Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’
PFAS have been linked with a range of health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a family of bacterial species, found naturally in the human gut, that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings. When nine of these bacterial species were introduced into the guts of mice to ‘humanise’ the mouse microbiome, the bacteria rapidly accumulated PFAS eaten by the mice - which were then excreted in faeces.
The researchers also found that as the mice were exposed to increasing levels of PFAS, the microbes worked harder, consistently removing the same percentage of the toxic chemicals. Within minutes of exposure, the bacterial species tested soaked up between 25% and 74% of the PFAS.
The results are the first evidence that our gut microbiome could play a helpful role in removing toxic PFAS chemicals from our body - although this has not yet been directly tested in humans.
The researchers plan to use their discovery to create probiotic dietary supplements that boost the levels of these helpful microbes in our gut, to protect against the toxic effects of PFAS.
The results are published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.
PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) can’t be avoided in our modern world. These man-made chemicals are in many everyday items including waterproof clothing, non-stick pans, lipsticks and food packaging, used for their resistance to heat, water, oil and grease. But because they take thousands of years to break down, they are accumulating in large quantities in the environment – and in our bodies.
Dr Kiran Patil, in the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and senior author of the report, said: “Given the scale of the problem of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, particularly their effects on human health, it’s concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies.”
“We found that certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations, and store these in clumps inside their cells. Due to aggregation of PFAS in these clumps, the bacteria themselves seem protected from the toxic effects.”
Dr Indra Roux, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and a co-author of the study said: “The reality is that PFAS are already in the environment and in our bodies, and we need to try and mitigate their impact on our health now. We haven’t found a way to destroy PFAS, but our findings open the possibility of developing ways to get them out of our bodies where they do the most harm.”
There is increasing concern about the environmental and health impacts of PFAS, and in April 2025 the UK launched a parliamentary inquiry into their risks and regulation.
There are over 4,700 PFAS chemicals in widespread use. Some get cleared out of the body in our urine in a matter of days, but others with a longer molecular structure can hang around in the body for years.
Dr Anna Lindell, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and first author of the study said: “We’re all being exposed to PFAS through our water and food – these chemicals are so widespread that they’re in all of us.
“PFAS were once considered safe, but it’s now clear that they’re not. It’s taken a long time for PFAS to become noticed because at low levels they’re not acutely toxic. But they’re like a slow poison.”
Lindell and Patil have co-founded a startup, Cambiotics, with serial entrepreneur Peter Holme Jensen to develop probiotics that remove PFAS from the body, and they are investigating various ways of turbo-charging the microbes’ performance. Cambiotics is supported by Cambridge Enterprise, the innovation arm of the University of Cambridge, which helps researchers translate their work into globally-leading economic and social impact.
While we wait for new probiotics to become available, the researchers say the best things we can do to help protect ourselves against PFAS are to avoid PFAS-coated cooking pans, and use a good water filter.
The research was funded primarily by the Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, and Wellcome.
ReferenceLindell, A.E.: ‘Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.’ Nature Microbiology, July 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-025-02032-5
Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’ They say boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS.
“Given the scale of the problem of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, particularly their effects on human health, it’s concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies.”Kiran PatilPeter Northrop / MRC Toxicology UnitPFAS accumulation in gut bacteria
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Gut microbes could protect us from toxic ‘forever chemicals’
PFAS have been linked with a range of health issues including decreased fertility, developmental delays in children, and a higher risk of certain cancers and cardiovascular diseases.
Scientists at the University of Cambridge have identified a family of bacterial species, found naturally in the human gut, that absorb various PFAS molecules from their surroundings. When nine of these bacterial species were introduced into the guts of mice to ‘humanise’ the mouse microbiome, the bacteria rapidly accumulated PFAS eaten by the mice - which were then excreted in faeces.
The researchers also found that as the mice were exposed to increasing levels of PFAS, the microbes worked harder, consistently removing the same percentage of the toxic chemicals. Within minutes of exposure, the bacterial species tested soaked up between 25% and 74% of the PFAS.
The results are the first evidence that our gut microbiome could play a helpful role in removing toxic PFAS chemicals from our body - although this has not yet been directly tested in humans.
The researchers plan to use their discovery to create probiotic dietary supplements that boost the levels of these helpful microbes in our gut, to protect against the toxic effects of PFAS.
The results are published today in the journal Nature Microbiology.
PFAS (Perfluoroalkyl and Polyfluoroalkyl Substances) can’t be avoided in our modern world. These man-made chemicals are in many everyday items including waterproof clothing, non-stick pans, lipsticks and food packaging, used for their resistance to heat, water, oil and grease. But because they take thousands of years to break down, they are accumulating in large quantities in the environment – and in our bodies.
Dr Kiran Patil, in the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and senior author of the report, said: “Given the scale of the problem of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, particularly their effects on human health, it’s concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies.”
“We found that certain species of human gut bacteria have a remarkably high capacity to soak up PFAS from their environment at a range of concentrations, and store these in clumps inside their cells. Due to aggregation of PFAS in these clumps, the bacteria themselves seem protected from the toxic effects.”
Dr Indra Roux, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and a co-author of the study said: “The reality is that PFAS are already in the environment and in our bodies, and we need to try and mitigate their impact on our health now. We haven’t found a way to destroy PFAS, but our findings open the possibility of developing ways to get them out of our bodies where they do the most harm.”
There is increasing concern about the environmental and health impacts of PFAS, and in April 2025 the UK launched a parliamentary inquiry into their risks and regulation.
There are over 4,700 PFAS chemicals in widespread use. Some get cleared out of the body in our urine in a matter of days, but others with a longer molecular structure can hang around in the body for years.
Dr Anna Lindell, a researcher at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Toxicology Unit and first author of the study said: “We’re all being exposed to PFAS through our water and food – these chemicals are so widespread that they’re in all of us.
“PFAS were once considered safe, but it’s now clear that they’re not. It’s taken a long time for PFAS to become noticed because at low levels they’re not acutely toxic. But they’re like a slow poison.”
Lindell and Patil have co-founded a startup, Cambiotics, with serial entrepreneur Peter Holme Jensen to develop probiotics that remove PFAS from the body, and they are investigating various ways of turbo-charging the microbes’ performance. Cambiotics is supported by Cambridge Enterprise, the innovation arm of the University of Cambridge, which helps researchers translate their work into globally-leading economic and social impact.
While we wait for new probiotics to become available, the researchers say the best things we can do to help protect ourselves against PFAS are to avoid PFAS-coated cooking pans, and use a good water filter.
The research was funded primarily by the Medical Research Council, National Institute for Health Research, and Wellcome.
ReferenceLindell, A.E.: ‘Human gut bacteria bioaccumulate per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances.’ Nature Microbiology, July 2025. DOI: 10.1038/s41564-025-02032-5
Scientists have discovered that certain species of microbe found in the human gut can absorb PFAS - the toxic and long-lasting ‘forever chemicals.’ They say boosting these species in our gut microbiome could help protect us from the harmful effects of PFAS.
“Given the scale of the problem of PFAS ‘forever chemicals’, particularly their effects on human health, it’s concerning that so little is being done about removing these from our bodies.”Kiran PatilPeter Northrop / MRC Toxicology UnitPFAS accumulation in gut bacteria
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Celebrating sporting success at the 2025 Cambridge University Sports Awards
Organised by the University Sports service, the annual ceremony brought together students, staff, alumni, and guests to recognise the exceptional contributions and successes of sports clubs, teams, and individuals across the University.
Hosted by Director of Sport Mark Brian, the awards were presented by a distinguished line-up of guests including Professor Bhaskar Vira (Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Chair of the Sports Committee), Deborah Griffin (incoming RFU President), Scott Annett (CURUFC Director of Rugby), and Senior Tutors and Committee Members Victoria Harvey and Dr Jane Greatorex. Former Sports Personality of the Year Jack Murphy returned to present one of the evening’s headline awards.
