The partnership will build  an  interdisciplinary team focused on the links between domestic violence, family courts and women’s health in South India.

That, they say,  will generate early frameworks that can inform future reforms, judicial training and survivor‑centred practice, laying the foundation for long‑term community partnerships and multi‑country research.

Domestic violence is widespread in India, with national surveys showing that almost half of Indian women have faced some form of spousal abuse.

The southwestern state  Karnataka alone recorded more than seventeen thousand cases in 2022.

Lead researcher from The University of Manchester said: “Although India handles well over a million family disputes each year, there is still no systematic research on how these legal journeys shape women’s long‑term wellbeing.

“And there is some evidence which shows that court processes can sometimes prolong stress, fear and control.”

The project will initially focus on assessing the feasibility of the study and map how family court procedures actually work for the women who go through the system.

The team will also map key organisations in Karnataka, from women’s police stations to community health workers, to understand where survivors seek help and where systems may be falling short.

“This groundwork matters because India needs its own evidence base to make sure women are supported, not harmed, when they turn to the courts,” added Dr Dalgarno.

The collaboration will provide opportunities for students in Manchester and Karnataka interested in understanding   the intersection of law, health and gender‑based violence

is Clinical Professor of Public Health and Epidemiology and Head of the Division of Population Health, Health Services Research and Primary Care.

She said: “This  partnership aligns closely with both our universities’ commitments to tackling inequality, strengthening international collaboration and improving outcomes for marginalised communities.

“By focusing on women’s health, domestic violence and legal systems, the project speaks directly to shared priorities around gender equality, prevention of harm and access to safe, trauma‑informed services.”

Professor Arathi Rao from the Manipal Academy of Higher Education said: “Family courts are often a crucial point of contact for women seeking protection from domestic violence. Legal processes, while designed to deliver justice, can also impact women’s health, safety, and well-being.

“By examining these intersections, we aim to inform more responsive, survivor-centred systems that truly protect and support women during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives.”

This breakthrough provides fresh insight into one of chemistry’s most familiar concepts – aromaticity – and shows it can occur not only in carbon‑based rings like benzene, but also in unusual clusters of heavy metals.

A new twist on a classic chemical idea

In everyday chemistry, aromatic molecules such as benzene are valued for their stability, which comes from electrons circulating smoothly around a ring. This “ring current” is a signature of aromaticity and is usually found in organic (carbon-based) molecules.

The new study shows that a tiny ring of three bismuth atoms (Bi₃) also supports these circulating currents, behaving as an aromatic system, despite being made entirely of heavy metals.

Even more remarkably, this behaviour is dominated by sigma (σ) electrons, rather than the more familiar π electrons that define aromaticity in organic chemistry.

What this means for chemistry 

The finding bridges the gap between traditional organic chemistry and the emerging field of all-metal aromaticity, offering:

• The heaviest aromatic ring ever identified, made from three bismuth atoms.
• The first actinide “inverse sandwich” complexes supporting such a metal ring, using uranium and thorium to hold the Bi₃ unit in place.
• Clear experimental and computational evidence that the bismuth ring has strong ring currents – a hallmark of aromaticity – even in the presence of large, magnetic metal ions.

This adds a new entry to the catalogue of aromatic molecules and helps scientists understand how aromaticity behaves in heavy elements, which is valuable for areas such as materials science, metal cluster chemistry, and actinide research.

A step toward understanding heavy element chemistry

The international team synthesised and studied two new complexes: 

• a diuranium complex containing the Bi₃ ring, and
• a dithorium version that behaves similarly.

Using Xray crystallography, the researchers confirmed the shape and symmetry of the three-atom ring. They then used magnetic measurements, spectroscopy and advanced computer modelling to show that electrons move around the bismuth ring in a continuous, stabilising current, just as they do in classic aromatic molecules.

Even more intriguingly, the dithorium complex showed measurable exalted diamagnetism, an effect directly associated with aromatic ring currents.

The work provides benchmark data to help chemists compare traditional organic aromaticity with its all‑metal counterpart. It also shows how unusual ring systems can be stabilised using actinides – metals at the bottom of the periodic table that often behave in unexpected ways.

By proving that such a heavy‑element ring can not only exist but also display aromatic stability, the research opens new possibilities for designing metal‑based clusters and exploring the boundaries of chemical bonding.

The findings - published in the International - emerge against a backdrop of rising mental health needs.

The researchers analysed Annual Population Survey data from more than 535,000 working‑age adults between 2015 and 2020 to examine whether regional differences in the supply of NHS Talking Therapies were linked to labour force participation.

They found that people reporting long‑term mental health problems were less likely to be in the labour force than otherwise similar adults without such conditions: a participation gap of 36% in the analysis sample.

