Listen to Dr Nir Drayman chat to Dr Mila Collados Rodriguez about his journey moving from Isreal to Chicago, to building his very own lab in California. Nir embraced the unexpected twists of life and found his passion for virology while working in systems biology labs. He speaks about the challenges of navigating career opportunities, spousal hirin…

Spanish virologist Nerea Irigoyen provides an inside look at her career with PhD students from the Castello Lab, Natasha Palmalux and Rozeena Arif. Nerea details her pioneering work using ribosomal profiling to uncover the complexities of viral gene expression, as well as her experiences transitioning to an independent group leader role. Irigoyen a…

Dr Angela Rasmussen travelled from the University of Saskatchewan to the CVR in September 2023, and sat down with Spyros Lytras and Kieran Lamb. Angela gives insight into dealing with toxic bosses, sustained research investments, empowering underrepresented groups of people, dealing with conflict and connecting with colleagues across disciplines th…

Prof Wendy Barclay OBE, winner of the 11th Annual Sir Michael Stoker Award, sat down with Stephen Devlin and Anna Sims on her visit the the CVR. Wendy gives insight into building a career in virology, navigating the challenges of science communication in the digital age, the importance of widening your network and asking for help.🔗 Links More about…

For #HPVAwarenessDay, Anna Kirk, a PhD Researcher in the Graham Lab, takes a deep dive into Human Papillomavirus in our recent Research Goes Viral podcast. Anna explains the viral life cycle of HPV, how disruption of this cycle can lead to cancer, and how we can protect ourselves. #OneLessWorry

Associate Professor Anice Lowen travelled all the way from Atlanta's Emory University to deliver the Richard M. Elliott Memorial Lecture at the recent Glasgow Virology Workshop. Anice completed her PhD at the CVR (then MRC Virology Unit) with Richard Elliott. We invited Anice along to chat with a couple of our PhD students, Stephen Devlin and Anna …

Autophagy is the process in which cells degrade and recycle their own components. While usually occurring in nutrient starvation, autophagy is also crucial for various other physiological and pathological processes. To reach out to me email me at thephysiologybeat@gmail.com

A kind of programmed cell death, apoptosis is very vital for normal functioning of the body.

It is a type of endocytosis by which cells, especially phagocytes, digest substances, usually bacteria and other pathogens. Things that I forgot to mention: 1. The process by which apoptotic cell debris are digested is specifically called efferocytosis, 2. The size of substances undergoing phagocytosis is more than 0.5 micron.…

For cells to function well, substances have to pass across the cell membrane, which occurs passively or actively or by using vesicles.

There is now strong evidence that the virus AAV2, alongside an underlying genetic predisposition, played a key role in cases of acute hepatitis in children, according to a new study published in Nature – the first detailed research investigation into the worldwide outbreak.In this podcast, host Stephen Devlin takes a deep dive into this new publica…

A deep dive into the extracellular matrix, which not just fills up the space between cells but performs a wide variety of functions.

New research from Professor Daniel Streicker and colleagues has revealed that vampire bat culls may actually exacerbate rabies transmission, rather than reducing it.In this podcast, Anna Kirk chats to Daniel Streicker and Megan Griffiths about their research around vampire bats and rabies virus. Megan's PhD project was focused on the development of…

Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) link cells to one another. Overall, they are of four types - cadherins, integrins, selectins and immunoglobulin superfamily - and perform a wide range of functions.

They are connections between adjacent cells, that regulate coordination between the cells and tissues.

Listen to the 2022 Stoker Award Winner, Professor Christian Drosten talk about his coronavirus research, challenges of science communication and the song that a German punk band wrote about him!On Monday 9 January, we welcomed 2022 Sir Michael Stoker Award winner Professor Christian Drosten to the CVR.This annual award is awarded to a highly reputa…

Three of our incredible researchers, Stephen Devlin, Anna Sims and Spyros Lytras, recently sat down to discuss some prominent LGBTQIA+ virologists and microbiologists from history and why it's important to celebrate them today. This is a special edition of our Research Goes Viral podcast to celebrate LGBT+ History Month 2023. Learn more here: https…

The cytoskeleton helps the cell move and adapt to external signals. It includes actin filaments, microtubules and intermediate filaments.

