ISSUE 57 DECEMBER 2008

Double-acts
On the front line
of twin research
In sequence
The Sanger Institute’s
Richard Durbin
CSI: 1910
Forensic archives –
Spilsbury vs Crippen
 Wellcome News
Wellcome News is published four times
a year and is available free of charge.
To subscribe, contact:
Publishing Department
Wellcome Trust
FREEPOST RLYJ-UJHU-EKHJ
Slough SL3 0BP
T +44 (0)20 7611 8651
F +44 (0)20 7611 8242
E publishing@wellcome.ac.uk
or go to:
www.wellcome.ac.uk/wellcomenews
We positively encourage letters to the
Editor and suggestions for future articles.
Please contact:
The Editor
Wellcome News
Wellcome Trust
Gibbs Building
215 Euston Road
London NW1 2BE
E wellcome.news@wellcome.ac.uk
Editor Chrissie Giles
Writers Craig Brierley, Mike Findlay,
Chrissie Giles, Mun-Keat Looi,
Michael Regnier
Design Cosima Dinkel
Assistant Editor Tom Freeman
Photography David Sayer
Publisher Hugh Blackbourn
All images, unless otherwise stated, are from
the Wellcome Library. Copies of images can
be obtained through Wellcome Images
(http://images.wellcome.ac.uk).
The Wellcome Trust is the largest charity in the UK.
It funds innovative biomedical research, in the UK
and internationally, spending over £600 million each
year to support the brightest scientists with the best
ideas. The Wellcome Trust supports public debate
about biomedical research and its impact on health
and wellbeing.
www.wellcome.ac.uk
This is an open access publication and, with the
exception of images and illustrations, the content
may, unless otherwise stated, be reproduced free
of charge in any format or medium, subject to the
following constraints: content must be reproduced
accurately; content must not be used in a
misleading context; the Wellcome Trust must be
attributed as the original author and the title of the
document specified in the attribution. The views
and opinions expressed by writers within Wellcome
News do not necessarily reflect those of the
Wellcome Trust or Editor. No responsibility is
assumed by the publisher for any injury and/or
damage to persons or property as a matter of
products liability, negligence or otherwise, or from
any use or operation of any methods, products,
instructions or ideas contained in the material
herein. ISSN 1356-9112. First published by the
Wellcome Trust, 2008. © The trustee of the
Wellcome Trust. The Wellcome Trust is a charity
registered in England, no. 210183. Its sole trustee is
The Wellcome Trust Limited, a company registered
in England, no. 2711000, whose registered office is
at 215 Euston Road, London NW1 2BE, UK.
PU-4334/12K/12-2008/CD
Cover: A Wellcome Collection event in November 2008
explored what it means to be a twin. See pages 4–5.
This document was printed on material
made from 25 per cent post-consumer
50%
waste & 25 per cent pre-consumer waste.
WellcomeNews | Issue 57
Editorial
But this is only the start. One of the major
problems faced by clinical researchers
post-PhD is to maintain research momentum
while undergoing speciality professional
training. Clinicians do not have the flexibility
to undertake multiple postdoctoral posts and
must juggle research time with the demands
of ongoing medical training. For these
individuals, the Department of Health in
England and the devolved administrations,
working with the universities, have
established new clinical lectureship posts.
These are structured so that half of the
individual’s time can be spent in academic
activity and half in clinical training. But these
lectureships are highly competitive, and
success is less likely if clinicians do not have
the financial support to gather the data
required for a successful application.
Clinical researchers – medically trained
That is where we come in. Starter Grants
scientists working in health research –
for Clinical Lecturers, funded by the Trust
operate at the critical interface between
and offered in partnership with the Academy
research and clinical practice. They help to
of Medical Sciences, support clinicians
connect basic research with the pathways
post-PhD for up to two years, allowing them
that take us from the diagnosis and
to develop their own research programmes
understanding of disease to the design and
and obtain the crucial pilot data needed to
trial of new interventions and preventative
apply for longer-term funding.
strategies.
We have also developed a new postdoctoral
Yet in spite of the huge opportunities
fellowship programme for clinical scientists,
for clinical research, there has been a
aimed specifically at talented clinicians who
long-standing decline in clinicians opting
have completed their PhD at a very early
for a career in academia. This was due to a
stage, either before or as an integrated part
lack of clarity about career pathways for
of their medical degree. Our Postdoctoral
young clinicians with academic interests,
Training Fellowships for MB/PhD graduates
and a lack of suitable training posts.
provide flexible opportunities for
Now, with the reestablishment of clear and
postdoctoral research, providing salary
flexible academic career pathways and the
and research costs, and support to allow
funding of new training posts, there is
reintegration back into postgraduate medical
evidence that the decline is being reversed.
training afterwards.
At the Wellcome Trust, we are ‘doing our
Through these and our other training
bit’ to enhance training opportunities for
schemes, we aim to develop a cadre of the
clinical scientists by expanding and refining
best clinical researchers who will go on to
our investment in training schemes at every
make outstanding contributions. We hope
level of support.
that many will ultimately compete for our
Recognising the need to get more
Senior Research Fellowships and similar
clinicians through basic research training,
schemes from other research funders. Indeed,
we have established integrated PhD
the current generation of clinical academic
programmes targeted at clinicians.
leaders includes several former Wellcome
These fellowships provide structured
Trust Senior Research Fellows. It is a hugely
research training at the PhD level, borrowing
exciting time for medical research and we aim
from our experience of training basic research
to be able to support the best scientists who
scientists. In 2008 we awarded 13 PhD
will advance our knowledge of both health
programmes, seven of which are dedicated
and disease and will translate that knowledge
solely to those with medical qualifications,
into health benefit.
and two of which are available for those with
or without medical qualifications. We also
awarded four programmes in translational Mark Walport
medicine and therapeutics that aim to reverse Director of the Wellcome Trust
the decline in clinical pharmacology, a key
area for the development and optimal use
of drugs.
In this issue