After adjusting for a wide range of personal and local factors, the researchers found that increasing the volume of supply of talking therapies by one additional appointment offered per referral in the average region, equivalent to about 22% more appointments, was associated with a 0.92‑percentage‑point reduction in the labour force participation gap.

The association was strongest among people aged 45 to 65, those not claiming benefits, and men.

The researchers highlight how decades of evidence show that pharmacological and psychological therapies can reduce symptoms and improve productivity, absenteeism and labour force participation.

The NHS Talking Therapies programme, launched in England 18 years ago, is considered to be the first large‑scale programme of its kind.

It was designed to expand the supply of evidence‑based psychological treatments, reduce stigma, and make it easier for people to seek help.

The service offers assessment appointments, tailored treatment plans and session‑by‑session monitoring.

Although previous studies have shown these sorts of impacts in individual patients, this study examined the impact of differences in therapy provisions across areas.

The authors argue that the supply of therapy services may have indirect effects on economic activity by improving help‑seeking behaviour, reducing stigma, and influencing how GPs manage mental health problems in primary care.

They note that only around one‑fifth of working‑age adults with a mental health diagnosis receive a course of NHS Talking Therapies, suggesting that wider community‑level effects may be important.

Lead author is, a PhD researcher from The University of Manchester.

He  said: “Our findings suggest that improving access to psychological therapies doesn’t just support people’s wellbeing — it may also help close the long‑standing labour market gaps experienced by those with mental health problems.

“As governments look for ways to boost labour force participation, mental health policy should be part of that conversation.

“Policymakers should consider the indirect economic effects of expanding psychological therapy services when designing future mental health strategies.”

• The study was funded by Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) North West Social Science Doctoral Training Partnership (NWSSDTP) and supported by the Swiss National Science Foundation.
• The paper Availability of psychological therapies and workforce participation of individuals with long-term mental health problems: a retrospective observational study” is available DOI https://doi.org/10.1186/s13033-026-00706-z

• Social media can reduce loneliness when used to build or maintain relationships
• Passive use, such as scrolling without interacting, is linked to higher loneliness
• People with strong offline networks benefit more from social media use
• User motivations - such as connection versus escape - shape outcomes
• Platform design and online experiences influence whether users feel connected or isolated
• More long-term research is needed to fully understand impacts on wellbeing

What did the study find?

Dr Rebecca Nowland assessed the latest global evidence on the relationship between social media and loneliness.

The findings highlight a complex picture. Social media can strengthen social connections when it is used to interact meaningfully - such as messaging friends, sharing experiences or receiving supportive responses.

However, simply scrolling through content without engaging - often referred to as ‘passive use’ - is consistently linked to higher levels of loneliness. 

Why does how we use social media matter?

The study shows that the impact of social media depends heavily on how and why people use it.

People who go online to connect with others may experience reduced loneliness. In contrast, those using social media to escape difficult feelings or social situations may see the opposite effect.

In some cases, trying to replace face-to-face interaction with online activity can actually make loneliness worse. 

Who benefits most from social media use?

Not everyone benefits equally.

The research found that people who already have strong social networks are more likely to gain positive experiences online, including support and a sense of belonging.

Those who feel isolated offline, however, may struggle to achieve the same benefits - even if they use social media frequently.

What role do platforms and online experiences play?

Platform design is also important.

Features that encourage direct interaction - such as private messaging or sharing images - can help create a stronger sense of connection. By contrast, platforms or features focused on broadcasting or passive consumption offer fewer emotional benefits.

Experiences themselves also matter. Supportive comments and meaningful exchanges can reduce loneliness, while being ignored, excluded or exposed to negative interactions can increase it. 

What are the gaps in current research?

Despite growing interest in the topic, the study highlights important gaps in existing research.

Much of the evidence is based on snapshots in time rather than long-term studies, making it difficult to determine cause and effect. The paper calls for more robust research using real usage data and longer-term methods.

Why does this matter?

With loneliness increasingly recognised as a major public health issue, the findings suggest that improving how people engage online could play an important role in tackling the problem.

Encouraging more active and meaningful use of social media - and designing platforms that support this - may help maximise benefits while reducing harms.

This research was published in Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences.

DOI:  

• Governments across the global North and South are increasing their role in delivering affordable housing
• States are adopting new tools to influence housing supply, finance and land development
• Public-private partnerships and new financial models are being used to support large-scale housing
• Cities are experimenting with different ways to balance social need and market pressures
• Salford and Shanghai highlight contrasting but equally interventionist approaches

What did the study find?

Led by Dr Tom Gillespie, the study provides one of the first global comparisons of how states are responding to a growing housing crisis affecting billions of people.

Drawing on research from Shanghai, Salford, Nairobi, Paris, Casablanca and Rome, it shows that governments are increasingly stepping in as private markets struggle to deliver adequate and affordable homes at scale.

