends on brave people.鈥�

This year's winners demonstrate the impact of collaboration across research and innovation, business growth, social enterprise, regional development and strategic industry engagement.

Strategic Alliance Excellence

馃弳 Boots / No7 & Prof. Michael Sherratt and Dr. Abigail Langton

The long-standing partnership between Boots / No7 and 糖心Vlog官方 was recognised for its outstanding contribution to skin science and evidence-based skincare. Over more than two decades, the collaboration has translated world-leading research into products used by millions of consumers while generating significant research outputs, investment and innovation.

Regional Partnership Excellence

馃弳 United Utilities & Prof. Timothy Foster

United Utilities was recognised for a long-standing collaboration with the University covering areas including integrated water management, digitisation, robotics, sustainability and skills development. The partnership has helped inform major regional initiatives and continues to support innovation and economic growth across the North-West.

Research Collaboration Excellence

馃弳 FUJIFILM & Prof. Alan Dickson

The partnership between FUJIFILM and the University was recognised for advancing bioprocessing and biomanufacturing research through the Centre of Excellence in Bioprocessing 2.0. The collaboration has supported researchers and PhD students, generated high-quality publications and strengthened the translation of research into industrial applications and novel biological medicines.

Social Enterprise Excellence

馃弳 One World Together & Prof. Nicola Banks

One World Together received the award for its partnership with the University to support changemaking education, community engagement and social impact. The collaboration has secured funding to work with schools across Greater Manchester, provided valuable opportunities for students, and supported community-led organisations both in the UK and internationally.

Small Business Partnership Excellence

馃弳 Saraco Industries Ltd & Prof. Sarah Cartmell and Prof. Andrew McBain

Saraco Industries Ltd was recognised for a highly successful partnership that has combined academic expertise with industrial innovation to develop plastic-free clinical disinfection wipes for healthcare applications, while strengthening the company's research and development capability. The collaboration has evolved through multiple projects and demonstrates the long-term value of university-SME partnerships.

Academic Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Champion

馃弳 Dr Thomas Bannan

Dr Thomas Bannan was recognised for an extensive portfolio of partnerships that translate atmospheric science into public, environmental and economic benefit. His work spans collaboration with local authorities, industry, policymakers and communities, including leadership of air quality initiatives, Innovate UK projects and the 拢1.3 million RAMMIC Retrofit Innovation Centre.

Business Partnership Rising Star

馃弳 Dr Milo Harries

Dr Milo Harries received the Rising Star Award for his work with Leeds City Council and the Aire Resilience Company, using creative and participatory approaches to engage communities around climate resilience and natural flood management. His work has helped strengthen cross-sector collaboration and support the growth of the Aire Resilience Company as a Community Interest Company.

Partnership Excellence of the Year

馃弳 Saraco Industries Ltd & Prof. Sarah Cartmell and Prof. Andrew McBain

The evening's highest accolade, Partnership Excellence of the Year, was awarded to Saraco Industries Ltd in recognition of the depth, longevity and impact of its collaboration with the University. Through multiple collaborative projects, the partnership has combined expertise in bioengineering, microbiology and materials science to drive innovation, support business growth and develop new healthcare solutions with real-world impact.

An evening of partnership

The winners' trophies were designed and manufactured by students in the University's Makerspace, reflecting the creativity and collaboration at the heart of the celebration. The shortlist was reviewed by a panel of 21 judges from academia, leadership, professional services and innovation.

Rising Star category shortlisted nominee Dr Amy Worth had partnered with Eli Lilly and Company for a decade to study the complex neuronal circuitry that underpins the actions of GLP-1 drugs to combat diabetes, obesity and cravings for alcohol. She and lab group lead Professor Simon Luckman said that trust is at the heart of the partnership. 鈥淲e鈥檝e built it up over 20 years, so now there is very open and honest exchange.鈥�

For Dr Joanne Tippett, whose RoundView project was also shortlisted, a good partnership requires: 鈥淚t takes the ability to try something out and find out it doesn't work and learn from that and keep going and iterating on an idea.鈥�

Congratulations to all finalists and the many colleagues, support staff and external partners whose commitment and collaboration underpins the success that these Partnership Excellence Awards celebrated in style.

Wednesday was the Festival鈥檚 busiest day yet. At Manchester to Market, spinouts supported by 糖心Vlog官方 Innovation Factory showcased their work on the ground floor of University Place, from AI-guided enzyme engineering to virtual reality healthcare training and research-led theatre.

A short walk away in Whitworth Hall, the Powerhouse of Innovation Showcase brought together the teams, programmes and partners that help those ideas grow, including a new collaboration between the Innovate UK Innovation-to-Commercialisation of University Research programme (ICURe) and the .

In the evening, the inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards at the Whitworth celebrated the partnerships behind the University鈥檚 impact. The evening鈥檚 highest accolade, Partnership Excellence of the Year, went to Saraco Industries Ltd, Professor Sarah Cartmell and Professor Andrew McBain, whose collaboration has developed plastic-free clinical disinfection wipes for healthcare.

From enzymes to the stage: Manchester鈥檚 spinouts step into the spotlight

Manchester to Market filled the ground floor of University Place with spinouts supported by 糖心Vlog官方 Innovation Factory, whose portfolio now numbers around 84 companies worth an estimated 拢400鈥�500 million. The ventures exhibiting were at very different stages. Among them, Imperagen uses an AI-led robotic lab to engineer enzymes for manufacturers. GiFT, an electromagnetic guidance system for tracheostomy procedures, improved needle accuracy fourfold in trials on mannequins, and its team estimates it could save the NHS around 拢50 million a year. Not every venture was a technology: Tiny Human Dramas turns anthropological research into short pieces of theatre.

鈥淚f it hadn鈥檛 been for the Innovation Factory, I wouldn鈥檛 have known I belonged in this space鈥� In the arts, a little bit of attention and a little bit of funding goes a long way. The more of us that are in this scene, the more it鈥檒l feel like this is innovation, of a particular kind.鈥� 鈥� Megan Rose Donnelly, Lecturer in Social Anthropology and founder of Tiny Human Dramas

The innovation ecosystem backing Manchester鈥檚 bright ideas

The Powerhouse of Innovation Showcase in the Whitworth Hall brought together some 25 of the teams, programmes and partners that help ideas grow across the University, and one new collaboration showcased one way in which those pieces can connect. The Innovate UK ICURe programme, ran across the North from 糖心Vlog官方, helps 鈥渃ommercially curious鈥� academics find out whether there is a real market for their research by getting out and talking to potential customers, investors and regulators. Starting later this month, ICURe鈥檚 latest local endeavour will bring cohorts of materials researchers at the Henry Royce Institute together with business mentors and potential customers, adding commercial know-how to the equipment and expertise Royce already opens up to researchers, spinouts, and SMEs.

鈥淭he best part of this job is, without a shadow of a doubt, talking to these entrepreneurial leads and seeing their personal development growth鈥� to see the light bulb come on above their head.鈥� 鈥� Veronica Ferguson, Head of Regional Hub Operations Manager, Innovate UK ICURe

鈥淒on鈥檛 put risk-averseness in front of innovation鈥� In order to innovate, in order to keep moving, we鈥檝e got to expand our boundaries鈥� We鈥檝e got to have the freedom to think, the freedom to challenge, the freedom to question and test. Those are the core fundamentals.鈥� 鈥� Saeed Adam, Client Relations Manager, Executive Education, Alliance Manchester Business School

Inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards celebrate Manchester's collaborators

The University celebrated its most impactful collaborations on Wednesday evening at the inaugural Partnership Excellence Awards, held at the Whitworth Art Gallery as part of the Innovation Festival.

Organised by the Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange team, directed by Dr Louise Bates, the awards drew more than 120 nominations. The joyous event brought 25 shortlisted partnerships together, adding an extra layer of connection between academics, industry, public sector and community collaborators.

Congratulations to everyone, especially each category winner:

• Regional Partnership 鈥� United Utilities with Prof. Tim Foster, Department of Civil Engineering and Management.
• Social Enterprise Partnership 鈥� One World Together with Prof. Nicola Banks, Global Development Institute, School of Environment, Education and Development.
• Strategic Alliance 鈥� Boots/No 7 with Prof. Michael Sherratt and Dr Abigail Langton, School of Biological Sciences.
• Small Business Partnership 鈥� Saraco Industries Ltd with Prof. Sarah Cartmell and Prof. Andrew McBain, Department of Materials and School of Biological Sciences.
• Research collaboration 鈥� FUJIFILM with Prof. Alan Dickson
• Academic Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Champion 鈥� Dr Thomas Bannan.
• Business Partner Rising Star 鈥� Dr Milo Harries.

The multidisciplinary partnership with Saraco Industries also won the Partnership of the Year Award. The relationship began with an award-winning Knowledge Exchange Partnership in 2021 that advanced materials science, biophysics and microbiology expertise into the business, enabling development of plastic-free clinical disinfection wipes that met stringent EN standards. The partnership deepened with further projects to on formulation development and collaboration on a clear, data-driven R&D roadmap. A second KTP is now developing bacteriophage-infused wipes for healthcare applications.

Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation, said: 鈥淧artnership working depends on brave people.鈥� The University applauds all the pioneers and risk-takers nominated for these awards.

Read the full awards story story.

Announcements and developments

• On Tuesday evening, the University celebrated the completion of William Kay House, putting innovation at the heart of campus and creating a new home for .

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival

鈥淚f by 2035 we can tangibly say that, through the things we鈥檝e supported, we have improved quality of lives, through environmental and social impact, I would feel extremely proud.鈥� 鈥� Catherine Headley, Chief Executive Officer, 糖心Vlog官方 Innovation Factory

鈥淚鈥檇 love one of our spinouts to get to the scale where they鈥檙e employing 10,000 people. It鈥檚 about jobs, and the impact that has. For me, that鈥檚 what it鈥檚 all about.鈥� 鈥� Nic Gowland, Portfolio Director, 糖心Vlog官方 Innovation Factory

鈥淣ext month we鈥檒l use it in patients in hospital鈥� This could actually save people鈥檚 lives.鈥� 鈥� Professor Andy Weightman, Professor of Medical Mechatronics, 糖心Vlog官方, on his hopes for the GiFT guidance system

Around the Festival

Beyond the core events, the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre hosted an Enterprise Educators UK exchange event on partner-enabled learning, bringing together academics, University colleagues, students and industry representatives to explore how industry partnerships can be built into enterprise and entrepreneurship education. At Contact Theatre, Creative Manchester鈥檚 Re-imagining Innovation: The Value of Creative Practices, part of The Cultural Welcome festival, explored how creative writers and artists approach ideas about innovation 鈥� a fitting companion to the theatre of Tiny Human Dramas at Manchester to Market.

Coming up

On Thursday 8 October, the brings founders, researchers, investors and policymakers to Sister / Renold Building (8.45am鈥�1.30pm), followed by the invite-only Investor Summit (1.30pm鈥�5pm).

University founders then pitch at , also at Sister (5pm鈥�8.30pm), while Holiferm鈥檚 co-founders share their story at , Manchester Museum (5pm鈥�7pm).

Fringe events include:

• Social Enterprise Innovation in Public Services

The ultra-sensitive monitoring technology reveals how different parts of the brain respond during a stroke, potentially allowing doctors to identify which areas can still be saved and which are at greatest risk of further harm.

The study in mice, published in , brought together researchers from 糖心Vlog官方, the Institute of Microelectronics of Barcelona (IMB-CNM, CSIC), the Catalan Institute of Nanoscience and Nanotechnology (ICN2), and industry partner Multi Channel Systems in Germany.

Ischaemic Stroke is one of the leading causes of death and disability worldwide and occurs when a blockage cuts off blood supply to part of the brain.

But scientists say the initial loss of blood flow is only part of the story, because a second wave of damage can spread through surrounding tissue in the hours that follow.

These waves, known as cortical spreading depolarizations, are bursts of abnormal electrical activity that travel through injured brain tissue and can contribute to the expansion of the original injury.

Until now, researchers have struggled to study the signals accurately because conventional monitoring technologies cannot reliably capture the extremely slow electrical changes involved.

However, using advanced graphene-based sensors placed directly on the brains of mice, the team recorded these events in unprecedented detail, revealing signals that are poorly captured by conventional recording technologies and whose significance has therefore not been fully appreciated.

The researchers found that the shape and characteristics of the electrical signals acted as a fingerprint for the health of nearby brain tissue.

The signals were able to distinguish between tissue that remained relatively healthy, tissue that was vulnerable and potentially recoverable, and tissue that had already suffered severe damage.

Crucially, the technology also revealed how blood vessels responded when these electrical waves passed through the brain.

In healthier areas, blood flow increased to support recovery, while in more vulnerable regions blood flow sometimes fell even further, increasing the risk of lasting damage.

The team then demonstrated that these harmful responses could be modified using low doses of ketamine, a drug already widely used in clinical practice.

Ketamine shortened the duration of damaging electrical events, improved blood flow responses and reduced the overall size of brain injuries in the study.

Lead author from the University of Manchester聽 added: 鈥淭his work raises the prospect that graphene-based brain monitoring could one day provide doctors with a real-time map of brain vulnerability during stroke.

鈥淭his could helping them target treatments to patients most at risk and ultimately improve recovery and long-term outcomes.鈥�

Co-author from 糖心Vlog官方 and UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, said: 鈥淔or the first time, we have been able to see critical stroke-related brain signals with a level of detail that was previously impossible to achieve.

鈥淲hat is particularly exciting is that the signals tell us about the condition of the surrounding brain tissue and how likely it is to deteriorate further.