News........................... 2–3

Funding........................6–7

Research................... 8–11

Features

Seeing doubles.........4–5

Highly cited.................. 9

Crippen’s nemesis..... 12

Noticeboard.................. 13

Investigate Bernard
Spilsbury’s filing cabinet
of horrors (top), let Michelle
Teng explain how nematode
worms could help with drug
screening (above left), explore
the neuroscience of disturbing
art (above), read about
Richard Durbin’s genome-
sequencing work (far left),
discover cortisol’s role in
teenage antisocial behaviour
(near left), and more…
WellcomeNews | Issue 57
News
Sharing Science
Scene from the Research film, part of the Sharing Science series.
A series of six short films called Sharing
Science opens up the lives and work of
Dundee scientists to the general public.
The films have been produced by artist
Gordon Dawson, working with researchers
from the Wellcome Trust Centre for Gene
Regulation and Expression, part of the
College of Life Sciences at the University
of Dundee.
Paranoid thoughts
A new book by Wellcome Trust Research
Career Development Fellow Dr Daniel
Freeman and his brother Jason argues
that paranoia is extremely common,
and is on the increase.
2 | WellcomeNews | Issue 57
The films explore what it is that researchers
do in the lab, as well as giving viewers a taste
of the pioneering Centre, which opened in
November 2007. The Research film follows a
Principal Investigator at the Centre, Dr Sonia
Rocha, as two years of her and her team’s work
comes to fruition in the form of a protein gel
showing a particularly important result.
To view the films, see http://gre.lifesci.
dundee.ac.uk/sharing_science/.
For a decade Dr Freeman has been
conducting pioneering research into paranoia
at the Institute of Psychiatry, King’s College
London. He has shown that levels of paranoia
and mistrust are much higher than previously
suspected – one in four people in the general
public has regular paranoid thoughts. “We
seem to have entered an age of paranoia,”
says Dr Freeman. “And the indications are
that things may only get worse.”
He thinks that much needs to be done
to stem the rise in paranoia, both across
society and in individuals. “Dealing with
paranoia at an individual level is relatively
straightforward through techniques such
as cognitive behavioural therapy,” he says.
“But if we are really to get to the root of
the problem, we need urgent action at a
wider level. We need a range of policies to
raise public awareness of paranoia, to train
therapists and tackle the effects of potentially
damaging social and economic trends.”
Paranoia: The 21st century fear, published
by Oxford University Press, is out now in
hardback.
www.paranoidthoughts.com
Educating Darwin
We have commissioned
a programme of free
education projects to
celebrate the 200th
anniversary of Charles
Darwin’s birth and the
150th anniversary of the
publication of On the
Origin of Species in 2009.
With the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, we
have developed the Great Plant Hunt, and
will be sending a treasure chest to every UK
primary school. The chests will contain
lesson resources, books and a mini seed-
banking kit to inspire children as they
collect and study plant samples from their
local environment.
Survival Rivals is a series of experiment kits
for secondary schools, illustrating Darwin’s
key ideas. Experiments such as ‘Brine Date’,
which looks at sexual selection in brine
shrimp, and ‘I’m a Worm, Get Me Out of
Here’, which examines natural selection,
offer fun new ways for teachers to engage
their classes with science.
The aim is for these to become an
integral part of science teaching in the UK,
enabling pupils to relate Darwin’s work to
contemporary science. The resources will be
available from March 2009.
Among other Trust projects to celebrate
Darwin 200 is Evolving Words – a set of
poetry workshops for teens and young
adults – and a series of events at Wellcome
Collection to examine the relevance of
Darwin’s ideas for society today.
www.greatplanthunt.org
www.survivalrivals.org
www.wellcome.ac.uk/darwin200
HFE Act becomes law
We were pleased to see the Human
Fertilisation and Embryology Act gain royal
assent in November 2008, having worked
with other medical research organisations
to support the Act’s research provisions.
MPs and peers received Wellcome Trust
briefing material on the issues, and we
arranged meetings between scientists and MPs.
We also commissioned a special supplement
on stem cells in The Times, and Wellcome
Collection hosted a debate between leading
scientists, ethicists and religious figures.
Provisions of the Act, as passed, will ensure
that all avenues of stem cell research can be
pursued within a transparent and ethically
robust framework, which will enable the UK
to remain at the forefront of stem cell research.
www.wellcome.ac.uk/hfe
Animal protection
The revised Directive on the Protection of
Animals Used in Scientific Procedures was
published by the European Commission
on 5 November. We are concerned that this
Directive proposes significant, unnecessary
bureaucracy and restrictions to research,
which not only fail to enhance animal
welfare but also threaten the UK’s economic
competitiveness in basic research.
We are working with other stakeholders to
influence UK and European policy makers to
ensure that the regulations promote animal
welfare, while enabling important biomedical
research to continue.
Wellcome Collection events
Among the upcoming events at Wellcome
Collection is ‘Changing Places’, part of a
series of events exploring identity and
change. The event, which takes place
on 29 January 2009, will focus on ideas
of gender and features two transsexual
speakers who have undergone transitions
from male to female and female to male:
respectively, Sarah Muirhead-Allwood,
orthopaedic surgeon at the Royal
National Orthopaedic Hospital, and
Stephen Whittle OBE, Professor of
Equalities Law, Manchester
Metropolitan University.
On 30–31 January, join experts from
the worlds of neuroscience, psychology,
visual culture and history for the
‘Remembering War’ symposium. This
will explore issues surrounding war and
memory, including whether we should try
to remember or forget experiences of war,
and whether literature, film or art can ever
truly reflect its horror. Anyone can share
their own war memories online – whether
they are personal experiences or memorable
movies – at www.wellcomecollection.org/
rememberingwar.
The event is in support of Wellcome
Collection’s War and Medicine exhibition
(see back cover).
Prizes and appointments
Dr Sarah Reece, Wellcome Trust Career
Development Fellow at the University
of Edinburgh, has been awarded one
of four 2008 L’Oreal UK and Ireland
Fellowships for Women in Science, which
support outstanding female postdoctoral
researchers.
Professor Adrian Bird, Deputy Chairman of
the Trust’s Board of Governors, is the 2008
recipient of the Charles Leopold Mayer
Prize, awarded by the French Academy of
Sciences for his work in biology.
The Heart, the book
to accompany the
Wellcome Collection
exhibition of the
same name, has
won first prize
in the popular
medicine category
of the 2008 British Medical Association
book competition.
Wellcome Collection’s Head of Public
Programmes, Ken Arnold, has become
the Museum Association’s first research
associate. In this unpaid position he will
be investigating the role and significance
of exhibitions and events in museums.