The awards shine a light on the importance of sport as part of the Cambridge experience - enhancing student wellbeing, building community, and nurturing excellence both on and off the field. The winners were selected by a panel of senior University staff, with the exception of the Sporting Moment of the Year, which was decided by public vote.
This year’s winners:
Club of the Year: Association Football Club
Team of the Year: Women’s Cross Country A Team, Hare & Hounds
Sports Person of the Year: Jan Helmich (Trinity Hall), Rowing
Unsung Hero: Emma Paterson (Gonville and Caius), Mixed Lacrosse
Sports Club Personality of the Year: Tads Ciecieski-Holmes (Wolfson), Modern Pentathlon
Sporting Moment of the Year: Men’s Volleyball Blues Varsity Set Point
Newcomer of the Year: Lauren Airey (Emmanuel), Modern Pentathlon
College Team of the Year: Downing Table Tennis
Outstanding Contribution Awards were presented to:
- Lucy Xu (Pembroke), Taekwondo
- Sam Grimshaw (Girton), Hockey
- Georgina Quayle (Homerton), Modern Pentathlon and Swimming & Water Polo
- Ben Rhodes (Jesus), Touch Rugby
- Izzy Howse (Robinson), Netball
- Ksenija Belada (Peterhouse), Volleyball
- Izzy Winter and Jess Reeve, Clarissa’s Campaign for Cambridge Hearts
A particularly moving moment came during the presentation of an Outstanding Contribution Award to Clarissa’s Campaign for Cambridge Hearts, recognising efforts by Izzy Winter and Jess Reeve to raise funds and awareness for student heart screenings. For more information on the October 2025 screenings, visit www.sport.cam.ac.uk/heart-screening.
The University extends its congratulations to all nominees and winners, and its thanks to everyone who participated in and supported the 2025 Sports Awards. The event was a testament to the passion, resilience, and camaraderie that sport brings to the Cambridge community.
To read more about all the nominees, please visit the Sports Awards page: https://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/sportsawards/sports-awards-2025
Story by: Will Galpin
Crowds cheer on the Sports Awards 2025
Crowds cheer on the nominees and winners at the 2025 Sports Awards.
The University of Cambridge recently celebrated a remarkable year of student sporting achievement at the 2025 Cambridge University Sports Awards.
Dik Ng Winners of the Cambridge Sports Awards 2025 gathered together
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Celebrating sporting success at the 2025 Cambridge University Sports Awards
Organised by the University Sports service, the annual ceremony brought together students, staff, alumni, and guests to recognise the exceptional contributions and successes of sports clubs, teams, and individuals across the University.
Hosted by Director of Sport Mark Brian, the awards were presented by a distinguished line-up of guests including Professor Bhaskar Vira (Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Education and Chair of the Sports Committee), Deborah Griffin (incoming RFU President), Scott Annett (CURUFC Director of Rugby), and Senior Tutors and Committee Members Victoria Harvey and Dr Jane Greatorex. Former Sports Personality of the Year Jack Murphy returned to present one of the evening’s headline awards.
The awards shine a light on the importance of sport as part of the Cambridge experience - enhancing student wellbeing, building community, and nurturing excellence both on and off the field. The winners were selected by a panel of senior University staff, with the exception of the Sporting Moment of the Year, which was decided by public vote.
This year’s winners:
Club of the Year: Association Football Club
Team of the Year: Women’s Cross Country A Team, Hare & Hounds
Sports Person of the Year: Jan Helmich (Trinity Hall), Rowing
Unsung Hero: Emma Paterson (Gonville and Caius), Mixed Lacrosse
Sports Club Personality of the Year: Tads Ciecieski-Holmes (Wolfson), Modern Pentathlon
Sporting Moment of the Year: Men’s Volleyball Blues Varsity Set Point
Newcomer of the Year: Lauren Airey (Emmanuel), Modern Pentathlon
College Team of the Year: Downing Table Tennis
Outstanding Contribution Awards were presented to:
- Lucy Xu (Pembroke), Taekwondo
- Sam Grimshaw (Girton), Hockey
- Georgina Quayle (Homerton), Modern Pentathlon and Swimming & Water Polo
- Ben Rhodes (Jesus), Touch Rugby
- Izzy Howse (Robinson), Netball
- Ksenija Belada (Peterhouse), Volleyball
- Izzy Winter and Jess Reeve, Clarissa’s Campaign for Cambridge Hearts
A particularly moving moment came during the presentation of an Outstanding Contribution Award to Clarissa’s Campaign for Cambridge Hearts, recognising efforts by Izzy Winter and Jess Reeve to raise funds and awareness for student heart screenings. For more information on the October 2025 screenings, visit www.sport.cam.ac.uk/heart-screening.
The University extends its congratulations to all nominees and winners, and its thanks to everyone who participated in and supported the 2025 Sports Awards. The event was a testament to the passion, resilience, and camaraderie that sport brings to the Cambridge community.
To read more about all the nominees, please visit the Sports Awards page: https://www.sport.cam.ac.uk/sportsawards/sports-awards-2025
Story by: Will Galpin
Crowds cheer on the Sports Awards 2025
Crowds cheer on the nominees and winners at the 2025 Sports Awards.
The University of Cambridge recently celebrated a remarkable year of student sporting achievement at the 2025 Cambridge University Sports Awards.
Dik Ng Winners of the Cambridge Sports Awards 2025 gathered together
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
UK Ambassador to the US visits Cambridge to discuss opportunities for deepening UK-US tech collaboration
As the world’s most intensive science and technology cluster, Cambridge is driving breakthrough research and attracting global investment across quantum, life sciences, and biotech.
During his visit, hosted by Founders at University of Cambridge and Innovate Cambridge, the Ambassador heard about the University’s success in securing funding for these critical areas and its bold plans to fuel national economic growth—most notably through the National Innovation Hub and the West Cambridge Innovation District, set to become Europe’s leading centre for AI, quantum, and climate research.
At the heart of the visit was a tour of the new Ray Dolby Centre, home to the historic Cavendish Laboratory. Hosted by Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Department of Physics, Lord Mandelson learned about Cambridge’s leadership in quantum technologies and the rapidly growing portfolio of real-world applications emerging from this research.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice then hosted a roundtable lunch at Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialisation arm, where leaders from high-growth companies in quantum, AI, and life sciences joined to discuss opportunities for deepening UK-US tech collaboration.
The visit follows the recent signing of the UK-US trade agreement, which lays the groundwork for a future technology partnership between the two countries. As both nations turn to innovation as a key driver of economic growth and global problem-solving, Cambridge stands ready to play a pivotal role.
Recent Dealroom research for Founders at the University of Cambridge highlights Cambridge’s momentum: the area now attracts more venture capital investment in deep tech per capita than anywhere else globally. The region’s tech ecosystem is valued at $222 billion—18% of the UK’s total tech value, second only to London.
Prof Deborah Prentice said: "It was a pleasure to join the Ambassador and colleagues to showcase the full depth and breadth of Cambridge’s research and business strengths - from personalised vaccines and genomics to qubits and semiconductors. Cambridge has unique capabilities to help drive the UK-US tech partnership forward, and we’re excited to build on this momentum."
This week, UK Ambassador to the United States of America Lord Mandelson visited the University of Cambridge to explore its world-leading strengths in innovation and its deepening academic and industrial partnerships with the USA.
Cambridge has unique capabilities to help drive the UK-US tech partnership forward, and we’re excited to build on this momentum.Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah PrenticeDomininkas PhotographyLord Mandelson and Professor Deborah Prentice with the Cambridge Enterprise team.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
UK Ambassador to the US visits Cambridge to discuss opportunities for deepening UK-US tech collaboration
As the world’s most intensive science and technology cluster, Cambridge is driving breakthrough research and attracting global investment across quantum, life sciences, and biotech.
