It is the culmination of over a decade of international collaboration by of The University of Manchester, Professor Juan Ruso of the University of Santiago de Compostela in Spain and Dr Natalia Hassan of the Metropolitan Technological University in Chile.

The discovery could have far reaching implications on the treatment of clotting disorders like haemophilia or the healthcare for patients on blood thinners like warfarin, as scabs forming on the surface of blood are vital to sealing a wound and keeping the site free of infection.

It could also explain aspects of how a lung can collapse in acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), as fibrinogen disrupts the oily layer that keeps the airways open during breathing.

It may also transform the design of biosensors that allow people to monitor how their blood is performing, as the sensors rely on understanding how proteins disrupt those surfaces.

For more than twenty years the field has relied on a ‘single tilting layer’ model for fibrinogen where the long protein molecules lay flat on the surface at first and then leaned upright as more of them arrive.

But the new study, published in the on today (20/08/25), shows the benchmark model missed that fibrinogen stays lying flat and builds multiple layers that stack like sheets of paper. These layers grow thicker and more complete as more molecules arrive.

This new information helps to explain how the long protein molecules line up on the surface of blood where fibres called fibrin form the basis of the scab, a solid film formed during evaporation of fluid at the blood surface, that seals a wound.

The scientists used an advanced technique called neutron reflectometry at the part-UK-funded Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) in France, where Dr Campbell was formerly based.

The team demonstrated that this behaviour holds true across multiple ranges of concentration and in very different solution conditions, showing the mechanism is not a rare quirk but a universal feature of fibrinogen when it contacts air.

Principal investigator Dr Campbell explained: "It's never easy challenging an established model of how molecules behave in nature.

“But through using the advanced technique neutron reflectometry on the FIGARO instrument at the ILL research facility, we could see the structure of these protein surfaces in more detail than scientists had seen before.

“Although lab data recorded in the past was compatible with the concept of a ‘single tilting layer’ model, our new data show multiple layering as a fundamentally different way of working.”

Dr Glenn Coope, a former PhD student at The University of Manchester but now based at Lund University in Sweden, said: "When the covid-19 pandemic struck, I spent time analysing structural data of how fibrinogen gathered at liquid surfaces while working from home.

“Then after returning to work at the University, I applied additional experimental methods.

“It’s almost like we now have a full circle moment, as our findings may help scientists to understand better the behaviour of fibrinogen in the lungs of patients suffering from ARDS, a condition that tragically claimed so many lives during the pandemic.”

Dr Campbell added: “Our discovery sheds new light on how scabs form on the surface of an open wound, where fibrinogen works in a protein‑rich zone to stop bleeding.

“Having better understanding of the structure of fibrinogen at liquid surfaces can only help in the search for new and better treatments for patients whose wound refuse to heal.”

• The paper Redefining Fibrinogen Self‑Assembly at the Air–Water Interface: An Intriguing Story with Multiple Layers is published in Journal of the American Chemical Society. DOI
• Other researchers from the University of Manchester and Institut Laue-Langevin contributed to the study

In a survey of 4,270 adults from across the UK, the researchers found that 79% had already used some form of self-monitoring, ranging from tracking blood pressure and blood sugar to monitoring fitness, diet, eyesight, hearing and mental wellbeing.

Published in the journal ��the findings suggest self-monitoring could play a major role in helping people spot health problems earlier and take greater control of their wellbeing.

The study was part-funded by a National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Senior Investigator award to lead researcher Professor Kevin Munro and was supported by the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre: Manchester’s Hearing Health Theme.

The results chime with the Governments aspirations for health monitoring technologies to be part of routine care to support proactive health monitoring and preventative action.

The study also found that 86% of respondents would be willing to monitor at least one aspect of their health if recommended by the NHS.

Trust in the technology was high, with between 70% and 94% of participants saying they trusted the results produced by self-monitoring tools.

More than three-quarters (78%) said they would be happy for their results to be sent automatically to their GP.

The researchers say the findings highlight growing public support for a future in which patients can play a more active role in managing their health from home.

People who used self-monitoring said the main benefits included increased awareness of their health, a greater sense of control, easier access to information, more balanced conversations with healthcare professionals and improved psychological support.

However, the study also revealed that participants reported concerns including anxiety, obsessive testing, confusion about results, poor motivation to continue monitoring and worries about technology.

And between 14% and 38% of people said they would take no action if self-monitoring identified a potential problem, depending on the health issue being monitored.

Younger adults and people with higher levels of education were more likely to use self-monitoring, while men, older adults, those living in deprived areas and people with lower education levels were less willing to do so.

The researchers say these differences risk creating new health inequalities if self-monitoring becomes a larger part of healthcare in the future.

Lead researcher from The University of Manchester�� said: "Our findings show that self-monitoring of health is already a normal part of life for many people across the UK and that there is strong public enthusiasm for doing more of it in the future.

“Self-monitoring has huge potential to support earlier detection of problems, encourage preventative action and help people take greater control of their health.

Professor Munro, who is also an NIHR Senior Investigator added: “However, we must ensure that nobody is left behind and that these technologies are introduced in ways that are accessible, understandable and equitable for all sections of society.

“Nevertheless, self-monitoring could help transform healthcare through more proactive and preventative approaches though�� further research is needed to ensure it can be used effectively and fairly alongside traditional clinical care.”

• The paper Use, trustworthiness and willingness to self-monitor health and personal wellness: a UK population survey is available . DOI 10.1186/s13690-026-02035-6
• Image created with AI

The common statistical mistake, they warn in a new in PNAS on 10 08 26 – one of the world’s leading scientific journals - could be leading researchers to draw the wrong conclusions from their data.

A p-value, which measures how surprising the observed data would be if there were truly no effect, of greater than 0.05 does not, they say, show there is 'no effect'.

However, the interpretation remains widespread in about 50% of research papers and conference presentations, according to sources.

Instead, the authors say, a non-significant result simply means there is insufficient evidence to conclude a difference exists, not proof that a difference does not exist.

Crucially, the same statistical result can arise either because there is genuinely no meaningful effect or because an important effect is hidden by small sample sizes or highly variable data.

