University of Cambridge

In 2022, 2.3 million women were diagnosed with breast cancer worldwide and there were 670,000 related deaths. Despite significant progress in recent years, it remains challenging to accurately identify the best treatments for individual patients and to predict cases with poorer prognosis. Whole genome sequencing is a powerful technique that involves analysing the DNA of both the patient and their tumour to look for genetic changes, or mutations. This provides information on the underlying cause of the tumour and what is driving it. It can also provide valuable information to guide treatment, for example by identifying vulnerabilities in the tumour’s makeup or spotting signs that a patient might be resistant to a particular treatment. Although the technology is rapidly becoming cheaper – Ultima Genomics has recently announced that it can sequence a human genome for US$100 – it is not widely used across the NHS. Offered through the NHS Genomic Medicine Service, it is currently available for a few adult cancers, rare cancers, paediatric cancers, and certain metastatic cancers. Professor Serena Nik-Zainal from the Department of Genomic Medicine and Early Cancer Institute at the University of Cambridge said: “It is becoming increasingly possible to use whole genome sequencing to inform cancer management, but it’s arguably not being used to its full potential, and certainly not for some of the more common types of cancer. “Part of the reason why is because we lack the clinical studies to support its use, but it’s also in part precisely because the information is so rich – in a sense, the information can be too overwhelming to make sense of.” To help address these challenges, Professor Nik-Zainal and colleagues used data from almost 2,500 women from across England housed within the National Genomic Research Library – one of the world’s largest and most valuable data assets of its kind and run by Genomics England. The data from the 2,500 women came from their recruitment to the 100,000 Genomes Project and was linked to clinical and/or mortality records, tracking outcomes over five years. The researchers looked for genetic changes that cause or influence breast cancer, including problems in the way cells repair DNA. The results of their study are published today in The Lancet Oncology. The researchers found that 27% of breast cancer cases had genetic features that could help guide personalised treatment immediately, either with existing drugs or recruitment to prospective or current clinical trials. This equates to more than 15,000 women a year in the UK. Among those features identified were: HRD (homology-directed repair deficiency), a DNA repair issue found in 12% of all breast cancers; unique mutations that could be targeted with specific drugs; signs of resistance to hormone therapy; and mutational patterns that suggest weaknesses in the cancer that treatments could exploit. The team identified an additional 15% of cases that had features that could be useful for future research, such as problems with other DNA repair pathways. This would equate to more than 8,300 women a year. The analysis also provided insights into prognosis. For example, in the most common subtype of breast cancer, known as ER+HER2- breast cancers, which account for approximately 70% of diagnoses, there were strong genetic indicators of how aggressive the cancer might be. For example, major structural DNA changes were linked to a much higher risk of death, as were APOBEC mutational signatures (a type of DNA damage pattern) and mutations in the cancer gene TP53. These genetic markers were more predictive than traditional measures like age of the patient, stage of their cancer, or tumour grade. Using the results, the researchers created a framework to help doctors identify which patients need more aggressive treatment and which might safely have less treatment. It also suggested that around 7,500 women a year with low-grade tumours may benefit from more aggressive treatment. Professor Nik-Zainal said: “The UK is a genuine world-leader in terms of its ability to do whole genome sequencing in the NHS through the Genomic Medicine Service. Now that we have population-level evidence of how impactful whole-genome sequencing could be, we have the potential to make a difference to thousands of patients’ lives every year, helping tailor their care more precisely, giving more treatment to those who need it and less to those who don’t.” As well as being used to tailor treatments to individual patients, whole genome sequencing data could help transform how we recruit for and run clinical trials, speeding up the development of much needed new treatments. Professor Nik-Zainal added: “At the moment, we test patients for just a small number of genetic mutations and may invite them to join a clinical trial if the patient has a mutation that matches the trial’s target. But if we have their entire genetic readout instead, we will no longer be restricted to single trials with a specific target. We could massively open up the potential for recruitment, to multiple clinical trials in parallel, making recruitment to clinical trials more efficient, ultimately getting the right therapies to the right patients much faster.” Professor Matt Brown, Chief Scientific Officer of Genomics England, said: “This promising research further demonstrates the potential of genomics in improving cancer treatment outcomes for many people. “Rapid advances in genomics are already ushering in the next generation of personalised cancer medicine. Not only can a patient’s genes guide precision treatment decisions that will best serve them, but we could improve how we match people up to clinical trials and help more patients access innovative treatments. “Research like this highlights the value of the National Genomic Research Library and how understanding our genes can provide a real boost to the way we diagnose and treat disease. It’s all thanks to the contribution of participants and NHS partners in the 100,000 Genomes Project - the consented clinical and genomic data opens the door for incredible research opportunities.”   