Wellcome Sanger Institute

01/09/2026

CRISPR-Cas is a gene editing technique that has transformed molecular biology – from a bacterial defence system into a powerful toolkit for studying gene function, modelling disease, and developing new therapies.

But how does it actually work and what are we using it for? 🤔

In our latest blog, Sandeep Sundara Rajan explains how CRISPR-Cas is being used to investigate gene function, cancer vulnerabilities, and human genetic variation.

He also looks ahead to the next generation of genome editing – and how AI could complement experimental research by helping predict the effects of genetic variants.

Read the full blog below 👇
https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/09/01/5-questions-on-crispr-cas-with-sandeep-rajan/

26/08/2026

What makes us all different? A hidden source of genetic diversity has now been uncovered in human s***m by scientists.

The team at the Wellcome Sanger Institute, University of Cambridge and their collaborators have found that a type of genetic recombination occurs earlier in s***m development than previously thought.

The researchers found that these DNA recombination patterns can vary between individuals, including identical twins. This study opens new opportunities to investigate biological mechanisms underlying fertility, genome evolution and inherited disease.

Read more here ⤵️
https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/hidden-source-of-genetic-diversity-found-in-human-s***m/

New research provides a detailed view of how genetic diversity is generated in s***m and opens new opportunities to investigate the biological mechanisms underlying fertility, genome evolution, and inherited disease.

25/08/2026

PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (PHTS) is a genetic condition caused by changes to the PTEN gene. 🧬

Symptoms can vary from person to person, including an increased risk of certain cancers such as breast and endometrial cancer. However, while some individuals develop multiple cancers, others may never develop cancer at all.

A new project is underway to understand why, attempting to understand more about how these inherited PTEN changes influence how cells grow, and why this can lead to cancer. The researchers hope that this work will help inform future approaches for screening, find new ways to identify those at highest risk of cancer, and support early detection of tumours.

Read more about this in our latest blog, which includes Pam’s full story, here ⤵️

https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/08/25/one-gene-many-outcomes-understanding-variable-cancer-risk-in-pten-hamartoma-tumour-syndrome/

20/08/2026

Friend or foe, flies are everywhere. Buzzing around the compost heap, swarming an idyllic hike, or overwhelming houseplants. But, what do you really know about them?

Studying fly DNA can teach us some new tricks about how species pass down genes; what may be one person's nuisance can be someone else's unique way of studying evolution in action.

Head to the latest blog to learn a few fly facts. 🪰
https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/08/20/six-facts-about-midges-and-gnats/

Pictured: Dr Sasha Bliznina collects and analyses flies as part of her research project.

19/08/2026

Newly discovered DNA changes could help clinicians identify children with a type of muscle cancer who may develop aggressive disease. 🧬

These DNA changes could help explain why some tumours can become aggressive, despite not having the usual genetic marker. The findings could help guide the development of more precise treatments.

Find out more about this research, done in collaboration with University of Cambridge, Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust, UCL and others, here ⤵️

https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/hidden-drivers-of-aggressive-childhood-cancer-revealed/

11/08/2026

Ashleigh Williams’s route into genomics was not exactly straightforward – but following her curiosity led her to the Sanger Institute, where she now works with cutting-edge sequencing technologies.🧬

Ashleigh works across multiple sequencing platforms and supports researchers to generate high-quality data. In our latest blog, Ashleigh talks about her career journey, the excitement of working with new technologies and the opportunities she has found at Sanger.

Find out more here 👉 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/08/11/world-class-science-one-sample-at-a-time/

05/08/2026

Scientists have uncovered new weak spots in cancer that could support the development of more effective therapies. 🧬

By creating a new bank of organoids, which are miniature versions of tumours grown from patient samples, researchers were able to study different cancers in ways that more closely reflect what happens in the human body.

Read about how this open resource will help scientists better understand how cancers develop and respond to treatment. 👇
https://www.sanger.ac.uk/news_item/new-biobank-of-tumour-models-reveals-cancers-weak-spots/

To find out more about how this organoid resource was built and how it could help shape the future of cancer research, read our latest blog ⤵️
https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/08/05/a-living-library-inside-our-organoid-biobank/

04/08/2026

Applications for the EMBL-EBI Sanger Postdoctoral (ESPOD) Programme are now open. What makes ESPOD unique? Just ask our current fellows. ⤵️

Leticia is combining expertise in reproductive biology, somatic mutations and clonal evolution to study endometrial stem cells. She says working across Sanger and EMBL-EBI provides the ideal environment for interdisciplinary research.

Ouli is investigating why Staphylococcus aureus carriage differs between people. By bringing together Sanger's unique biological resources with EMBL-EBI's computational expertise, he's able to answer research questions in entirely new ways.

If you're looking to combine experimental and computational science at two world-leading institutes, ESPOD could be the opportunity for you.

Applications close 27 September.

Learn more: https://www.ebi.ac.uk/research/postdocs/espods/

28/07/2026

As a child, Mark Blaxter spent hours reading animal encyclopaedias and exploring the natural world around him. Today, he leads the Sanger Institute's Tree of Life programme, helping to sequence the genomes of Earth's incredible biodiversity. 🌍

In our latest interview, Mark looks back on the experiences that shaped his career – from setting up a school biology club and developing a fascination with nematodes, to building the Tree of Life programme from scratch. Along the way, he reflects on the importance of collaboration, the remarkable advances in genome sequencing, and why writing remains an important part of his life, both as a scientist and as a poet. ✍️

Read the full interview here 👉 https://sangerinstitute.blog/2026/07/28/i-stand-on-the-shoulders-of-giants-mark-blaxter-on-being-a-bookworm-building-a-programme-from-scratch-and-his-love-of-small-wiggly-creatures/

23/07/2026

The Big Butterfly Count is back! 🦋

The , led by the Butterfly Conservation, builds a picture of how UK butterflies and moths are doing from year-to-year.
You can get involved by spending 15 minutes in a sunny spot counting all the butterflies and day-flying moths you see.

But what can we learn from them?
Our own Sanger Institute butterfly and moth expert Charlotte Wright studies these insects by sequencing their DNA to reveal their evolutionary history. 🧬

Find out more below.🐛
https://sangerinstitute.blog/2025/12/11/five-questions-on-butterfly-and-moth-genomics-with-charlotte-wright/

Drawn to genomics like a moth to a flame, Wellcome Sanger Institute Postdoctoral Fellow, Dr Charlotte Wright, shares with us how she uses genomics to shed light on the evolutionary history of butterflies and moths, and how they might change in the future.