During his visit, hosted by Founders at University of Cambridge and Innovate Cambridge, the Ambassador heard about the University’s success in securing funding for these critical areas and its bold plans to fuel national economic growth—most notably through the National Innovation Hub and the West Cambridge Innovation District, set to become Europe’s leading centre for AI, quantum, and climate research.
At the heart of the visit was a tour of the new Ray Dolby Centre, home to the historic Cavendish Laboratory. Hosted by Professor Mete Atatüre, Head of the Department of Physics, Lord Mandelson learned about Cambridge’s leadership in quantum technologies and the rapidly growing portfolio of real-world applications emerging from this research.
Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice then hosted a roundtable lunch at Cambridge Enterprise, the University’s commercialisation arm, where leaders from high-growth companies in quantum, AI, and life sciences joined to discuss opportunities for deepening UK-US tech collaboration.
The visit follows the recent signing of the UK-US trade agreement, which lays the groundwork for a future technology partnership between the two countries. As both nations turn to innovation as a key driver of economic growth and global problem-solving, Cambridge stands ready to play a pivotal role.
Recent Dealroom research for Founders at the University of Cambridge highlights Cambridge’s momentum: the area now attracts more venture capital investment in deep tech per capita than anywhere else globally. The region’s tech ecosystem is valued at $222 billion—18% of the UK’s total tech value, second only to London.
Prof Deborah Prentice said: "It was a pleasure to join the Ambassador and colleagues to showcase the full depth and breadth of Cambridge’s research and business strengths - from personalised vaccines and genomics to qubits and semiconductors. Cambridge has unique capabilities to help drive the UK-US tech partnership forward, and we’re excited to build on this momentum."
This week, UK Ambassador to the United States of America Lord Mandelson visited the University of Cambridge to explore its world-leading strengths in innovation and its deepening academic and industrial partnerships with the USA.
Cambridge has unique capabilities to help drive the UK-US tech partnership forward, and we’re excited to build on this momentum.Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah PrenticeDomininkas PhotographyLord Mandelson and Professor Deborah Prentice with the Cambridge Enterprise team.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Patient with debilitating inherited condition receives new approved treatment on the NHS in Europe first
Mary Catchpole, 19, was given a newly licensed drug called leniolisib (or Joenja) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited immunodeficiency called Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
People with APDS have a weakened immune system, making them vulnerable to repeated infections and autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Discovered just over a decade ago by a team of Cambridge researchers, it is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma.
APDS is a relatively new immuno-deficiency, with Mary’s family playing a key role in its discovery in 2013. Mary’s mother and uncle, who were Addenbrooke’s patients, were offered DNA sequencing (whole exome sequencing) to see if there was a genetic cause for their immuno-deficiency.
Cambridge researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta, resulting in the illness being named Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
The team, which involved researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Addenbrooke’s, was primarily funded by Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
With APDS, the enzyme PI3-Kinase delta is “switched on” all the time, preventing immune cells from fighting infection and leads to abnormal or dysregulated immune function.
The new treatment – with one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system.
Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke’s and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 years.
“This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS, hopefully allowing patients to avoid antibiotics, immunoglobulin replacement and potentially even a stem cell transplant in the future.”
Professor Sergey Nejentsev from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS said: “As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.”
The disorder has significantly impacted Mary’s family on her mother’s side. Her aunt died aged 12, while her mother, uncle and grandmother all died in their 30s and 40s.
Mary works as a teaching assistant and lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with her father Jimmy and older brother Joe, who does not have the condition.
Prior to leniolisib, the only treatments available to APDS patients include antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy (to prevent infections and damage to organs) or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, which can be a potential cure but carries significant risks.
Mary said: “Having APDS means I’ve got a higher chance of infections and getting unwell, which is hard when all I want to do is work and dance and have adventures. All my life I’ve had to have weekly infusions which make me feel like a pin cushion, and I’ve had to take lots of medication which has been tough.
“Now that I have this new treatment, it does feel bitter-sweet as my late mum and other affected members of my family never got the chance to have this new lease of life, but it is a gift. I feel blessed.”
Leniolisib was licensed for use in America in 2023, following clinical trials. After assessment and approval by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is now approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use - the first health system in Europe to use it to treat patients with APDS.
Professor James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning, said: “We’re delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first-ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less.
“This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS’s commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.”
As a tertiary centre for immune-deficiencies, patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for specialist review and care and ongoing research in this rare condition.
Dr Susan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at Immunodeficiency UK, said: “With leniolisib, we now have a targeted treatment available that addresses the fundamental cause of the immune system problems experienced in APDS. This demonstrates the power of research and is a huge leap forward. The new treatment will help improve the quality of life for those families living with APDS.”
By looking at the role of the enzyme linked to APDS and the impact of the new targeted drug on the patient’s immune system, it is hoped there is potential for leniolisib to be applied to other more common immune related conditions in the future.
Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals.
A teenager who has lost family members including her mother because of a rare genetic hereditary illness has become the first patient in the UK and Europe to have a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.
It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 yearsAnita ChandraCambridge University HospitalsMary Catchpole and Anita Chandra
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Patient with debilitating inherited condition receives new approved treatment on the NHS in Europe first
Mary Catchpole, 19, was given a newly licensed drug called leniolisib (or Joenja) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited immunodeficiency called Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
People with APDS have a weakened immune system, making them vulnerable to repeated infections and autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Discovered just over a decade ago by a team of Cambridge researchers, it is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma.
APDS is a relatively new immuno-deficiency, with Mary’s family playing a key role in its discovery in 2013. Mary’s mother and uncle, who were Addenbrooke’s patients, were offered DNA sequencing (whole exome sequencing) to see if there was a genetic cause for their immuno-deficiency.
Cambridge researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta, resulting in the illness being named Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
The team, which involved researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Addenbrooke’s, was primarily funded by Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
With APDS, the enzyme PI3-Kinase delta is “switched on” all the time, preventing immune cells from fighting infection and leads to abnormal or dysregulated immune function.
The new treatment – with one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system.
Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke’s and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 years.
“This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS, hopefully allowing patients to avoid antibiotics, immunoglobulin replacement and potentially even a stem cell transplant in the future.”
Professor Sergey Nejentsev from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS said: “As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.”
The disorder has significantly impacted Mary’s family on her mother’s side. Her aunt died aged 12, while her mother, uncle and grandmother all died in their 30s and 40s.
Mary works as a teaching assistant and lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with her father Jimmy and older brother Joe, who does not have the condition.
Prior to leniolisib, the only treatments available to APDS patients include antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy (to prevent infections and damage to organs) or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, which can be a potential cure but carries significant risks.
Mary said: “Having APDS means I’ve got a higher chance of infections and getting unwell, which is hard when all I want to do is work and dance and have adventures. All my life I’ve had to have weekly infusions which make me feel like a pin cushion, and I’ve had to take lots of medication which has been tough.
“Now that I have this new treatment, it does feel bitter-sweet as my late mum and other affected members of my family never got the chance to have this new lease of life, but it is a gift. I feel blessed.”
Leniolisib was licensed for use in America in 2023, following clinical trials. After assessment and approval by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is now approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use - the first health system in Europe to use it to treat patients with APDS.
Professor James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning, said: “We’re delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first-ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less.
“This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS’s commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.”
As a tertiary centre for immune-deficiencies, patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for specialist review and care and ongoing research in this rare condition.
Dr Susan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at Immunodeficiency UK, said: “With leniolisib, we now have a targeted treatment available that addresses the fundamental cause of the immune system problems experienced in APDS. This demonstrates the power of research and is a huge leap forward. The new treatment will help improve the quality of life for those families living with APDS.”