Co-author Dr Anton Guimer脿-Brunet from IMB-CNM, CSIC聽 said: 鈥淭his study opens up the possibility of monitoring injury as it happens and identifying opportunities for intervention when treatment could make the greatest difference.鈥�

• 路The paper 鈥淧erfusion-dependent spreading depolarization signatures identify tissue vulnerability in stroke鈥�, is published in DOI: 10.1093/brain/awag305
• Image depicts the graphene-based brain sensor聽on a mouse's brain

Unlocking ideas with Manchester鈥檚 future innovators

MEC Ideas Unlocked, a hands-on event at University Place, brought together students from across the University to explore what it means to think and act like an entrepreneur. Masood Entrepreneurship Centre鈥檚 Louise Taylor, Enterprise Manager, and Dan Syder, Ecosystem Development Manager, worked with students in groups as they identified a problem, brainstormed solutions, and shaped their thinking using the MEC Business Model Canvas.

For many, it was a first taste of enterprise: "Usually we have lots of ideas, but we don't know how to structure them, how to convert them into a business," said Prem Todeti, a first-year renewable energy master's student.

The event reflects MEC's university-wide remit 鈥� and its momentum. Director Lee Pugalis said the Centre has almost trebled business formation over five years, with over 80 businesses created in the last year alone.

"I never would have met any of these individuals had I not come to the event. It just demonstrated the importance of people from all over the world having different ideas, but you can still come together and make one solid foundation." 鈥� Darcey Cornish, final-year International Management student, Alliance Manchester Business School

"Today鈥檚 event showed me that every problem has a solution. Collectively, we can work together and do better." 鈥� Dr. Soumya Pujar, Master's in Public Health student, University of Manchester

Rooted in the North, global in mindset

The strongest spin-outs think globally from day one. That was the consensus at Northern Gritstone's panel at the Whitworth Art Gallery, which explored how northern start-ups can scale worldwide without losing their regional roots. From life sciences to battery technology, panellists agreed that companies go global because their innovations meet real customer needs around the world.

But global ambition need not mean leaving the North behind. Dr Nicola Broughton, Chair of University of Liverpool spin-out Extentus Pharma, said a company can run sales and a commercial hub in the United States while keeping its research base in the UK. Northern roots also carry growing weight. As Professor Sam Butterworth, Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Manchester spin-out Apini Therapeutics, put it: "I think our Manchester origin builds on reputation. There is great science coming out of the Northwest."

One panellist was missing for the best possible reason. Dr Tim Echtermeyer, founder of PhovIR Technologies, a spin-out from the University's Graphene Engineering Innovation Centre, was in California meeting investors to secure the company's next funding round.

鈥淩ecruiting people with experience, I think, is the most important thing you can do to grow globally. If you get that flywheel going, that's what's really exciting.鈥� 鈥� Joanne Hosker, Head of NG Innovation Services, Northern Gritstone

Founders find clearer routes to grow at Sister

If the Whitworth panel showed how far Manchester's strongest ventures can go, Founder Momentum Day showed how entrepreneurs take the first steps. Back for a second edition at Sister, the innovation hub on the University's former North Campus, the day connected early-stage founders with peers and more specialist advice.

Getting ready for investment was a recurring theme. In a workshop on investor readiness, Adam Clayton of GM Business Growth Hub said that investors are now backing the founder as much as the product. So, transparency, resilience and a well-organised data room, count as much as the pitch deck. He urged founders to name their rivals rather than avoid them: "Competition is good because it shows there's money to be made."

鈥淒ays like this matter for AI founders like me. You can build something technically brilliant, but you only learn how to win people鈥檚 trust by talking to customers, advisers, and other founders.鈥� 鈥� Leyla Ari, AI entrepreneur

The afternoon's Silicon Sessions, hosted by Lewis Sayes of Silicon Mingle, swapped pitching for problem-solving. Three founders each shared a real challenge, then experts and peers worked through solutions together, including Karim Bahou, Head of Innovation at Sister, and specialists in marketing, commercial law and grant funding. "We always like to present our businesses as perfect," Sayes said. "That鈥檚 why I enjoy doing this so much, because it changes that around."

The support continues after the day. Sister runs free Thursday evening gatherings and co-working space for founders, Silicon Mingle holds a monthly mixer on the last Wednesday of each month, and Founder Momentum Day returns in a few months. As Will Pretsell of Evolve Speakers told the room at the close, "Your business is only going to grow as far as you push it.鈥�

Manchester 2035: voices from the Festival

鈥淪tudents are our most powerful innovators. So, if every student was graduating with an entrepreneurial mindset... it could be well in excess of 50,000 students. That talent pipeline is the biggest impact we can have in terms of innovation.鈥� 鈥� Lee Pugalis, Director, Masood Entrepreneurship Centre

Coming up

Wednesday鈥檚 sessions: , 09:30鈥�13:00, Ground Floor, University Place and , 11:00鈥�16:00, Whitworth Hall.

Waitlist available:

The Partnership Excellence Awards will celebrate outstanding collaborations, partnerships and knowledge exchange activity that deliver impact across 糖心Vlog官方 and beyond鈥� (Invite only.)

That streak of rebellion, the instinct to question the rules, try something different and find another way has remained a defining feature of an exciting and innovative career.

Lomax says studying Liberal Studies in Science at 糖心Vlog官方 in the 1960s changed the course of his life. It was a degree that combined pure science with subjects including technology, economics and the history of innovation.

鈥淚 just wanted to be an entrepreneur and build things, I love business. Manchester had the Atlas 1 computer, which weighed more than two tonnes. It was fascinating, I learned to programme and that became a transformational part of my life鈥�.

After graduating, he took that knowledge into industry, exploring how computers could transform traditional engineering.

In the 1980s, he helped turn Misys, a small technology software company, into a global business employing thousands. In 1998, it became the first UK IT company to enter the FTSE 100.

Five decades on from that first trip to 糖心Vlog官方 as a student, Kevin Lomax has returned-this time with a 拢1m gift to the Founders Fund. 糖心Vlog官方 has pledged a further 拢2m to the fund to help students, staff and graduates access early-stage investment for innovation and business.

糖心Vlog官方 has set an initial goal to raise 拢10m for The Founders Fund through philanthropic donations.

The investment will address a critical funding gap facing students, staff, and alumni entrepreneurs as they turn ideas into viable high growth companies.

The Fund is part of Challenge Accepted, the University鈥檚 ambitious initiative bringing together its global community to tackle major challenges, unlock new ideas and turn innovation into positive impact.

For Lomax, the crucial word is early.

He has spent much of his career investing in early-stage technology companies and has seen first-hand how a relatively small amount of money at the right moment can make a difference to an idea becoming a successful business.

One investment he describes has since reached a valuation of billions of dollars. But four years earlier, the company needed just $150,000 to get started.

鈥淚f it didn鈥檛 get the $150,000, it wouldn鈥檛 have got off the ground鈥� he says.

That, Lomax argues, is the gap the Founders Fund can help address.

鈥淭he earliest stage of building a company is also one of the riskiest, 8 out of 10 early ventures may fail. That is precisely why conventional investors can be reluctant to provide the first funding."

Lomax believes that risk is essential.

鈥淭hat's where the future is. New companies are where much of the future economic growth and job creation will come from. Established businesses can become more efficient and grow steadily, but it is often new businesses that have the potential to grow rapidly and create entirely new markets.鈥�

The Founders Fund is more than simply writing cheques. It is about creating the opportunity to test an idea, learn, adapt and, crucially, sometimes fail. The courage to change direction is something Lomax understands from his own experience.

Misys began with a different ambition. Initially, Lomax wanted to develop computer-aided design technology, but he realised that the company could not build the momentum to compete effectively in the American market. He changed course, turning instead to insurance software.

For today鈥檚 entrepreneur, he believes the lesson is simple: don鈥檛 become so attached to the original idea that you fail to recognise when the market is telling you to change.

鈥淵ou start off with one aim, but you quickly recognise that actually you鈥檙e going in the wrong direction, and you need to have a different one.鈥�

There are many lessons to learn in business. For Lomax, a fundamental one is that people matter more than ideas.

When he considers investing in an early-stage technology company, he says the first thing he looks at is the people.

鈥淵ou can have the best idea in the world, but if you don鈥檛 have the skill set to deliver on that it won鈥檛 succeed. And that means recognising your own limitations.鈥�

For highly technical minds, it could mean bringing in people who understand sales, markets, finance or how to turn brilliant technology into a commercial proposition.

鈥淯nderstand what needs to be done and trust in the right people to do it.鈥�

The Founders Fund will be launched at the beginning of a week-long programme of activity across 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 inaugural Innovation Festival.

High-potential ventures are expected to typically receive investments of 拢25,000 to 拢250,000, in return for a small, non-controlling equity stake. The call for applications is expected to open in January 2027.

Lomax says there is so much to celebrate about Manchester - its innovation, cultural diversity, and welcoming spirit. For him, bringing entrepreneurs, researchers, investors, and students together is valuable because nobody knows where the next idea will come from.

鈥淚nnovation requires people to put ideas on the table, challenge them and see what happens.鈥�

Lomax fondly remembers doing just that in the early days of his career.

鈥淲e would finish work and head to the pub, where they would debate what the company should do next.鈥�

鈥淚t was a very creative process where people were coming up with ideas all the time, obviously not all good.鈥�

鈥淭hat doesn鈥檛 matter.鈥�

鈥淭he important thing is creating an environment where people feel able to suggest something different.鈥�

The University used the opening day of the Innovation Festival to launch , a delivery plan designed to help create 鈥淓urope鈥檚 most inclusive and impactful innovation ecosystem鈥� by 2035 as part of the University鈥檚 Strategy to 2035. The plan sets out how the University will broaden innovation beyond technology transfer and spinouts to include partnerships, skills, communities and social impact.

Announcing a new 拢10 million University Founders Fund to help students, staff and alumni turn promising ideas into viable businesses, Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice-President for Enterprise and Chief Scientific Officer at Unit M at 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淚nnovation is for everyone, and it鈥檚 not just about technology. It鈥檚 about doing new things, new ways.鈥� Professor John Holden, Vice-President for Civic Engagement and Innovation and Chief Executive Officer, Unit M added: 鈥淲e like to talk about those $1 billion unicorns. But innovation is really about helping solve societal challenges.鈥� He aspired to Manchester becoming home to the first 鈥渟ocial unicorn鈥� using innovation to improve one billion people鈥檚 lives.

Founder and University of Manchester board member at Mattillion, Matt Scullion agreed that Manchester is poised for success in the global community by 2035: 鈥淚t鈥檚 a lovely turnabout that I think other city regions in the UK and Europe are looking to Manchester as this beacon of innovation and growth. And, you know, that鈥檚 not been an overnight thing, but it鈥檚 also not stopping.鈥�

Planning for Manchester as a centre for inclusive innovation

A panel chaired by Elvira Uyarra, Professor of Innovation Studies at Alliance Manchester Business School and Executive Director of the , asked how the University鈥檚 ambition for Europe鈥檚 most inclusive innovation ecosystem might translate into delivery. Dr Julian Skyrme, Executive Director of Social Responsibility and Civic Engagement, framed inclusion around three questions鈥攊nnovation for whom, by whom, and how鈥攁rguing that affected communities must help shape decisions.

Professor Johannes Gl眉ckler (University of Munich) urged Manchester to build relationships between currently disconnected sectors, citing Coventry鈥檚 linking of automotive and gaming clusters. Professor Meric Gertler (University of Toronto) said research excellence alone does not guarantee local benefit, but universities can deliberately change that, backed by 鈥渓ocal, patient鈥� capital.

Lisa Dale-Clough, Director Economy at Greater Manchester Combined Authority, highlighted the Atom Valley innovation district in Rochdale and said inclusive innovation must improve job quality and solve local problems.

Manchester's impact in early-stage ventures

From life sciences spinouts to next-generation diagnostics, innovators at the Festival shared what it takes to turn promising research into real-world solutions. Dr Alexander Stokes, a founder of Imprinted Diagnostics, described his mission to build a portable blood-testing platform based on innovative molecular imprinted polymer technology. He鈥檚 grown the company from a two-person team to a wider network of 30 collaborators and is now looking to the US for investors. Professor Sam Butterworth (Apini Therapeutics) highlighted how University support, translational funding and investor backing helped transform early-stage research into a multimillion-pound venture now advancing towards clinical trials. Across the session, speakers emphasised the importance of collaboration, persistence and learning from setbacks. As Matt Scullion, founder of Manchester AI and data unicorn Matillion, reflected: 鈥淲e've got this deep reservoir of academic and scientific expertise here... I think we can figure out ways to put it together and build the consequential companies of tomorrow better.鈥�

Announcements and developments

• 糖心Vlog官方 is launching a 拢10m Founders Fund to provide crucial pre-seed investment for the next generation of entrepreneurs. Read the full story.

Coming up

Students at Manchester won鈥檛 want to miss Tuesday鈥檚 MEC Ideas Unlocked event, 10:00-16:00, The Atrium, University Place. Find out more 鈫�

Join one of Tuesday鈥檚 fringe sessions, including a panel session 鈥淏uilding companies that are rooted in the North but Global in mindset鈥� sponsored by Northern Gritstone, 10:15-12:00, Whitworth Art Gallery. Reserve your spot 鈫�

The research, funded by The Christie Charity and led by scientists at 糖心Vlog官方, aims to transform how doctors detect breast cancer that develops during or just after pregnancy, which is often discovered late when the cancer has already spread, which leads to poorer survival rates.

Breast cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death in women aged 35鈥�64 in the UK, and is increasing twice as fast in women under 50 compared to women over 50. While breastfeeding is generally associated with lowering the long-term risk of developing breast cancer, risk rises during pregnancy and after giving birth and gradually falls over the following decade.

The study, called BRACELET-BM, has started recruiting participants at the Nightingale Centre in Wythenshawe, part of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT). One of the first mothers to donate breast milk is married mum-of -three, Hannah Brennan, 31, from Glossop in Derbyshire who has a 12-month-old baby girl, Ada, as well as a five-year old daughter and a two-year-old son.

The registered midwife who is currently studying for a PhD at 糖心Vlog官方 said: 鈥淎s soon as I saw the research team were looking to recruit women who were breast-feeding, I wanted to do it. As I鈥檓 doing my doctorate, I鈥檓 passionate about people being involved in research. My paternal grandmother died aged 51 from breast cancer and sadly I never met her. However, I was named after her and I鈥檓 told I look like her so I鈥檓 doing this for her as well as my two daughters.

