Medical Research Foundation

Eating disorders affect over 1.2 million people in the UK. Despite its prevalence, early diagnosis and treatment is limited by the lack of reliable diagnostic and risk prediction markers. Thanks to our generous donors, we have been able to fund cutting-edge research into mental illnesses like eating disorders, depression and alcohol use disorders, such as this new study by Dr Zuo Zhang at King's College Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology & Neuroscience. Key findings from this study show that: ◾ Machine-learning models can accurately classify patients with psychiatric disorders. ◾ BMI information is not needed to accurately pinpoint patients diagnosed with Anorexia Nervosa. ◾ The development of symptoms at age 16-19 for eating disorders, depression and alcohol-use disorders can be predicted based on data from the age of 14. A huge congratulations to Dr Zuo Zhang for this work! #EatingDisorderResearch #MedicalResearch #EatingDisorders #MentalHealthResearch

🌟 We’re thrilled to announce new funding for 8 brilliant scientists through our Launchpad Grants in #MentalHealth! 🌟 These exceptional researchers are tackling critical mental health challenges - from #ADHD and youth mental health to psychosis. ➡️ Read the full story on our website: https://lnkd.in/eu_CAW46 A huge congratulations to: ◾ Dr Matthew Nour, MD PhD - who will be exploring cognitive brain maps in psychosis; ◾ Dr Hannah Jones - who is investigating the relationship between early life trauma and mental health; ◾ Dr Hayley Gorton - who is improving prescribing guidelines for propranolol and antidepressants; ◾ Dr Daniel Hayes - who is tackling the social factors that contribute to mental health difficulties; ◾ Dr Beth Oakley, PhD - who is studying the developmental trajectories of mental health in neurodivergence; ◾ Dr Yasir Ahmed Syed - who is exploring the neural mechanisms of ADHD; ◾ Dr Nutmeg Hallett - who is supporting mental health and wellbeing later in life; ◾ Dr Amber John - who is investigating the impact of ageing on people with ADHD.

❄️ Frosty Winter Mornings ❄️ created by Nathalie Lövgren and Dr Iain Tullis from University of Oxford won highly commended in our Festive Science Image Competition with the Medical Research Council 👏 🪟 “Reminiscent of our windows during these cold winter months, this frosty scene was created by irradiating a block of Perspex using a 6-million-volt electron beam,” Nathalie and Ian explain. ⚡ “The radiation charges the Perspex, and when discharged reveals the beautiful particle tracks known as ‘frozen lightning’ or a Lichtenberg figure." 🌀 “The shimmering background is FLASH radiation interacting with water, producing Cherenkov radiation, and interactions with the camera producing a pink-purple glow." 🎗️ "Radiation therapy is a standard treatment for cancer patients today. FLASH radiotherapy is a new treatment technique which has the potential to reduce side effects commonly associated with conventional radiotherapy." 🏥 Visit our website to see all of this year's winners: https://lnkd.in/gDjEj_xg

What do you know about The Four Humours… 💭 #FlashbackFriday to our Office Research Bake Off, where James Anthony took us back in time with his bake inspired by this ancient medical concept. 🧁📜 Originating from Ancient Greece and influencing both Roman and medieval medicine, The Four Humours—blood, yellow bile, black bile and phlegm—were believed to make up the human body. They were thought to shape not just physical health but also emotions, personality, and even seasonal changes. 🌟🌡️ An imbalance in these fluids was believed to cause illness—hard to imagine diagnosing that way today... Modern medicine has come a long way! 🎉🔬

🎄 Christmas Memories 🎄 created by Dr Nicholas Clifton & Kamile Tamusauskaite from the University of Exeter, came second in our Festive Science Image Competition with the Medical Research Council 👏 🧠 “This image shows a section from the mouse hippocampus, a brain structure essential for forming and organising memories, like recalling last Christmas,” says Nicholas. 🧬 “The hippocampus is affected in patients with schizophrenia. We use mouse models to explore how genes linked to schizophrenia affect the hippocampus, helping us to understand the underlying biology and identify possible drug targets." 🔬 “To visualise specific proteins and their interactions in the mouse hippocampus, we used fluorescent dyes, which glow in different colours under the microscope. The resulting images highlight the classic curved shape of the hippocampus and its many layers much like a tree branch.” Visit our website to see all of this year's winners: https://lnkd.in/gDjEj_xg

🎥 Watch a snippet from our animation! As part of our Strategy to 2029, we are focusing on: 🧒 Children and young people 💭 Neglected areas of mental health 🌎 The health impacts of climate change 🦠 Responding to emerging health threats Together, we can transform lives through medical research—now and for the generations to come.🔬 📚 Read more about our Strategy to 2029 here: https://bit.ly/3Dnagif.