The researchers argue that failing to recognise this distinction risks oversimplifying scientific findings and may cause potentially important effects to be overlooked.

With many studies not having a large-enough sample size to detect the real difference, reporting that there is none can miss promising therapies or fail to detect genuine risk, derailing subsequent research in the area.

Equivalence testing, they say, guards against declaring an effect unimportant when the data cannot support that claim. A small or noisy study will usually return an inconclusive result rather than a verdict of no difference, which is the honest answer.

To address the problem, the team is promoting a statistical approach known as equivalence testing.

Rather than asking whether there is evidence for a difference, equivalence testing asks whether any difference that exists is too small to matter in scientific, clinical or practical terms.

The method allows researchers to distinguish between effects that are genuinely negligible and results that remain inconclusive because there is not enough reliable evidence.

They focus on the two one-sided tests procedure, or TOST, which has already gained traction in psychology, medicine and pharmaceutical regulation but remains underused across many areas of the life and natural sciences.

Wider adoption of equivalence testing, they add, could improve the quality of scientific reporting and help prevent non-significant findings from being misrepresented as evidence of no effect.

Co-author, Professor of Cardiac Physiology from The University of Manchester, said: “Researchers are often interested in whether an effect is absent or too small to be important, but traditional statistical testing cannot answer that question.

“A non-significant result is frequently interpreted as proof that nothing happened, when it may simply mean there is not enough evidence to be certain.”

Co-author Jakub Tomek from the University of Oxford said: “Equivalence testing helps separate genuinely trivial effects from unresolved questions, giving scientists a much clearer picture of what their data are actually telling them and improving confidence in the conclusions that are reported.

“We hope the method will encourage more careful interpretation of scientific data and improve the way research findings are reported, understood and acted upon.”

To make the approach more accessible, the team has also developed a free that allows researchers to perform common equivalence tests without writing computer code.

The calculator supports a range of widely used statistical comparisons and has been validated against established statistical software.

Co-author Aaron Caldwell from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences added: "Equivalence testing forces you to answer a question most studies never ask: how small is small enough to be uninteresting?

“”That is a scientific judgement, not a statistical one, and it has to be made before the data are collected. The payoff is that you can finally say something affirmative about an absence of effect rather than just failing to find one.”

• The paper Beyond “Non-Significant” Results: Why and How to Test for Practical Equivalence is available . DOI

The 2026 ARWU ranking places Manchester 51 in the world, 14 in Europe and sixth in the UK. It reflects the University's continued strength as a research-intensive institution rooted in Manchester and connected across the world.

The results also show improvements in two of the ranking's most prestigious indicators: Highly Cited Researchers and publications in Nature and Science. These measures point to the reach and influence of research carried out at Manchester.

The ranking is published annually by ShanghaiRanking and is widely regarded as one of the world's most influential assessments of university research performance.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “These results are welcome recognition for Manchester, however we must continue to improve in an increasingly competitive international higher education landscape.

“I am grateful for the hard work our colleagues contribute every day to advance knowledge, transform lives and deliver impact beyond the University.

"As we implement From Manchester for the world, our strategy to 2035, we will continue to focus on excellence and doing work that makes a difference to the communities we serve."

The University of Manchester’s 2035 strategy is a long-term commitment to transforming our teaching, research, social responsibility, and partnership for the public good.

The ARWU result adds to Manchester's strong performance across other major 2026 rankings, including 40 in the , 56 in the Times Higher Education World University Rankings 2026 and The University is also ranked fifth in the UK for employability in the 2026 Times Higher Education Global University Employability Ranking, and remains the most targeted university by the UK's top 100 graduate recruiters.

Professor Sarah Gaffen will join from the University of Pittsburgh where she currently holds the Gerald P. Rodnan endowed chair in the Division of Rheumatology and Clinical Immunology and is director of Basic Rheumatology Research.

Prof. Tracy Hussell, outgoing Lydia Becker Institute Director said: “Every institute benefits from a fresh perspective and I’m thrilled with the appointment of Professor Sarah Gaffen as the next director of the Lydia Becker Institute. She shares the same energy and enthusiasm I have for thinking beyond traditional research silos and boundaries. We also share the desire to promote and nurture people at all stages of their career”.

Prof. Gaffen’s work focuses on T cell cytokines, especially the interleukin-17 (IL-17) superfamily, where her team has shown how molecular signalling mechanisms protect the body against fungal infections (like Candida albicans) or dysregulate immunity to drive autoimmune diseases including psoriasis and rheumatoid arthritis.

Prof. Gaffen earned her BSc from and her PhD from , followed by postdoctoral training at , where her seminal research investigated the molecular aspects of interleukin-2 (IL-2) signalling pathways in lymphocytes.

After launching her independent academic career at the State University of New York at Buffalo, she transitioned to studying the enigmatic IL-17 superfamily of cytokine receptors, becoming one of the first in the field to evaluate its signalling pathways and its role in mucosal infections, in particular oral fungal infections caused by Candida albicans.

She also served as Vice President and President of the International Cytokine & Interferon Society and is a Fellow of the AAAS, American Academy of Microbiology and the American Association of Immunologists.

She said: “I am delighted to take on the role of Director of the Lydia Becker Institute at such an exciting time for immunology at The University of Manchester. The critical role of the immune system in virtually all disease conditions not to mention healthy ageing, next-generation drugs and vaccines, is clear. The ecosystem in Manchester - with its diverse expertise across immunology as well as ties to the NHS trusts - provides opportunities to bridge immunology across disciplines.

“I’m eager to work with partner centres and institutes, including and the in fields such as cancer immunology, neuroimmunology, and women’s health.�� I am personally passionate about mentoring and inspiring the next generation of scientists, especially fostering a diverse and inclusive training environment to bring out everyone’s best scientific potential.

“Relocating from the US to lead the institute is an exciting, admittedly daunting, new chapter in my career.�� I am already facing Manchester’s ultimate test: choosing my football team!”

Prof. Gaffen will take over leadership of the Becker from our current director Prof. Tracy Hussell on January 1^st 2027. Tracy spearheaded the establishment of the institute and will step down after eight years in the role.