鈥淧articipating in the BRACELET-BM study was really straight-forward. I just gave a blood sample and donated some breast milk and answered a few questions. As a midwife I feel it鈥檚 really important to help other women, so if my small contribution can benefit other mothers in the future, I鈥檓 just glad to be able to make a difference and would encourage other breastfeeding mums to take part.鈥�

Pregnancy-Related Breast Cancer, diagnosed during pregnancy or shortly afterwards, occurs in approximately 1 in 3,000 pregnancies in the general population. Among women at very high risk of breast cancer, such as BRCA gene carriers, rates have been reported as high as 1 in 50 pregnancies. Between 35-50% of breast cancer cases in women under 55 years of age are within 10 years of having a baby and 5% of breast cancer in women under 45 are within a year of giving birth. Better breast cancer screening is needed especially in younger women.

The BRACELET-BM study is led by Dr Niki Flaum from 糖心Vlog官方, in partnership with Dr Florent Mouliere at the CRUK National Biomarker Centre. Professor Sacha Howell, consultant oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust and MFT is a co-lead on the study.

Dr Niki Flaum who is also a consultant oncologist at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust said: 鈥淭here is an urgent need to find better, more reliable ways to detect breast cancer in women during and after pregnancy. We believe breast milk may provide a unique and non-invasive window into what is happening inside the breast. We know surprising little about the genetic changes to breast milk, as this bio-fluid has been remarkably under-researched until now.

鈥淧regnancy-related breast cancer is more likely to be diagnosed at a later stage, when the cancer has already spread, and survival outcomes are significantly worse compared with women of the same age who have not recently given birth. Diagnosis is particularly challenging because breast imaging during pregnancy and lactation is often unreliable.

鈥淭hanks to The Christie Charity鈥檚 support, Manchester has the opportunity to lead internationally in developing a completely new approach to breast cancer detection. If reliable methods for detecting cancer-related DNA in breast milk can be found, we hope future research will test whether this approach could be developed into a screening tool for women with breast cancer or those at high risk.鈥�

Initially the study will recruit 40 lactating women, 25 with general population risk and 15 from a high-risk category where there is a family history of breast cancer. Researchers will collect breast milk and blood samples from patients at the Nightingale Centre and Saint Mary鈥檚 Hospital, also part of MFT, to develop a Manchester Breast Biofluid Biobank with more than 200 samples available for future research.

The team within the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre, part of the University of Manchester will analyse the samples of fluid.

Dr Florent Mouliere, who leads a research team at the Cancer Research UK National Biomarker Centre in Manchester where the samples of breast fluid are being analysed said: 鈥淪cientists in our laboratories have identified tiny fragments of genetic material shed by cells in some samples of breast milk that have been donated for this study. The DNA structure is unique in breast milk, and we now understand what this DNA looks like which is a major step forward.

鈥淲e now need to focus on the main aim of this study, which is to explore how best to collect the samples, work out if they can be safely frozen in a domestic freezer (which would be a convenient method for a nursing mum), what time of day is best for a sample to be collected, and if other factors such as an infection in the mother or baby would affect the sample results.鈥� An international study (September 2023) showed that circulating tumour DNA (ctDNA) could be detected in breast milk, but the best methods for collecting, processing and storing breast milk for this purpose have not yet been established.

Alongside donating blood and breast milk samples, participants will complete questionnaires and interviews to assess how acceptable this approach is, ensuring any future screening method is practical as well as effective.

Lousie Hadley, chief executive of The Christie Charity, said 鈥淲e are very pleased to be able to fund this important research which could improve early detection of breast cancer in high-risk women, including BRCA carrier, enable screening specifically for pregnancy-related breast cancer and help predict risk of postpartum breast cancer. It would also provide reassurance for high-risk women wishing to breastfeed, who are currently often advised to stop early so MRI screening can resume.

鈥淭his support is part of The Christie Charity鈥檚 commitment to providing 拢30 million of much-needed funding by 2030 to enable our brightest researchers to make game-changing discoveries right here in Manchester. We are very grateful for the continued support of all our donors in helping us reach this goal.鈥�

The initial feasibility study for BRACELET-BM was funded by Prevent Breast Cancer, Cancer Research UK and the Academy of Medical Sciences.

For more information on how to take part in this research and donate breast milk and a blood sample should email the-christie.bracelet-BM@nhs.net or call 0161 918 7694. Anyone wishing to donate to The Christie Charity can visit Help support research at The Christie Dr Niki Flaum and Professor Sacha Howell are both part of the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester, which aims to develop screening strategies and biomarkers to identify cancer and cancer risk sooner.

The University has set an initial goal of raising 拢10 million for the Fund, predominantly through philanthropic support.

So far, the Founders Fund has received a 拢2m commitment from the University and a 拢1m philanthropic gift from alumnus and technology entrepreneur Kevin Lomax.

The announcement marks the beginning of a week-long programme of activity across the University's inaugural Innovation Festival.

The Founders Fund will address a critical funding gap facing students, staff, and alumni entrepreneurs as they turn ideas into viable businesses. Alongside investment, founders will be connected to Unit M鈥檚 wider innovation ecosystem, giving them access to support, expertise, and networks as they launch and grow their ventures. As ventures develop, they will be better positioned to attract further private investment, including potential seed-stage backing from investors such as Northern Gritstone.

It will provide founder-friendly equity investment to high-potential start up and spin out ventures affiliated with the University, helping entrepreneurs launch and grow ambitious companies, attract follow-on private investment, and retain entrepreneurial talent within the region.

The Fund is part of Challenge Accepted, the University鈥檚 ambitious initiative bringing together it鈥檚 global community to tackle major challenges, unlock new ideas and turn innovation into positive impact.

Returns from successful investment will be reinvested in future ventures, helping to support successive generations of university entrepreneurs.

Over time, the Fund will contribute to the University鈥檚 ambition to create Europe鈥檚 most inclusive and impactful innovation ecosystem by 2035, while generating lasting financial, economic, and reputational value for the University and the region.

Professor Aline Miller, Associate Vice President (Enterprise) and CSO, Unit M at 糖心Vlog官方, said:

鈥淚 am incredibly excited to be launching the Founders Fund. It represents a strong commitment from the University to our innovation agenda and to backing talented students, colleagues and alumni who have the ambition to turn great ideas into high-growth ventures. I am looking forward to seeing the quality of ideas that come through the pipeline and helping more founders take their first steps towards impact.鈥�

Kevin Lomax, University of Manchester alumnus and entrepreneur said:

鈥溙切腣log官方 has fantastic technology, research, and graduates, as well as an incredible culture and environment. I want to see it become a real heartbeat of the UK. I hope the Founders Fund will help create a legacy, supporting entrepreneurs to turn their ideas into businesses, creating jobs, and helping drive economic growth.鈥�

Investments are expected to range from 拢25,000 to 拢250,000, typically in exchange for a small, non-controlling equity stake.

The inaugural call for applications is expected to open in January 2027.

End

Manchester has been ranked eighth in the UK for another year whilst falling slightly by four places to 60 overall in the world in the latest 2027 rankings of 2,297 universities. Its overall score is 74.8, a marginal decrease of 0.1 points compared with the previous year.

It follows progress in the latest domestic league tables, with Manchester rising 15 places to 20th in the Guardian University Guide 2027 and being named Northwest University of the Year in The Sunday Times Good University Guide.

The results come as the University begins to implement Manchester 2035, its ten-year strategy to strengthen excellence in teaching, learning and research. It also underlines the need to improve Manchester鈥檚 international position in an increasingly competitive global higher education environment.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淢anchester remains one of the UK鈥檚 leading universities, but we recognise that our global position has declined and that we need to improve.

鈥淢anchester 2035 sets out how we will build on our strengths, raise the quality and consistency of our teaching and research and translate more of our discoveries into benefits for society. This will take sustained effort across the University, but we have a clear strategy and a strong foundation from which to make progress.鈥�

Professor Colette Fagan, Vice-President for Research of 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淭he recent suite of university rankings are a useful gauge for us as we begin to put our strategy into practice.

鈥淏y bringing together outstanding research, new ideas and partnerships, Manchester makes a substantial positive difference to communities locally, nationally and globally.

鈥淩ankings don鈥檛 measure everything we value, or everything universities contribute to society. But they do give us a useful indication of where we can keep improving. I鈥檓 grateful for the continuing hard work of colleagues across the University and for their commitment to our students, our research and the communities we serve.鈥�

The Times Higher Education assessment looks at universities across teaching, research environment, research quality, industry and international outlook.

A University of Manchester undergraduate has won second place in the Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026 with a concept designed to improve early wildfire detection whilst reducing reliance on energy-intensive data centres.

PyroWatch, developed by Computer Science student Marwan Barakat Abdelfattah, proposes a network of affordable devices that can analyse local weather and environmental conditions to help predict wildfire risk and support faster response.

The project was named runner-up in the national competition, which challenged UK university students to design AI systems that can learn from each other without exchanging raw data between edge nodes or uploading raw data to the cloud.

Marwan received a 拢2,000 prize for his second-place finish.

How PyroWatch works

Wildfires are becoming an increasingly urgent sustainability challenge, with devastating consequences for communities, livelihoods, food production, public health and carbon emissions. PyroWatch was inspired by the growing visibility of wildfires in places such as California, as well as the need for more accessible tools that could help governments, fire services, local authorities and businesses prepare for and respond to fires earlier.

The concept uses solar-powered devices with batteries to run small AI models close to where data is generated. By processing information locally rather than relying on constant data transmission to central servers, the system is designed to reduce communications, energy use and dependence on data centres.

Unlike some existing wildfire monitoring approaches, which can depend on expensive thermal cameras and fixed infrastructure, PyroWatch is intended to be low-cost, scalable and deployable across high-risk landscapes, industrial sites and remote locations. Marwan said the system could also learn from local coordinates and previous fire conditions to estimate where risks may emerge or continue.

Marwan Barakat Abdelfattah said: 鈥淏eing selected as a finalist and winning second place means a lot. It was the first time I had produced an independent research document of this kind, and I learned so much through the process. It showed me how much work researchers put into producing credible ideas that could make a real-world difference.鈥�

The Cambridge Edge AI Innovation for Sustainability Challenge 2026 is hosted by MICROP Inc. and its sister company Arculus System in partnership with the University of Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership (CISL). The competition invited students to explore AI approaches that keep data local, operate within limited computing and energy resources, and exchange knowledge to create collective intelligence across distributed systems.

James Yang, CEO and Co-founder of MICROIP Inc. and Arculus System, said: "Well done to the talented creator behind Pyro Watch on a brilliant individual submission. The creativity shown in tackling real-world environmental monitoring and thermal management through intelligent, localized AI design is highly commendable. It is inspiring to see such fresh thinking from a solo innovator, and this unique perspective holds great promise for shaping a safer, more sustainable future."

Viola Jardon, Head of Innovation Programmes at CISL, said: 鈥淭he future of AI cannot simply be about using more data, more computing power and more energy to become smarter. The real innovation challenge is how we create greater intelligence within real-world constraints. This challenge was all about giving the next generation of UK talent the opportunity to explore AI that can collaborate while keeping data local, use resources more intelligently, and ultimately deliver more sustainable outcomes.鈥�

Further information is available at: .

Applications are now open for the second cohort of the: Greater Manchester鈥檚 programme for researchers, technical founders and early-stage ventures turning scientific and engineering breakthroughs into investment-ready ventures. 7鈥�10 ventures will be selected, with applications open to eligible teams across Greater Manchester.

Delivered by Unit M, 糖心Vlog官方's innovation unit, and backed by Greater Manchester Investment Zone funding, the programme runs from November 2026 to April 2027. Applications close 19 October 2026.

The deep tech accelerator is designed specifically for founders and researchers developing technologies rooted in significant scientific discoveries or engineering advances.

Unlike traditional startup programmes, it focuses on the unique challenges associated with commercialising deep tech innovations, helping participants navigate the journey from breakthrough research to investable business.

Many early-stage deep tech innovations need focused support to navigate the journey from research and development to commercial and societal impact.

Earlier in 2026, cohort 1 supported 10 deep tech ventures from across the University and the region working on next-generation health technologies, clean energy, advanced materials, agritech and space technologies.

Patrick Sarsfield, Founder and CEO of Graphene Thermal, and a member of the deep tech accelerator cohort #, said: 鈥淭he Unit M deep tech accelerator is what we needed to prepare ourselves to be investment ready. All of the mentorship and guidance that we鈥檝e had has come through the university support system. It鈥檚 really been at the centre of getting this business off the ground.鈥�

Tim Bailey, Founder and CEO of WarmTronics, and a member of the deep tech accelerator cohort #1, said: 鈥淭he accelerator helped us move forward in our commercialisation journey. Funding allowed us to do marketing and customer discovery that we initially wouldn't be able to afford. Off the back of that, we did an exhibition in London, we met with a major supermarket chain and we're now looking at trialling our products with them.鈥�

Why apply?

Teams selected for cohort #2 of the programme will receive 拢25,000 in equity-free funding, alongside dedicated commercialisation support, access to specialist mentors and industry experts, customer discovery and market validation frameworks, and training on how to pitch effectively to investors.

Each venture will also benefit from support from experienced University of Manchester MBA students and the opportunity to present to investors and strategic partners at a dedicated demo day.

The programme is open to researchers, founders and spinouts from universities across Greater Manchester, as well as technical founders from the region's wider deep tech community. Building on the success of the inaugural cohort, cohort #2 will place an increased emphasis on engaging teams from across the city-region, reflecting a continued commitment to strengthening Greater Manchester's deep tech ecosystem.

What is deep tech?

Deep tech refers to technologies built on significant scientific discoveries or engineering advances that create new capabilities and solve real-world problems.

