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The Francis Crick Institute
@crick.ac.uk
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We're the Crick, a biomedical research lab in London working to figure out how life works.

Home to more than 2,000 scientists and a free public exhibition space.

https://www.crick.ac.uk/
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crick.ac.uk
This image shows a mass of human stem cells, collectively known as an ‘organoid’.

We stained the neural crest cells of this organoid to better understand diseases related to defects in their development, such as Hirschsprung's disease and Neuroblastoma.

Image credit: @carmenmorenogon.bsky.social
A circle composed of many oval-shaped dots, mostly coloured blue apart from a few pink ones in the bottom left corner.
November 10, 2025 at 9:27 AM
crick.ac.uk
We had another full house at our Annual Science Meeting this week, which featured over 100 posters and 30 talks by our Crick colleagues.

These yearly events are a great way for us all to get together and discover what teams from every corner of the building have been working on.
A person standing in front of a lectern on a stage speaking to a crowd full of seated people. A large crowd of people mingling between many rows of posters. Two people talking while looking towards a poster, with more posters and people in the background. Three people looking intently at a scientific poster.
November 7, 2025 at 10:28 AM
crick.ac.uk
We each carry around six million variations in our DNA.

Henry Scowcroft explores how scientists like @gregfindlay.bsky.social and @carovinuesa.bsky.social are helping unravel the effects of these variants, where even a small change can have a big impact on our lives.
www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
Variants: the typos turning loss into hope
Across the 3 billion ‘letters’ of our DNA, we each carry around 6 million variations. Researchers are unravelling their effects on our lives.
www.crick.ac.uk
November 6, 2025 at 2:44 PM
crick.ac.uk
How does immunotherapy work, and why do some patients respond while others don’t?

Book our free talk by Samra Turajlic, head of the Cancer Dynamics Lab here at the Crick, Director of @cruk-mi.bsky.social and head of the UK-wide MANIFEST programme.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crick-cras...
Crick Crash Course: Immunotherapy
Our series of morning lectures sharing science from across the Crick in a simple and accessible way continues.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
November 6, 2025 at 9:15 AM
crick.ac.uk
Egg freezing, fertility tech and why ovulation is like the Hunger Games.

Join our expert panellists as they answer audience questions about the future of fertility.

Listen now on your favourite podcast platform:
lnk.to/AQOSFertilit...
Promotional image for 'What's the future of fertility?' with five speakers and microphones.
November 5, 2025 at 3:10 PM
Reposted by The Francis Crick Institute
the-node.bsky.social
“I never imagined that tiny fruit flies could reveal so much about the brain and its functions until I spent my summer in @alexgouldlab.bsky.social laboratory…” 🪰

Learn more about Padmapriya Ajith’ studentship experience @crick.ac.uk #RosaBeddingtonFund ⬇️
thenode.biologists.com/role-of-fat-...
Role of fat body lipid transport in Drosophila neurodevelopment - the Node
I never imagined that tiny fruit flies could reveal so much about the brain and its functions until I spent my summer in Alex Gould’s laboratory at the
thenode.biologists.com
October 30, 2025 at 12:04 PM
crick.ac.uk
Just a few weeks left to apply for our clinical PhD programme.

We're looking for clinicians who are passionate about research to join the 3-year fully funded programme.

Learn more and see what positions are available ⬇️

www.crick.ac.uk/careers-and-...
Doctoral clinical fellows
The Crick's clinical PhD programme.
www.crick.ac.uk
October 30, 2025 at 9:41 AM
crick.ac.uk
NEW EPISODE: Who owns space?

Join our expert panellists as they answer audience questions about the politics, ethics and law of outer space exploration.

Listen now on your favourite podcast platform: www.lnk.to/AQOSSpaceBB
Promotional image for 'Who owns space?' with five speakers and microphones.
October 29, 2025 at 9:07 AM
crick.ac.uk
Crick group leaders work across disciplines, supported by core funding and mentoring to build ambitious, curiosity-driven research.

Apply now to join us ➡️ www.crick.ac.uk/careers-stud...
October 27, 2025 at 2:07 PM
crick.ac.uk
Looking for fun science activities you can do with kids to keep their brains engaged this half term?

We’ve created a website full of activities, videos and quizzes for young people to spark excitement about science.

🔗 kids.crick.ac.uk/experiment

#KidsActivities #ScienceKids
October 24, 2025 at 3:57 PM
crick.ac.uk
Free tickets are available for our upcoming Translational Research Symposium, which will highlight the cutting-edge translational programmes and initiatives here at the Crick.

📅 Monday, 17 November.

Get tickets 👇
www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crick-tran...
Crick Translational Research Symposium
This inaugural translation symposium will highlight the Crick’s cutting-edge translational programmes and initiatives.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 24, 2025 at 10:25 AM
crick.ac.uk
Researchers at the Crick found that virgin female mice can become aggressive towards pups when hungry, but only in certain hormonal states.

It highlights the importance of understanding hormones when observing how different physical states interact in the brain.

www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
Hunger influences the behaviour of female mice towards pups
Researchers find that virgin female mice can become aggressive towards pups when hungry, but only in certain hormonal states.
www.crick.ac.uk
October 22, 2025 at 3:14 PM
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to @andreas-t-schaefer.bsky.social on receiving a £3.8 million @wellcometrust.bsky.social Discovery Award, working with @esrf.fr, to chart the brain circuity behind the sense of smell in mice.

www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
New £3.8m project to map the mouse olfactory system
Andreas Schaefer, Principal Group Leader of the Sensory Circuits and Neurotechnology Laboratory at the Crick, has received a Wellcome Discovery Award to chart the brain circuitry behind the sense of s...
www.crick.ac.uk
October 22, 2025 at 12:28 PM
crick.ac.uk
NEW EPISODE: Who are our ancestors and why does it matter?