Drawing conclusions
The Big Draw – the national annual campaign
to get people drawing – was launched at
a festival held at University College
London and Wellcome Collection
on 26–28 September 2008.
Over 5000 people visited
Wellcome Collection
over the weekend,
making it the biggest
event there so far.
Among the highlights were Nathan
‘Flutebox’ Lee (a beatboxing flautist) and
illustrator Steven Appleby, who joined
forces in a fascinating mix of imagery,
science and sound. For more
pictures and videos of the event see
www.wellcomecollection.org/
drawingonlife.

Participants in activities at the launch of The Big Draw.

WellcomeNews | Issue 57 | 3
Seeing doubles
A twin-only meeting in support of Wellcome Collection’s ‘Divided Yet Whole’ event brought together twins from the TwinsUK registry.
Every year, researchers at the Department of
Twin Research, King’s College London, play host
to around 1000 twin visits. Chrissie Giles went along
with her identical twin, Katie, to see what it’s like to
be at the sharp end of a scientific study.
I’m sat in a narrow consulting room,
gripping as hard as I can on a strange piece
of equipment I’m told is called a hand
dynamometer. Across the desk, my twin
sister, Katie, is doing the same, her face
screwed up in determination to grip harder
than me. The research nurse tells us that,
according to the chart on the wall, we’re both
distinctly average at gripping.
The dynamometer was just the start. By the
end of our half-day visit to the Department of
Twin Research, based at St Thomas’ Hospital
in London, we’d undergone a barrage of tests.
We’d been weighed and measured, bled,
had our inner arms exposed to the chemical
responsible for burning in chillies, and
been asked to judge which of a selection of
well-known melodies had out-of-tune notes
included.
My sister and I volunteered to be part of
TwinsUK several years ago. The only adult
twin registry in the UK, TwinsUK contains
clinical, demographic and lifestyle data from
around 11 000 mostly female identical and
non-identical twin pairs aged between 16 and
100, who have been randomly sampled from
the UK population. Much of the information
is collected during visits to the Department,
and this was our first trip there.
Typically, visitors undergo a number of
checks, including height, weight, blood
pressure and lung function tests, ECG,
4 | WellcomeNews | Issue 57
bone mineral density scans, eye tests, facial
photographs and cognitive tests. They are
also fitted with a monitor to measure physical
activity and heart activity over a week, and
some have biopsies taken from muscle, fat
and skin, or moles.
My sister has an ECG while I remove
anything metallic from my person and
climb on to the DXA (dual energy X-ray
absorptiometry) bone scanner. I have to lie
still for almost 10 minutes as the machine
moves up and down my body, and the table
I’m lying on glides silently from side to side.
Then we swap places.
During the visit we also complete a series
of questionnaires, which are similar to
those sent every year to the twins on the
register. These questionnaires often cover an
intriguing mix of subjects: everything from
obsessive–compulsive behaviour, through
religious beliefs, to personal experience of
baldness.
As the researchers stick identification stickers
on the blood tubes and paperwork, they
explain that the information and samples are
being collected as part of the Healthy Ageing
Twin Study. Funded by the Wellcome Trust,
this study is designed to explore the genetic
aspects of common diseases of ageing such as
osteoporosis, osteoarthritis and obesity, as
well as those affecting the cardiovascular
system and the eye.
It is one of over 20 different funded projects
underway within the Department of Twin
Research, which is staffed by over 40
researchers (including nurses, statisticians
and laboratory personnel) – a marked change
from the Department’s modest beginnings
in 1992.
“From a small grant with two staff we
originally looked at whether osteoporosis
is genetic or not, since then our study has
expanded slowly and steadily,” says Tim
Spector, Professor of Genetic Epidemiology
at King’s College London, Consultant
Rheumatologist and Director of the
Department. “Twins were coming in for one
test and we realised it would be more cost-
effective to do a range of tests in one visit.
No other unit in the country is doing this.”
It seems that nothing is
off-limits to what can be
genetically programmed:
from political views to
religion… you feel like
nothing is sacrosanct.
As the Department began with a focus
on osteoporosis and osteoarthritis (diseases
of ageing that tend to affect women more
than men), almost 80 per cent of the 11 000
twins on the register are female. Now, the
Department welcomes twin volunteers of
either sex, from the age of 16. Over the past
15 years, the researchers have studied the
influence of genes on all kinds of diseases,
characteristics and behaviours (see box for
a selection of key findings). Over 3000 such
phenotypes are under investigation.
 “The last 15 years has really been sorting out
the nature/nurture debate,” says Professor In your genes?
Spector. “The default position now is that
everything is partly genetic until proven Work at the Department of Twin Research ageing (defined as having longer