Areas of interest for the programme include:

路 Advanced materials and manufacturing;

路 Quantum technologies;

路 Artificial intelligence and data infrastructure;

路 Biotechnology and health technologies;

路 Climate and energy technologies;

路 Robotics and automation;

路 And space and aerospace technologies.

Who is eligible?

We are looking for teams or individuals based in Greater Manchester who are ready to spend six months building towards investment. We are looking for:

• Researchers whose work has commercial potential you haven't yet acted on, or
• Technical founders with a working prototype or early validation.

Not sure if you鈥檙e eligible? Come along to our on 29 September and 12 October or ask us directly by emailing community@unit-m.co.uk. Or join us at the on 7 October, during the Innovation Festival, where we will have a stand and can answer your questions.

Ready to apply?

Applications close 19 October 2026, with space for 7鈥�10 teams in cohort #2.

Further details on eligibility, information sessions and the application process are available via the on Unit M鈥檚 website.

Key dates

• Applications close: 19 October 2026
• Information sessions: 29 September and 12 October 2026
• Programme delivery: November 2026 to April 2027

Why Greater Manchester, why now?

The deep tech accelerator is part of a wider ambition to make Greater Manchester a leading hub for deep tech innovation, supported through the Greater Manchester Combined Authority鈥檚 (GMCA) Investment Zone funding. It is designed to help strengthen the region鈥檚 growing deep tech ecosystem by connecting founders with expertise, networks and opportunities for growth.

Bridging the gap between research and commercialisation, the programme provides the expertise, connections and support needed to help turn deep tech innovation into investable businesses with the potential for significant societal and economic impact.

Four Manchester academics made Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering

The Royal Academy of Engineering has today announced that four academics from 糖心Vlog官方, Professors Danielle George, Alan Partridge, and Rich Curry, and Visiting Professor Kirsty Armer will be part of the newest cohort of leading figures in the field of technology and engineering to be appointed Fellows.

They will be joining the Academy in its 50th year and are part of a cohort of 75 new Fellows, who are making an incredible impact across the engineering and technology sector with innovations in clean energy, AI, medicine and public health; joining leading figures who have influenced academia and business, worked to widen participation in engineering for people from underrepresented backgrounds, and provided expert policy advice to government.

Professors George, Armer, Partridge, and Curry will be formally admitted to the Academy at a special ceremony in London on 19 October, when each Fellow will sign the roll book. In joining the Fellowship, they will lend their unique capabilities to achieving the Academy鈥檚 aim to engineer better lives.

Sir John Lazar CBE FREng, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering, said:

鈥淭his year鈥檚 cohort will be joining a community of over 1,700 top engineers and innovators in the UK and around the world. Together, we ensure that bright ideas are supported, scaled and shared, turning ambition into innovation and innovation into impact. We aim to strengthen education, skills and inclusion to inspire and equip the engineers of today and tomorrow.鈥�

Manchester Academics awarded prestigious Colin Campbell Mitchell Award

The Academy has also awarded Professors Barry Lennox (Electrical and Electronic Engineering) and Michael Fisher (Computer Science) the prestigious Colin Campbell Mitchell Award, given to a team of engineers who have made an outstanding contribution to the advancement of any field of UK engineering across the past four years. Visiting Professor Kirsty Hewitson was also part of the team receiving the Academy honour.

This year, it is given in recognition of the pioneering approach that the University of Manchester has been taking in its approach to developing robotic systems for deployment in hazardous environments.

Their work has delivered significant engineering, safety and economic benefits, including robotic deployments that reduce human exposure to dangerous environments, estimated savings of around 拢20 million for Sellafield and the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, and a projected future value of 拢500 million through wider adoption of the technologies developed. They have also pioneered the use of digital twins and simulation environments to improve safety, training and operational efficiency, while contributing to the development of robotics policy and responsible AI practices in the UK and internationally.

Chair of the Academy鈥檚 Awards Committee, Luke Logan (FREng), said of the research,

"By translating robotics and AI research into real-world industrial applications, this team has transformed how hazardous and complex engineering tasks can be carried out. Their work is reducing risks to people, improving productivity and delivering substantial economic benefits across multiple sectors. Through an outstanding collaboration spanning industry, academia and the public sector, they have demonstrated how engineering innovation can deliver real-world impact."

In her role as Visiting Professor, Dr Hewitson will help to embed key principles for translating and commercialising innovations, as well as provide mentoring to underrepresented students, building industry links to provide future career opportunities.

Dr Hewitson, a distinguished expert in the translation and commercialisation of technologies across energy, defence and life science sectors, is visiting from the Robotics and Artificial Intelligence Collaboration (RAICo) 鈥� an end-user led collaboration between the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), the Nuclear Decommissioning Authority, Sellafield Ltd, AWE Nuclear Security Technologies and 糖心Vlog官方.

In her role at UKAEA and as Director of RAICo, Dr Hewitson oversees the development of robotics for nuclear decommissioning and fusion engineering, working with industry, academic and international partners to help remove people from hazardous environments and achieve safer, faster and more cost-effective solutions.

Prior to RAICo, Dr Hewitson had previously held positions as Chief Executive Officer at Innovate UK KTN, Vice-President of Strategy and Innovation at the National Nuclear Laboratory and Vice-President of Life Sciences at Ploughshare Innovations.

Dr Hewitson said of the announcement, 鈥淚 feel privileged to have been appointed as a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the University of Manchester. I have seen first-hand how essential our relationship with academia is for connecting different ideas from different fields in ways that would not otherwise be apparent."

A new test to identify cells collected from urine and vaginal fluid could help rule out womb and other cancers in most women who experience bleeding after the menopause, find University of Manchester researchers.

Their study published in Lon 22/09/26 say the test could potentially reduce the need for invasive hospital investigations, easing anxiety during what can be a distressing time for many women.

The research team, also based at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust (MFT) and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR)Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester, showed that the new test can detect womb cancer, also known as endometrial cancer, with high accuracy.

Postmenopausal bleeding currently triggers urgent investigation for possible cancer, often involving a series of uncomfortable, invasive and costly tests, even though most women will not ultimately receive a cancer diagnosis.

Further work from the group, also published in the same journal today, showed that current tests are poorly calibrated for people from Black ethnic backgrounds, leading to health inequalities in diagnosis, treatment and patient outcomes.

However, the new test was particularly effective at detecting aggressive and advanced cancers, and performed exceptionally well in Black women, who are twice as likely to die from womb cancer as White women in the UK.

The researchers say the new test could therefore help to reduce health inequities and improve outcomes for previously disadvantaged groups, including those who are unable to tolerate routine procedures.

The test could eventually be used in primary care and other community settings, helping speed up diagnosis and provide reassurance for many women.

Womb cancer affects nearly 10,000 women in the UK each year, but only 5鈥�10% of women investigated for bleeding after the menopause will have cancer.

Despite that, most undergo invasive hospital tests that can be uncomfortable, costly and sometimes need repeating.

Previous studies led by Manchester researchers have suggested cancer cells can be detected in urine and vaginal fluid samples.

The DETECT study - as it is known - was designed to assess whether these simple, non-invasive tests could accurately identify women at risk while safely reassuring others.

The study involved 1,864 women attending hospitals *with postmenopausal bleeding, making it one of the largest evaluations of this approach to date.

Before having their routine clinical investigations, participants provided a urine sample and a vaginal fluid sample, which were examined for abnormal cells by specialist cytopathologists who did not know the women鈥檚 diagnoses.

A total of 115 women were found to have cancer, including 99 cases of womb cancer and a smaller number of other pelvic cancers.

When urine and vaginal cytology (cell sample) results were combined, the test correctly identified more than 80% of cancers and achieved a negative predictive value of 98.8% for womb cancer, meaning women with a negative result were highly unlikely to have the disease.

The vaginal test performed slightly better than the urine test alone, although both showed promising diagnostic accuracy.

The test detected almost all aggressive cancers, identifying 95.8% of high-grade tumours and 96.4% of cancers that had already spread beyond the uterus.

It also picked up 100% of cancers in Black women with 96% specificity, meaning that the test showed near perfect performance in this small subgroup of women.

The findings suggest the approach could become a valuable triage tool, helping clinicians decide which women need urgent invasive investigations while providing reassurance for many others.

Lead researcher Professor from 糖心Vlog官方 and Honorary Consultant in Gynaecological Oncology at MFT, said: 鈥淏leeding after the menopause is understandably alarming for women because it can be a sign of cancer, but the vast majority of those investigated will not have the disease.

鈥淎t the moment, many women face invasive, uncomfortable tests that can be stressful as well as costly for health services before cancer can be ruled out.

鈥淥ur study shows that a simple test using urine and vaginal samples could help identify the women most likely to have cancer while safely reassuring many others much earlier in the diagnostic pathway.

鈥淚f further studies confirm these findings in routine practice, this approach has the potential to transform care for thousands of women every year.鈥�

Prof Davidson, who is also Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme Co-Lead at the NIHR BRC: Manchester, added: 鈥淔urther studies are now needed to assess how the test would perform in routine clinical practice and whether it can reduce the number of invasive procedures women undergo.

鈥淚f successfully introduced into healthcare settings, the test could offer a faster, less invasive and more patient-friendly route to diagnosing womb cancer.鈥�

• The study was funded by The Jon Moulton Charity Trust and the women were recruited from gynaecology clinics at seven hospital sites across North West England: St Mary鈥檚 Hospital, Trafford General Hospital, Wythenshawe Hospital, Royal Oldham Hospital, North Manchester General Hospital, Fairfield General Hospital and Tameside Hospital.
• The paper Urine and vaginal cytology for endometrial cancer detection in women with postmenopausal bleeding: the Developing Tests for Endometrial Cancer detection (DETECT) diagnostic accuracy study is available here: DOI https://doi.org/10.1016/

Publication details

The study was published in xxx journal.

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Three new Future Leaders Fellowships are empowering Manchester researchers to tackle very different scientific challenges 鈥� from predicting extreme ocean waves to designing miniature biological factories to wearable health technology that transcends health inequalities 鈥� with potentially far-reaching consequences.

Backed by a combined 拢5.4 million from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Dr Samuel Draycott, Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer and Dr Richard Obexer are among the recipients of its 2026 Future Leaders Fellowships (FLF) awards. The funding will support four years of ambitious research in fields spanning ocean engineering, biotechnology and digital enabled health.

The Future Leaders Fellowships: at a glance

• How well we understand the ocean matters increasingly for the infrastructure we build, the energy we generate and our response to climate change. is investigating what happens when waves break in the complex conditions found in the ocean, with real implications for how we design offshore wind farms and other marine infrastructure, and for improving the accuracy of climate and ocean models that predict how the sea absorbs and releases carbon dioxide and other gases.
• Across Manchester's communities, is taking research directly into patients鈥� homes 鈥� creating a real-world test environment to help make wearable health technologies a routine part of cancer care. He's working to discover whether continuous data from wearable devices can help NHS clinical teams support patients through cancer surgery, and how to make sure this new model of care reaches everyone, including those at risk of digital exclusion.

• Meanwhile, in another laboratory in Manchester, has been looking at the world on a different scale 鈥� exploring how nature packages enzymes inside tiny structures in living cells. He鈥檚 working to discover whether those same principles can be engineered to manufacture medicines, recycle carbon and produce valuable chemicals more efficiently.

Dr Samuel Draycott: Wavebreak

Offshore wind farms, ships and other marine structures all need to withstand the most powerful waves the ocean can produce, but many engineering models simplify the sea in ways that don鈥檛 fully reflect real-world conditions. This potentially affects how accurately we can predict the forces these structures will face.聽

Recent work by Dr Draycott and collaborators, published in Nature, . Through this fellowship, Dr Draycott and his colleagues will build on this research to recreate even more realistic ocean conditions in their laboratory, combining waves travelling in different directions with currents that change speed with depth, as they do in the real ocean.聽

The team will study what happens when waves break and what happens in the seconds afterwards, including how they move particles such as microplastics and phytoplankton, draw air into the ocean and transfer gases such as CO2 between the sea and atmosphere. This could improve our understanding of everything from pollution and marine ecosystems to the ocean鈥檚 role in absorbing carbon from the atmosphere.聽

Dr Draycott, Senior Lecturer in Ocean Engineering in the Department of Civil Engineering and Management, University of Manchester, said:聽
鈥淲e鈥檝e long relied on simplified models to understand how waves behave, but the real ocean is much more complex.

鈥淭his matters because engineers use estimates of extreme waves when designing offshore wind turbines, ships and platforms, so a better understanding of wave breaking could help us improve the safety and efficiency of this infrastructure. These are crucial industries, with the UK aiming to increase its offshore wind capacity to at least and a sector already employing tens of thousands of people .鈥澛�

The research, funded with 拢1.67m from UKRI, will take place in the University鈥檚 new Hydrodynamics Laboratory, using high-performance computer simulations and laboratory experiments to measure how waves break, how much air they draw into the water, and how they move particles.

Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer: Manchester Digital Health Living Lab

Wearable devices can monitor vital signs such as heart rate, activity and sleep, providing clinicians with valuable data to inform on-going patient care. The NHS 10 Year Health Plan identifies them as one of its 鈥�5 Big Bets鈥� for transforming healthcare, but their use across the health service remains patchy, with benefits not reaching all communities equally. Through his fellowship, Dr Lukas Hughes-Noehrer will establish the Manchester Digital Health Living Lab, a real-world testbed where patients, families, community organisations, clinicians, researchers, industry partners, and local government work together to design and evaluate wearable-enabled care.

The 拢2.4m-UKRI funded programme is built around three strands. The first will work with communities to understand what helps or hinders people in adopting wearables, with a focus on accessibility, trust, usability and digital inclusion. The second will develop secure systems that connect wearable data to electronic health records and explore how continuous streams of patient-generated data can be transformed into clinically meaningful real-time information to support care. The third will embed a wearable-enabled clinical trial, working with approximately 800 patients undergoing lung and hepato-pancreato-biliary surgery to trial adoption and evaluate their potential to improve health outcomes.