While previous decades favoured light-touch state involvement, this is now changing, with governments taking a more active role in shaping housing systems.

How are governments responding?

The research shows that states are adopting a wide range of new approaches to influence housing supply, finance and land development.

In many cases, this includes experimenting with public-private partnerships, land value capture and new state-backed financial mechanisms to make large-scale housing programmes viable.

Across all six cities, the researchers identified common themes, including what motivates governments to intervene, how new financial and institutional tools are being used, and how risks in housing markets are being redistributed.

What is happening in Salford?

Salford is highlighted as one of the most distinctive examples in the study.

Within England’s market-driven planning system, the local authority has developed an unusually interventionist approach. While earlier regeneration focused on property-led development such as Salford Quays, more recent efforts have aimed to address the lack of affordable housing.

From 2016, the Council began redirecting developer contributions into a council-owned company to build new social housing. These homes are let at below-market “Salford rents” and are exempt from the national ‘right to buy’, helping to protect them from speculative pressures.

Although still relatively small in scale, the model is identified as an example of local state action designed to “de-financialise” housing while still working within a market-led system.

What about Shanghai?

Shanghai offers a contrasting but equally interventionist model.

After decades of market-driven housing growth, the city has shifted towards a more active role, using state control of land and developers to deliver affordable homes for different social groups.

Policies include shantytown renewal, shared ownership schemes and subsidised rental housing, aimed at tackling rising property prices while supporting social stability and inclusion.

Why is this shift happening?

The study highlights a broader global shift away from reliance on private markets alone.

As housing affordability crises deepen, governments are increasingly intervening to address gaps in supply and access. This marks the end of an era of minimal state involvement and the emergence of more active, experimental approaches to housing policy.

Researcher quote

“Our research shows that states are once again becoming central players in efforts to tackle the global affordable housing crisis, but this isn’t a simple return to old models of public housing,” said Dr Tom Gillespie. “Instead, we are seeing a wide range of new approaches emerging as governments try to balance social needs with the realities of financialised urban development.

What are the implications?

The researchers suggest that understanding how different cities are responding can help inform future housing policy.

By identifying shared patterns and innovative approaches, the study provides a framework for policymakers seeking to tackle housing crises in their own contexts.

Publication details

The study was published in journal Urban Studies.

DOI:

Key findings

Rwanda has achieved rapid economic growth and built a reputation for effective state-led development, but the book argues that long-term prosperity may depend on deeper industrial transformation rather than continued reliance on service-led growth.

Why has Rwanda been described as Africa’s ‘model nation’?

Over the past two decades, Rwanda has often been portrayed as one of Africa’s standout economic success stories. The country has recorded strong GDP growth, expanded healthcare and education, increased tourism revenues and built an international reputation for effective state leadership.

Kigali has also positioned itself as a hub for finance, conferences and high-end tourism, helping Rwanda gain praise from international donors and policymakers.

What does the new book examine?

In , Dr Pritish Behuria offers one of the most in-depth accounts yet of how Rwanda has pursued rapid development in the face of major historical and structural challenges.

Drawing on nearly two decades of research, including extensive fieldwork and interviews with policymakers, business leaders and development partners, the book explores whether Rwanda has achieved genuine economic transformation or whether its growth masks deeper vulnerabilities.

Why might Rwanda’s future remain uncertain?

Dr Behuria argues that growth alone does not necessarily lead to long-term development.

Instead, sustainable prosperity typically depends on what economists call structural transformation: the shift from dependence on agriculture and raw materials towards higher-value manufacturing and productive domestic industries.

While this process underpinned the rise of many economies in Europe and East Asia, manufacturing remains limited across much of Africa, including Rwanda.

Has Rwanda relied too heavily on services?

Rather than prioritising manufacturing, Rwanda has focused heavily on services such as tourism, finance and international events.

The book examines whether this strategy can create enough jobs, technological learning and domestic business development to sustain long-term economic progress.

Rather than offering a simple verdict, the book presents a balanced assessment that recognises Rwanda’s achievements while exploring the risks and limits of its current model.

What does Rwanda’s experience say about development more broadly?

The book contributes to wider debates about whether African countries can build new pathways to development in today’s global economy.

“The space to experiment, protect industries and build domestic champions is much narrower. Rwanda’s experience shows what is possible - and how fragile success can be - in today’s globalised era.”

Publication details

will be published by Cambridge University Press on April 30th, and will be available open access.

• Peer pressure, bullying and emotional difficulties are linked to higher substance use
• Strong relationships with parents and teachers, and a sense of school belonging, are protective
• Substance use increases with age, with alcohol the most commonly reported
• Close friendships are not always protective and may increase exposure to substance use
• Girls, LGBTQ+ young people and those from disadvantaged backgrounds report higher levels of use
• Differences between schools explain more variation than differences between neighbourhoods

What did the study find?