otherwise. It seems that nothing is off-limits has increased our understanding of the telomeres – the DNA caps that protect
to what can be genetically programmed: genetic basis of many diseases of the ends of chromosomes from
from political views to religion…you feel like ageing, including osteoporosis and damage)
nothing is sacrosanct.” osteoarthritis. It has also shown that • obesity and cigarette smoking
Now, the direction of twin research is genetic factors play a part in a wide accelerate human ageing (as measured
reflecting wider changes in the field of range of characteristics and behaviours by telomere length)
genetics. According to Professor Spector, the – ranging from diet choices to the • short-sightedness, cold intolerance,
Department’s next phase of research is to find number of sexual partners a female has, back pain and musical pitch recognition
the genes responsible for various diseases or from male-pattern baldness to becoming are predominantly genetic.
characteristics. To do this, researchers will use self-employed. The Wellcome Trust has supported the
the latest technologies, allowing large-scale Other selected findings include: Department and its core work on the
genetic association studies that can flag most • moderate drinking (an average of eight TwinsUK resource since its launch in
of an individual’s 23 000 genes. units of alcohol a week) appears to 1993. Other Trust-funded projects
It was researchers at the Department who keep brittle bones at bay in women currently underway include studies
performed the first genome-wide association • body odour is largely genetic and covering the genetics of short-
scan for osteoporosis. They found two genes unique to individuals sightedness, how obesity genes are
that increase a person’s risk of the disease • having a high number of moles, expressed differently in fat, muscle
1.5-fold when present together. These genes exercising in your free time, and high and blood, and the genes involved
are common and are thought to occur in vitamin D levels are all linked to delayed in age-related telomere variation.
around a quarter of women. Another recent
study found that 14 per cent of men carry two
to study other areas like epigenetics, copy outlines of flesh. The detail is quite amazing,
genes that increase the chance of baldness
number variation [genetic mutations and the printouts give us information on
seven-fold.
involving the gain or loss of chunks of DNA, not just our bone density but also the fat
Another development is the emergence
some of which are associated with disease] and lean mass of each body part, limb by
of the study of epigenetics, heritable
and even trials exploring individual genetic limb. We learn that our bone densities are
changes in the way genes work that are
responses is going to keep twin researchers within normal levels and that we are not at an
independent from the DNA sequence itself.
happy, certainly for the next 50 years.” increased risk of fracture.
To explore epigenetics, twin researchers are
As part of securing the UK’s future as a As Katie and I wander along the bright
now focusing on the differences between
leading place for twin research, Professor corridors of St Thomas’, we enjoy a glow of
identical twins, a contrast to ‘traditional’
Spector is currently in discussions with the satisfaction at having done our bit for medical
twin research, which had always been about
Department of Health to try to get an official science, and imagine the future publications
comparing the similarities of identical twins
twin register for the UK, which is one of the in which the data from our tests might feature.
with those of non-identical twins.
only northern European countries not to However, as interesting as it’s been, and
“Epigenetics is where identical twins come
have one. despite the researchers’ reassurances,
into their own,” says Professor Spector.
Back in the consulting room, our tests I’m still left with a sense of discomfort – it will
“Preliminary results show tiny [epigenetic]
are finished. It’s with an odd sense of take me some time to accept that my left arm
differences between identical twins, and
detachment that we pore over the printouts has 4.1 per cent more fat than my right, and
we’re looking at whether these changes
from the bone scanner, which reveal gawky- that I’m only average at gripping.
are systematic, random or influenced by
looking skeletons surrounded by fuzzy www.twinsuk.ac.uk
environment, and whether they change
as people age.”
The researchers are looking across the
genome to see whether twins have the same
changes at sites called CpG islands – areas on
the DNA chain where a guanine base directly
follows a cytosine. At these sites, a small
chemical group can be added in a process
called methylation. The team will explore
whether these changes affect particular
genes’ being ‘on’ or ‘off’, and will study
whether the methylation status of these sites
changes as twins get older.
With these changes in mind, does Professor
Spector ever see a time where twin research
is no longer relevant? “Twin research is
constantly changing. The nature versus
nurture aspect will eventually have answered
every question you could ever ask,” he says.
“However, I think using the twin model Chrissie Giles (right) and her sister Katie.