Findings will help shape the future use of wearable technologies across healthcare and inform the development of digitally enabled hospitals and care pathways in Greater Manchester and beyond.

Dr Hughes-Noehrer, Lecturer in Mobile and Wearable Health Technology in the Division of Informatics, Imaging, and Data Sciences, and Lead for Computational Medicine at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said:

鈥淎s someone who works at the intersection of healthcare and research, I see first-hand how health inequalities can affect who benefits from new models of care and emerging technologies. Wearables have huge potential to provide more personalised, proactive support, but only if everyone can access, use and trust them. By working directly with our communities in Manchester, I want to build a model for wearable-enabled care that is fair, safe and trusted, and that other places in the UK and beyond can follow.鈥�

Dr Richard Obexer: De Novo Biomolecular Condensates for Programmable Assembly of Enzyme Cascades

Inside our cells are tiny droplets that act a little like miniature factories. Without being surrounded by a membrane, they can bring particular proteins and enzymes together, allowing chemical reactions to happen faster and more efficiently.

These structures known as 鈥榖iomolecular condensates鈥�, occur widely inside living cells, and Dr Richard Obexer is exploring whether we can recreate this natural trick, then engineer it to make useful products more efficiently.

His new fellowship, funded by 拢1.3m from UKRI, will enable him to combine AI-powered protein design with a laboratory process inspired by natural evolution, to rapidly test thousands of protein variations. The aim is to create molecules that can encourage these droplets to form around a much wider range of enzymes, while controlling what happens inside them. This could give researchers unprecedented control over the conditions inside each biological factory.

The team will initially test their approach by building a five-enzyme system to manufacture islatravir, an anti-HIV drug that鈥檚 currently made using conventional chemical synthesis. Next, they will explore whether a ten-enzyme system could turn CO2 and methanol into starch, potentially creating a route for converting captured carbon into useful materials. Finally, they鈥檒l rebuild a biosynthetic pathway in bacteria to produce trunkamide, an anti-cancer compound that has proven difficult to manufacture at a useful scale.

Dr Obexer, BBSRC Discovery Fellow in Chemical Biology and Biological Chemistry, in the Department of Chemistry, University of Manchester, said:

鈥淣ature has already evolved incredibly efficient ways of organising chemistry inside cells, and we鈥檙e now asking whether we can recreate and engineer these to build tiny biological factories for ourselves. If we can combine that with AI-designed proteins, we could make entirely new manufacturing processes possible, from medicines to ways of turning captured carbon into useful products.鈥�

糖心Vlog官方 and the Jeremy Coller Foundation have announced the finalists for the Coller AI Competition with one early-stage venture set to receive a 拢100,000 equity investment to help turn it鈥檚 responsible AI innovation into a growing venture.

The competition attracted applicants from student, colleagues and alumni and brings together the University鈥檚 research strength, entrepreneurial talent and commitment to responsible innovation. It aims to identify and support founders developing AI solutions that are not only commercially promising but designed to benefit people and society.

The shortlisted Teams are:

Health Equity Chain

Health Equity Chain is building the Treatment Analyser System, an AI tool that helps doctors and patients make better prostate cancer treatment decisions. It shows a patient where they stand among people like them, making complex clinical information clear, understandable and equitable.

LanthaGen Bio Ltd

LanthaGen Bio has built an AI platform that simulates how biomolecules (proteins and peptides) bind metals, so new metal capturing proteins can be designed on a computer instead of found by trial and error. By drastically shortening the process it removes the energy, chemicals, plastic and solvent waste that repeated screening consumes.

SporeSense

SporeSense has built an AI-powered early-warning system that detects crop disease before any symptoms are visible. This lets farmers act early, cutting crop losses, reducing unnecessary pesticide use, and supporting more resilient, sustainable food production as climate change increases pressure on global agriculture.

SenseVale

SenseVale makes smart glasses that help blind and partially sighted people independently navigate their surroundings with minimal assistance. Sensors in the frame pick up what is around you, and the glasses tell you what they find through sound and vibration.

Forkprint Ltd

Forkprint is developing AI-enabled models that analyse any given food business鈥� data, such as recipes, menus and supplier information, to provide accurate greenhouse gas emissions GHGE information. This will enable food service businesses to assess and track the GHGE coming from their ingredients and food preparation processes, as well as rapidly develop lower-carbon recipes.

The initiative forms part of 糖心Vlog官方鈥檚 Challenge Accepted campaign, which supports ideas with the potential to tackle major global challenges.

The Coller AI Competition is supported by the Jeremy Coller Foundation, the philanthropic vehicle of private equity entrepreneur Jeremy Coller. The Foundation supports initiatives focused on education, entrepreneurship, pensions innovation and the transition to a more sustainable food system. By supporting ambitious ideas, the Foundation helps drive lasting change and empowers the next generation of innovators and problem solvers.

The winner will be announced at 糖心Vlog官方 Innovation Festival on the 9^th of October 2026.

糖心Vlog官方 Innovation Festival takes place Monday 5th October to Friday 9th October 2026

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The three-year appointment will support research, teaching and knowledge exchange at the intersection of artificial intelligence, creative practice, copyright and digital provenance. It builds on a collaboration initiated through Creative Manchester, beginning with Melchior鈥檚 two-day visit to the University in May 2026.

An artist, composer and creative technologist, Melchior has spent more than 25 years exploring how music, science and emerging technology can reshape creative experience. His projects range from pioneering an artist website with David Bowie and helping shape Bj枚rk Digital and the Vulnicura VR album, to Massive Attack鈥檚 Fantom app and Mezzanine DNA experiment. He is founder of Genotone and creator of The Logos, a cathedral-scale collaborative installation with MIT that transforms signals from deep space into spatial sound.

He also advises UK government technical working groups on AI and copyright convened by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport and the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology. In this work, he represents organisations whose combined membership includes around 30,000 artists: the Music Managers Forum, Featured Artists Coalition and Association for Electronic Music.

Building on 鈥淧roof of Human鈥�

Creative Manchester welcomed Melchior to the University in May 2026 for a programme of public engagement, student learning and interdisciplinary exchange around AI and creative authorship. Colleagues from Computer Science, Law and Humanities joined representatives from Greater Manchester鈥檚 creative sector to explore the challenges and opportunities generative AI presents for the creative and intellectual property sectors.

At the centre of the visit was 鈥淧roof of Human: AI, Copyright, and the Fight for Creative Authorship鈥�, a public lecture held at SISTER in Manchester鈥檚 innovation district. Melchior examined how creative work can be attributed, protected and rewarded as generative AI becomes more widely used, making the case for reliable systems that verify authorship and trace the provenance of creative material.

He also led a masterclass for undergraduate and postgraduate music and composition students on moving music from studio to release while maintaining provenance and control of intellectual property. The visit created opportunities for collaboration across Computer Science, the School of Law and the School of Arts, Languages and Cultures.

糖心Vlog官方ing expertise across disciplines and sectors

As Honorary Professor, Melchior will work with colleagues across the University over the next three years to develop research, teaching and knowledge exchange focused on AI, creativity and authorship. He will contribute to collaborative research into provenance technologies and their practical application within creative ecosystems, helping to translate emerging technical approaches into policy, industry and cultural contexts.

He will also support student learning through guest lectures, workshops and the co-supervision of PhD projects. The appointment will help shape interdisciplinary opportunities connecting computing, music, law, archives and public policy, while providing a foundation for future funding bids and longer-term partnerships in responsible and trustworthy AI.

September visit and podcast

Melchior will return to the University from 21-25 September 2026 for an engagement programme celebrating his new role. He will deliver a seminar for the Department of Computer Science and take part in research and knowledge exchange meetings with colleagues from across the University. The programme will explore potential collaborations connecting computing, the creative industries, policy and the cultural sector.

The visit will coincide with the release of a podcast episode on creative ownership, featuring Melchior in conversation with Parvathy Nair, a postgraduate researcher in AI and patent law. Part of a series on the ethics of AI in the cultural and creative industries, the episode considers how artists can retain ownership of their work within the current technological and regulatory landscape.

Supporting Manchester 2035

The collaboration aligns with From Manchester for the world, the University鈥檚 strategy to 2035. The strategy seeks to define what a great university looks like for the 21st century by creating knowledge for the public good, locally and globally. By connecting computer science with the creative industries, cultural organisations, law and policymaking, the appointment supports the University鈥檚 commitments to interdisciplinary research, partnership, responsible AI and translating research excellence into practical impact.

鈥淐reative work is becoming fluid. It can be copied, transformed and recombined at machine speed, while authorship and ownership struggle to keep up,鈥� said Andrew. 鈥淭his appointment is an opportunity to bring computer scientists, artists, lawyers and policymakers together to build practical systems that keep identity and provenance attached to creative work.鈥�

"I am delighted to welcome Andrew Melchior as Honorary Professor in Computer Science here in Manchester," said Professor Andrew Stewart, Head of the Department of Computer Science. 鈥淗e has a unique perspective at the intersection of AI, provenance, and creativity drawn from deep technical knowledge. Andrew鈥檚 particular lens is critical in helping us navigate the AI challenges and opportunities we face with respect to creative authorship. I very much look forward to his research collaborations and teaching contributions, both within the Department of Computer Science and, more broadly, across our University.鈥�

Andrew has a remarkable ability to bridge worlds that do not always naturally come together, from computer science and policy to music, the arts and the creative industries," said Professor Michelle Phillips, Director of Creative Manchester and Professor of Music. 鈥淎t a time when artificial intelligence is reshaping how creative work is produced, shared and valued, his expertise offers an important perspective on how we can protect and support human creativity.鈥�

鈥淗is visit to Manchester earlier this year sparked valuable conversations between researchers, students, policymakers and creative practitioners, demonstrating the potential for genuinely interdisciplinary collaboration. We are delighted to build on that momentum through this appointment and look forward to developing new research, learning and engagement opportunities together over the coming years.鈥�

Around one million people are living with dementia in the UK, yet more than a third do not have a diagnosis. Dementia risk is shaped by a mix of health, lifestyle and environmental factors, but there are positive steps people can take to reduce their risk.

The Manchester Brain Health Centre (MBHC) has been spearheaded by Alzheimer鈥檚 Society in partnership with Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, The Geoffrey Jefferson Brain Research Centre at 糖心Vlog官方 and supported by NHS Greater Manchester.

MBHC is a unique joined-up, single service bringing together psychiatrists, vascular specialists, clinical academics, and a multidisciplinary team to identify and support people at the earliest stages of memory loss. People will benefit from advanced diagnostic techniques such as MRI scans, lumbar punctures, heart health checks, and behavioural assessments, delivering an earlier and accurate diagnosis. This approach will also help identify underlying risk factors and inform the most effective treatment and support plan for individuals.

People who meet the requirements for the MBHC will be identified through existing memory assessment services and referred directly. Those who take part in the two-year pilot in central Manchester will also be given the chance, if they are eligible, to take part in research and clinical trials.

Alzheimer鈥檚 Society Brain Health Advisers will work alongside NHS clinicians to offer personalised support, guidance and information to people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), an early stage of memory and thinking changes, or dementia, as well as to anyone looking to improve their brain health through achievable lifestyle and health changes.

Michelle Dyson CB, Alzheimer鈥檚 Society Chief Executive Officer, said: 鈥淒ementia is the UK鈥檚 biggest killer, but it is not an inevitable part of ageing. Nearly half (45%) of dementia cases worldwide could be prevented or delayed by addressing health and lifestyle factors, throughout our lives, like high blood pressure.

鈥淚f we can identify people early enough, we can significantly improve their brain health and help put the brakes on dementia. The Manchester Brain Health Centre really is changing the game, and we are proud to be a partner. This model could be replicated in other regions, transforming the future for thousands of people at risk of dementia or in the early stages of memory loss.鈥�

Professor Adam Greenstein, Consultant Geriatrician at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, Clinical Scientist at University of Manchester and Alzheimer鈥檚 Society Ambassador, said: 鈥淭he Manchester Brain Health Centre is a game-changing approach which brings together partners who believe that greater collaboration can help diagnose more people at an earlier stage and improve health outcomes. We are combining clinical and research expertise to identify people earlier, address risk factors such as high blood pressure, and support patients to live better for longer.

This is an innovative step towards a proactive approach to brain health, and we are creating a model which we believe could be adopted more widely. Through this pilot, we will be generating the evidence to support future service collaboration and development by clinical, research and academic teams across the country.鈥�

Dr Ross Dunne, Consultant Later Life Psychiatrist and Dementia Research Lead at Greater Manchester Mental Health NHS Foundation Trust, said: 鈥淭he Manchester Brain Health Centre is crucial to advancing our understanding and treatment of the diseases that cause dementia. Right now, the system is not set up for people when memory and thinking problems first appear. That is exactly when early diagnosis and treatment could have the greatest impact.

鈥淲e want the UK to be the best place in the world to get an early and accurate diagnosis. We can be a world leader in the research that will change the future of dementia. Together with our partners in Greater Manchester and Alzheimer's Society, our aim is to develop a model for brain health clinics nationwide.鈥�

The Manchester Brain Health Centre鈥檚 pilot clinic is hosted at the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility (CRF): Manchester at Manchester Royal Infirmary.

• The Manchester Brain Health Centre reflects 糖心Vlog官方's commitment through its Challenge Accepted campaign to bring together research, healthcare and communities to address some of society's most pressing challenges, including improving health outcomes and healthy ageing.
• If you鈥檙e worried about yourself, or someone close to you, then Alzheimer鈥檚 Society鈥檚 symptom checklist can help you start a conversation with a GP. Visit alzheimers.org.uk/checklist or call their Dementia Support Line on 0333 150 3456.

Women with a higher Body Mass Index in early adulthood may have a lower risk of developing breast cancer after the menopause because of lasting changes in the structure of their breast tissue, according to researchers at 糖心Vlog官方 and Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust.

An analysis of data from more than 33,000 women found that breast density could partially explain the link between a higher body weight at age 20 and a lower chance of post-menopausal breast cancer.