Prof. Hussell will now look forward to dedicating more of her time to developing the next generation of scientific talent. Having recently received the Nature Lifetime Achievement Award for Mentoring in Science for her career-long commitment to guiding emerging researchers, she is eager to lean further into this passion.

She said: "I will now focus on my mentorship role and providing assistance to Sarah whenever she needs it. Watch this space, there are exciting times ahead!"

“If I had to pick a few highlight from my eight years as Becker Director, they would be the diversification of Manchester’s immunology portfolio through our excellent body of early career fellows, our strength of interaction with Manchester’s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, our interdisciplinary interactions through our Wellcome Trust 4-year Immunomatrix in Complex Disease PhD programme and finally our new MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology led by Judi Allen and Fiona Powrie.

Prof. Gaffen joins the Lydia Becker Institute at a particularly important time for Manchester immunology as we are just establishing our MRC Centre of Research Excellence in Exposome Immunology and currently uniting many of our core immunology teams within the University's AV Hill Building to form a Becker Immunology Hub.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester said: “I am delighted that Sarah will be joining The University of Manchester. She is an outstanding choice to lead the Lydia Becker Institute, bringing internationally recognised expertise in clinically-relevant cytokine biology and a strong commitment to mentoring and developing researchers. Sarah’s vision and leadership will build on the Institute’s existing strengths, helping to drive innovation, deliver real-world impact, and further enhance our world-leading immunology research.”

Key findings and recommendations

• China’s state support for green industries is effectively subsidising the global transition to a low-carbon economy.

• China has become dominant in the so-called ‘new three’ green technologies - batteries, electric vehicles and solar power.

• Attempts by countries such as the US and EU states to compete with China could slow the adoption of green technologies and increase the cost of decarbonisation.

• Governments increasingly face four broad choices - compete with China, cooperate with it, accept Chinese dominance, or abandon parts of the green transition.

• The UK should strengthen cooperation with China on green technologies rather than trying to compete directly.

• The UK should continue to avoid tariffs on Chinese green technologies and seek Chinese investment in UK manufacturing.

A global climate dilemma

The report says China now occupies a leading position across many of the technologies needed for the green transition including solar, wind, batteries, hydrogen and electric vehicles. Its dominance has helped drive down the cost of these technologies, but this has also created growing geopolitical and economic tensions.

“China’s dominance of green technology presents a fundamental dilemma for governments,” lead author Dr James Jackson of The University of Manchester’s Sustainable Consumption Institute. “The world needs these technologies to decarbonise, but efforts to compete with China risk making the transition more expensive and more difficult.”

The authors argue that countries should focus more heavily on cooperation - particularly where access to affordable green technologies is essential to meeting climate targets.

Opportunities for the UK

The report identifies green technology as an opportunity to improve UK-China relations following a period of strained diplomatic ties. It recommends that the UK should seek closer trading relationships with China, while maintaining the ability to challenge Beijing on other issues such as human rights.

Among its recommendations, the report says the UK should encourage Chinese EV manufacturers to establish production facilities in Britain, while using the country’s expertise in financial services to support investment in green technologies. It also recommends that the Bank of England consider measures used by China’s central bank to support the development of green industries.

Publication details

is published by The University of Manchester. Dr Jackson is the lead author, alongside Mathias Larsen of the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change and the Environment at the London School of Economics.��

But studying glycans has a major challenge: because many glycans are highly water-soluble, or hydrophilic, they cannot easily cross the cell membrane and must be modified with a hydrophobic moiety – a water repelling chemical group – and prepared and delivered with potentially harmful solvents.

and his team have now demonstrated a new approach using a small super chaotropic nanostructure made of boron to transport these molecules directly into mammalian cells, crucially removing the need for cytotoxic organic solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO).

Delivering the sugars to programme cell surfaces

One widely used technique for studying glycans is metabolic oligosaccharide engineering, where modified sugars carrying a chemical ‘handle’ are introduced into cells. These sugars, specifically designed to be tracked and followed through the cell, allow researchers to investigate their biological functions. But, as these sugars are hydrophilic (water-loving), the hydrophobic cell membrane prevents them from passing through.

To combat this, the research team used the new boron delivery method, to introduce the unnatural sugars into the cell where they were metabolised and used to ‘edit’ the surface of the cell. The ‘handle’ from the modified glycan, now on the cell surface, can be used to potentially reprogramme or add new cell functions.

The researchers also used the technique to investigate recently discovered glycoRNA – RNA molecules associated with glycans which have only recently been discovered.

A cleaner delivery service for glycans

By removing some of the practical barriers associated with intracellular glycan delivery, the researchers believe the approach could provide new opportunities across glycobiology and cell-surface engineering, as well as related areas including autophagy, cryobiology and infection research.

Future research will focus on increasing the amount of glycan that can be transported into cells, with the aim of matching the delivery performance of existing acetylation-based methods.

The study, published in , examined clusters made from three thorium atoms and found that they display an unusual field-induced magnetic behaviour. The discovery helps explain conflicting interpretations of these materials and could improve how chemists assess aromaticity in metal-based systems.

A long-running debate about metal aromaticity

Aromaticity is a fundamental concept in chemistry that helps explain the stability and behaviour of molecules. While it is traditionally associated with carbon-containing compounds such as benzene, researchers have recently discovered forms of aromaticity in all-metal systems. One such example involves clusters of three thorium atoms that had previously been reported to show signs of so-called Jellium aromaticity, a form of electron delocalisation found in metal clusters.

However, those earlier findings sparked debate because experimental measurements suggested the clusters were aromatic, while some computational studies argued otherwise. To investigate the disagreement, researchers synthesised and characterised an expanded family of one-electron and two-electron trithorium clusters and compared their magnetic behaviour with that of conventional organic aromatic compounds.

An unexpected magnetic response

Using a combination of synthesis, spectroscopy, electrochemistry, crystallography, magnetic measurements and quantum chemical calculations, the team found that all of the thorium clusters exhibited unusually strong diamagnetism, a magnetic signature associated with aromatic behaviour. This was true for both open-shell and closed-shell systems, demonstrating that all the clusters behaved as aromatic "superatoms".