WellcomeNews | Issue 57 | 5
Funding
Tackling trypanosomiasis
Two awards made through our Immunology
and Infectious Disease stream will help
researchers to take on trypanosomes – the
parasites responsible for human African
trypanosomiasis – on two fronts.
A project grant has been awarded to
Dr Klaus Ersfeld, University of Hull, to
study the trypanosome’s motor proteins.
These proteins guide the movement of
chromosomes as one parasite divides into
two daughter parasites, and so are vital for
parasite division.
Professor Michael Ferguson and colleagues
from the University of Dundee have been
awarded a programme grant to investigate
the process by which Trypanosoma brucei
(below) builds its surface coat, which,
constantly changing, allows the parasite
to evade the host’s immune system. Branislav Ostojic/iStockphoto

If the research groups can unravel how

these proteins work, it may be possible
Sexual attitudes
to design drugs to disrupt the parasite
We are co-funding Britain’s third National
processes of division and disguise. The drugs
Survey of Sexual Attitudes and Lifestyles, due
currently in use against human African
to be carried out in 2010. The survey, NATSAL
trypanosomiasis are extremely toxic and
III, will capture the views and experiences of
difficult to administer, and there is currently
some 15 000 men and women aged between
no vaccine for the disease, which is 100 per
16 and 74, randomly selected from England,
cent fatal if not detected and treated in time.
Wales and Scotland.
The 2010 survey follows two similar surveys
carried out in 1990 and 2000, the first of which
was also funded by us. The new survey will be
based on methods used in the earlier surveys, and
will feature new elements such as the collection
of anonymised biological data on sexually
transmitted infections and sex hormones.
Professor Anne Johnson, Director of the
University College London Division of
Population Health, says: “The 1990 and
2000 NATSAL surveys provided a wealth
of information on sexual lifestyles, the risk
of sexually transmitted infections, as well
as the use and preferences for sexual health
services.
"The data have been widely used to guide
policy for sexual health education and
services in Britain. We are delighted at the
award of the funding and hope the 2010
survey will help improve sexual health
promotion and treatment services.”

Capital ideas Working with the media

We have awarded almost £30 million in
Capital Award funding to nine of the UK’s
leading universities, to help them to create
new internationally competitive research
facilities. Launched in 2007, our Capital
Awards in Biomedical Sciences provide
substantial funding for large-scale projects
– either new builds or refurbishments – in
partnership with the host institution.
This initiative follows the successful
Joint Infrastructure and Science Research
Innovation Fund partnerships.
Universities from across the UK have
secured awards of between £1.1m and
£6m under the scheme. Recipients include
Professor Ed Watkins at the Mood Disorders
Centre, University of Exeter, who has been
awarded £3.6m for a new translational
research facility, and Professor Irene Leigh at
the University of Dundee, who has received
£3.5m to develop a Centre for Molecular
Medicine.
The other Capital Award recipients are:
Do you want help publicising your
Professor Brian Sutton, King’s College
work? Looking for tips on how to
London; Professor Jennifer Kirkham,
deal with journalists? Take a look
University of Leeds; Professor Mike Barer,
at the new ‘Wellcome Trust Guide
University of Leicester; Professor Janet
to Working with the Media’. This
Hemingway, Liverpool School of Tropical
booklet gives you an idea of what
Medicine; Professor Jeff Errington, Newcastle
to expect when working with
University; Professor Nicholas Rawlins,
media professionals, and includes
University of Oxford; and Professor James
practical tips for print and broadcast
Naismith, University of St Andrews.
interviews alongside guidance
on getting your story
across and managing
controversy.
For your free copy,
or for any other
advice on media-
related issues,
contact our
Media Office on
020 7611 8866 or
Capital Awards support construction or email media.office@wellcome.ac.uk.
refurbishment projects.