The findings help explain a long-standing puzzle in breast cancer research: being overweight in middle age is known to increase breast cancer risk, while a higher body weight in childhood, adolescence and early adulthood appears to have the opposite long-term effect.

The study is published in the British Journal of Cancer today (17/09/26) and is supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Manchester.

The researchers followed 33,816 women taking part in the UK Predicting Risk of Cancer at Screening () programme for more than a decade and recorded 1,261 cases of post-menopausal breast cancer.

They examined women's self-reported body mass index (BMI) at age 20 and compared it with measurements of breast density taken during routine mammograms.

Breast density refers to the amount of fibrous and glandular tissue in the breast compared to fatty tissue; women with denser breasts are known to face a higher risk of breast cancer.

The team found that the women who had a higher BMI at age 20 generally had lower percentage breast density later in life and were also less likely to develop post-menopausal breast cancer.

For every five-point increase in BMI at age 20, the risk of developing post-menopausal breast cancer fell by around 15 per cent. Further analysis suggested that lower breast density may account for almost 60 per cent of this effect.

The researchers believe the timing of body weight gains may be crucial because women鈥檚 breasts are still developing during adolescence and early adulthood, potentially leading to long-term changes in tissue structure.

The study also found that different measures of breast density may reflect different biological pathways linked to breast cancer risk.

One measure, which estimates the percentage of dense tissue within the breast, appeared to capture some of the lasting effects associated with higher body weight in early adulthood. Another measure based on the total volume of glandular tissue appeared to be more strongly influenced by body weight later in life.

First author Dr Benoit Jauniaux, a Surgical Trainee in the North-West Deanery said: "Researchers in previous studies have observed that women with a higher BMI in childhood or their early adulthood appear to have a lower risk of breast cancer after the menopause, but we have not fully understood why.

鈥淭his study suggests that downstream changes to breast density may explain a large part of this effect.鈥�

Senior author Professor Andrew Renehan, Professor of Cancer Studies and Surgery at 糖心Vlog官方 and Programme Co-Lead in the Cancer Prevention and Early Detection Theme at the NIHR BRC: Manchester, added: 鈥淭hese findings do not suggest that gaining weight is protective. What they offer is further insight into how breast tissue and consequent breast cancer risk may be shaped across a woman's lifetime 鈥� and we want to understand these mechanisms further.

鈥淢aintaining a healthy weight remains important, because excess weight in later adulthood is linked to a higher risk of breast cancer and many other serious diseases.

鈥淏ut this study adds to growing evidence that exposures during early life can have lasting effects on health decades later.鈥�

• The paper Early-adulthood body mass index, mammographic density and post-menopausal breast cancer risk: a mediation analysis is published in the British Journal of Cancer and is available here. DOI

Using the European Southern Observatory's Very Large Telescope (VLT) in Chile, researchers, involving scientists from 糖心Vlog官方 and The Valongo Observatory, studied Sakurai's Object, a rare 鈥榖orn-again鈥� star that unexpectedly burst back to life in 1996 after reaching the final stages of its evolution.

Their findings, published today in , show that the star has entered a new phase of its evolution, developing the powerful stellar wind characteristic of Wolf-Rayet stars.

The research provides new insight into the final stages of stellar evolution and helps astronomers test theories that would otherwise take thousands or millions of years to verify.

Professor Albert Zijlstra from Jodrell Bank Centre for Astrophysics at 糖心Vlog官方, said: "Most stars evolve so slowly that major changes take place over timescales far longer than a human lifetime. As a result, we usually have to piece together snapshots of stellar evolution by comparing different stars at different stages of their lives.

"Sakurai's Object offers something far rarer. It is one of the very few stars known to have changed dramatically within just a few decades, giving us the opportunity to watch stellar evolution unfold in real time.

鈥淲ith our observations, we can test theories of how stars evolve and gain new insights into one of the shortest and least understood phases in the life of a dying star."

How a dead star burst back to life

The scientists believe the star was similar to our Sun, but had already ended nuclear burning and begun its journey towards becoming a white dwarf - the hot, dense core left behind after an ordinary star dies. It underwent a rare event known as a "very late thermal pulse", when a layer of helium deep inside the dead star suddenly reignites.

The event caused the star to rapidly expand, cool and eject large amounts of material into space, temporarily returning to an earlier stage of its life, leading astronomers to describe it as a "born-again" star.

Only two stars have ever been directly observed undergoing this type of dramatic rebirth: Sakurai's Object and V605 Aquilae.

Following its outburst, Sakurai's Object became hidden behind thick clouds of gas and dust released during the eruption, making it difficult to study directly.

To investigate its current state, the team analysed light collected by the Very Large Telescope and compared it with sophisticated computer models that simulate the atmospheres and powerful winds of Wolf-Rayet stars.

The observations revealed distinctive signatures of carbon and helium, allowing the researchers to find its temperature, chemical composition and the characteristics of its stellar wind.

Their analysis suggests the star's surface temperature is currently between around 27,000 and 36,000 degrees Kelvin, showing that it is reheating following its dramatic eruption nearly three decades ago.

A rare glimpse of stellar evolution in action

Prof Zijlstra added: "One of the key questions is how quickly Sakurai's Object should recover after its dramatic eruption.

"Our measurements show that the star is reheating more gradually than some earlier models predicted. That gives us an important way of testing which theories best describe what happens when a dying star briefly springs back to life.

"As we continue to monitor the star over the coming years, we expect to learn much more about this remarkable phase of stellar evolution."

The findings also suggest that Sakurai's Object is at an earlier stage of its evolution than V605 Aquilae, which experienced a similar event around 80 years ago.

The team will continue observing Sakurai's Object as it continues reheating and resumes its journey towards becoming a white dwarf, learning more about one of the most rapid and unusual phases of stellar evolution ever observed.

糖心Vlog官方 has been recognised for the strength and breadth of its subject-level performance in the 2026 ShanghaiRanking鈥檚 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects.

The results reflect the depth of Manchester鈥檚 impact across a wide range of disciplines. Ten subjects are ranked among the top 50 worldwide, including five in the global top 25 across each of the University鈥檚 faculties. Geography remains in the world top 10, while Dentistry and Oral Sciences is ranked 13th, Physics 16th, Metallurgical Engineering 18th and Textile Science and Engineering 25th.

Completing the University鈥檚 global top 50 subjects are Biotechnology, ranked 29th, Mechanical Engineering 40th, Sociology 46th, Library and Information Science 48th and Political Sciences 50th.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of 糖心Vlog官方, said: 鈥淭hese results are a welcome recognition of the quality and reach of academic work taking place across 糖心Vlog官方, with top 25 subjects spanning all three faculties.

鈥淩ankings don鈥檛 measure everything we value, but are useful tools for reflecting on where progress is being made and where further work is needed, particularly in an increasingly competitive global higher education environment. The real value lies in using that insight to drive meaningful improvements in research, teaching and innovation, helping us deliver on our ambitious strategy - Manchester 2035鈥�

Several subjects have climbed the table in this year鈥檚 rankings. Sociology returned to the global top 50, rising from the 101鈥�150 band to 46th. Textile Science and Engineering moved from 30th to 25th, while Biotechnology rose from 33rd to 29th. Mechanical Engineering improved from 43rd to 40th.

Other areas also recorded progress. Mathematics, Artificial Intelligence and Psychology all saw substantial gains in the rankings, while Civil Engineering and Communication also improved.

The longer-term picture shows sustained momentum in several disciplines. Biotechnology has moved from the 151鈥�200 band in 2023 to 36th in 2024, 33rd in 2025 and 29th this year. Mechanical Engineering has progressed from 76鈥�100 in 2023 to 40th in 2026. Mathematics has improved in each ranking since 2023, moving from 151鈥�200 to 51鈥�75.

The University is now ranked in 49 subject areas, compared with 48 in 2025 and 43 in 2023. The results span disciplines across Natural Sciences, Engineering, Life Sciences, Medical Sciences and Social Sciences, reflecting the breadth of activity taking place across Manchester.

ShanghaiRanking鈥檚 Global Ranking of Academic Subjects assesses universities across 57 subjects using nine objective indicators covering faculty, research output, research quality, impact and international collaboration.

Each year, the ranking includes subjects from approximately 2,000 universities across some 100 countries and regions.

For more information, visit the website.

The results demonstrate renewed momentum in the commercialisation of research originating from 糖心Vlog官方 (UoM), as the institution puts increasing focus on innovation as part of its ambitious 2035 Strategy.

As the University's dedicated technology transfer office, the Innovation Factory works with researchers to develop early-stage ideas, helping identify commercial potential, protect intellectual property and determine the best route to market. Its support continues through licensing and spinout creation, investment readiness and the longer-term development of companies within its portfolio.

The 11 new spinouts reflect the breadth of research and innovation taking place across the University:

• Grid Stability Ltd, building AI-driven stability assessment tools for modern power systems, reducing cost and carbon while improving stability.
• Lut猫o Medical Ltd, developing new clinical eczema solutions based on microbiome science.
• SpinOr Ltd, pioneering a compact and modular superconducting quantum computer design.
• Imprinted Diagnostics Ltd, developing rapid diagnostics, with its first product focused on heart attack triage.
• ColoriQuo Ltd, developing sustainable structural colour technologies inspired by nature.
• FLAG-Me SAFE Ltd, creating digital safeguarding tools to help pharmacies better support people with sight and hearing impairments.
• Pacentrica Ltd, creating digital technologies for pain assessment and long-term pain management.
• Precica Ltd, developing technology to significantly reduce data storage requirements while keeping information searchable and accessible.
• InformiX Pharma Ltd, using advanced three-dimensional imaging to improve the development and manufacture of medicines.
• Zenithym Ltd, commercialising semiconducting polymer nanoparticles for a range of industrial and medical applications.
• C3 Biotechnologies Ltd, converting industrial waste streams into sustainable chemicals and high-value products.

Dr Catherine Headley, CEO of the University of Manchester Innovation Factory, said:

鈥淭his has been an incredible year for the Innovation Factory and the results reflect the breadth and quality of innovation emerging from across the University, the strength of our spinout portfolio, and the quality of service that we provide. We are extremely proud of the progress that we have made this year as we build the foundations to play a key role in the University鈥檚 innovation plans.鈥�

Investment and the next generation of opportunities

Companies across the Innovation Factory portfolio secured over 拢56 million in external investment during 2025/26, providing crucial capital needed to develop technologies, attract talent, establish partnerships and move towards commercial scale.

Alongside supporting its established spinout portfolio, the Innovation Factory continues to develop the pipeline of opportunities that could become the University鈥檚 future spinouts and licenses.

During 2025/26, the team supported over 300 researchers from across the University鈥檚 schools and faculties at the early stages of commercialisation, helping them explore opportunities to create positive impact, develop intellectual property strategies and identify the most appropriate commercial outcomes for their research. This represents the highest level of researcher engagement with the Innovation Factory in five years, reflecting significant growth in the number of individuals accessing commercialisation support.

Professor John Holden, Vice President for Innovation and Civic Engagement said:

鈥淐ommercialisation is an important part of translating research into wider economic and societal benefit and positive impact. These results show the value of the rich innovation ecosystem that we are establishing in Manchester and the expertise within the Innovation Factory allows us to support our researchers from the earliest stages.鈥�

A growing innovation ecosystem

The Innovation Factory鈥檚 work is increasingly enhanced by a wider innovation ecosystem across the University and Greater Manchester.

In addition to the support from the Innovation Factory, staff, students and alumni can benefit from varied UoM specialist services and programmes including Unit M, Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange and the Masood Entrepreneurship Centre, alongside initiatives such as Ideas with Impact, developed by the University鈥檚 Division of Development and Alumni Relations.

To find out more about the Innovation Factory, visit

Students will have the chance to take part in exchanges and gain a broader international perspective, while academic colleagues will be able to develop shared research interests and learn from each other鈥檚 approaches.

The two universities will collaborate through workshops and conferences, alongside sharing publications, teaching practice and course design.

ASU is consistently ranked as the most innovative university in the United States by U.S. News & World Report, taking the accolade for the 11^th successive year in 2025.

Professor Angelia Wilson, Associate Vice President International at 糖心Vlog官方 said: 鈥淲e are strengthening the ties between these two powerhouses of innovation through this partnership, which will create incredible opportunities for colleagues and students on both sides of the Atlantic. The MoU sets a framework to build on our respective strengths and collaborate effectively over the years to come.鈥�

Professor Fiona Devine, Vice President and Dean for the Faculty of Humanities at 糖心Vlog官方 added: 鈥淲e are delighted to develop further opportunities to collaborate between the two institutions and build on our mutual research interests in innovation and policy across Humanities.鈥�

Shannon Portillo, director of the School of Public Affairs and Coor Presidential Chair at Arizona State University said: 鈥淭his MoU builds on the strong collaborations between faculty and research centers at Manchester鈥檚 Faculty of Humanities and ASU鈥檚 School of Public Affairs. We look forward to more connections between our faculty and students.鈥� The school is based in the Watts College of Public Service and Community Solutions at Arizona State University.

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The challenge, now in its third year, saw teams of Year 10 and 11 pupils spend four weeks developing metal-detecting robotic systems before returning to the University's Nancy Rothwell Building for a series of live detection challenges.

The competition is inspired by research carried out by the University's electromagnetic sensing team and gives young people hands-on experience of electronics engineering while highlighting the real-world challenge of detecting buried landmines and other hidden objects underground. It also aims to inspire more young people to consider careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM).

Teams started with an introductory workshop in June, where they received their robot kits and took part in practical engineering sessions, careers talks and got the chance to meet and ask questions to professionals from across the electrical engineering sector. They were then paired with University of Manchester undergraduate mentors, who visited their schools to help guide teams through the design and build process.

The competition culminated in a final event on 14 July, with pupils putting their creations to the test in a series of practical arena challenges designed to assess their detection and engineering skills.