The study analysed data from the #BeeWell programme, covering more than 30,000 pupils across 100 schools and over 1,500 neighbourhoods. #BeeWell is a collaboration between The University of Manchester, The Gregson Family Foundation and Anna Freud who, together with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), launched the programme in 2019.

It shows that teenage substance use is shaped by a combination of social, emotional and environmental factors. Young people who felt pressured by peers, experienced bullying or struggled with emotional difficulties were more likely to use substances.

In contrast, those with strong relationships with parents and teachers, a sense of belonging at school and positive perceptions of their academic performance were less likely to report substance use.

How does substance use vary by age and type?

The findings show that substance use increases with age, with older teenagers significantly more likely to report using alcohol or drugs.

Alcohol was the most commonly-reported substance, with around one in six young people reporting recent use. Vaping was less common but still notable, with around one in fifteen reporting use.

What role do friendships and peer relationships play?

The study highlights a complex role for peer relationships. While often seen as protective, close friendships were in some cases associated with higher substance use.

This may reflect increased exposure to social situations where substances are available, suggesting that peer influence can both increase and reduce risk depending on context.

Are there differences between groups?

The researchers found important differences between groups of young people. Girls and LGBTQ+ young people were more likely to report substance use than boys.

Young people from disadvantaged backgrounds were also more likely to vape, smoke and use drugs, indicating that inequalities play a role in shaping these behaviours.

How do different factors influence different substances?

The study found that different substances are influenced by different factors.

Stress and emotional difficulties were strongly linked to vaping, smoking and alcohol use, suggesting these behaviours may act as coping mechanisms. In contrast, illicit drug use appeared to be more strongly shaped by relationships with adults and broader school experiences.

Why does the school environment matter?

While a wide range of determinants were identified, the study found that differences between schools explained more variation in substance use than differences between neighbourhoods.

This suggests that the school environment - particularly peer relationships, social norms and support systems - plays a crucial role in shaping young people’s behaviour.

Researcher quote

“We often assume that where young people live shapes their behaviour most, but our findings show that a wide range of social and emotional factors are at play,” said lead researcher Dr Emma Thornton. “Experiences like peer pressure, bullying and mental health difficulties can increase risk, while strong relationships and a sense of belonging can be protective.”

What are the implications?

The research team hopes their findings will inform national policy and support the development of more targeted, evidence-based approaches to preventing substance use among young people.

Publication details

The study was published in the International Journal of Drug Policy.

DOI:

The ICAM is a successful partnership between bp, The University of Manchester, University of Cambridge, Imperial College London and the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Since its launch in 2012, the ICAM has supported research ranging from PhD-led exploratory projects to large-scale strategic initiatives involving multiple teams. The Centre has strengthened research capabilities, fostered interdisciplinary collaboration and provided students and early career researchers with valuable experience working alongside bp experts. Its model embeds bp Mentors within project teams, ensuring research remains industrially relevant and accelerates translation from laboratory to application.

The ICAM’s Next Chapter

Building on more than a decade of interdisciplinary research in materials science, the ICAM will continue to make a difference in today’s energy systems and help build tomorrow’s, while aligning with bp’s strategic interests and technology roadmaps.

The ICAM’s research supports bp’s ambition to be a net zero company and to help get the world to net zero by 2050 or sooner by improving understanding of materials, processes and energy systems that can lower emissions and enhance performance. Recent examples include research on sustainable catalysts for CO₂ conversion through the ICAM's EPSRC Prosperity Partnership on Sustainable Catalysis for Clean Growth, and work to develop better modelling tools for sustainable aviation fuel.

In recent years, the ICAM has welcomed additional expertise from associate members including Cardiff University and Johnson Matthey, both central to its previously mentioned Prosperity Partnership as well as University College London, University of Edinburgh, University of Leeds, University of Sheffield and University of Texas at Austin.

In its next chapter, the ICAM will continue to exemplify what can be achieved when industry and academia work together to address energy challenges.

Key findings

• A grammar-based authorship analysis method matched or exceeded leading AI systems across most test datasets
• The approach outperformed several neural network-based authorship verification models
• Researchers tested the method across 12 real-world writing datasets including emails, forums and reviews
• The system is more transparent than many AI models because it shows which grammatical patterns informed decisions
• Researchers say the findings challenge assumptions that more complex AI always produces better results

What did the study find?

Researchers found that a relatively simple, linguistically grounded method can perform as well as - and in some cases better than - complex artificial intelligence systems in identifying authorship.

The study suggests that increasingly sophisticated AI is not always necessary for high-performing writing analysis, particularly when methods are designed around established principles of how language works.

How does the LambdaG method work?

The method, called LambdaG, analyses patterns in grammar rather than relying on large-scale machine learning models.

It builds a statistical profile of how an individual writes by measuring features such as function word usage (words like it, of and the), sentence structure, punctuation patterns and other grammatical habits.