🏆 The 1st place winner of our Festive Science Image Competition, run in partnership with the Medical Research Council, is 'Twinkling Toxoplasma'. 🔬 Created by Dr Kseniia Bondarenko, Postdoctoral Research Associate from Young Lab, University of Edinburgh, the image shows human skin cells grown in a lab environment. The cells have been infected with a parasite, Toxoplasma gondii, that causes the infectious disease, Toxoplasmosis. 💊 "Scientists often use microscopy to explore the biology of parasites such as this, seeking clues for potential drug targets,” explains Kseniia. 🎄 Kseniia used fluorescent dyes to highlight various parasite structures, and then captured high resolution images revealing the parasites' basket-like skeleton (shown in yellow), inner shell (magenta), and DNA (blue). The ‘star’ on top of the tree is a regular-microscopy snapshot of an unusually large parasite rosette – a cluster of parasites that clump together inside the body. ✨This technique has the potential to illuminate otherwise unseen elements of parasites, so that areas of infection within the body can be more effectively treated. ➡️ The image is featured on our Season's Greetings card for 2024. Order your copy now! https://lnkd.in/gDjEj_xg The University of Edinburgh #FestiveScienceImage #Toxoplasmosis #parasites #microscopy

We're thrilled to hear about Dr Cally Tann's impactful work on new-born care and brain injury in Uganda. Dr Cally Tann is one of our recent Changing Policy & Practice awardees, whose work is also supporting global efforts to empower #PersonsWithDisabilities. #IDPD Read more about her project on our website: https://t.co/UwX5jmurGr #NewbornCare #PaediatricCare #Preterm #ChangingPolicyandPractice

What began as a way of staying connected with friends and family turned into an empowering art series that sheds light on living with eating distress.❤️ During the COVID-19 lockdown, artist Helen Shaddock started creating a daily 'Lockdown Diary' - an A5 piece with drawings, writings, recommendations, and reflections on her days during the pandemic. As the diaries gained popularity online, she began to share more about her experience with eating distress and how the lockdown was affecting her. When restrictions lifted, Helen evolved the project into the 'Daily Diaries', which she regularly posts on https://arted.online, a digital platform that explores eating distress through artistic practice. 🎨 Helen participated in RHED-C, a Foundation-funded research project looking at the benefits and challenges of remote healthcare for eating disorder services.🔬 ❤️📢 Through her art, Helen aims to uplift others with similar experiences while promoting greater awareness and understanding of eating distress. 💡To keep up with Helen's work, head to: https://arted.online 📚 Read Helen's story: https://bit.ly/3VFZBWn

"I knew from day one how much it would affect me..." 💬 💻🏠 The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted every aspect of our daily lives, reshaping routines, impacting mental and physical health, and forcing us all to adjust to a 'new normal.' For those with an eating disorder or eating distress, this time brought unique and complex challenges. 👋💜 Meet Helen Shaddock, a multidisciplinary artist from Newcastle. Helen shares her experience of living through lockdown with eating distress, highlighting how the everyday topics and trends at the time – like ‘Couch to 5K’🏃♀️ and food shortages🛒- took a toll on her health. 🔬Helen took part in RHED-C, a research project funded by the Foundation, where she contributed as both a participant and a workshop leader. Her art-based workshops offered others with lived experiences of eating distress a creative outlet to illustrate their feelings about remote healthcare during COVID-19. 🌟 🎨 This September, Helen launched artED, https://arted.online/, a digital platform showcasing her incredible artwork and exploring how eating distress can be expressed and understood through art.💡 The platform features her Lockdown Diaries series (more on that soon!), as well as stunning photography and poetry.📷✍️ 📚 Visit our website to learn more about Helen's story: https://bit.ly/3VFZBWn