Professor Nik-Zainal is an Honorary Fellow at Murray Edwards College, Cambridge, and an Honorary Consultant in Clinical Genetics at Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (CUH). The study was largely funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), Breast Cancer Research Foundation, Gray Foundation and Cancer Research UK, with additional support from the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre. The University of Cambridge and Addenbrooke's Charitable Trust (ACT) are fundraising for a new hospital that will transform how we diagnose and treat cancer. Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital, set to be built on the Cambridge Biomedical Campus, will bring together clinical excellence from Addenbrooke’s Hospital and world-leading researchers at the University of Cambridge under one roof in a new NHS hospital. The new hospital will be home to the Precision Breast Cancer Institute, applying the latest genomic advances to tailor treatment for breast cancer patients, maximising treatment efficacy and minimising the risk of debilitating side effects. Reference Black, D et al. Revealing the clinical potential of cancer whole-genome data: A retrospective analysis of a breast cancer cohort in England linked with mortality statistics. Lancet Oncology; 7 Oct 2025; DOI: 10.1016/ S1470-2045(25)00400-0 Whole genome sequencing offered to breast cancer patients is likely to identify unique genetic features that could either guide immediate treatment or help match patients to clinical trials for over 15,000 women a year, say scientists at the University of Cambridge. The UK is a genuine world-leader in terms of its ability to do whole genome sequencing in the NHS through the Genomic Medicine Service. We have the potential to make a difference to thousands of patients’ lives every yearSerena Nik-ZainalSDI Productions (Getty Images)Female cancer patient in clinic lobby chats with unseen friend The text in this work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. 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Albert Einstein famously remarked that, had he not been a physicist, he would have been a musician. He said “I know that most joy in my life has come to me from my violin”; and his wife, Elsa, claimed that she fell in love with him “because he played Mozart so beautifully on the violin”. Dr Paul Wingfield, Director of Studies in Music at Trinity College, has now helped to identify an 1894 German violin as having belonged to Einstein. On 8th October 2025, the instrument will be auctioned by Dominic Winter Auctioneers in Cirencester. When the hammer falls, this will be the end of a remarkable 18-month journey for Dr Wingfield. In March 2024, Wingfield was at the wake of his brother-in-law, Joseph Schwartz, a lifelong Einstein enthusiast and co-author of the 1979 book Einstein for Beginners. A copy was on a table next to a family photograph album containing a 1912 picture of a small boy playing the violin. Wingfield says: “This juxtaposition sparked in my mind the idea of composing a musical drama, Einstein’s Violin, in which Einstein tells the story of his life, not as a physicist, but as a violinist, to the accompaniment of music for violin and piano.” “Researching, scripting and composing this show took me six months, by which time I had collected details of everything Einstein is known to have said or written about music, as well as of the violins he owned, and of the concerts in which he played.”  Einstein’s Violin was premiered in April 2025 in Highgate by distinguished actor Harry Meacher, Newnham alumna Leora Cohen on violin and Wingfield himself on piano. After a performance at the Highgate Festival at the end of June, the theatre manager handed Wingfield a message that began ‘I am not mad…’! “Reading this message proved to be one of the most exciting, if surreal, experiences in my life, Wingfield says. “It was from an auctioneer who had been commissioned to sell a violin that had purportedly belonged to Einstein, and who was asking for my help in checking the instrument’s provenance.” Einstein bought the violin in Munich in 1894, before he left for Switzerland. He played it throughout the period in which he developed his theory of relativity and received his Nobel prize, buying a new violin in Berlin in 1920. In 1932, just before he fled Nazi Germany for the US, he gave the Munich violin, along with a bicycle and two books, to his friend and fellow Nobel Laureate in Physics, Max von Laue. The books and the bicycle’s saddle will also be sold on 8 October. Twenty years later, von Laue gifted the violin and other items to a friend, Margarete Hommrich, whose great-great-granddaughter is the current owner. Wingfield says: “I am of course not an expert on nineteenth-century violins but, by a quirk of circumstance, my extensive research into Einstein’s musical life made me the obvious person to investigate the owner’s narrative.” “Over the summer I have thus been deploying all the historical skills that I have amassed over the years, in examining correspondence and a wide range of other documents, critically appraising witness testimonies, mapping Einstein’s movements over a forty-year period and even analysing his school-age handwriting." The 1894 violin has an inscription of the name ‘Lina’, which Einstein bestowed on all of his violins. “Along the way, I have acquired knowledge about topics that were previously a closed book to me, such as nineteenth-century varnish, the precise measurements of Einstein’s hands and even inter-War Belgian customs regulations. I am now as sure as anyone could be that this violin was indeed once owned by Einstein. It would seem that, just occasionally, life does imitate art.” Paul Wingfield’s research focuses primarily on Czech music and music theory and analysis. He has published on Janáček, Martinů and nineteenth-century sonata form, and he has recently written a chapter on Joseph Joachim’s Violin Concerto no. 1 for a CUP book on the nineteenth-century violin concerto. His musical drama, Einstein’s Violin, received its premiere on 27 April 2025 at Upstairs at the Gatehouse in Highgate. He is currently composing a new musical drama, Mademoiselle Adagio, about the nineteenth-century violinist, Teresa Milanollo.  This story is adapted from a Music @ Cambridge: Research blog post Albert Einstein’s violin has been identified by Dr Paul Wingfield, composer of a musical drama about Einstein’s life as a violinist. I had collected details of everything Einstein is known to have said or written about music, as well as of the violins he ownedPaul WingfieldCourtesy of Dominic Winter AuctioneersEinstein's violin sold by Dominic Winter Auctioneers in 2025 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. YesLicence type: Attribution