The researchers also observed something unexpected. Instead of responding immediately and linearly to an applied magnetic field, the thorium clusters initially showed a weak paramagnetic response before switching to strong diamagnetism as the field increased. By contrast, familiar organic aromatic molecules including benzene, naphthalene and anthracene displayed the expected linear response from near zero field.

The findings suggest that electrons in the thorium clusters must first reorganise under the influence of an external magnetic field before establishing the coherent electronic motion responsible for aromaticity. According to the authors, this behaviour helps explain why some computational methods, which assume a linear response, have produced conflicting conclusions about whether the clusters are aromatic.

The work highlights an important distinction between classical organic aromaticity and emerging forms of all-metal aromaticity. While organic aromatic systems appear to be naturally arranged to sustain aromatic currents, the thorium clusters seem to require an external field to trigger the electronic reorganisation needed to produce the same effect.

The researchers say the study demonstrates the need for caution when using magnetic current calculations alone to assign aromatic character, particularly in systems containing heavy metals where non-linear magnetic responses may be more common than previously recognised. The findings could help researchers better understand bonding in complex metal systems and refine future approaches for evaluating aromaticity.

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The kidneys have a vital role in continuously clearing toxins from the body. AKI is a common clinical syndrome in which the kidneys stop working properly. It affects up to 1 in 5 people in hospital, usually as a complication of a severe illness or major surgery. 1 in 3 people with AKI experience it recurrently. Researchers highlight multiple missed opportunities in optimising continuing care after hospital discharge.

Funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and supported by the NIHR Patient Safety Research Collaboration (PSRC): Greater Manchester this is the first major investigation of post-discharge care for people with AKI to cover widespread care in general practices (GPs) across England. The study was published in today (12 August).

Researchers analysed the healthcare of more than 209,000 patients in England who had been discharged from hospital after an episode of acute kidney injury (AKI), using records from over 1,400 general practices (GPs). They found that the recommended clinical guidelines for continued follow-up care were often not followed, suggesting that AKI is not receiving sufficient attention at handover from hospitals to primary care.

Why follow-up care after AKI matters

Even after hospital discharge, people who have had AKI remain at a high risk of poor outcomes, including emergency hospital readmission, recurrent AKI and other acute severe illnesses, the development of lasting chronic kidney disease, and major adverse cardiovascular events.

Current recommendations are that when a patient who has experienced AKI is discharged from hospital back into the community, primary care should have a central role in supporting recovery, ensuring safe follow-up, and minimising the risk of worsening health. However, the study identified multiple gaps in post-AKI care as patients transition across care settings.

In the study, only 19% of hospital AKI episodes were documented in primary care records within 30 days of discharge using the recommended codes for AKI. The proportion was even smaller among people aged under 60 years and those who had major surgery.

The study evaluated not just documentation, but also clincal action. Despite regular contact with primary care healthcare professionals, many people did not receive simple recommended blood and urine tests to assess kidney health. Younger individuals and those without already known and documented health concerns were least likely to receive tests. Yet, these are often people who stand most to gain, because early action can help prevent avoidable health problems being stored up into the future.

The study concluded that improvements in the sharing of discharge information and follow-up after AKI could help identify people at risk sooner and improve outcomes for those transitioning from hospital to community care.

, GP and Professor of Primary Care at The University of Manchester and NIHR Greater Manchester PSRC, said: “Despite a decade of improvement initiatives in the UK, little was known about how closely primary care follows clinical guidelines after an episode of acute kidney injury.

Our study highlights the urgent need to implement kidney health strategies more effectively across both primary and secondary care. Improving post-AKI care requires greater adoption of a ‘kidney mindset’ and better integration of kidney health into existing services, helping to improve outcomes for patients transitioning from hospital to community care.”

Prof director of the NIHR Greater Manchester PSRC, said: “Patient safety depends on delivering the right care at the right time, particularly during transitions between healthcare settings. This study highlights significant opportunities to strengthen the follow-up care offered to patients after AKI, providing valuable evidence to inform future improvements in care for this population.”

Key recommendations for strengthening post-discharge care for AKI patients:

• Improve communication and sharing of information at discharge, to ensure that arrangements for follow-up care after AKI do not become lost during transition across care settings.
• Strengthen the implementation of kidney health strategies across primary and secondary care, including clear discharge arrangements and case-specific guidance on discharge summaries.
• Better resource these implementation strategies to strengthen follow-up care across multiple areas, such as early and ongoing patient engagement; coordination across care interfaces; and protocols to ensure clear delegation of responsibilities.
• Improve the identification and monitoring of kidney disease after AKI, including routine recording of AKI diagnoses and recommended blood and urine tests.

Podcast recommendation – Lost in Transition: How Care Gaps Impact Patient Safety

Transitions in care are high-risk moments for patient safety, whether from hospital to home, mental health settings to the community, or between healthcare services. An episode of the Voices for Safety podcast explored research insights into how to make transitions across care settings safer for patients. Prof Tom Blakeman, co-author of this post-discharge AKI study, is one of the guests in this special episode, sharing insights into AKI follow-up care.

The paper Examining variations in adherence to guideline-recommended post-acute kidney injury care in primary care in England: A population-based cohort study, published in BMC Medicine, is available at

Publication details

The study was published in the Journal of Sex Research.

DOI: .

Key findings

• AI adoption is heavily concentrated in London, the South East and larger businesses, meaning its economic benefits could reinforce existing regional and productivity inequalities

• The country lacks the computing and energy infrastructure needed to deliver the Government’s ambitions, which could consume more than a quarter of the UK’s electricity

• Poor-quality, fragmented data and outdated IT systems could hamper AI adoption across government

• Skills shortages are holding back AI adoption, particularly among smaller businesses and in the public sector, despite years of government investment in digital skills

• AI is not a ‘magic bullet’ for Britain’s economic and public-service problems, and rapid expansion could create new environmental, social and governance risks

Unequal benefits and risks

Researchers Nathan Critch and Darcy Luke say years of short-term and fragmented policymaking by successive governments have left the UK with significant infrastructure and capacity gaps which could undermine Labour’s plans.