Join our expert panellists as they answer audience questions about ancient DNA.

Listen on your favourite podcast platform: lnk.to/AQOSAncientD...
Episode graphic titled “Why Does Ancient DNA Matter?” featuring several speakers and a large question mark background.
October 22, 2025 at 8:18 AM
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations Laura 🥳
myesmo.bsky.social ESMO - European Society for Medical Oncology @myesmo.bsky.social · 21d
👏We are pleased to announce Laura Marandino as the 2025 recipient of the ESMO José Baselga Fellowship for Clinician Scientists. This fellowship, supported by AZ, provides the resources & #mentorship for #ClinicianScientists. #ESMO25
October 21, 2025 at 9:58 AM
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to @charlesswanton.bsky.social on being elected to the National Academy of Medicine @nam.edu.

Charlie was elected for his work applying evolutionary biology to cancer genomics, demonstrating how cancer evolution occurs across cancer types.

www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
Charlie Swanton elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine
Charlie Swanton, Deputy Clinical Director at the Crick, has been elected to the U.S. National Academy of Medicine.
www.crick.ac.uk
October 20, 2025 at 2:36 PM
crick.ac.uk
To mark World Menopause Day, Crick scientists Maxine Holder and Celine Bouchoux, as well as former Crick scientist Georgina Fletcher, appeared on The Microscopists podcast to talk about their experiences of perimenopause.

Listen now 👇
themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com/episodes/the...
The Microscopists | The Microscopists Discusses Menopause and Perimenopause
In this special episode of The Microscopists, we're joined by three passionate voices who share their personal experiences with perimenopause and menopause.They share personal stories of navigating...
themicroscopists.bitesizebio.com
October 20, 2025 at 12:58 PM
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to Bart de Strooper on receiving an honorary CBE for services to dementia research in the UK and internationally.

Bart is a Principal Group Leader at the Crick, Professor of Dementia Research at @ucl.ac.uk and Founding Director of the @ukdri.ac.uk

www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
Bart de Strooper awarded CBE for services to dementia research
Bart de Strooper, Principal Group Leader at the Crick, Professor of Dementia Research at UCL and Founding Director of the UK Dementia Research Institute, has received an honorary CBE for services to d...
www.crick.ac.uk
October 17, 2025 at 3:17 PM
crick.ac.uk
This image shows the flow cell of a Fusion sorter, an instrument used to study and sort individual cells.

The lasers excite any fluorescent tags used to ‘mark’ the cells, while detectors measure the output to determine the properties of each individual cell.
A small, clear device sits on a black base, with different coloured lights shining on it from either side and small tubes coming out the top
October 17, 2025 at 9:24 AM
crick.ac.uk
What is psychosis, and how can we uncover new ways to treat it by understanding it’s biological roots?

Book now for our free public talk by @kathaschmack.bsky.social, who leads the Neural Circuits and Immunity in Psychosis Lab here at the Crick.

www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/crick-cras...
Crick Crash Course: Psychosis
Our series of morning lectures sharing science from across the Crick in a simple and accessible way continues.
www.eventbrite.co.uk
October 16, 2025 at 10:10 AM
crick.ac.uk
NEW EPISODE: Will we survive climate change?

Join our expert panellists as they answer your questions about curbing rising global temperatures and what life could be like in a warmer world.

Listen on your favourite podcast platform: www.lnk.to/AQOSClimateBB
Panel of speakers with the title ‘Can We Survive Climate Change?’ from BBC Studios and The Francis Crick Institute.
October 15, 2025 at 7:29 AM
crick.ac.uk
This week is your last chance to visit the Wellcome Photography Prize, which will open to the public for the last time this Saturday 18 October.

Pop into the Crick to see this year’s top science and art entries, including the winners, before they’re gone.

www.crick.ac.uk/whats-on/exh...
Wellcome photography prize 2025
The Wellcome Photography Prize brings together visual stories of health, science and human experience.
www.crick.ac.uk
October 14, 2025 at 4:04 PM
crick.ac.uk
Congratulations to Radoslav Enchev, this year’s winner of the Sir David Cooksey Prize in Translation.

Radoslav led development on the ‘Chronobot’ platform, which uses AI to greatly improve the efficiency of using structural biology to identify potential new drugs.

www.crick.ac.uk/news/2025-10...
AI-guided 'Chronobot' system wins Crick Translation Prize
The Sir David Cooksey Prize in Translation 2025 has been awarded to Radoslav Enchev for delivering a groundbreaking disruptive technology at the interface of structural biology, AI and drug discovery ...
www.crick.ac.uk
October 13, 2025 at 10:11 AM
crick.ac.uk
Genetic eye diseases affect 1 in 1000 people, but there is currently only one gene therapy available on the NHS, which can only help about 80 patients in the UK.

Join Crick group leader and ophthalmologist @profmariya.bsky.social as she explains gene therapy.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5qG...
What is Gene Therapy and How Can it Help Genetic Eye Disease? – with Mariya Moosajee
YouTube video by The Francis Crick Institute
www.youtube.com
October 10, 2025 at 1:14 PM
crick.ac.uk
This image shows neurons being grown on a surface with tiny patterns that resemble human tissue to ‘steer’ their growth.

Models like this allow us to learn more about our nervous system and conditions like motor neurone disease.
Image credit: Cathleen Hagemann and @andreaserio.bsky.social
Four large circular bulbs are spread out like a square. Between the colourful bulbs, and in the background, are long, differently-coloured tendrils, which take up most of the rest of the image.
October 10, 2025 at 12:44 PM