By looking at the role of the enzyme linked to APDS and the impact of the new targeted drug on the patient’s immune system, it is hoped there is potential for leniolisib to be applied to other more common immune related conditions in the future.
Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals.
A teenager who has lost family members including her mother because of a rare genetic hereditary illness has become the first patient in the UK and Europe to have a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.
It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 yearsAnita ChandraCambridge University HospitalsMary Catchpole and Anita Chandra
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Patient with debilitating inherited condition receives new approved treatment on the NHS in Europe first
Mary Catchpole, 19, was given a newly licensed drug called leniolisib (or Joenja) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited immunodeficiency called Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
People with APDS have a weakened immune system, making them vulnerable to repeated infections and autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Discovered just over a decade ago by a team of Cambridge researchers, it is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma.
APDS is a relatively new immuno-deficiency, with Mary’s family playing a key role in its discovery in 2013. Mary’s mother and uncle, who were Addenbrooke’s patients, were offered DNA sequencing (whole exome sequencing) to see if there was a genetic cause for their immuno-deficiency.
Cambridge researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta, resulting in the illness being named Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
The team, which involved researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Addenbrooke’s, was primarily funded by Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
With APDS, the enzyme PI3-Kinase delta is “switched on” all the time, preventing immune cells from fighting infection and leads to abnormal or dysregulated immune function.
The new treatment – with one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system.
Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke’s and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 years.
“This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS, hopefully allowing patients to avoid antibiotics, immunoglobulin replacement and potentially even a stem cell transplant in the future.”
Professor Sergey Nejentsev from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS said: “As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.”
The disorder has significantly impacted Mary’s family on her mother’s side. Her aunt died aged 12, while her mother, uncle and grandmother all died in their 30s and 40s.
Mary works as a teaching assistant and lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with her father Jimmy and older brother Joe, who does not have the condition.
Prior to leniolisib, the only treatments available to APDS patients include antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy (to prevent infections and damage to organs) or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, which can be a potential cure but carries significant risks.
Mary said: “Having APDS means I’ve got a higher chance of infections and getting unwell, which is hard when all I want to do is work and dance and have adventures. All my life I’ve had to have weekly infusions which make me feel like a pin cushion, and I’ve had to take lots of medication which has been tough.
“Now that I have this new treatment, it does feel bitter-sweet as my late mum and other affected members of my family never got the chance to have this new lease of life, but it is a gift. I feel blessed.”
Leniolisib was licensed for use in America in 2023, following clinical trials. After assessment and approval by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is now approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use - the first health system in Europe to use it to treat patients with APDS.
Professor James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning, said: “We’re delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first-ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less.
“This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS’s commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.”
As a tertiary centre for immune-deficiencies, patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for specialist review and care and ongoing research in this rare condition.
Dr Susan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at Immunodeficiency UK, said: “With leniolisib, we now have a targeted treatment available that addresses the fundamental cause of the immune system problems experienced in APDS. This demonstrates the power of research and is a huge leap forward. The new treatment will help improve the quality of life for those families living with APDS.”
By looking at the role of the enzyme linked to APDS and the impact of the new targeted drug on the patient’s immune system, it is hoped there is potential for leniolisib to be applied to other more common immune related conditions in the future.
Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals.
A teenager who has lost family members including her mother because of a rare genetic hereditary illness has become the first patient in the UK and Europe to have a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.
It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 yearsAnita Chandra
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Patient with debilitating inherited condition receives new approved treatment on the NHS in Europe first
Mary Catchpole, 19, was given a newly licensed drug called leniolisib (or Joenja) at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. It is the first ever targeted treatment for a rare, inherited immunodeficiency called Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
People with APDS have a weakened immune system, making them vulnerable to repeated infections and autoimmune or inflammatory conditions. Discovered just over a decade ago by a team of Cambridge researchers, it is a debilitating and life-threatening condition, with patients more likely to develop blood cancers like lymphoma.
APDS is a relatively new immuno-deficiency, with Mary’s family playing a key role in its discovery in 2013. Mary’s mother and uncle, who were Addenbrooke’s patients, were offered DNA sequencing (whole exome sequencing) to see if there was a genetic cause for their immuno-deficiency.
Cambridge researchers identified a change in their genes that increased activity of an enzyme called PI3-Kinase delta, resulting in the illness being named Activated PI3-Kinase delta syndrome (APDS).
The team, which involved researchers from the University of Cambridge, Babraham Institute, MRC Laboratory for Molecular Biology, and clinicians from Addenbrooke’s, was primarily funded by Wellcome and the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR).
With APDS, the enzyme PI3-Kinase delta is “switched on” all the time, preventing immune cells from fighting infection and leads to abnormal or dysregulated immune function.
The new treatment – with one tablet taken twice a day – aims to inhibit the enzyme, effectively normalising the immune system.
Dr Anita Chandra, consultant immunologist at Addenbrooke’s and Affiliated Assistant Professor at the University of Cambridge, said: “It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 years.
“This new drug will make a huge difference to people living with APDS, hopefully allowing patients to avoid antibiotics, immunoglobulin replacement and potentially even a stem cell transplant in the future.”
Professor Sergey Nejentsev from the University of Cambridge who led the research that discovered APDS said: “As soon as we understood the cause of APDS, we immediately realised that certain drugs could be used to inhibit the enzyme that is activated in these patients. Leniolisib does precisely that. I am delighted that we finally have a treatment which will change the lives of APDS patients.”
The disorder has significantly impacted Mary’s family on her mother’s side. Her aunt died aged 12, while her mother, uncle and grandmother all died in their 30s and 40s.
Mary works as a teaching assistant and lives in Great Yarmouth, Norfolk with her father Jimmy and older brother Joe, who does not have the condition.
Prior to leniolisib, the only treatments available to APDS patients include antibiotics for infections, immunoglobulin replacement therapy (to prevent infections and damage to organs) or a bone marrow or stem cell transplant, which can be a potential cure but carries significant risks.
Mary said: “Having APDS means I’ve got a higher chance of infections and getting unwell, which is hard when all I want to do is work and dance and have adventures. All my life I’ve had to have weekly infusions which make me feel like a pin cushion, and I’ve had to take lots of medication which has been tough.
“Now that I have this new treatment, it does feel bitter-sweet as my late mum and other affected members of my family never got the chance to have this new lease of life, but it is a gift. I feel blessed.”
Leniolisib was licensed for use in America in 2023, following clinical trials. After assessment and approval by the UK medicines regulator, the MHRA, it is now approved by NICE (National Institute for Health and Care Excellence) for NHS use - the first health system in Europe to use it to treat patients with APDS.
Professor James Palmer, NHS England’s Medical Director for Specialised Commissioning, said: “We’re delighted to see Mary become the first patient in Europe to receive this first-ever targeted and approved therapy for a rare condition identified just over a decade ago – in Cambridge no less.
“This treatment could be life-changing for those affected by this debilitating genetic disorder, and this important step forward is another example of the NHS’s commitment to offering access to innovative medicines for those living with rare conditions.”
As a tertiary centre for immune-deficiencies, patients eligible for leniolisib can be referred to Addenbrooke’s, part of Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, for specialist review and care and ongoing research in this rare condition.
Dr Susan Walsh, Chief Executive Officer at Immunodeficiency UK, said: “With leniolisib, we now have a targeted treatment available that addresses the fundamental cause of the immune system problems experienced in APDS. This demonstrates the power of research and is a huge leap forward. The new treatment will help improve the quality of life for those families living with APDS.”
By looking at the role of the enzyme linked to APDS and the impact of the new targeted drug on the patient’s immune system, it is hoped there is potential for leniolisib to be applied to other more common immune related conditions in the future.
Adapted from a press release from Cambridge University Hospitals.