The Government’s AI Opportunities Action Plan includes plans to increase UK AI computing capacity twentyfold by 2030, develop AI Growth Zones, establish a National Data Library and expand the use of AI across government and the wider economy.

The researchers warn that the benefits of AI are unlikely to be shared evenly across the UK without policies specifically designed to encourage wider adoption.

Only 15% of UK businesses had adopted at least one AI technology in 2022, with adoption particularly concentrated among larger companies. AI adoption was highest in IT and telecommunications and legal services, while it was much lower in hospitality, health and retail - sectors which employ large numbers of people.

AI firms and businesses using AI are also heavily concentrated in London and the South East.

The study argues that this creates a risk that AI will make already productive businesses and regions even more productive, while areas and sectors which have struggled with low productivity are left further behind.

UK lacks infrastructure for AI boom

The UK currently has only around 3% of the world’s computational power - much of which is not optimised for AI - leaving the country dependent on cloud computing provided by large technology companies.

The researchers warn that expanding computing capacity will place enormous demands on the UK’s energy infrastructure. They estimate that a twentyfold increase in UK computing capacity could increase the energy consumed by AI infrastructure from around 3.6 terawatt-hours (TWh) in 2020 to 72 TWh – more than a quarter of the UK’s total electricity consumption.

This creates a tension between the Government’s AI ambitions and its commitment to reaching net zero, particularly given constraints in the electricity grid and limited energy storage capacity. The researchers also highlight the water required to cool data centres as a potential environmental constraint.

Poor data and outdated technology

The study identifies the quality and accessibility of government data as another major obstacle. A National Audit Office survey found that 62% of responding government bodies identified a lack of access to good-quality data as a major barrier to implementing AI. Government data is often held in fragmented systems and legacy IT infrastructure, while data held by local authorities can be siloed across incompatible systems.

The researchers argue that these problems will make it difficult to deliver the Government’s plans for AI-enabled public services without significant investment in underlying digital infrastructure. They also warn that the public sector faces persistent digital skills shortages, with problems particularly acute in local government.

Skills shortages could limit AI adoption

Despite a relatively strong range of AI-related training in the UK, demand for AI skills continues to outstrip supply.

Smaller businesses are particularly disadvantaged because larger companies can offer higher salaries and attract workers with scarce AI expertise. The researchers also highlight a lack of in-work training, vocational education and further education provision compared with the emphasis placed on higher education.

These problems could limit the Government’s ambitions to use AI to improve productivity across the economy and make public services more efficient.

Decade of AI policy leaves UK with major gaps

The researchers argue that Labour’s approach is part of almost a decade of increasingly active government policy on AI, stretching back through the Conservative governments of Theresa May, Boris Johnson and Rishi Sunak. They describe this pattern as “hyperactive incrementalism” - characterised by short-termism, fragmentation, limited evaluation and repeated policy initiatives.

While the UK has developed an internationally significant AI sector, the researchers say this should not be confused with widespread adoption of AI across the economy.

Successive governments have focused heavily on developing the UK’s AI sector, they argue, but have been less successful at encouraging businesses and public services across the country to adopt AI. The result is a significant gap between the Government’s ambitions for AI and the infrastructure, skills and organisational capacity needed to deliver them.

AI is not a ‘magic bullet’

The researchers argue that there is currently little evidence that AI can, by itself, deliver the broad improvements in productivity, government efficiency and public services envisaged by policymakers.

They also warn that rapid AI expansion could create new problems, including threats to data protection and civil liberties, surveillance, deskilling and unemployment, and increased environmental pressures.

What the researchers say

“AI adoption is currently concentrated in the businesses, sectors and regions that are already among the most productive,” said Darcy Luke from The University of Edinburgh’s BRAID (Bridging Responsible AI Divides) Research Programme. “Without policies that encourage much wider adoption, there is a real risk that AI will reinforce existing inequalities rather than reduce them.”

The researchers conclude that while Labour’s plans represent the most comprehensive attempt by a UK Government to harness AI, the scale and depth of the barriers involved mean that AI may ultimately become “another problem for an already problem-laden government, rather than the solution it is hoped to be.”

Publication details

The paper was published in the journal The Political Quarterly.

DOI:

The Mental Health Digital Innovation (MHDI) workstream has been launched as one arm of the UK Government’s Mental Health Goals Programme as a new national initiative designed to accelerate the infrastructure and development to support adoption of digital technologies that improve mental health outcomes across the UK.

Despite rapid advances in digital technologies, many promising mental health tools struggle to move beyond pilot projects and achieve widespread adoption. Fragmented infrastructure, complex procurement processes, lack of demand signalling, unclear reimbursement pathways and limited coordination between stakeholders have created significant barriers to innovation reaching patients and services at scale. MHDI has been established to build practical pathways that help digital innovations move from development and evaluation into routine care.

brings together people with lived experience of mental health problems, clinicians, industry partners, innovators, researchers and investors to create a more connected and effective ecosystem for digital mental health innovation.

The MHDI workstream is being led by the University of Manchester, with workstream leads Professor Pauline Whelan (University of Manchester, CareLoop Health Ltd) and Dr Trina Histon (Director of Percolating Health) who will work closely with partners: H, (MH-TRC), , NHS organisations, academic institutions, industry partners and people with lived experience of mental health conditions.

MHDI's mission is to make it easier to design, test, adopt and scale digital mental health technologies across the UK.

The initiative will support a broad range of innovations, including digital technologies, digital mental health interventions, digital therapeutics, remote monitoring tools, data-driven decision support systems, wearable technologies and emerging approaches that can improve mental health care and research.

Central to MHDI's approach is the belief that people with lived experience of mental health conditions must be involved throughout the innovation pathway. By creating stronger partnerships between service users, industry, researchers and healthcare providers, MHDI aims to ensure future digital solutions are both clinically effective and meaningful to the people who use them.