The researchers say these features create a distinctive behavioural signature for each writer.

Why is this different from AI-based authorship analysis?

Many current authorship verification systems rely on complex AI models trained on vast datasets. While effective, these systems can be difficult to interpret, computationally expensive and hard to explain in high-stakes settings such as legal investigations. By contrast, LambdaG provides a transparent explanation of which grammatical features influenced its conclusions.

How accurate was the method?

Researchers tested LambdaG across 12 datasets designed to reflect real-world writing scenarios, including emails, online forum posts and consumer reviews.

In most cases, the method achieved higher accuracy than several established authorship verification systems, including neural network-based approaches.

Why does grammar reveal authorship?

The researchers argue that grammar acts as a behavioural signature, like how we write our signature or how we walk.

Over time, individuals develop unconscious habits in how they structure sentences and use language. These habits create identifiable linguistic patterns that can distinguish one writer from another.

What are the potential applications?

The researchers say the method could support work in:

• Forensic linguistics
• Criminal investigations
• Online abuse detection
• Academic integrity monitoring

The study was published in Humanities and Social Sciences Communications.

DOI:

Fifty researchers from institutions  around the world -  including the University of Manchester - have issued the alert in calling for urgent action to stop fungal infections becoming untreatable.

They say fungi in soil, crops and hospitals are increasingly resistant to the medicines used to control them.

For most healthy people this poses little danger, but for patients with weakened immune systems the infections can be deadly.

Global strategies to tackle antimicrobial resistance have focused too heavily on bacteria and viruses while largely overlooking fungi, they argue.

To combat it, they have produced a five‑step plan to improve awareness, surveillance, infection control, responsible drug use and investment in new treatments.

The plan is intended to help shape the World Health Organization’s updated Global Action Plan on antimicrobial resistance later this year.

Scientists warn that several dangerous fungi are already spreading, including Trichophyton indotineae, which causes severe skin infections that are increasingly hard to treat.

Hospitals are also battling Candida auris, a fungus that can trigger life‑threatening bloodstream infections and kills around a third of those affected.

Another concern is Aspergillus fumigatus, a common mould that has developed resistance to widely used azole drugs in many countries.

Experts say much of this resistance begins not in hospitals but in the environment.

Fungicides used in agriculture are chemically similar to antifungal medicines used in human healthcare, allowing resistant strains to evolve in fields before reaching patients.

This link between environmental, agricultural and medical use — known as One Health — means resistance in crops can undermine treatments for people.

Researchers say coordinated action across science, farming, healthcare and policy is now essential to protect both global food supplies and patient safety.

They point to early initiatives, including the WHO’s fungal priority pathogen list and new One Health working groups, but warn these efforts must be embedded in global antimicrobial resistance policies.

The authors are urging governments and international bodies to prioritise antifungal resistance before more infections become untreatable.

“Farmers use huge amounts of fungicides to protect crops, and some of these chemicals stay in the environment for decades,” said Professor from the University of Manchester.

“There is now clear evidence these chemicals are helping fungi evolve into strains that can no longer be treated in people, plants or animals.”

“If we don’t act, we will see more infections that simply can’t be cured, which puts lives and food supplies at risk,” he added.

Professor Paul Verweij from Radboud University Medical Center in the natherlands, said: “We are already seeing a quiet rise in dangerous fungi, from Candida auris in intensive care units to moulds in the community that no longer respond to standard medicines.

“Unless antifungal resistance is included in the WHO’s 2026 global plan with proper funding and targets we risk repeating the same mistakes made with antibiotic resistance.

“Using the same types of antifungal chemicals in both farming and medicine is speeding up resistance, and what happens in the fields is now affecting what happens in hospital wards,” added  Professor Michaela Lackner of the Medical University of Innsbruck.

• Image: aspergillus fumigatus. Credit Isabelle Storer
• Closing the gap on fungal resistance is published in  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41591-026-04334-5

Routine monitoring of fibre release is considered essential for designing more sustainable textiles and informing policies aimed at reducing pollution at source. However, existing methods are time consuming, prone to bias and vulnerable to contamination. 

By adapting industrial dyeing techniques used in textile manufacturing and combining them with established microplastic analysis methods, the research bridges fashion technology and environmental science to overcome these barriers. The result is a faster, more reliable way to measure microfibre emissions under real world conditions such as washing and mechanical stress. 

The researchers say the method could support better eco-design of textiles, improve testing standards and inform future regulation – including policies such as extended producer responsibility. It may also help guide the development of technologies designed to capture fibres, such as washing machine filters. 

“If we want to reduce microfibre pollution, we need reliable ways to measure it,” Dr Allen added. “This approach opens the door to routine testing that reflects what’s really being released into the environment – not just what’s easiest to see.”