A teenager who has lost family members including her mother because of a rare genetic hereditary illness has become the first patient in the UK and Europe to have a new treatment developed by Cambridge researchers and approved for use on the NHS.
It is incredible to go from the discovery of a new disease in Cambridge to a treatment being approved and offered on the NHS, within the space of 12 yearsAnita Chandra
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Co-founder of billion-dollar AI for autonomous driving company and Cambridge alumnus wins Princess Royal Silver Medal
Wayve is one of the UK’s most valuable deep tech startups, backed by more than $1 billion in funding. Alex Kendall co-founded the company in 2017 following his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he pioneered a contrarian approach to self-driving cars.
At a time when the industry relied heavily on rule-based systems, maps and multiple sensors, he proposed a different vision powered by deep learning—where a single neural network could learn to drive from raw data without human intervention.
Wayve’s approach creates a general-purpose driving intelligence that can adapt to new environments. Its models are trained on tens of petabytes of real-world data from its team of safety drivers. Wayve tests its models in both real-world driving settings and in simulation. Real-world testing exposes AI to diverse conditions, while simulation enables efficient, large-scale validation.
Synthetic data on rare or unseen scenarios are used to train their technology to safely navigate the real world. Wayve tests these safety-critical scenarios, such as near collisions or unpredictable pedestrian behaviour, using a cutting-edge generative world model.
Wayve’s autonomous cars have been navigating the complex streets of London since 2019, overseen by legally required safety drivers. Last year they expanded to San Francisco and have also been testing these cars in Stuttgart, and Japan. The company plans to license its technology to car manufacturers, with Nissan set to integrate Wayve’s AI to support driver assistance into its vehicles by 2027.
The engineering team have also built the first language-driving model tested on public roads. LINGO opens up communication with the robot and can narrate its driving and answer questions. That means Wayve’s engineers (and eventually passengers) can communicate with the AI and ask it to explain decisions or drive in a certain way.
He sees autonomous driving as a launchpad for a broader revolution in embodied AI, with applications in robotics, manufacturing, and healthcare. “Bringing AI into the physical world in a way that it can interact with us, is real – is tangible,” explains Kendall, “I think it’s going to be the biggest transformation we go through in our lifetimes.”
Adapted from a Royal Academy of Engineering press release:
Alex Kendall, CEO and Co-Founder of Wayve, a billion-dollar UK company that uses deep learning to solve the challenges of self-driving cars, has been presented with the Princess Royal Silver Medal, one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual awards.
WayveWayve autonomous car
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Co-founder of billion-dollar AI for autonomous driving company and Cambridge alumnus wins Princess Royal Silver Medal
Wayve is one of the UK’s most valuable deep tech startups, backed by more than $1 billion in funding. Alex Kendall co-founded the company in 2017 following his PhD at the University of Cambridge, where he pioneered a contrarian approach to self-driving cars.
At a time when the industry relied heavily on rule-based systems, maps and multiple sensors, he proposed a different vision powered by deep learning—where a single neural network could learn to drive from raw data without human intervention.
Wayve’s approach creates a general-purpose driving intelligence that can adapt to new environments. Its models are trained on tens of petabytes of real-world data from its team of safety drivers. Wayve tests its models in both real-world driving settings and in simulation. Real-world testing exposes AI to diverse conditions, while simulation enables efficient, large-scale validation.
Synthetic data on rare or unseen scenarios are used to train their technology to safely navigate the real world. Wayve tests these safety-critical scenarios, such as near collisions or unpredictable pedestrian behaviour, using a cutting-edge generative world model.
Wayve’s autonomous cars have been navigating the complex streets of London since 2019, overseen by legally required safety drivers. Last year they expanded to San Francisco and have also been testing these cars in Stuttgart, and Japan. The company plans to license its technology to car manufacturers, with Nissan set to integrate Wayve’s AI to support driver assistance into its vehicles by 2027.
The engineering team have also built the first language-driving model tested on public roads. LINGO opens up communication with the robot and can narrate its driving and answer questions. That means Wayve’s engineers (and eventually passengers) can communicate with the AI and ask it to explain decisions or drive in a certain way.
He sees autonomous driving as a launchpad for a broader revolution in embodied AI, with applications in robotics, manufacturing, and healthcare. “Bringing AI into the physical world in a way that it can interact with us, is real – is tangible,” explains Kendall, “I think it’s going to be the biggest transformation we go through in our lifetimes.”
Adapted from a Royal Academy of Engineering press release:
Alex Kendall, CEO and Co-Founder of Wayve, a billion-dollar UK company that uses deep learning to solve the challenges of self-driving cars, has been presented with the Princess Royal Silver Medal, one of the Royal Academy of Engineering’s most prestigious individual awards.
WayveWayve autonomous car
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Celebrating Lord Sainsbury of Turville’s ‘selfless’ service as Chancellor
At a reception at the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge this week, which celebrated his service to the University, Lord Sainsbury talked fondly about his own time as a student at Cambridge, and said: “It has been a great honour and pleasure to be Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s greatest universities.
“Over the years, I have watched with awe how the University has produced an endless stream of brilliant research and an enlightened education for its undergraduates and postgraduates, and I hope that by being Chancellor, and in a number of other ways, I have to some extent repaid my debt to the University. I will always look back at my time as Chancellor with the greatest pleasure.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, paid a warm tribute to the Chancellor and thanked him for his service and contribution to the life of the University, and his support for her.
In a recent edition of CAM – the University's alumni magazine – other friends and former colleagues recounted the unique qualities Lord Sainsbury has brought to the post during almost a decade and a half of unwavering commitment.
With high-level experience in government and industry alike, Lord Sainsbury has been a highly effective advocate for the best interests of the University on both the national and global stage. “He’s a man of great ability and thoughtfulness,” says Professor Mike Proctor, 2013-2023 Provost of King’s College, Lord Sainsbury’s alma mater. “He’s very well connected in both the public and private sectors. And that’s been very helpful to the University at large.”
Professor Stephen Toope, the 346th Vice-Chancellor, says that although the role is technically ceremonial, Lord Sainsbury was always willing to go above and beyond. “If I asked him to do something for the University – connect me with the right person, give me a piece of advice – he always did it. He was very generous in making introductions, and saw his role as trying to strengthen the University where he could. And that was largely by supporting the people who’d been asked to do the big jobs – on the Council and in the leadership of Cambridge.”
As a former Minister of Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury has brought a wealth of experience to the University. But he has also brought his own love of research and innovation to bear, as Rebecca Simmons, the VC’s former Chief of Staff and now COO of quantum computing company Riverlane, saw first-hand. “He liked to get into the detail beforehand, so he could make good connections with people,” she remembers. “And sometimes, he would come back to see the same people over several years. For example, he stayed in touch with the CEO of Endomag, a cancer diagnostics spinout, and made a point of going back to meet them at key moments. In fact, accompanying him on visits was one of the most fun parts of my job.”
Dr Regina Sachers, former Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and now Director of Governance and Compliance, agrees. “He found it easy to connect with academics because he was genuinely interested in the work. He would always ask very informed questions, and would frequently offer his card and put people in touch with his own connections. It felt like a very genuine and low-key approach.”
The role of Vice-Chancellor can be lonely, says Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor 2010-17: often, the only person you can talk to is the Chancellor. “And Lord Sainsbury always made himself available. He was a friend, a mentor, an adviser. We had differences of opinion, but we could always talk. Having that open debate meant you could road-test the strength of an argument – and, sometimes, backpedal, because he’d made some very valid points that were critical for the University. And I can attest that during my time as Vice-Chancellor, he was always there for the difficult issues. He was quiet and understated, but very thoughtful and very wise – and never interfered with the executive functions that the Vice-Chancellor has to exercise.”
“Lord Sainsbury does not have an agenda of his own: he seeks to do what the University needs, and always has its best interests at heart,” says current Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice. “He approaches the job with selflessness and the mentality of a public servant. I like the fact that sometimes he just turns up to things; he’s such a curious and interested person. I think he very much embodies the values of the University.”