The programme will focus on:

• Developing user-centred, industry-aligned digital infrastructure and services.
• Creating clearer pathways for procurement, reimbursement and implementation.
• Supporting NHS organisations through practical implementation guidance and digital navigation support.
• Accelerating the adoption of proven technologies across health services.
• Encouraging sustainable investment models that combine public and private sector support.
• Strengthening the UK's position as a global leader in digital mental health innovation.

For innovators, MHDI will help simplify engagement with the NHS by improving access to guidance, partnerships, investment opportunities and routes to scale.

For NHS organisations and clinical teams, the initiative will promote coordinated national support, reduce duplication of effort and provide practical assistance for adopting new technologies effectively.

For people and communities, MHDI will ensure that more high-quality digital mental health solutions reach those who need them, are easier to access and are better integrated into care pathways.

The initiative has been shaped by extensive engagement with stakeholders and recommendations emerging from national workshops on digital mental health implementation. These recommendations highlight the need for a clear national digital mental health strategy, stronger integration of lived experience, enhanced evaluation approaches and greater support for workforce capability.

By creating clearer pathways for adoption and fostering collaboration across sectors, MHDI aims to remove longstanding barriers to innovation and help establish the UK as a leading destination for digital mental health research, development and implementation.

For more information and future updates on Mental Health Digital Innovation, visit the MHDI or follow on LinkedIn.

, the research addresses a long-standing challenge in chemistry: developing biological catalysts that can selectively construct complex molecular architectures. Carbon-carbon and carbon-nitrogen bonds are fundamental building blocks in many chemicals, pharmaceuticals and advanced materials.

To expand upon the reaction pathways found in natural enzymes, the researchers engineered proteins containing a non-natural catalytic amino acid. This facilitated the development of a new enzyme class, termed allylic transferases, which form highly reactive imidazolium intermediates that could then be intercepted by a variety of carbon- and nitrogen-containing molecules, selectively producing a diverse range of products.

The team used directed evolution to improve enzyme performance. One evolved variant, known as ASB1.3, achieved more than 99% conversion in several reactions while delivering products with high stereochemical purity. In a preparative-scale reaction, the enzyme produced the target compound with 98% conversion.

A second enzyme variant, ASA1.5, enabled the formation of molecules containing all-carbon quaternary stereocentres, structures that can be challenging to synthesise selectively. In preparative-scale experiments, the enzyme achieved 98% conversion.

The researchers demonstrated that the engineered enzymes could work with a broad range of reaction partners, including substituted furans, indoles, pyrroles, cyanoesters, diketones, ketoesters, anilines and isatins. Across the reactions examined, the enzymes generated a single major product with no observable by-products other than the released leaving group used for monitoring the reaction.

Expanding the biocatalysis toolbox

Structural analysis also provided new insights into how the enzymes achieve their selectivity. The team found evidence that a para-nitrophenol group released during the reaction remains in the enzyme active site and helps orient incoming reactants, contributing to stereoselective bond formation.

While further development will be needed before these enzymes can be applied more widely, the study expands the range of chemical transformations available through biocatalysis. The study highlights how engineered protein catalysts can provide new ways to access molecular structures that are difficult to produce using established small-molecule catalysts.

First author Zachary Birch-Price said:

Key findings

• Urban canals reduce daytime temperatures by an average of around 0.8°C within their immediate surroundings, typically 20–50 metres away from the water
• Cooling is strongest during spring and early summer, reaching around 1.2–1.4°C
• During heatwaves, canals can lower nearby temperatures by 1.5–2.3°C
• The cooling effect substantially reduced the number of hours when people in the vicinity of canals would experience moderate and high heat stress
• Around 6.2 million people live within one kilometre of Britain's urban canal network, meaning millions could potentially benefit from these cooling effects

Using a new energy balance model, developed by researchers in the Geography, Planning and Engineering departments, the research simulated the thermal behaviour of more than 2,300 canal sections across Great Britain and Ireland over an entire year.

The researchers found that while canals produce a small warming effect overnight because water retains heat longer than surrounding surfaces, this effect is relatively minor compared with the cooling benefits during the day.

Improving health and wellbeing

The researchers also assessed how canals affect thermal comfort during hot weather.

Their modelling showed that incorporating the cooling effect of canals reduced the number of hours classified as posing moderate heat risk by around 58%, while hours of high heat risk fell by around 74%. In many locations, canals eliminated periods of extreme heat risk altogether, although the researchers caution that this is partly counter-balanced by rising humidity, which also influences people's comfort during hot weather.

The findings suggest canals could help reduce heat-related illness, improve wellbeing and encourage people to stay active and walk and cycle during hotter weather, in turn allowing access to nature and reducing carbon emissions through active transport.

"As climate change makes heatwaves more frequent and intense, cities need every available tool to help people stay safe and comfortable,” said lead author Dr Matt Tomkins. “Our research shows that canals, which were originally built to power the Industrial Revolution, could now play an important role in helping cities adapt to climate change.”

"The cooling effect is modest on an average day, but during heatwaves it becomes much more significant, reducing nearby temperatures by more than two degrees in some locations. Even relatively small reductions like these can make an important difference to people's health and wellbeing during periods of extreme heat."

Supporting climate-resilient cities

The researchers say that alongside urban heat regulating services, which have been estimated to provide economic benefits of by reducing losses in labour productivity caused by hot days, the studied canals could play a role in reducing carbon emissions, both through enabling active transport during hotter periods and potentially reducing the demand for energy-intensive air-conditioning.

“Accessible blue and green spaces result in wider health and wellbeing benefits for society” says co-author Dr. Joanne Tippett. “The cooling that canals offer could help more people to stay active and access these spaces even during hot days. This highlights the importance of not only protecting our urban canals, but also thinking about how to increase signposting and access, connectivity with other green infrastructure, and wider awareness of these vital networks of urban cooling”.

They emphasise that canals are not a complete solution to rising urban temperatures, but argue they should form part of a wider package of climate adaptation measures alongside parks, trees, sustainable drainage and other forms of green and blue infrastructure.

The study also provides a new modelling approach that could be applied more widely to assess how similar waterways contribute to cooling in other cities around the world, and to complement insights gained from field-based measurements, modelling, and satellite-based observations.

