London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Look deep into the structure of any cell or organism with a defined nucleus (eukaryote), and you are likely to find septins.Septins have been identified in nearly all eukaryotes, including humans. They are components of the cytoskeleton, a network of protein filaments that helps eukaryotic cells hold their shape and carry out essential functions.Septins were originally discovered by Nobel Laureate Leland Hartwell in 1971 as being essential for cell division in budding yeast.

Each year, an estimated 7.7 million deaths are caused by bacterial infections, globally. Out of these deaths, about 1.27 million are attributable to bacteria which have developed resistance to antibiotics. What is antibiotic resistance and what does it mean for us?

What’s the issue?Across many types of trials, the recruitment and retention of women is a challenge. In cardiovascular trials, approximately a third of participants are women.Why is there gender inequity in clinical trials?It’s often extremely challenging to recruit people to take part in clinical trials under any circumstances, so the focus has been on recruiting sufficient numbers rather than the ratio of men and women.

Proposals to modernise UK abortion law are expected to be discussed in parliament soon and our extensive research says this would improve the lives of both women and healthcare professionals. What is the current law on abortion for the UK?