6 | WellcomeNews | Issue 57
Making an IMPACT
The first patient has been treated in the
CMV~IMPACT study, a Trust-funded
clinical trial designed to demonstrate the
effectiveness of a new type of cell therapy
used to treat infections in people receiving
bone marrow transplants.
Cell Medica, a company that works
on developing and delivering cellular
immunotherapy to treat infectious disease,
has already demonstrated that so-called
immunoprophylactic adoptive cell therapy
(IMPACT) can be used to prevent infections
in people who undergo bone marrow
transplants. The company has now set up
the CMV~IMPACT study, which we have
funded through a Translation Award, to begin
to establish the therapy as routine clinical
practice around the world. The trial will
include 110 patients across 11 UK hospitals and
is expected to be completed within two years.
American adventure
Howard Hughes (HHMI Archives) and Henry Wellcome.
We have teamed up with two major
institutions in the USA to offer postdoctoral
researchers and PhD students the chance
to undertake international collaborative
research projects across the Atlantic.
The Wellcome Trust and Howard Hughes
Medical Institute (HHMI) Exchange
Programme has been introduced to promote
international collaborations among scientists
funded by the Trust or the HHMI. These
awards give opportunities for postdoctoral
researchers in some key Trust and HHMI labs
to carry out collaborative research for periods
from three months to one year. Applications
can be made at any time and decisions will
normally be made within six weeks of receipt.
For more information and an application
form for eligible Trust-funded researchers,
see www.wellcome.ac.uk/hhmi.
Wellcome Trust and National Institutes
of Health (NIH) Four-year PhD Studentships
allow the most promising postgraduate
students to undertake international,
collaborative four-year PhD training based
in both an academic institution in the UK/
Republic of Ireland and the intramural
campus of the NIH at Bethesda, USA.
Applications have closed for this year.
For more details on the annual scheme,
see www.wellcome.ac.uk/wtnih
Engineering success Small Arts Awards
The Medical Engineering scheme – a
£45 million fund set up by the Engineering
and Physical Sciences Research Council
and us for multidisciplinary projects –
has had an overwhelming response,
with 45 preliminary applications received.
The scheme was launched in March 2008.
A shortlist of proposals is now under review,
and the awards will be announced in
spring 2009.
“Each of these major awards will establish
a medical engineering hub that will drive
innovation by putting clinicians, biomedical
Butterfly wing. Franziska Schenk
research scientists and engineers together
We have funded a number of Small
in labs to solve the big challenges in medicine
Arts Awards. These include Marie Curie
today. Their solutions could be new devices,
and the Discovery of Radium, a multi-
imaging, nanotechnology, software or
language project for schools by Théâtre
something we can’t yet predict,” said
Sans Frontières and Newcastle’s Centre
Richard Seabrook, Wellcome Trust Head
for Life, investigating the story of Marie
of Business Development.
Curie’s groundbreaking research.
“What’s clear is that there is a rich pool
Elsewhere, visual artist Franziska Schenk
of researchers more than willing to
will work with cutting-edge biomimetic
cooperate in this field. We believe a
paint technology to create artworks
multidisciplinary approach stands a better
inspired by the eyespots of butterfly wings
chance of generating innovation in
and Darwin’s theories of eye development.
healthcare, so we need to address how to
Photographer Karen Hitchlock and
support more of these collaborations.”
writer Rose Flint are developing a series
Applications for the fund are now closed,
of portraits exploring the experiences
but other medical engineering projects may
of children and families affected by cleft
be eligible to apply for funding through our
lip and/or palate. The portraits will be
technology transfer or biomedical science
exhibited in three regional hospitals and
funding areas.
at national and international conferences.
www.wellcome.ac.uk/funding
www.wellcome.ac.uk/arts
Internationally engaging People Awards
Our International Engagement Awards Among the People Awards we have
fund projects that encourage public recently funded is Superfoods Explained,
engagement with health research in a project looking to help people with
developing countries. After an impressive learning difficulties make informed
response to the first ever round of funding, choices about shopping and eating.
we funded 15 projects. Of these, three are The Garden Science Trust will bring
in Uganda, complementing other projects people together with scientists from
underway to build strong public engagement the Institute of Food Research to design
practice in the East Africa region. practical activities explaining the science
In Uganda, the awards were made to: behind different foods and their roles in
Pontiano Kaleebu (Uganda Virus Research preventing disease.
Institute, Entebbe), to address
communication gaps and needs in HIV
prevention research within Lake Victoria
fishing communities; Dan Kaye
(Makerere University, Kampala), to engage
the public in global health research and
help the university become a leading
institution for public engagement;
and Duncan Dallas and Patrice Mawa
(Cafes Scientifiques UK and Uganda
Virus Research Institute), to establish
cafes scientifiques for adults and for
schools in Uganda.
WellcomeNews | Issue 57 | 7
Research
Art that irks
‘Jesmond Barn’ by Debbie Ayles, who received a Wellcome Trust Sciart award in 2004.
For some people, certain paintings are
uncomfortable to look at, and can even cause
headaches and seizures. To find out why,
Dominic Fernandez and Professor Arnold
Wilkins at the University of Essex have
studied works of art and natural scenes.
Not-so-blind date
Anthea Sieveking
A study offers new evidence that some
populations may choose their partner based
on differences in the major histocompatibility
complex (MHC) – an important set of
immune system genes. Professor Peter
Donnelly from the Wellcome Trust Centre for
Human Genetics in Oxford and colleagues
found that American couples from the much-
studied samples of the Human Polymorphism
Study Centre (based in Paris) favoured MHC-
dissimilar mates, though this was not the case
with African couples.
Chaix R et al. Is mate choice in humans MHC-dependent?
PLoS Genet 2008;4(9):e1000184.
8 | WellcomeNews | Issue 57
They found that ‘uncomfortable’ images
included stripes at the width we’re most
visually sensitive to (as seen in Debbie Ayles’s
migraine-inspired ‘Jesmond Barn’, above).
Fernandez D and Wilkins AJ. Uncomfortable images
in art and nature. Perception 2008;37:1098–113.
Gene links
A common variant of a gene thought to be
associated with dyslexia is also linked to poor
reading ability in the general population,
a study led by Dr Silvia Paracchini from the
Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics,
University of Oxford, has shown.