Publication details

The study was published in Nature Communications.

Funding, data, and support for this project was provided by the Canal and River Trust, with the research generously supported thanks to funds raised by Postcode Lottery players.

DOI:

Building on more than a decade of success, brings together five leading northern universities to support healthcare professionals to become the next generation of research leaders.

Director of Forward North Professor from the University of Manchester, said: "I am delighted that we can continue to offer doctoral training fellowships for healthcare professionals over the next five years.

“By working together across the North, we can help more healthcare staff develop research careers and generate the discoveries and innovations needed to improve patient care and health outcomes."

The renewed programme builds on a strong track record of supporting healthcare professionals to undertake PhDs.

It will also introduce new pre-doctoral opportunities to help more people enter research, provide enhanced support for early career researchers, and strengthen partnerships with organisations including the Nuffield Foundation, STEM Learning and the Francis Crick Institute.

Through expert mentoring, interdisciplinary collaboration, industry engagement and specialist training, Forward North will help develop future research leaders equipped to tackle some of the North's biggest health challenges.

A virtual launch event will take place on 18 August from 11.30am to 1pm, providing information about the next round of fellowship applications and an opportunity to ask questions.

You can join the event

The researchers analysing the records of more than 1.4 million people found that social prescribing – where patients are referred to support such as community groups, exercise schemes or financial advice – was linked to an early rise in healthcare use, followed by a small drop in GP appointments.

The study was funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) and published in eClinical Medicine.

Social prescribing became a key part of NHS plans in 2019, with thousands of link workers recruited across England to connect patients with community support.

It has become a central part of NHS efforts to address the wider social factors that influence health, including loneliness, housing problems, debt and inactivity.

Despite the scheme's rapid expansion, until now there has been little robust evidence showing whether social prescribing affects NHS demand, healthcare use or costs.

The findings come from one of the largest studies of its kind, using anonymised NHS records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD), covering around a quarter of England’s population.

The research team compared 168,699 patients referred to social prescribing between July 2019 and April 2022 with more than 1.3 million similar patients who were not referred.

In the first six months after referral, patients receiving social prescribing had an average of 2.25 more contacts with healthcare services than those who were not referred – a rise of around 24%.

The increase was largely driven by more visits to primary care services and attendance at planned outpatient appointments in hospitals.

This, they say, may reflect patients becoming more proactive about managing their health and seeking help for conditions that might previously have gone untreated.

But by one year after referral, the picture had changed.

The increase in healthcare contacts had fallen substantially and patients referred to social prescribing were attending slightly fewer GP appointments than those who had not been referred.

Despite the higher number of healthcare interactions, the overall cost to the NHS was virtually unchanged.

The study found healthcare costs were less than 0.1% higher among referred patients, a difference researchers described as clinically insignificant.

The small increase in spending was mainly linked to additional secondary care admissions.

Lead author from The University of Manchester said: “Our findings suggest that social prescribing may encourage people to engage with healthcare services in the short term, particularly with planned and preventative care.”

“Importantly, we found that this increase did not translate into meaningful increases in overall healthcare costs, and by one year patients were having slightly fewer GP appointments.”

“This could indicate that social prescribing helps direct people towards more appropriate forms of support while reducing pressure on general practice.”

She added: “Better integration between social prescribing data systems and electronic health records will be needed to understand whether patients who fully engage with these services gain even greater benefits.”

Charlotte Osborn-Forde , CEO of the National Academy for Social Prescribing added: "There is now strong evidence that social prescribing leads to improved wellbeing and that it can support people with a range of health conditions.

"This research provides useful analysis of how referrals to link workers affected healthcare use during the COVID pandemic, potentially leading to a long-term fall in GP appointments.

"It also shows the need for further exploration of how to account for the unmeasured social needs that lead to a referral for social prescribing, and better data on support received after the referral, to track the impact of social prescribing more robustly."

• The paper "Changes in healthcare use and cost associated with referrals to social prescribing link workers in England: a matched case-control cohort study” is published in eClinical Medicine. DOI

Mitochondria provide the energy that cells need to function. Mutations in their DNA can cause serious, progressive conditions affecting organs and tissues with high energy demands, including the brain, heart and muscles. Around one in 5,000 people is affected by a mitochondrial disease, and there is currently no cure.

The Manchester team, led by Sarah Lovelock, Professor of Biological Chemistry in the Department of Chemistry and the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology, will combine genome mining, computational enzyme design and laboratory evolution to develop next-generation base editing tools capable of selectively targeting the most common disease-causing mutations in mitochondrial DNA.

Led by the University of Cambridge, the centre includes partners at the universities of Birmingham, Manchester, Heidelberg and Queensland, the Imagine Institute in Paris, patient charity The Lily Foundation and industry organisations worldwide.

By bringing together academic, clinical, patient and industry perspectives, the centre aims to establish a long-term research platform that can define the causes of mitochondrial disease and accelerate progress towards therapies.

And opening windows during hot weather, they show, almost certainly exacerbates the problem of indoor air pollution caused by the fires.

The University’s Canalysed real time indoor air-quality records from 23 Greater Manchester homes monitored between 1 and 26 July 2026, during two periods of wildfire activity in the nearby Pennine hills.

Every monitored home in the Cystic Fibrosis Trust funded study exceeded the World Health Organization’s 24-hour guideline for fine particle pollution on 17 July, when outdoor smoke levels peaked.

The preliminary analysis, which has not yet undergone peer review, also showed when households opened widows as temperatures climbed to over 33C , the problem seemed to get worse.

, based at The University of Manchester and the National Centre for Atmospheric Science (NCAS), led the analysis of PM2.5, particles produced by smoke small enough to travel deep into the lungs, where they can harm health.

During the wildfires, overnight bedroom PM2.5 spiked from an average of 2.7 micrograms per cubic metre to 7.8 with windows closed and 11.8 with windows open. Closing windows reduced exposure, but levels remained 2–4 times higher than normal.

In some homes, concentrations in the bedroom overnight rose to well over 100 micrograms per cubic metre, many times higher than the levels normally recorded in those homes.