Co-op Academy Swinton took first place overall. St Ambrose Barlow RC High School were named runners-up and Chorlton High School South received the award for 鈥楤est Presentation鈥�, all receiving specially engraved trophies.

Competition led, Dr Michael O鈥橳oole said: 鈥淢anchester Minesweeper challenge gives pupils the chance to take on a genuine engineering challenge and build something that works in the real world.

鈥淥ver the course of four weeks, they learn about electronics, problem-solving, teamwork and design, while working alongside current engineering students who help them develop their ideas and gain confidence that university and a career in STEM could be within their reach."

InstMC Vice-President Dave Green said: 鈥淚t's incredibly rewarding to see the creativity, determination and technical skills that the teams develop, and we hope the experience encourages some of them to consider studying engineering or another STEM subject in the future.鈥�

The initiative was originally established with support from a Royal Academy of Engineering Ingenious award. For the first time this year, it was supported by leading local engineering businesses through the sponsorship of the Institute of Measurement Control (Central Northwest), Endress+Hauser, Technical Partners, and Tetra Tech Consulting, whose representatives joined the final event and helped judge the competition.

will receive 拢95 million for research into advanced materials to help deliver the National Materials Strategy, launched in February 2026.

The Royce will continue its world-leading work to keep the UK at the forefront of advanced materials research and turn scientific discoveries into commercial products. The institute's work helps to create solutions to some of the key issues facing our society, including developing lighter, more efficient battery technology or using AI to design a new alloy that could replace scarce rare-earth materials used in electrical equipment. It works closely with businesses to commercialise new tech quickly and fuel growth in the UK.

The Rosalind Franklin Institute, a research centre dedicated to developing new technologies to address health challenges, will also receive a 拢67.7 million investment to build on its pioneering work in next-generation imaging, engineering, biology and diagnostics.

Science Minister Chris McDonald said: 鈥淲e have world leading science research in the UK that pushes the boundaries of knowledge. It is the foundation of our mission to reindustrialise the country, creating good, well paid jobs by developing new technologies and growing British companies.

鈥淭he Rosalind Franklin Institute and the Henry Royce Institute are world leading in their fields. Combining biological knowledge, advanced physics and materials development to understand how the cells in our bodies function, and can be repaired and treated with precision medicines.

"The research gives our country a competitive edge, so long as we commercialise it in industry. Developing new medical technologies and treatments and bringing them to market is good for jobs and good for health, making a real impact on people's lives."

Turning research into reality

Executive Director for the Strategy Directorate at the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council (UKRI), Dr Kedar Pandya, said: 鈥淭he Rosalind Franklin Institute and Henry Royce Institute have a proven track record of turning public investment into research that advances knowledge, improves lives and drives growth.

鈥淭his continued funding from UKRI builds on that success. It will give researchers the tools and resources to answer some of the biggest questions in the health and advanced materials industries, keeping the UK at the forefront of global science and engineering.鈥�

These two institutes are turning brilliant science into real-world impact, and contributing to the UK鈥檚 leadership in two vital sectors 鈥� life sciences and the advanced materials industry, both of which are among the eight high growth sectors targeted for support in the government鈥檚 Industrial Strategy.

Their world-leading facilities, anchored at Harwell in Didcot for the Franklin and Manchester for the Royce, will provide new equipment and infrastructure for scientists, industry partners and as well as working closely with businesses across the country.

Already, Royce鈥檚 battery development facility has supported Molyon, a University of Cambridge spin-out, in creating a new generation of lithium-sulphur batteries that are lighter, more sustainable and can store twice as much energy as current models. The breakthrough has helped Molyon raise $4.6 million in seed funding to bring the technology to market.

This is just one example of how these institutes support connections between cutting edge research and British businesses, helping to make sure that the UK鈥檚 scientific excellence translates into jobs, new investment and economic growth in every part of the country, as set out in the government's 10-year Industrial Strategy. This funding is delivered through UK Research and Innovation, with the intention to deliver the greatest possible impact.

Professor Paul Monks, Chair, Henry Royce Institute said: 鈥淭he achievements of the Henry Royce Institute demonstrate what can be accomplished when the UK brings together outstanding people, facilities and institutions around a shared national purpose, but ultimately the measure of our success is in the outcomes that this enables.

鈥淭his renewed investment is both a recognition of what the Royce Partnership has achieved and a huge vote of confidence in its future. Advanced materials underpin almost every technology that will shape a more sustainable and prosperous economy, and our next phase will be increasingly focused on translating our national capability into tangible outcomes for the economy, society and the environment.

鈥淏y deepening our national and international impact and forging stronger connections between research and industry, we want to ensure that great materials science leads to real-world innovation, while keeping the UK at the forefront of advanced materials.鈥�

Professor Sarah Sharples, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering and Member of the Royce Governing Board, said: "We are living through a period of profound technological and societal change, and meeting the challenges and opportunities that brings depends on strong partnerships between universities, industry and government.

"Royce demonstrates the power of that approach. By bringing together outstanding expertise, facilities and industrial partners from across the UK, it has built a world-leading advanced materials innovation ecosystem that translates extraordinary research into the technologies and businesses that will shape our future.

"As the lead partner and home of the Henry Royce Institute, 糖心Vlog官方 is proud to play a convening role at the heart of this national partnership and all it has achieved. This renewed investment will strengthen the UK's position as a global leader in advanced materials and help ensure that discoveries made in our laboratories continue to deliver benefits for the economy, society and the environment."

A new Wellcome Trust clinical Doctoral Training Programme partnership between 糖心Vlog官方, City St George鈥檚, The University of Exeter and Imperial College London, is enabling students to carry out cutting-edge research into fungal infections and address underrepresented populations and diseases. The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation established in 1936 with an aim of working towards a healthier future for everyone. Through a 拢155 million investment into 14 new doctoral training programmes across the UK, Wellcome is supporting the next generation of healthcare professional researchers.

Tackling the global threat of fungal disease

The Mycology Doctoral Training Programme (Myco-DTP) will develop the next generation of clinical academic leaders tackling fungal diseases, one of the world's most significant but often overlooked infectious disease challenges.

Fungi such as Candida, Aspergillus and Cryptococcus cause more than six million invasive infections and over three million deaths globally each year, particularly affecting people with weakened immune systems. Treatment options remain limited and antifungal resistance is an increasing concern.

Although the UK is internationally recognised for excellence in medical mycology research, there is a shortage of clinically trained researchers able to translate laboratory discoveries into improvements in patient care. Myco-DTP has been designed to address this gap by supporting doctors, pharmacists and healthcare scientists to become future leaders in fungal disease research. Led by Professor Tihana Bicanic at City St George's, alongside Professor Adilia Warris at the University of Exeter, Professor Mike Bromley at the University of Manchester and Professor Darius Armstrong-James at Imperial College London, the programme will train 15 healthcare professionals through a multidisciplinary curriculum spanning five translational research themes of mechanisms of disease, diagnosis, immunology, therapeutics and antifungal resistance. PhD fellows will benefit from training, mentoring

and networking opportunities within an internationally recognised UK medical mycology community.

The programme brings together leading experts in fungal disease research and is linked to international networks focused on clinical trials, policy and advocacy, helping ensure discoveries made through the programme can deliver impact for patients in the UK and around the world.

Professor Bromley said: "Fungal infections are a growing global health threat, but clinical research capacity has simply not kept pace. The MYCO-DTP will be transformational, training a new generation of clinical researchers capable of translating world-leading fungal science into benefits for patients. Building on Wellcome鈥檚 sustained investment in medical mycology, and the combined expertise at the University of Manchester and National Aspergillosis Centre, this programme will help create the clinical research leaders our field urgently needs.鈥�

Fatty liver disease, they find, has been overlooked in current approaches to assessing cardiometabolic health, despite growing evidence that it can play a central role in facilitating damage across different organs.

The condition which affects up to one in three adults worldwide and known technically as metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), is already one of the world's fastest-growing health problems and is expected to affect more than half of adults globally by 2040.

Many scientists argue that the liver should be recognised alongside the heart, kidneys and metabolic system in a new framework they call cardiovascular-renal-hepatic-metabolic (CRHM) syndrome.

The review, published in Current opinion in nephrology and hypertension, highlights evidence showing that people with fatty liver disease face increased risks of cardiovascular disease, chronic kidney disease and early death, particularly when liver scarring, known as fibrosis, develops.

The studies they assessed, which involved millions of patients, found that fatty liver disease can predict heart and kidney complications independently of traditional risk factors such as diabetes, high blood pressure and obesity.

And having both liver and kidney disease appears to create a particularly dangerous combination.

A fatty liver releases substances into the bloodstream that promote inflammation, damage blood vessels, interfere with how the body uses energy.

That can influence the health of other organs through harmful fat deposits, chronic inflammation, hormonal signalling and changes in the gut microbiome amongst other things.

The review also points to a wave of new treatments that could transform care for patients affected by the interconnected conditions.

Drugs originally developed for obesity and type 2 diabetes are now showing benefits across the liver, heart and kidneys simultaneously.

Semaglutide, best known as a weight-loss treatment, has become the first medicine to demonstrate benefits, while newer drugs including tirzepatide and retatrutide are producing promising results in clinical trials.

The researchers say routine liver screening should become part of kidney and cardiovascular assessments, particularly in patients with obesity, diabetes or other metabolic risk factors.

They also call for major clinical trials and healthcare services to move beyond treating diseases organ by organ and instead adopt integrated approaches reflecting how these conditions interact in the real world.

Dr Will Marshall clinical research fellow at 糖心Vlog官方 and senior author of the study, said: "For many years we have viewed heart disease, kidney disease and liver disease as separate conditions managed by different specialists.

鈥淭he evidence now shows that these organs are deeply interconnected through shared biological pathways driven by obesity, insulin resistance and chronic inflammation.鈥�

Dr Marshall, who is also based at Salford Royal added: 鈥淔atty liver disease is not simply a consequence of metabolic ill health, it is an active contributor to it.

鈥淩ecognising the liver as a core component of cardiometabolic disease could help clinicians identify high-risk patients earlier, improve treatment decisions and ultimately prevent thousands of serious complications and premature deaths."

路 This paper is a peer reviewed narrative review which cites 55 references in its bibliography, covering epidemiological studies, clinical trials, meta-analyses, guidelines, reviews, and expert commentaries.

• The study Integrating the liver into the cardiovascular-kidney-metabolic syndrome: pathophysiology and therapeutic implications is published in journal DOI 10.1097/MNH.0000000000001225

A 鈥減eculiar鈥� new species of Jurassic squid-like animal has been unearthed in Wyoming, USA, following the discovery of two exceptionally rare fossils dating back around 160 million years.

The newly named species, Wyoteuthis linsterorum, has been identified as a type of ancient cephalopod, called a belemnite, cousins of modern squid and octopus. They say unusually thick, barrel-shaped skeleton makes it the "chunkiest鈥� or 鈥渇attest" belemnite ever discovered.

An international team of researchers from the USA, UK and New Zealand, including Dr Dean Lomax, Honorary Research Fellow at 糖心Vlog官方, describe the discovery in the journal today.

Belemnites are among the most common fossils found worldwide and are recognised by their bullet-shaped remains, known as a rostrum or guard. Millions have been discovered in Wyoming's Sundance Formation, an ancient inland sea that once covered the western USA.

Co-author and Wyoming palaeontologist, Jessica Lippincott, said in Wyoming, they are nicknamed 鈥渟quid butts鈥�.

The chunkiest belemnite ever discovered

Most Wyoming belemnites are bullet-shaped measuring around 5 to 10 centimetres long and only 1 to 2 centimetres wide. By contrast, the newly discovered species had an unusually broad, barrel-shaped rostrum around 10 centimetres long but up to six centimetres wide, making it the thickest belemnite ever recorded.

Researchers estimate the living animal would have reached around 60 centimetres in total length including its arms.

The work was instigated by Wyoming palaeontologist and co-author Bill Wahl, who has spent much of his career searching for fossils in Wyoming and said this belemnite 鈥渟tuck out like a sore thumb鈥�. He brought together an international team of researchers to investigate the remarkable specimens, including belemnite expert Alexey Ippolitov, now at Victoria University of Wellington, New Zealand.

Using computed tomography (CT) scanning, the team were able to examine the fossils without damaging them, revealing internal features that confirmed the animal belonged to an ancient family of belemnites previously thought to have disappeared millions of years earlier.

PhD student, Ippolitov said he was "deeply surprised" to discover a fossil from such a well-studied group that differed so radically from anything previously known. After more than 200 years of palaeontological research on belemnites, he said, discoveries like this are exceptionally rare.

Ippolitov explains: 鈥淎 possible explanation is that their relatively large size gave them an advantage when hunting co-occurring smaller belemnites of the genus Pachyteuthis. Modern squid, after all, are hardly picky when it comes to prey: they readily hunt not only other species of cephalopods, but sometimes even their own kind.鈥�

30 years in the making

The discovery was almost 30 years in the making. The first specimen was unearthed in the late 1990s by Dr Burkhard Pohl, founder of the Wyoming Dinosaur Center, after he spotted a belemnite much bigger than any he had seen before. The fossil sat unstudied in the museum's collection draw for many years until a second specimen was discovered by fossil collector Cliff Linster near Ten Sleep, Wyoming, and donated to the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in 2019. Together, the two fossils provided the evidence needed to identify and formally describe the new species.

Honouring a fossil collector's legacy

The name Wyoteuthis translates to 鈥渁 squid from Wyoming鈥�, while the species name, linsterorum, honours Cliff Linster and his family. Cliff discovered one of only two known specimens of the new species and donated it for scientific study.

Co-author and Wyoming palaeontologist, Jessica Lippincott, said: 鈥淎fter spending years fossil hunting in Wyoming and collecting countless fossils of the common Pachyteuthis belemnites here in Wyoming, this one is unlike anything I have ever seen! It goes to show that we are still finding new species of fossils all the time, and people who rockhound or collect invertebrate fossils can also contribute to science.鈥�

Cliff Linster passed away in June this year. He knew researchers were studying his remarkable discovery and was excited to see it formally described. The Linster family are no strangers to finding amazing fossils, perhaps most famously the dinosaur Bambiraptor.