The findings, published today in  journal BBA: Molecular Basis of Disease  shed new light on ocular coloboma, a rare congenital eye condition affecting around 1 in 5000 births and responsible for roughly 10% of childhood blindness.

Some of the researchers are also based at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust  and the Greenwood Genetic Centre in the United States.

Coloboma arises when a structure in the developing eye, the optic fissure, fails to close properly and often co‑occurs with other tissue‑fusion problems such as cleft lip and/or palate.

The research focused on YAP1, a protein that helps guide how organs form and how tissues stay healthy.

YAP1 acts like a switch inside cells, helping them decide when to grow, change, or survive based on signals they receive.

Although changes in YAP1 have been linked to coloboma, it has been unclear why some people with these changes develop severe eye defects while others remain unaffected. To address that, they tested the different variants and compared their effects.

To understand the consequences of YAP1’s inactivity during eye development, the researchers studied human retinal organoids - lab-grown miniature versions of the developing human retina grown in the lab. When they reduced the activity of YAP1, they saw effects on how early retinal cells grow and develop.

Disrupting YAP1, they found,  reduced the activity of genes needed for early retinal cells to grow and maintain their identity.

 As a result, the cells developed more slowly, providing a potential explanation for how eye formation goes wrong.

The study also showed that not all YAP1 variants have the same effect. Using computer modelling alongside experimental data, the researchers found that the precise location of each genetic change determines how strongly it disrupts YAP1 function.

This helps explain why coloboma can vary so widely between individuals, even among those carrying changes in the same gene.

Coloboma has been linked to disease causing variants in more than 40 genes, but thanks to the study, YAP1 is now identified as  an important contributor.

“These findings give us a much clearer picture of how small genetic changes can have major effects during eye development,” said the lead author from The University of Manchester.

“By pinpointing how each variant disrupts YAP1’s function, we can better interpret genetic results in patients and move closer to ways of supporting healthy eye formation.

“By combining stem‑cell models with detailed genetic testing, we’re finally beginning to understand how tiny changes in YAP1 can have such a big impact on how the eye forms.

“This work brings us a step closer to explaining why some children develop coloboma.

“Though retinal organoids cannot currently replace the use of animal models, this study shows how they can help us meet our ethical and legal obligations to replace, reduce and refine the use of animals in research wherever feasible.

“It also offers a new framework for understanding how likely YAP1 mutations are to cause disease in children with unexplained eye conditions.”

• Domain-specific mechanisms of YAP1 variants in ocular coloboma revealed by in-vitro and organoid studies is available DOI:

• Image: retinal organoid

The initiative, called KOKU Bladder, brings together evidence‑based education, pelvic floor muscle training, behaviour change techniques and gamification to support engagement and long‑term adherence.

The programme is designed for people to use independently at home while also complementing face‑to‑face care delivered by healthcare professionals.

Pelvic health plays a vital role in healthy ageing, helping people maintain mobility, dignity, independence and overall quality of life.

Urinary incontinence affects more than 14 million people in the UK and between 55 and 60 million across Europe.

Around one in three adults over 60 experience urinary incontinence, rising to nearly half of those aged 80 and above.

Despite its scale and impact, incontinence remains one of the most under discussed and under treated health conditions, often hidden due to stigma, embarrassment and fragmented services.

Professor  Javier Jerez‑Roig from the University of Vic, Principal Investigator, said: “KOKU Bladder is not just another digital tool; it is a solution shaped directly by the people who will use it and the professionals who support them.”

Professor  Emma Stanmore from The University of Manchester is CEO of KOKU Health, a UK digital health company which originated as a research project at the University of Manchester 

As a university spin-out, KOKU translates academic research into a practical tool designed to reduce falls, improve mobility, and support people to live healthier, more independent lives at home.

She added: “By embedding gamification within a clinically credible framework, we aim to make self‑management both motivating and meaningful.”

Although several digital pelvic health tools already exist, a recent review identified only four evidence‑based solutions that include people over 50, and none have been genuinely co‑designed with end users and professionals.

In 2025, a total of 54 people across Spain, Lithuania and the UK contributed to the co‑design of KOKU Bladder, including 31 potential users, 15 healthcare professionals and eight experts in pelvic health and ageing.

Participants highlighted the need for clinically trustworthy content, adaptive pelvic floor training, meaningful personalisation, multimedia guidance and embedded behaviour change techniques such as goal setting, self‑monitoring and feedback.

KOKU Bladder is now in its pilot phase, with 75 participants testing the platform across English, Spanish and Lithuanian versions.

The next stage of the project will be an experimental study beginning this summer in Manchester, led by The University of Manchester to formally evaluate feasibility, engagement and user experience.