The Golgi apparatus mainly processes and sorts the various proteins formed in the cell.

Ribosomes are the protein machinery of the cell. Made up of two subunits, they synthesise proteins in a three step process - initiation, elongation and termination.

A brief overview of the endoplasmic reticulum, organelles which take part in initial protein synthesis.

Wishing everyone a very happy New Year. In this episode, I briefly talk about the lysosome, a cell organelle that primarily takes part in degradation of waste products and harmful pathogens.

Popularly known as the powerhouses of the cell, mitochondria are indeed important. Without them, we wouldn’t last.

The nucleus is a very important component of the cell. It contains all our genetic information, though which it controls almost all aspects of our biology.

In this episode, I explain in detail about the structure of the cell membrane, a component essential to all cells.

Cells are the building blocks of not just our human bodies but all life. Understanding them is fundamental to understanding ourselves.

Life is constant improvement, they say. So, why not better my podcast, right? Starting from now, I’ll cover topics in an orderly and consistent fashion. Stay tuned.

Quite popular among people wanting to lose weight, the ketogenic or keto diet is indeed beneficial albeit a few possible side effects.

A balanced diet, as we all know, is highly important for our good health. In this episode, I talk about what makes a healthy diet. Also, I’ve made my first video for YouTube. https://youtu.be/dzhPyzvJPOQ Check it out please.

Surveillance and treatment of Hepatitis C in a changing world - a Viral Insight with Emma Thomson by MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus ResearchBy MRC-University of Glasgow Centre for Virus Research

Have a listen to our special Viral Insight episode for #WorldHepatitisDay 2022! Meet Dr Joe Grove, a Senior Lecturer here at the CVR as he discusses his journey into science, the breakthroughs in hepatitis C virus (HCV) experimental systems which occurred during his career and the importance of involving people living with HCV in research.…

Assessment of the arterial pulse is commonly done during physical examination. It gives us vital clues about the health and disease of the body. In this episode, I give a overview of the pulse examination.

Sharing a bit of what I know about Parkinson’s disease.

Breathing in high elevations is a challenge to our body. In this episode, I talk about the mechanisms carried out by the body to adapt to high altitudes and also the conditions in relation to them.

Salivary secretions play a very vital role in protecting our mouth from various pathogens and also helping digest the food to some extent. In this episode, I talk about how saliva is produced, it’s functions and diseases relating to it.

The gastrointestinal system or GIT is very integral to our proper body function and mainly performs the functions of taking in, digesting and absorbing the nutrients. To keep the GIT running, a lot of regulatory actions need to be carefully coordinated by our body.

Carbon dioxide is a waste product in our body. In this episode, I talk about how it is carried in the blood and then exhaled through the lungs.

Oxygen is a vital requirement for our body. All our cells need it to carry out their functions. But, how does that oxygen reach the tissues? That’s what I talk about in this episode.

Diabetes mellitus is one of the most worrisome diseases of our times. In this episode, I talk about its various subtypes and what leads to their development.

A very important component of our cell membranes, the Na-K-ATPase pump carries out several important functions in our body.

In this episode, I briefly go through the tests with which we can assess the functioning of the lungs.

In this episode, I talk about the other tests except bilirubin that we can do to assess the condition of the liver.

Bilirubin is a very important test to assess liver function. In this episode, I talk about how it’s formed, metabolised and the different causes of jaundice.

The lungs not only allow us to breathe but also carry out many other vital functions.

A general overview of the functions of the respiratory system and its various components.

About the unique circulation in the foetus, the changes which occur after birth, and various possible congenital heart defects. For detailed notes, please visit my blog mentioned in the podcast description.

About the blood flow to the brain.

One of the most important things to know about in medicine, I talk about heart failure in this episode.

The blood flow from the gut, spleen and pancreas to the liver together makes up the splanchnic circulation.

By maintaining proper body fluid levels, the kidneys play the primary role in stabilising blood pressure in the long run.