Professor Toope says that he has always been struck by Lord Sainsbury’s “complete lack of pomposity. Some people think they are the role. He always understood that the role is the role: he just happened to be occupying it for a period. And he brought a personal and political integrity to it.”
The election for Lord Sainsbury’s successor as Chancellor takes place next month.
Read about the election of a Chancellor at the University.
After 14 years as Chancellor of the University, Lord Sainsbury of Turville has formally stood down from the role.
I will always look back at my time as Chancellor with the greatest pleasure.Lord Sainsbury of Turville
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Celebrating Lord Sainsbury of Turville’s ‘selfless’ service as Chancellor
At a reception at the Vice-Chancellor’s Lodge this week, which celebrated his service to the University, Lord Sainsbury talked fondly about his own time as a student at Cambridge, and said: “It has been a great honour and pleasure to be Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, one of the world’s greatest universities.
“Over the years, I have watched with awe how the University has produced an endless stream of brilliant research and an enlightened education for its undergraduates and postgraduates, and I hope that by being Chancellor, and in a number of other ways, I have to some extent repaid my debt to the University. I will always look back at my time as Chancellor with the greatest pleasure.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Deborah Prentice, paid a warm tribute to the Chancellor and thanked him for his service and contribution to the life of the University, and his support for her.
In a recent edition of CAM – the University's alumni magazine – other friends and former colleagues recounted the unique qualities Lord Sainsbury has brought to the post during almost a decade and a half of unwavering commitment.
With high-level experience in government and industry alike, Lord Sainsbury has been a highly effective advocate for the best interests of the University on both the national and global stage. “He’s a man of great ability and thoughtfulness,” says Professor Mike Proctor, 2013-2023 Provost of King’s College, Lord Sainsbury’s alma mater. “He’s very well connected in both the public and private sectors. And that’s been very helpful to the University at large.”
Professor Stephen Toope, the 346th Vice-Chancellor, says that although the role is technically ceremonial, Lord Sainsbury was always willing to go above and beyond. “If I asked him to do something for the University – connect me with the right person, give me a piece of advice – he always did it. He was very generous in making introductions, and saw his role as trying to strengthen the University where he could. And that was largely by supporting the people who’d been asked to do the big jobs – on the Council and in the leadership of Cambridge.”
As a former Minister of Science and Innovation, Lord Sainsbury has brought a wealth of experience to the University. But he has also brought his own love of research and innovation to bear, as Rebecca Simmons, the VC’s former Chief of Staff and now COO of quantum computing company Riverlane, saw first-hand. “He liked to get into the detail beforehand, so he could make good connections with people,” she remembers. “And sometimes, he would come back to see the same people over several years. For example, he stayed in touch with the CEO of Endomag, a cancer diagnostics spinout, and made a point of going back to meet them at key moments. In fact, accompanying him on visits was one of the most fun parts of my job.”
Dr Regina Sachers, former Head of the Vice-Chancellor’s Office and now Director of Governance and Compliance, agrees. “He found it easy to connect with academics because he was genuinely interested in the work. He would always ask very informed questions, and would frequently offer his card and put people in touch with his own connections. It felt like a very genuine and low-key approach.”
The role of Vice-Chancellor can be lonely, says Sir Leszek Borysiewicz, Vice-Chancellor 2010-17: often, the only person you can talk to is the Chancellor. “And Lord Sainsbury always made himself available. He was a friend, a mentor, an adviser. We had differences of opinion, but we could always talk. Having that open debate meant you could road-test the strength of an argument – and, sometimes, backpedal, because he’d made some very valid points that were critical for the University. And I can attest that during my time as Vice-Chancellor, he was always there for the difficult issues. He was quiet and understated, but very thoughtful and very wise – and never interfered with the executive functions that the Vice-Chancellor has to exercise.”
“Lord Sainsbury does not have an agenda of his own: he seeks to do what the University needs, and always has its best interests at heart,” says current Vice-Chancellor Professor Deborah Prentice. “He approaches the job with selflessness and the mentality of a public servant. I like the fact that sometimes he just turns up to things; he’s such a curious and interested person. I think he very much embodies the values of the University.”
Professor Toope says that he has always been struck by Lord Sainsbury’s “complete lack of pomposity. Some people think they are the role. He always understood that the role is the role: he just happened to be occupying it for a period. And he brought a personal and political integrity to it.”
The election for Lord Sainsbury’s successor as Chancellor takes place next month.
Read about the election of a Chancellor at the University.
After 14 years as Chancellor of the University, Lord Sainsbury of Turville has formally stood down from the role.
I will always look back at my time as Chancellor with the greatest pleasure.Lord Sainsbury of Turville
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
AI art protection tools still leave creators at risk, researchers say
So say a team of researchers who have uncovered significant weaknesses in two of the art protection tools most used by artists to safeguard their work.
According to their creators, Glaze and NightShade were both developed to protect human creatives against the invasive uses of generative artificial intelligence.
The tools are popular with digital artists who want to stop artificial intelligence models (like the AI art generator Stable Diffusion) from copying their unique styles without consent. Together, Glaze and NightShade have been downloaded almost nine million times.
But according to an international group of researchers, these tools have critical weaknesses that mean they cannot reliably stop AI models from training on artists’ work.
The tools add subtle, invisible distortions (known as poisoning perturbations) to digital images. These ‘poisons’ are designed to confuse AI models during training. Glaze takes a passive approach, hindering the AI model’s ability to extract key stylistic features. NightShade goes further, actively corrupting the learning process by causing the AI model to associate an artist’s style with unrelated concepts.
But the researchers have created a method – called LightShed – that can bypass these protections. LightShed can detect, reverse-engineer and remove these distortions, effectively stripping away the poisons and rendering the images usable again for Generative AI model training.
It was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge along with colleagues at the Technical University Darmstadt and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The researchers hope that by publicising their work – which will be presented at the USENIX Security Symposium, a major security conference, in August – they can let creatives know that there are major issues with art protection tools.
LightShed works through a three-step process. It first identifies whether an image has been altered with known poisoning techniques.
In a second, reverse engineering step, it learns the characteristics of the perturbations using publicly available poisoned examples. Finally, it eliminates the poison to restore the image to its original, unprotected form.
In experimental evaluations, LightShed detected NightShade-protected images with 99.98% accuracy and effectively removed the embedded protections from those images.
“This shows that even when using tools like NightShade, artists are still at risk of their work being used for training AI models without their consent,” said first author Hanna Foerster from Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology, who conducted the work during an internship at TU Darmstadt.
Although LightShed reveals serious vulnerabilities in art protection tools, the researchers stress that it was developed not as an attack on them – but rather an urgent call to action to produce better, more adaptive ones.
“We see this as a chance to co-evolve defenses,” said co-author Professor Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi from the Technical University of Darmstadt. “Our goal is to collaborate with other scientists in this field and support the artistic community in developing tools that can withstand advanced adversaries.”
The landscape of AI and digital creativity is rapidly evolving. In March this year, OpenAI rolled out a ChatGPT image model that could instantly produce artwork in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio.
This sparked a wide range of viral memes – and equally wide discussions about image copyright, in which legal analysts noted that Studio Ghibli would be limited in how it could respond to this since copyright law protects specific expression, not a specific artistic ‘style’.
Following these discussions, OpenAI announced prompt safeguards to block some user requests to generate images in the styles of living artists.
But issues over generative AI and copyright are ongoing, as highlighted by the copyright and trademark infringement case currently being heard in London’s high court.
Global photography agency Getty Images is alleging that London-based AI company Stability AI trained its image generation model on the agency’s huge archive of copyrighted pictures. Stability AI is fighting Getty’s claim and arguing that the case represents an “overt threat” to the generative AI industry.