Levels of indoor-generated pollution, such as volatile organic compounds and carbon dioxide, actually fell during this period as participants opened windows to cool their homes, allowing the outdoor pollution in.

The researchers say that following the UK Health Security Agency’s guidance on wildfire smoke by staying indoors and closing windows should help reduce the pollution.

Levels, they say, did not rise as much in homes where windows appear to have remained closed though this did not prevent all outdoor smoke pollution from getting in.

The researchers are also currently working on a Greater Manchester Local Innovation Partnership funded study, the Retrofit Advanced Materials and Manufacturing Innovation Centre to investigate measures that may help further combat indoor pollution, for example during periods of wildfire, and during intensely hot weather.

That could include the use of air purification and integrated ventilation systems, improved sleeping arrangements and other measures.

One of the researchers from The University of Manchester, said: “These findings show the difficult challenges that people face during periods of wildfires and high environmental temperatures.

“Following the simple but often repeated instruction of going indoors and shutting the windows will only give you some protection from wildfire smoke, and keeps heat in the home. Both smoke and heat can make breathing worse for those with chronic lung conditions.

“During July’s fires, in every home we monitored we found the effects of smoke was present indoors at potentially harmful concentrations levels, especially during periods when the heat forced people to open windows.

“We saw this in homes up to 60km away from the wildfires on the moors outside Manchester.”

, lead Environmental researcher for the group said: “The findings support advice to close windows while smoke levels are high, but show that this cannot completely prevent smoke infiltration and may increase the risk of overheating.

“The challenge is that this advice can be difficult to follow during very hot weather, particularly in homes that are prone to overheating.

“We need clearer, evidence-based guidance that helps households reduce exposure to both smoke and heat. I hope this new data can support these decisions.

“We are now investigating practical measures, including air filtration and approaches to keeping homes cool, so that people - especially those with existing respiratory conditions - have better options during future extreme events such as these.”

Dr Bannan added: “Wildfire smoke contains tiny particles and gases that can irritate the lungs and make respiratory conditions such as cystic fibrosis, asthma and COPD worse.

“Exposure to wildfire smoke can increase symptoms including coughing, wheezing, breathlessness and chest tightness, and may trigger severe flare-ups that require medical treatment.

“That is why people with existing respiratory diseases as well as children, older people and other immunocompromised people are also at greater risk of respiratory infections, hospitalisation and other serious health complications during wildfire events.”

Dr Sharon Weinberg, a clinical research fellow at The University of Manchester added:

said: “While our study examines the impact of PM2.5 on lung health, poor air quality affects far more than the lungs.

“Elevated PM2.5 exposure is known to increase the risk of cardiovascular events—including heart attacks, strokes, and thrombosis.

“It is also associated with headaches and migraines, highlighting that the health consequences of air pollution extend well beyond people with chronic respiratory disease.”

Laura Beattie, who has cystic fibrosis and is taking part in the study, said: “I found it really hard during the heatwave and the wildfires.

“You could see and smell the smoke for days, and it made my breathing worse. I was more breathless, and had to restrict myself to staying indoors. I also noticed that my sputum went dark from the smoke - I've never seen it like this before.

“We can all see wildfires becoming more common, and research like this is so important for people like me with chronic lung conditions.”

• The is still recruiting people with CF across the UK, including in the Manchester and Merseyside regions where the air quality monitoring is included as an optional part of the study. The Pulse-CF Innovation Hub is part of the Translational Innovation Hub Network for CF Lung Health & Infection, funded by Cystic Fibrosis Trust and LifeArc. Though these findings are not yet peer reviewed, the research team felt it was in the public interest to release the figures.

The day began with an energetic introduction to chemistry as pupils designed, decorated and built their own Berocca rockets. Using water bottles, water and Berocca tablets, they created rockets powered by the build-up of gas from a simple chemical reaction. After proudly showing off their colourful designs, the pupils launched their creations on the playground, with some soaring to impressive heights of around 10 metres. The excitement and anticipation before each launch made for a fantastic start to the day.

Next, the pupils explored the fascinating behaviour of liquids by creating colourful lava lamps using oil, water, food colouring and salt. As the salt carried coloured water through the oil before sinking to the bottom, the children observed how differences in density produce the characteristic "lava lamp" effect. It was a simple yet captivating experiment that encouraged pupils to think about the science behind everyday phenomena.

In the afternoon, the pupils split into groups, with each group carrying out one of three different experiments. One group built scribble bots using an electric motor, a cork and marker pens. The vibrations from the off-centre cork caused the robots to move unpredictably across the paper, producing unique works of art while introducing the principles of electric motors and engineering design.

Another group investigated the electrical properties of graphite by drawing pictures with pencil and using the graphite lines to complete an electrical circuit. This activity was especially meaningful for us as researchers from the National Graphene Institute, demonstrating how graphite—and its remarkable single-layer form, graphene—can conduct electricity. The pupils also experimented with creating simple fruit batteries, using different fruits to generate enough electrical energy to power the circuit and illustrating how chemical reactions can be converted into electricity.

The final group carried out the ever-popular magic milk experiment. By adding food colouring to whole milk before introducing a drop of washing-up liquid, they watched vibrant colours swirl and dance across the surface. The striking visual effect provided an engaging demonstration of surface tension and molecular interactions.

To finish the day, the pupils took part in a careers fair with a difference. Each group presented the experiment they had completed to their classmates as they visited the different stalls, explaining the science behind their activity and answering questions from their peers. It was wonderful to see the pupils confidently communicate scientific ideas and take pride in what they had learned.

The enthusiasm, curiosity and confidence shown throughout the day were a reminder of the importance of science outreach. We hope the activities inspired the pupils to continue asking questions about the world around them and perhaps even sparked an interest in future careers in science and engineering. It was a privilege to represent the National Graphene Institute and share our passion for scientific discovery with the next generation.

Attendees

• Adam Rosillo (author/CDT student)
• Lucy Kendall (CDT student)
• Helena Amos (CDT student)
• Qian Guo (Postdoctoral Research Associate).