Co-author and British palaeontologist, Dr Dean Lomax, an Honorary Research Fellow at 糖心Vlog官方 and an 1851 Research Fellow at the University of Bristol, in the UK, dug up dinosaurs with Cliff and his wife, Sandy, when he was a teenager. He said: 鈥淚 met Cliff and Sandy in 2009, when I spent a week digging up a dinosaur bonebed on their property in northern Montana. I have fond memories of that dig, listening to Cliff share his passion for fossils, including this belemnite. I鈥檓 honoured to help name this fossil after Cliff. It鈥檚 bittersweet that he didn鈥檛 get to see it published, but it鈥檚 wonderful that we can immortalise him and his family name in the history of palaeontology. The find is incredibly rare, which might be due to some ecological adaptations to the environment at the time. Perhaps its rarity is a result of narrow specialization.鈥�

Dr Lomax is also the author of the recently published book, 鈥淭he Secret Lives of Dinosaurs鈥�, which highlights Wyoming fossils, and he has spent time collecting fossils and excavating plesiosaurs and ichthyosaurs in Wyoming鈥檚 Sundance Formation.

Both specimens are on display at the Wyoming Dinosaur Center in Thermopolis, Wyoming USA.

Publication details

The new study has been published in the international journal, Papers in Palaeontology.

DOI:

The exact timeline of the recent Nepal flooding disaster is becoming clearer. At 8:37am, instruments recorded what was initially interpreted as an earthquake near 狈别辫补濒鈥檚 border with China. Seven minutes later, CCTV recorded the Gyirong Port border post being destroyed by a massive debris flow and flood.

flood authorities learned about the incident at about 9:00am and sent out an emergency SMS alert at about 9:15am. But by that time, Nepal was already deep into a major disaster.

The 38 minute gap between the tremor being detected and the emergency alert is striking. But it would be wrong to assume 狈别辫补濒鈥檚 authorities could simply have acted on the initial signal: at the time, it appeared to be a small earthquake, rather than a much rarer mountain collapse. The flood also arrived too swiftly for water-level sensors: they went almost immediately from recording normal levels to being destroyed.

The more interesting question is what a better-integrated warning system might have made possible. Could seismic readings, satellite images and other observations have been combined quickly enough to recognise what was happening and alert people further downstream?

Existing early-warning systems have often been designed around particular hazards such as regular rain-caused floods or . But this disaster was neither a Glof nor a regular flood. Instead it appears to have involved a rare, large-scale collapse of rock and ice, which turned into a devastating debris flow and flood.

As a of a strikingly similar flood in India last year argued, this type of hazard is largely absent from existing warning frameworks. As , such events are likely to happen more often.

Cascading mountain hazards that cross borders

In July 2025, a glacial lake in Tibet burst and swept down into Nepal, killing at least nine people and leaving around 20 missing in Nepal. Eleven people were also officially reported missing on the Chinese side.

After the flood, Nepal and China agreed in principle to share real-time information about floods, landslides and glacial lakes. However, despite 狈别辫补濒鈥檚 foreign minister during a visit to China in May 2026, no formal agreement has been signed.

Across the Himalayas and Hindu Kush mountain ranges, rivers, weather systems and infrastructure frequently span national boundaries. Our shows a hazard that begins in one place can have lethal consequences 鈥� and create new warning requirements 鈥� far downstream.

A warming climate is by thinning glaciers, thawing permafrost and destabilising slopes, even if climate change isn鈥檛 the sole explanation for every disaster. Meanwhile roads and hydropower projects are putting more people and infrastructure in threatened valleys.

Cooperation has to come before the disaster

Some cross-border early-warning arrangements already exist between Nepal and its neighbours, particularly for recurring floods. But sudden, cascading events such as the recent disaster pose a different challenge. A warning has value only if it travels the whole distance 鈥� from a sensor in the mountains, through scientific agencies, national and local authorities, to households in the valleys and plains below, in the minutes that matter.

Community-based flood warning already works in parts of 狈别辫补濒鈥檚 Koshi basin, where upstream gauges and trained local volunteers buy downstream villages precious time. A regional early warning system would have to link these community-level systems with national and cross-border monitoring, so that information can move from the source of a hazard to the people at risk. That means agreeing in advance what should be shared, how warnings should be passed between countries and agencies, and what action they should trigger.

That requires institutional changes and political commitment, as much as new technology. The region鈥檚 existing water treaties were written to divide flows and manage dams and barrages, not to govern cascading hazards in the high mountains. Governments could establish permanent bodies responsible for Himalayan rivers and their associated hazards. Featuring both scientists and policymakers, and linked to counterparts in neighbouring countries, these public bodies would be mandated to share data, jointly monitor glaciers, lakes and slopes, and coordinate warnings across borders.

The aim would be to make cooperation routine and sustained between disasters, rather than improvised in a crisis when events may unfold too quickly for international debate. None of this requires neighbours to resolve their wider disputes; it asks only that disaster warning be ring-fenced as shared humanitarian infrastructure that keeps working unabated.

The technologies for predicting and monitoring high-mountain hazards are improving fast. We now need more international scientific and policy cooperation, and warning systems capable of turning these observations into rapid action.

By , Senior Research Fellow and Lecturer in Environmental Management, ; , Lecturer in Disasters and Global Health, Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute, ; , Assistant Professor, Department of Geography, , and , Associate Professor, Department of Geomatics Engineering,

This article is republished from under a Creative Commons license. Read the .

University of Manchester scientists have uncovered a hidden role for immune cells in the womb, opening the door to new treatments for infertility, miscarriage and other reproductive conditions that affect millions of women worldwide.

The findings are a breakthrough in our understanding of women's reproductive biology, one of the most under-researched areas of medicine, despite infertility and pregnancy complications affecting millions of families.

The researchers hope their findings will accelerate efforts to develop targeted therapies for a range of conditions in urgent need of advancement, including recurrent miscarriage, IVF implantation failure, uterine fibrosis (scarring) and non-cancerous growths in the womb called fibroids.

Using mouse models and samples from women, specialised white blood cells called monocytes, they found, play a vital role in keeping the uterus healthy throughout the menstrual cycle.

Their findings, published in Nature Immunology today, reveal that these cells manage inflammation, repair tissue and maintain the womb lining, challenging long-held assumptions about how the uterus regulates itself.

They showed that during a healthy menstrual cycle, large numbers of monocytes move from the bloodstream into the uterus at specific times each month.

Once there, they are able to promote inflammation when needed or help repair and rebuild tissue.

Monocytes, they add, are essential for normal tissue turnover in the womb, though when missing, the uterus developed abnormal tissue structures and scarring causing problems with reproduction, with the mice having fewer pups per litter.

Using mouse models to track how immune cells in the womb develop over time, they determined that once recruited to the womb, monocytes turn into two different types of specialised immune cells (macrophages), one causing inflammation and one promoting tissue repair .

The findings were particularly striking in women with Asherman Syndrome, an often undetected condition in which scar tissue forms inside the uterus and can cause infertility, recurrent miscarriage and pregnancy complications.

The team discovered unusually high numbers of inflammatory monocytes in women affected by Asherman鈥檚 syndrome. Rather than rising and falling naturally throughout the menstrual cycle, the cells remained persistently elevated and clustered around specialised glands in the lining of the womb.

The study suggests this abnormal immune activity in mice may contribute to the development of fibrosis and scarring inside the uterus.

The work could help identify new treatment strategies, such as blocking inflammatory pathways or targeting molecules that control the movement and behaviour of monocytes, which aim to restore a healthy immune balance in the womb.

Dr , senior author of the study from 糖心Vlog官方, said: "For many years we have known surprisingly little about the immune cells that live and work within the uterus.

鈥淥ur study shows that one type of immune cell - monocytes - are not simply bystanders but essential for maintaining a healthy womb.

鈥淲hen their behaviour becomes disrupted, normal tissue repair processes can go wrong and scarring may develop.

She added: 鈥淲e hope these findings will pave the way for new treatments that improve fertility and reproductive health for women affected by inflammatory womb conditions."

鈥淭he lack of knowledge in this area reflects the historic underfunding and low prioritisation of women鈥檚 health.

鈥淥ne critical consequence of this is the dramatic decline in global fertility rates, set to transform global population patterns.鈥�

• The DOI for the paper is 10.1038/s41590-026-02651-y and is available

The pupils most at risk

• Pupils receiving SEN support were more than twice as likely to be suspended as pupils without SEN, while those with an EHCP also had more than twice the odds of suspension.
• Pupils eligible for free school meals were nearly two and a half times more likely to be suspended than those who were not eligible.
• Pupils reporting higher levels of peer pressure and experiences of bullying victimisation were more likely to be suspended.
• Pupils who reported they had used any substance in the past 30 days were nearly three times more likely to be suspended than those reporting no recent substance use, in part because substance use is itself direct grounds for suspension under DfE guidance.

What could help prevent suspensions?

• School belonging, satisfaction with academic attainment and positive relationships with school staff were all associated with lower odds of suspension.
• Stronger emotion regulation was also associated with lower suspension risk.
• Suspensions are associated with multiple overlapping individual and school-level factors, highlighting the need for preventative approaches that address underlying needs rather than relying solely on disciplinary measures.

The research used data from the #BeeWell programme, a youth wellbeing measurement programme led by 糖心Vlog官方 in collaboration with Anna Freud, a children鈥檚 mental health charity, and the Gregson Family Foundation.

The #BeeWell survey captures young people's wellbeing alongside factors that can influence it, including school experiences, health behaviours, peer and family relationships and neighbourhood characteristics. Survey responses can be linked with administrative data held by participating local authorities, allowing researchers to examine young people's experiences alongside information about suspension and exclusion.

The researchers analysed data from 19,064 pupils in Years 8 and 10 across 69 mainstream secondary schools in Hampshire and Southampton during the 2023/24 academic year. Around six per cent of pupils in the study had been suspended at least once during the academic year.

Looking beyond suspension and moving towards engagement

鈥淥ur findings show that suspension is not simply about what happens in an individual classroom or about a young person's behaviour in isolation,鈥� said lead author Dr Stephanie Cahill. 鈥淧upils' experiences of disadvantage, their relationships with peers and staff, their sense of belonging and their additional educational needs all form part of a much more complex picture.

The researchers say the findings highlight the importance of early intervention and preventative support, particularly for pupils experiencing disadvantage or additional educational needs.

Supportive relationships between pupils and school staff, as well as a strong sense of belonging, may play an important role in helping young people remain engaged with education.

The study also highlights the importance of understanding the different pathways that can lead to suspension鈥� a one-size-fits-all approach is unlikely to work for all pupils.

The researchers caution that the study identifies associations rather than causal relationships. Further research is needed to understand the mechanisms underlying these patterns and how schools can most effectively intervene to prevent suspensions.

鈥淲e recognise that the current climate within education has meant that many teachers are working under very challenging conditions and that often 鈥榖lanket鈥� approaches are taken due to limited capacity,鈥� said Professor Neil Humphrey. 鈥淚n order to ensure more work can be done to understand individual pathways and prevent suspensions, there needs to be increased support for schools from the government.鈥�

You can find helpful resources from #BeeWell on school belonging

Publication details

The study was published in the British Educational Research Journal.

DOI:

A by University of Manchester scientists says sophisticated lab-grown tumours could help fast-track the search for new cancer treatments while reducing reliance on animal testing.

Publishing in the British Journal of Cancer, the researchers assessed biomaterial-based cancer models using advanced materials known as hydrogels.

The models recreate key features of tumours in the lab, offering a potentially quicker way to study how cancers grow and spread.

The technology could also help scientists identify promising drugs more quickly by providing a realistic testing environment before treatments reach clinical trials.

However, the researchers stress that animal studies will remain an important part of cancer research for the foreseeable future, often providing valuable evidence about disease and drug safety.

And unlike animal research, the new technology cannot yet replicate the whole-body complexity needed to assess all aspects of drug efficacy and safety.

Hydrogels, which are derived from synthetic, plant, human or animal cells, act like a scaffold and closely mimic the environment surrounding cancer cells inside the human body.

The technology allows scientists to add cancer cells and other cell types to three-dimensional structures, creating miniature tumour ecosystems that reflect what happens in patients better than conventional two-dimensional models.

The three-dimensional tumour models are designed to mimic real cancers more closely, recreating key features such as cell interactions and drug resistance.

Two-dimensional cell cultures often fail to replicate the complexity of tumours, leading to promising drugs appearing effective in the laboratory only to disappoint in later testing.

Eve Tipple, a PhD researcher from 糖心Vlog官方 and lead author of the review, said: 鈥淭hough animal research will remain for the foreseeable future, continued advances in biomaterials could pave the way for a new generation of cancer models that are relevant to human disease.

鈥淭his technology might help researchers make better decisions earlier in the drug development process and accelerate the arrival of life-saving treatments for cancer patients worldwide.

鈥淭he technology could cut the number of animals used in research, save millions of pounds, and speed up the search for life-saving treatments.鈥�

Cancer remains one of the world's biggest killers despite huge advances in treatment, and one major reason is that most new drugs never make it to patients.

For decades, researchers have relied on simple 2D cell cultures grown on flat plastic surfaces.

But these models fail to capture the complexity of real tumours, which contain intricate networks of cells, tissues and chemical signals.

As a result, drugs can appear highly effective in the lab only to disappoint in later testing.

She added: 鈥淐ancer is far more than a collection of diseased cells because the environment surrounding a tumour strongly influences how it grows, spreads and responds to treatment.

鈥淏iomaterial-based models allow us to recreate many of these complex conditions in the laboratory with a level of control that was previously impossible.

鈥淭his gives researchers a powerful platform to study cancer biology, improve drug testing and ultimately help bring effective treatments closer to patients.鈥�

• The paper Using biomaterial-based 3D in vitro cancer models to solve current clinical problems DOI .
• Image shows a 3D model