And earlier this month, Disney and Universal announced they are suing AI firm Midjourney over its image generator, which the two companies said is a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.”
“What we hope to do with our work is to highlight the urgent need for a roadmap towards more resilient, artist-centred protection strategies,” said Foerster. “We must let creatives know that they are still at risk and collaborate with others to develop better art protection tools in future.”
Hanna Foerster is a member of Darwin College, Cambridge.
Reference:
Hanna Foerster et al. ‘LightShed: Defeating Perturbation-based Image Copyright Protections.’ Paper presented at the 34th USENIX Security Symposium. https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity25/presentation/foerster
Artists urgently need stronger defences to protect their work from being used to train AI models without their consent.
Even when using tools like NightShade, artists are still at risk of their work being used for training AI models without their consentHanna FoersterAnastasia Babenko via Getty ImagesArtist at work
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
AI art protection tools still leave creators at risk, researchers say
So say a team of researchers who have uncovered significant weaknesses in two of the art protection tools most used by artists to safeguard their work.
According to their creators, Glaze and NightShade were both developed to protect human creatives against the invasive uses of generative artificial intelligence.
The tools are popular with digital artists who want to stop artificial intelligence models (like the AI art generator Stable Diffusion) from copying their unique styles without consent. Together, Glaze and NightShade have been downloaded almost nine million times.
But according to an international group of researchers, these tools have critical weaknesses that mean they cannot reliably stop AI models from training on artists’ work.
The tools add subtle, invisible distortions (known as poisoning perturbations) to digital images. These ‘poisons’ are designed to confuse AI models during training. Glaze takes a passive approach, hindering the AI model’s ability to extract key stylistic features. NightShade goes further, actively corrupting the learning process by causing the AI model to associate an artist’s style with unrelated concepts.
But the researchers have created a method – called LightShed – that can bypass these protections. LightShed can detect, reverse-engineer and remove these distortions, effectively stripping away the poisons and rendering the images usable again for Generative AI model training.
It was developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge along with colleagues at the Technical University Darmstadt and the University of Texas at San Antonio. The researchers hope that by publicising their work – which will be presented at the USENIX Security Symposium, a major security conference, in August – they can let creatives know that there are major issues with art protection tools.
LightShed works through a three-step process. It first identifies whether an image has been altered with known poisoning techniques.
In a second, reverse engineering step, it learns the characteristics of the perturbations using publicly available poisoned examples. Finally, it eliminates the poison to restore the image to its original, unprotected form.
In experimental evaluations, LightShed detected NightShade-protected images with 99.98% accuracy and effectively removed the embedded protections from those images.
“This shows that even when using tools like NightShade, artists are still at risk of their work being used for training AI models without their consent,” said first author Hanna Foerster from Cambridge’s Department of Computer Science and Technology, who conducted the work during an internship at TU Darmstadt.
Although LightShed reveals serious vulnerabilities in art protection tools, the researchers stress that it was developed not as an attack on them – but rather an urgent call to action to produce better, more adaptive ones.
“We see this as a chance to co-evolve defenses,” said co-author Professor Ahmad-Reza Sadeghi from the Technical University of Darmstadt. “Our goal is to collaborate with other scientists in this field and support the artistic community in developing tools that can withstand advanced adversaries.”
The landscape of AI and digital creativity is rapidly evolving. In March this year, OpenAI rolled out a ChatGPT image model that could instantly produce artwork in the style of Studio Ghibli, the Japanese animation studio.
This sparked a wide range of viral memes – and equally wide discussions about image copyright, in which legal analysts noted that Studio Ghibli would be limited in how it could respond to this since copyright law protects specific expression, not a specific artistic ‘style’.
Following these discussions, OpenAI announced prompt safeguards to block some user requests to generate images in the styles of living artists.
But issues over generative AI and copyright are ongoing, as highlighted by the copyright and trademark infringement case currently being heard in London’s high court.
Global photography agency Getty Images is alleging that London-based AI company Stability AI trained its image generation model on the agency’s huge archive of copyrighted pictures. Stability AI is fighting Getty’s claim and arguing that the case represents an “overt threat” to the generative AI industry.
And earlier this month, Disney and Universal announced they are suing AI firm Midjourney over its image generator, which the two companies said is a “bottomless pit of plagiarism.”
“What we hope to do with our work is to highlight the urgent need for a roadmap towards more resilient, artist-centred protection strategies,” said Foerster. “We must let creatives know that they are still at risk and collaborate with others to develop better art protection tools in future.”
Hanna Foerster is a member of Darwin College, Cambridge.
Reference:
Hanna Foerster et al. ‘LightShed: Defeating Perturbation-based Image Copyright Protections.’ Paper presented at the 34th USENIX Security Symposium. https://www.usenix.org/conference/usenixsecurity25/presentation/foerster
Artists urgently need stronger defences to protect their work from being used to train AI models without their consent.
Even when using tools like NightShade, artists are still at risk of their work being used for training AI models without their consentHanna FoersterAnastasia Babenko via Getty ImagesArtist at work
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Autonomous bus trial will carry passengers between Eddington and Cambridge West
A 15-seater autonomous bus will operate between Madingley Road Park & Ride, and around the University's Eddington neighbourhood and Cambridge West Innovation District.
The early phase of the trial, following extensive virtual and on-road testing, starts on Tuesday 24 June with a limited number of morning and afternoon runs each Monday-Friday.
The trial passenger service is free and will enhance local connections, improving access to places of work and study, as well as community and sports facilities for those living and working in the area.
Dan Clarke, Head of Innovation and Technology at the Greater Cambridge Partnership, said: "This is an exciting milestone, but it’s just the beginning. People may have already seen the bus going around Eddington and Cambridge West from Madingley Park & Ride recently, as, after the extensive on-track training with the drivers, we’ve been running the bus on the road without passengers to learn more about how other road-users interact with the technology. We’re now moving gradually to the next stage of this trial by inviting passengers to use Connector.
"As with all new things, our aim is to introduce this new technology in a phased way that balances the trialling of these new systems with safety and the passenger experience. This will ensure we can learn more about this technology and showcase the potential for self-driving vehicles to support sustainable, reliable public transport across Cambridge."
The vehicle is operated by Whippet Coaches using autonomous technology from Fusion Processing.
Professor Anna Philpott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations at the University of Cambridge, said "Innovation and research that contributes to society is at the heart of the University’s mission, and this trial aligns with our vision for sustainable and pioneering transport solutions for everyone travelling to and from our sites. Cambridge West Innovation District and Eddington are fitting locations for such an ambitious and forward-thinking project."
A full-scale launch of two full-size autonomous buses on a second route to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will begin later this year.
The Connector trial is part of a national Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) programme backed by the UK Government to explore how autonomous buses can be safely and effectively integrated into public transport systems.
All vehicles are supported by trained safety drivers at all times and have already undergone digital simulation and rigorous on-road testing.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Connector project is bringing self-driving passenger transport to the city.
Cambridge West Innovation District and Eddington are fitting locations for such an ambitious and forward-thinking project.Professor Anna Philpott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations Teams from the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridge University with the autonomous bus.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Autonomous bus trial will carry passengers between Eddington and Cambridge West
A 15-seater autonomous bus will operate between Madingley Road Park & Ride, and around the University's Eddington neighbourhood and Cambridge West Innovation District.
The early phase of the trial, following extensive virtual and on-road testing, starts on Tuesday 24 June with a limited number of morning and afternoon runs each Monday-Friday.
The trial passenger service is free and will enhance local connections, improving access to places of work and study, as well as community and sports facilities for those living and working in the area.
