Research news archive

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12 Aug 2008 New research into Prostate Cancer
An international team of researchers including Professor Lars Holmberg from the Division of Cancer Studies at King's, have discovered that men with early prostate cancer who undergo radical prostatectomy have a lower rate of death than men who continue without treatment, known as 'watchful waiting'.


08 Aug 2008 Eye movement disorder gene identified
An international team of researchers including Professor Sarah Guthrie's research group from the MRC Centre for Developmental Neurobiology at King's College London, have identified and investigated the function of a gene mutated in the eye movement disorder, Duane Syndrome.

04 Aug 2008 King's spin-out seals $232m deal
Proximagen Neuroscience plc, one of King's most successful spin-out companies, has agreed a $232 million worldwide licensing deal with a leading American pharmaceutical company to develop a new drug for Parkinson's disease.

29 Jul 2008 Obesity gene works by influencing appetite
New research from scientists at King's College London and UCL shows that the gene associated with obesity works through effects on appetite. This finding helps to unravel the mechanism of the genetic basis of obesity.

25 Jul 2008 £5m donation for neuroscience
King's project to create Europe's leading neuroscience research institute at Denmark Hill has taken a step closer to completion with the announcement of a major donation of £5 million from the Maurice Wohl Foundation.

22 Jul 2008 Prize for blood pressure therapy research
A young scientist at King's has been awarded a prize for his role in the discovery of a fundamental new mechanism that may be crucial for the development of new medicines to tackle high blood pressure.

15 Jul 2008 Graduate Research Showcase Day
The inaugural Graduate Research Showcase Day took place yesterday, highlighting the best of the work of the graduate students based in the Schools of Medicine and Biomedical & Health Sciences.

14 Jul 2008 New clues for Huntington's disease
Researchers from King's, in partnership with University College London, and scientists from Sweden, the USA and Canada, have discovered a new pathway of inflammatory activation in Huntington's disease (HD).

04 Jul 2008 New discovery offers help to arthritis sufferers
Scientists at King's College London have discovered a new and potentially major pain signalling pathway in inflammatory arthritis that may open up new possibilities for pain relief.

02 Jul 2008 Multiple vaccinations: no ill health in UK soldiers in Iraq
Multiple vaccinations have not been a cause of ill health in UK service personnel deployed to Iraq, finds a study published on bmj.com written by researchers from King's College London's Centre for Military Health Research.

30 June 2008 Launch of King's NIHR Patient Safety Centre
The King's Patient Safety & Service Quality Research Centre, was opened at a ceremony last week, attended by Professor John Moxham, Medical Director of King's College Hospital, Acting CEO of King's College Hospital, Dame Jacqueline Docherty, and the Vice-Principal of King's, Professor Sir Lawrence Freedman.

27 June 2008 King's Scientists win NARSAD awards
Eight scientists from the Institute of Psychiatry at King's College London have received 'Young Investigator Awards' from a leading charity dedicated to mental health research, NARSAD. The awards, worth $60,000 each, comprise two year grants for research into psychiatric disorders.

26 June 2008 King's top for MRC Funding
King's has received the highest amount of Medical Research Council (MRC) funding of any university, it has been revealed in an analysis for grant income among the top 20 Universities for 2006-7, with an income total of £23,664,490.

24 June 2008 Major Wellcome grants for biomedical ethics research
King's has been awarded two of three substantial grants from the Wellcome Trust to support the best research in biomedical ethics. Each grant is in the region of £800,000 and will be used to strengthen collaboration and support new research fellowships and studentships over a period of five years.

18 June 2008 Opening of pioneering new cancer labs
The new Richard Dimbleby Laboratory of Cancer Research was officially opened at King's yesterday, in a ceremony attended by Jonathan and David Dimbleby, Trustees of Dimbleby Cancer Care and DIUS Secretary of State John Denham, Chairman of Council Lord Douro, and the Principal Professor Rick Trainor.

13 June 2008 Ancient molecule offers clues to human allergy
Scientists at King's have discovered how evolution may have lumbered humans with allergy problems. The team from the Randall Division of Cell & Molecular Biophysics are working on a molecule which represents the ancestor of human antibodies that cause allergic reactions.

12 June 2008 Wellcome project: sense organ research
Researchers at King's have been awarded funding from the Wellcome Trust to investigate how defects in the development of sense organs such as the eye, ear and nose contribute to facial abnormalities, and how better diagnostic tools could be developed to treat these abnormalities.

02 June 2008 King's academic awarded prestigious Lister prize
Dr Juan Martin Serrano, in the Department of Infectious Diseases at King's College London has been awarded a prestigious Lister Institute Research Prize, one of only four granted annually.

28 May 2008 Major investment at King's for Diabetes research
The Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation (JDRF) has awarded more than £3million to fund a research centre to be based at King's, in collaboration with Cambridge and Bristol universities, to investigate the causes of Type 1 diabetes.

30 April 2008 First genome-wide scan for osteoporosis
Research led by a group from King's has uncovered two genes to aid diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis. The research published in the Lancet, scanned for variations in more than 20,000 human genes, uncovering the OPG and LRP5 genes which are crucial in bone density and fracture.

28 April 2008 Gene research for Ulcerative Colitis
Researchers at King's College London have played a leading role in a study published in Nature Genetics today, which has established a series of genetic links between the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), Ulcerative Colitis and Crohn's disease.

24 April 2008 First translational research grants awarded
King's College London has announced the four winners of the first Translational Research Grant Awards.

18 April 2008 Dermatology and Molecular Medicine partnership
The new Dermatology and Molecular Medicine Research Laboratories were officially opened yesterday by Mrs Kay Glendinning MBE, of the Dunhill Medical Trust. This new partnership will foster translation of genetic and biological advances into better diagnosis and treatment for serious skin diseases.

15 April 2008 Largest ever genetics study at King's
Research teams at King's are to play a leading role in a follow up to last year's Wellcome Trust Case Control Consortium the largest ever study of the genetics behind disease. This year researchers will focus on the genetics behind common disease areas and learning difficulties in children.