• More information about the project is available at , where you can also register interest via the Contacts section

The study, published today in the Journal of the American Chemical Society (JACS), describes how the research team, led by Professors and , used directed evolution to develop a bespoke aminotransferase, a type of enzyme, to significantly accelerate the manufacturing process and reduce production costs. This new biocatalytic route has the potential to improve global access to this important medicine.

Lenacapavir, recently approved by the FDA and MHRA, is a twice‑yearly injectable drug that has shown extremely high levels of protection in pre‑exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) trials. Royalty‑free licence agreements are already in place to enable generic manufacturers to supply Lenacapavir to 120 lower‑income countries, yet the high cost of producing its active pharmaceutical ingredient remains a major barrier to widespread availability.

A sustainable route to a complex molecule

Made up of four distinct building blocks, Lenacapavir’s highly functionalised central core is a very challenging building block to synthesise. This core is constructed from a chiral amine that can exist in two mirror-image forms (like a left and a right hand). The handedness – or chirality – is important in pharmaceuticals as only one form of the molecule will work as intended.

Currently, Lenacapavir is made via traditional multi-step chemical synthesis, but due to the central core’s chirality and challenging molecular structure it is a costly and time-consuming process. Biocatalysis offers significant potential for faster and cheaper production.

To achieve this, the MIB team focused on using directed evolution – a method that speeds up nature’s trial-and-error evolution process – to develop an enzyme that could catalyse the target reaction to produce the chiral amine core. Using an approach known as substrate walking, the researchers began with an aminotransferase that showed no detectable activity on the desired substrate. Over eight rounds of directed evolution, involving screening more than 12,000 enzyme variants, they installed ten mutations that progressively unlocked activity, improved stability and reshaped the active site of the enzyme so that it could accept the central amine core’s bulky ketone precursor.

The final enzyme performed exceptionally well, converting 98% of the starting substrate, producing a yield of more than 90% with a purity of over 99% enantiomeric excess (e.e.) meaning that the correct chiral form was produced. The researchers also tested the enzyme under industrially relevant conditions showing its potential to work at scale.

The team also used X-ray crystallography to create a detailed 3D picture of the improved enzyme showing how the molecular changes arising from evolution allowed the enzyme to accept the substrate and transform it into the target product. Understanding the enzyme’s structure helps scientists unpick its mechanism of action which allows them to improve future enzyme design campaigns.

Towards large‑scale implementation

The team is now collaborating with industrial partners to translate the methodology from laboratory scale to industrial biomanufacturing. The details of this new manufacturing route are also freely available for companies to use. Any company interested in producing Lenacapavir via this new process can contact to request free samples of the enzyme. If implemented at scale, the process could enable a shorter, cleaner and more economical production route for Lenacapavir, supporting ambitions to make long‑acting HIV prevention accessible worldwide.

Figures for 2025 show the Museum welcomed 648,595 visitors throughout the year, meaning it continues to buck the trend, in the face of an overall decline in visitor numbers since 2019.

Manchester Museum's visitor numbers are up 76% over that period, compared with a decline of 7% across all ALVA member sites.

The total number of visits to 409 ALVA sites in 2025 was 165 million. This did, however, represent a 2% increase on the previous year.

Since reopening in February 2023, following a £15 million redevelopment, has seen impressive growth in audiences, driven by exciting new gallery spaces, special exhibitions such as The Cat That Slept for a Thousand Years, a rich and diverse events programme and engagement with schools across Greater Manchester.

The Vivarium is a centre for globally-significant conservation projects, caring for around 30 different amphibian and reptile species, many of which are critically endangered. It has sat at the heart of Manchester Museum for more than 60 years, growing out of work by researchers at the University of Manchester to inspire generations of visitors.

Manchester is the only place outside the Americas where you will find the Variable harlequin toad (Atelopus varius). The Museum Museum houses the world’s only captive ‘back-up’ population, thanks to a pioneering partnership with Panama Wildlife Conservation Charity, just one of many projects designed to safeguard the future of endangered species and develop learning programmes that raise awareness of threats to biodiversity.

Scheduled for completion in Spring 2027, the ‘Habitats of Hope’ development promises to connect museum audiences with this world-class care, research and international collaboration.

Funding will help to revitalise public displays and create new, state-of-the art facilities and bespoke naturalistic environments for the amphibian and reptile species cared for by the Vivarium. It will also allow the development of dedicated facilities for schools teaching and visiting tour groups, further enhancing the gallery’s potential for learning.

The Museum will also create new permanent displays that explore the connections between its wider collections and the animals it cares for, celebrating the deep ties between reptiles, amphibians and people, and revealing how these animals have shaped human cultures and understanding.

Georgina Young, Head of Collections and Exhibitions at Manchester Museum, said: “Habitats of Hope speaks to how wonderful and how vulnerable the world’s rarest amphibians are. Major investment from the DCMS/Wolfson Museum and Galleries Improvement Fund means Manchester Museum can match the highest standards of animal care with a more accessible visitor experience, while weaving stories of research, conservation, partnership and action that stretch from thriving ponds in Manchester to hyper-biodiverse ecosystems in Costa Rica and Panama.”