Dan Clarke, Head of Innovation and Technology at the Greater Cambridge Partnership, said: "This is an exciting milestone, but it’s just the beginning. People may have already seen the bus going around Eddington and Cambridge West from Madingley Park & Ride recently, as, after the extensive on-track training with the drivers, we’ve been running the bus on the road without passengers to learn more about how other road-users interact with the technology. We’re now moving gradually to the next stage of this trial by inviting passengers to use Connector.
"As with all new things, our aim is to introduce this new technology in a phased way that balances the trialling of these new systems with safety and the passenger experience. This will ensure we can learn more about this technology and showcase the potential for self-driving vehicles to support sustainable, reliable public transport across Cambridge."
The vehicle is operated by Whippet Coaches using autonomous technology from Fusion Processing.
Professor Anna Philpott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations at the University of Cambridge, said "Innovation and research that contributes to society is at the heart of the University’s mission, and this trial aligns with our vision for sustainable and pioneering transport solutions for everyone travelling to and from our sites. Cambridge West Innovation District and Eddington are fitting locations for such an ambitious and forward-thinking project."
A full-scale launch of two full-size autonomous buses on a second route to the Cambridge Biomedical Campus will begin later this year.
The Connector trial is part of a national Centre for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles (CCAV) programme backed by the UK Government to explore how autonomous buses can be safely and effectively integrated into public transport systems.
All vehicles are supported by trained safety drivers at all times and have already undergone digital simulation and rigorous on-road testing.
The Greater Cambridge Partnership’s Connector project is bringing self-driving passenger transport to the city.
Cambridge West Innovation District and Eddington are fitting locations for such an ambitious and forward-thinking project.Professor Anna Philpott, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Resources and Operations Teams from the Greater Cambridge Partnership and Cambridge University with the autonomous bus.
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Rubin Observatory reveals first images
The Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science, has released its first imagery, showing cosmic phenomena at an unprecedented scale.
In just over 10 hours of test observations, the NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory has already captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids. The imagery is a small preview of the Rubin Observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission to explore and understand some of the universe's biggest mysteries.
Located on a mountaintop in Chile, the Rubin Observatory will repeatedly scan the sky for 10 years and create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our universe. The region in central Chile is favoured for astronomical observations because of its dry air and dark skies, and allows for an ideal view of the Milky Way’s centre.
The facility is set to achieve ‘first light,’ or make the first scientific observations of the Southern Hemisphere’s sky using its 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope, on 4 July.
UK astronomers, including from the University of Cambridge, are celebrating their role in the most ambitious sky survey to date.
“We will be looking at the universe in a way that we have never done before, and this exploration is bound to throw up surprises that we never imagined,” said Professor Hiranya Peiris from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy.
Enabled by an investment of £23 million from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), UK astronomers and software developers have been preparing the hardware and software needed to analyse the petabytes of data that the survey will produce to enable groundbreaking science that will enhance our understanding of the universe.
The UK is the second largest international contributor to the multinational project, putting UK astronomers at the forefront when it comes to exploiting this unique window on the Universe.
The UK is also playing a significant role in the management and processing of the unprecedented amounts of data. The UK will host one of three international data facilities and process around 1.5 million images, capturing around 10 billion stars and galaxies. When complete, the full 10-year survey is expected to rack up 500 petabytes of date – the same storage as half-a-million 4K Hollywood movies.
The UK’s science portal for the international community is capable of connecting around 1,500 astronomers with UK Digital Research Infrastructure to support the exploitation of this uniquely rich and detailed view of the Universe.
More than two decades in the making, Rubin is the first of its kind: its mirror design, camera size and sensitivity, telescope speed, and computing infrastructure are each in an entirely new category. Over the next 10 years, Rubin will perform the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) using the LSST Camera and the Simonyi Survey Telescope.
By repeatedly scanning the sky for 10 years, the observatory will deliver a treasure trove of discoveries: asteroids and comets, pulsating stars, and supernova explosions. Science operations are expected to start towards the end of 2025.
“UK researchers have been contributing to the scientific and technical preparation for the Rubin LSST for more than ten years,” said Professor Bob Mann from the University of Edinburgh, LSST:UK Project Leader. “These exciting First Look images show that everything is working well and reassure us that we have a decade’s worth of wonderful data coming our way, with which UK astronomers will do great science.”
Hiranya Peiris is a Fellow of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a new scientific facility that will bring the night sky to life like never before using the largest camera ever built, has revealed its ‘first look’ images at the start of its 10-year survey of the cosmos.
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryTrifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.
Rubin Observatory reveals first images
The Rubin Observatory, jointly funded by the US National Science Foundation and the US Department of Energy’s Office of Science, has released its first imagery, showing cosmic phenomena at an unprecedented scale.
In just over 10 hours of test observations, the NSF-DOE Rubin Observatory has already captured millions of galaxies and Milky Way stars and thousands of asteroids. The imagery is a small preview of the Rubin Observatory’s upcoming 10-year scientific mission to explore and understand some of the universe's biggest mysteries.
Located on a mountaintop in Chile, the Rubin Observatory will repeatedly scan the sky for 10 years and create an ultra-wide, ultra-high-definition time-lapse record of our universe. The region in central Chile is favoured for astronomical observations because of its dry air and dark skies, and allows for an ideal view of the Milky Way’s centre.
The facility is set to achieve ‘first light,’ or make the first scientific observations of the Southern Hemisphere’s sky using its 8.4-meter Simonyi Survey Telescope, on 4 July.
UK astronomers, including from the University of Cambridge, are celebrating their role in the most ambitious sky survey to date.
“We will be looking at the universe in a way that we have never done before, and this exploration is bound to throw up surprises that we never imagined,” said Professor Hiranya Peiris from Cambridge’s Institute of Astronomy.
Enabled by an investment of £23 million from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), UK astronomers and software developers have been preparing the hardware and software needed to analyse the petabytes of data that the survey will produce to enable groundbreaking science that will enhance our understanding of the universe.
The UK is the second largest international contributor to the multinational project, putting UK astronomers at the forefront when it comes to exploiting this unique window on the Universe.
The UK is also playing a significant role in the management and processing of the unprecedented amounts of data. The UK will host one of three international data facilities and process around 1.5 million images, capturing around 10 billion stars and galaxies. When complete, the full 10-year survey is expected to rack up 500 petabytes of date – the same storage as half-a-million 4K Hollywood movies.
The UK’s science portal for the international community is capable of connecting around 1,500 astronomers with UK Digital Research Infrastructure to support the exploitation of this uniquely rich and detailed view of the Universe.
More than two decades in the making, Rubin is the first of its kind: its mirror design, camera size and sensitivity, telescope speed, and computing infrastructure are each in an entirely new category. Over the next 10 years, Rubin will perform the Legacy Survey of Space and Time (LSST) using the LSST Camera and the Simonyi Survey Telescope.
By repeatedly scanning the sky for 10 years, the observatory will deliver a treasure trove of discoveries: asteroids and comets, pulsating stars, and supernova explosions. Science operations are expected to start towards the end of 2025.
“UK researchers have been contributing to the scientific and technical preparation for the Rubin LSST for more than ten years,” said Professor Bob Mann from the University of Edinburgh, LSST:UK Project Leader. “These exciting First Look images show that everything is working well and reassure us that we have a decade’s worth of wonderful data coming our way, with which UK astronomers will do great science.”
Hiranya Peiris is a Fellow of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge.
The Vera C. Rubin Observatory, a new scientific facility that will bring the night sky to life like never before using the largest camera ever built, has revealed its ‘first look’ images at the start of its 10-year survey of the cosmos.
NSF-DOE Vera C. Rubin ObservatoryTrifid nebula (top right) and the Lagoon nebula
The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Images, including our videos, are Copyright ©University of Cambridge and licensors/contributors as identified. All rights reserved. We make our image and video content available in a number of ways – on our main website under its Terms and conditions, and on a range of channels including social media that permit your use and sharing of our content under their respective Terms.