Other work, by researchers from the
Universities of Edinburgh, Aberdeen and
Oxford, has identified a variant in the GRIK4
glutamate receptor gene that reduces the risk
of developing bipolar disorder.
Lastly, a gene called PLCL1 is associated
with variation in hip bone size – a risk factor
for low-trauma hip fracture. That’s according
to the results of the first genome-wide
association study for this phenotype, carried
out by an international team of researchers.
Paracchini S et al. Association of the KIAA0319 dyslexia
susceptibility gene with reading skills in the general
population. Am J Psychiatry 2008 [Epub ahead of print].
Pickard BS et al. A common variant in the 3'UTR of
the GRIK4 glutamate receptor gene affects transcript
abundance and protects against bipolar disorder. Proc Natl
Acad Sci USA 2008;105(39):14940–5.
Liu YZ et al. Identification of PLCL1 gene for hip bone size
variation in females in a genome-wide association study.
PLoS ONE 2008;3(9):e3160.
Rewiring the brain
Learning from experience can change the
connections among nerve cells within the
brain, altering how stimuli are perceived and
processed. Trust-funded researchers at King’s
College London have explored what this
change looks like at the cellular level.
The researchers worked with rats, which
use their whiskers to sense their
environment. They trimmed some of the
whiskers on both sides of the rats, which
meant that one part of the brain received
no sensory input while neighbouring areas
received normal stimulation. The authors
compared the connections among the
nerves in both areas of the brain two to
six weeks later. Computer analysis of 3D
images let them track the parts of nerve
ells that send and receive signals in response
to the whiskers.
The lack of sensation had little effect on
the parts of the cell that receive signals from
the whiskers. But things were different in the
cell axons, which transmit signals. In brain
areas that received input from the whiskers,
more of the axons were in close proximity to
the receiving cells. Oddly, however, this
proximity didn’t foster more connections
between the sending and receiving cells.
The authors suggest that this reflects the
difference between learning capacity and
actual learning. Areas of the brain that receive
input from the whiskers have a higher
capacity to form connections among nerve
cells owing to the close proximity. But that
capacity will only be used if the nerves have
something important to say.
Cheetham CE et al. Altered sensory experience induces
targeted rewiring of local excitatory connections in mature
neocortex. J Neurosci 2008;28(37):9249–60.
Pyramidal neurons forming a network in the brain.
Dr Jonathan Clarke
Highly
cited
Richard Durbin helped
to develop the confocal
microscope and was one
of the ‘founding fathers’ of
the Wellcome Trust Sanger
Institute. Now he is Europe’s
most highly cited researcher.
Ian Jones talked to him.
Dr Richard Durbin at the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute.
Founded in 1992, the Sanger Institute has
grown into one of the world’s leading
centres of genome-based research. There at
the beginning was Richard Durbin, whose
background in mathematics and computing
has proved essential to the Sanger’s
processing and analysis of genome data.
“I’d worked with John Sulston at the LMB
[the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology]
in Cambridge,” he explains. “When he
moved to Hinxton to establish the Sanger
Institute he asked me to join him.”
Having grown disillusioned with his area of
research at the time, neural nets – “I wanted
to model nervous systems but it was
diverging from science: it wasn’t the brain”
– he leapt at the opportunity.
Beginning with the Human Genome
Project, Dr Durbin has witnessed at first
hand the extraordinary growth of DNA
sequencing. In 1992, the Sanger Institute’s
output was around 100 000 base pairs a day.
During the heyday of the Human Genome
Project in 2000, this had jumped to
10 million base pairs. And in 2008, thanks
to ‘next-generation’ sequencing machines,
the Institute has been churning out an
astonishing 10 billion base pairs –
equivalent to three human genomes –
every day.
Dr Durbin has had the challenging role
not only of ensuring that the Sanger
Institute can cope with this ever-increasing
flood of data but also of discerning
meaning in its endless streams of As, Cs, Gs
and Ts. Where are the genes? Where are the
control regions? Where are the conserved
sequences – those seen across a range of
species? Where is the variation – the bits
that differ between people?
The fundamental nature of these
questions, and the value of the software tools
used to answer them, has involved Dr Durbin
in numerous projects – from the analysis of
the human genome to the development of
widely used software tools such as Ensembl,
Pfam (protein families) and WormBase (a
nematode worm genome database). All
have generated influential scientific papers.
Indeed, a recent analysis by ScienceWatch
ranked Dr Durbin as Europe’s most highly
cited researcher.
“It was a bit of a surprise,” he admits. “I was
amused more than anything. It’s somewhat
artificial. It hasn’t changed my life!” In reality,
he says, he was lucky enough to be a member
of several multidisciplinary consortia, each
with several key contributors.
Dr Durbin is likely to rack up more
citations thanks to his involvement in the
1000 Genomes Project, a US$50 million
partnership between the Sanger Institute
and centres in the USA, China and Germany,
funded by the Wellcome Trust and others,
which will provide a more detailed picture
of human genetic variation. The Human
Genome Project produced a reference
sequence while follow-ups such as the
International HapMap Project have begun
to identify the sites at which human
genomes differ. Added to this has been
the flow of information from ‘personal
genomics’ projects, such as the sequencing
of the genomes of James Watson and Craig
Venter. Yet the picture of rare human genetic
variation is obscure – even though, as many
genome-wide studies have shown recently, it
accounts for a significant proportion of the
risk factors for common diseases. To tackle
this problem, the 1000 Genomes Project will
analyse the genomes of a further 1000 people
– generating a staggering 6 trillion base pairs
of sequence information.
Indeed, suggests Dr Durbin, sequence
productivity is following its own version
of ‘Moore’s law’ – the observation that
computer memory capacity doubles
roughly every 18 months. In fact, with next-
generation sequencers, doubling time has
actually got faster.
This is having a profound influence:
“I think we’re witnessing a shift in how
science is done,” suggests Dr Durbin.
“Sequencing machines are beginning to
infiltrate labs. And doing sequence-based
studies is becoming affordably cheap.”
Just as recombinant DNA technologies were
rapidly picked up in the early 1980s, so other
fields will adopt genomic tools. An ecologist
studying a population of birds, for example,
could soon be integrating genomic analyses
of individuals within that population.
Indeed, Dr Durbin sees genome-