The Habitats of Hope project is expected to commence in December 2026 and complete in April 2027. The Vivarium will close during this period.

The study, published in PLOS Mental Health comes as Colombia has taken steps to expand healthcare access to some of the 2.86 million Venezuelans in the country, including offering temporary protection status.

However large numbers of the migrants are ineligible for protection, particularly those with irregular status who can only access emergency services or limited humanitarian programmes while discrimination and administrative barriers persist.

Led by GP Dr John Fitton, the study was adapted from his Master of Public Health dissertation at The University of Manchester. He is now a PhD student at University College London.

Nariño, on the Ecuadorian border, is a major crossing point for Venezuelan migrants fleeing economic collapse, political instability, food insecurity, and breakdown of health and social services.

That and the physical and emotionally exhausting nature of the journey itself contributed to their poor psychological condition.

Dr Fitton also says substance abuse-  particularly  among unaccompanied men in transit -  may be seen as self‑medication for hunger, exhaustion and distress.

The drugs, he says, are cheap, widely available along routes, and may even be more accessible than food when resources are scarce.

The researcher interviewed frontline community workers, who explained how recent cuts in international aid to NGOs working in Colombia have intensified gaps in care.

The community workers reported that mental health services for irregular migrants in Nariño are now almost entirely provided by dwindling numbers of humanitarian and community organisations.

As the organisations start to withdraw through lack of funding, irregular migrants are likely to be left with no mental health support at all.

The community workers described how poverty, unstable housing, lack of transport and the pressures of constant movement make it nearly impossible for migrants to seek ongoing mental health treatment.

And there was, said Dr Fitton, confusion among some healthcare staff about migrants’ legal rights and documents conflicting views on whether discrimination affects access to care.

“Our findings show that community workers are doing everything they can, but the system in Colombia is simply not built to meet the mental health needs of people in constant transit,” said Dr Fitton.

“We show a system under strain with community workers struggling to fill widening gaps in support.

“Caught between hunger, exhaustion and exclusion, some migrants slide into a brutal spiral: substances numb pain but deepen isolation, bar them from shelter, fracture their dignity, and leave a mental health crisis untouched.

“What begins as a will to survive has become a sorry tale of abandonment by systems and services.”

• The paper Barriers to access and unmet needs in mental health care for Venezuelan migrants in a southern border region of Colombia: the experiences of community workers is available . DOI:
• Image: John Fitton at the Universidad Cooperativa de Colombia in Pasto, Nariño who hosted him.

Computational simulations of mathematical models of fluid flow are essential for everyday applications ranging from predicting the weather to the assessment of nuclear reactor safety. The advent of this simulation capability over the past 50 year has revolutionised the development of fuel-efficient aeroplanes and sail configurations on racing yachts can now be optimised in real time, providing the marginal gains needed to win races in the Americas Cup.

Optimised aerodynamics means that modern day cyclists can ride faster, golf balls fly further and Olympic swimmers consistently set world records. Computational fluid dynamics also enables the modelling of the flow of blood in the human heart, making the provision of patient-specific surgery possible.

Scientists and engineers rely on computer-based simulations to understand, predict, and design these systems that they can’t easily test in real life. But traditional fluid‑simulation methods often require hours or even days of computation, and struggle when the flow becomes fast or highly complex. 

Machine‑learning‑based simulations, once trained, can make these assessments almost instantly. Instant feedback would allow rapid design testing, real‑time adjustments, and rapid testing variation without the usual computational burden.

The findings were published in the

The study uses the stability of fluid motion as the foundation for a new method that predicts how complex systems behave. Instead of relying on costly laboratory experiments, solutions to the fundamental equations of fluid motion are generated numerically. This allows the machine-learning model to be trained on accurate, high-quality data drawn directly from physics, demonstrating that the model can accurately handle challenging simulations.

A key focus of the work is identifying bifurcation points –the moments when a smooth, steady flow (laminar flow) suddenly begins to change – similar to calm, evenly flowing river as it hits an obstruction, or splits and fluids start to mix and form eddies. Laminar flow is when a liquid behaves in a smooth and orderly way, like pouring honey, the flow is consistent and steady.

By successfully using a machine‑learning model to identify the points at which a system changes behaviour or in this case bifurcates, the study suggests that, with further refinement, machine‑learning‑based models could become a practical alternative to traditional fluid‑modelling techniques in the future.

Professor Silvester added: "This marriage of old and new approaches holds the promise of efficient computation of physically realistic fluid flows in a myriad of practical situations. The development of refined mathematical models of complex fluids is likely to be critically important if the promise of AI is to be effectively realised in the future.”