Sir John was a visionary in the field of developmental biology, whose pioneering work on nuclear transfer in frogs addressed one of the most fundamental questions in biology: whether genetic information is retained or lost during development. His work paved the way for ground-breaking advances in biomedical research, from stem cell biology to mouse genetics and IVF. His discovery that mature adult cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell state (known as pluripotency) was recognised by the award of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, shared with Shinya Yamanaka. Professor Ben Simons, Director of the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge said: “As well as being a towering figure in developmental and stem cell biology, through his dedication to science, his affection for colleagues and his humility, Sir John Gurdon was an inspiration to us all.”  Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sir John Gurdon. He was a giant within the scientific community, a truly inspirational figure who rightfully earned a Nobel Prize in 2012 for his pioneering work in stem cell research. Sir John will be greatly missed by everyone here in Cambridge, but he leaves behind him an outstanding legacy for which we are extremely grateful.” Professor Jon Simons, Head of the School of Biological Sciences at the University of Cambridge, said: "Sir John Gurdon was, and will continue to be, one of the most inspirational scientists in our community, and in the world. As well as outstanding contributions to developmental biology, John was also a dedicated colleague and mentor, who was deeply committed to interdisciplinary collaboration. He will be greatly missed." Born in 1933, Sir John was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained First Class Honours in Zoology. Following appointments in Oxford and the United States, Sir John joined the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge in 1972 and later became the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Cell Biology in the Department of Zoology. He served as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge from 1995 to 2002.  In 1991 he founded the Wellcome/CRUK Institute for Cell Biology and Cancer, later renamed the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge, together with Ron Laskey. Their vision was to bring together expertise in two research areas: developmental biology and cancer biology. Sir John’s personal commitment to research - he continued to perform experiments at the bench until his 90s - was matched only by his dedication and support of his colleagues. The University remembers Sir John as an inspiring scientist, insightful colleague, mentor, teacher and leader, whose legacy will live on through the generations of scientists trained in his lab, and extends its heartfelt condolences to Lady Gurdon and the family.   It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute. As well as being a towering figure in developmental and stem cell biology...Sir John Gurdon was an inspiration to us all.Ben SimonsSir John Gurdon in the lab 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. Yes

Sir John was a visionary in the field of developmental biology, whose pioneering work on nuclear transfer in frogs addressed one of the most fundamental questions in biology: whether genetic information is retained or lost during development. His work paved the way for ground-breaking advances in biomedical research, from stem cell biology to mouse genetics and IVF. His discovery that mature adult cells can be reprogrammed to an embryonic stem cell state (known as pluripotency) was recognised by the award of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, shared with Shinya Yamanaka. Professor Ben Simons, Director of the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge said: “As well as being a towering figure in developmental and stem cell biology, through his dedication to science, his affection for colleagues and his humility, Sir John Gurdon was an inspiration to us all.”  Professor Deborah Prentice, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Cambridge, said: “I am deeply saddened to hear of the passing of Sir John Gurdon. He was a giant within the scientific community, a truly inspirational figure who rightfully earned a Nobel Prize in 2012 for his pioneering work in stem cell research. Sir John will be greatly missed by everyone here in Cambridge, but he leaves behind him an outstanding legacy for which we are extremely grateful.” Born in 1933, Sir John was educated at Eton and Christ Church, Oxford, where he gained First Class Honours in Zoology. Following appointments in Oxford and the United States, Sir John joined the Medical Research Council Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge in 1972 and later became the John Humphrey Plummer Professor of Cell Biology in the Department of Zoology. He served as Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge from 1995 to 2002.  In 1991 he founded the Wellcome/CRUK Institute for Cell Biology and Cancer, later renamed the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge, together with Ron Laskey. Their vision was to bring together expertise in two research areas: developmental biology and cancer biology. Sir John’s personal commitment to research - he continued to perform experiments at the bench until his 90s - was matched only by his dedication and support of his colleagues. The University remembers Sir John as an inspiring scientist, insightful colleague, mentor, teacher and leader, whose legacy will live on through the generations of scientists trained in his lab, and extends its heartfelt condolences to Lady Gurdon and the family. It is with great sadness that the University shares the news of the death of Professor Sir John Gurdon, founder of the Gurdon Institute. As well as being a towering figure in developmental and stem cell biology...Sir John Gurdon was an inspiration to us all.Ben SimonsSir John Gurdon in the lab 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. Yes