based approaches putting the genes into
population genetics: traditionally, the field
has treated them mostly as theoretical
concepts. “Genetics in the 20th century
was mainly indirect – it was hard to observe
genes directly. Since about 2000 you can
easily look at whole genomes, you can look
directly at the scale of human genes in
individuals.” Population-based studies with
genome-wide breadth are a real possibility
– the beginnings of which can perhaps be
seen in metagenomic studies of bacterial
populations.
Such studies have the advantage of
generating huge amounts of data – an
advantage, that is, if you have someone
like Richard Durbin to make sense of them.
WellcomeNews | Issue 57 | 9
Maternal mental health
Mother and child in Pakistan. N Durrell McKenna
A programme that trained community health
workers in rural Pakistan to identify and treat
the symptoms of depression in pregnant
women has had dramatic results.
The UK and Pakistani researchers, led by
former Wellcome Trust Career Development
Fellow in Tropical Health Professor Atif
Rahman, trained ‘Lady Health Workers’
(who provide preventative healthcare to
pregnant women and newborns) to identify
symptoms of depression. Around 900 women
were enrolled on the study, half of whom
Antibiotics against MRSA
Clusters of MRSA bacteria. Annie Cavanagh
A new class of drugs that kill methicillin-
resistant and multidrug-resistant
Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in the lab has
been discovered, and could form the basis
of new treatments to fight the infection,
according to research published in the
journal Science.
Scientists from Prolysis, a British drug
discovery and development company, and
their colleagues created a class of drugs that
selectively block the action of FtsZ, a protein
that bacteria need to grow. The drugs kill a
range of bacteria, including MRSA.
“There’s still a lot of work to be done in
terms of development and clinical studies,
but we’re hopeful that in just a few years,
we’ll see therapies based on this innovative
approach in widespread use,” said Lloyd
Czaplewski, Director of Research at Prolysis.
The research was part-funded by our
Seeding Drug Discovery programme.
Haydon DJ et al. An inhibitor of FtsZ with potent
and selective anti-staphylococcal activity. Science
2008;321(5896):1673–5.
10 | WellcomeNews | Issue 57
Cortisol in the act
received a programme based on cognitive Trust-funded research at the University of
behavioural therapy for their depression, Cambridge has identified a link between
while the remainder received standard care. reduced levels of the stress hormone cortisol
The therapy included both sessions with the and antisocial behaviour in male adolescents.
health workers and techniques that could be The study shows that, when under stress,
practised at home in between the sessions. adolescents with severe antisocial behaviour
At both six months and a year after the exhibit a different change in cortisol levels
start of therapy, the incidence of depression compared with those without antisocial
in the treatment group was half that of behaviour. The findings suggest that, in some
controls. The treatment also helped postnatal cases, antisocial behaviour may be affected
care: the mothers who underwent therapy by an individual’s biological make-up,
were more likely to ensure their children just as some people are more vulnerable to
were fully immunised, and their children had depression or anxiety.
reduced rates of diarrhoea. These mothers Cortisol levels in the body usually increase
were more likely to be using contraception, when people undergo a stressful experience.
which decreases infant mortality by Cortisol enhances memory formation and
increasing the time between childbirth. is thought to make people behave more
The team stresses the importance of “the cautiously and to help regulate emotions,
development of an evidence-base for cost- particularly temper and violent impulses.
effective interventions that can be scaled up In the study, young men from schools,
in resource-poor settings”. pupil referral units and the Youth Offending
Rahman A et al. Cognitive behaviour therapy-based Service took part in a stressful experiment
intervention by community health workers for mothers designed to induce frustration. While the
with depression and their infants in rural Pakistan: a
cluster-randomised controlled trial. Lancet 2008;372:902–9. average adolescent showed large increases
in cortisol levels during the experiment,
Investigating implantation levels actually decreased in those with severe
antisocial behaviour.
A new study has revealed, for the first “If we can figure out precisely what
time, the process that governs the underlies the inability to show a normal
implantation of embryos in the human stress response, we may be able to design new
uterus. This should increase understanding treatments for severe behaviour problems,”
of why some embryos fail to implant – said Dr Graeme Fairchild from Cambridge,
a leading cause of infertility. who led the research.
The researchers, from Oxford and Fairchild G et al. Cortisol diurnal rhythm and stress reactivity
King’s College London, found that the in male adolescents with early-onset or adolescence-onset
conduct disorder. Biol Psychiatry 2008;64(7):599–606.
embryo and uterine lining ‘talk’ to each
other on the molecular level when the
embryo lands on the uterus wall. After
this, cells from the embryo begin to invade
the uterine lining, eventually connecting
with the mother’s blood vessels to form
the placenta.
Two proteins – Rac1 and RhoA – control
the invasion; Rac1 stimulates cells in
the uterine lining to move, allowing the
embryo to invade and implant properly,
while RhoA inhibits this.
The researchers found that if the
balance of the two is altered, the cells
of the uterine lining don’t migrate and
the embryo doesn’t implant.
“We believe this controlled balance of
the two proteins is critical for successful
implantation of the embryo,” said
Professor Helen J Mardon from the
Nuffield Department of Obstetrics and
Gynaecology at the University of Oxford,
who led the study.
Grewal S et al. Implantation of the human embryo requires
Rac1-dependent endometrial stromal cell migration.
Proc Natl Acad Sci USA 2008;105(42):16189–94. iStockphoto

Genes and social habits
An international team including Trust-
funded researchers from the University of
Leicester has studied patterns of sex-specific
inheritance, and discovered that societal
structure leaves its mark on our genes.
Parts of the human genome are inherited
only through one parent: mitochondrial DNA
comes from the mother, while fathers always
contribute a Y chromosome to their sons.
Previous genetic studies in large populations
suggest that, on average, mitochondrial DNA
types are more geographically spread, and
thus that women move around more.
The researchers developed a mathematical
formula that relates differences in sex-
specific and regular DNA to population size
and migration. They sampled a number of
populations in Central Asia, including Tajiks,
Kazakhs, Karakalpaks, Kyrgyz and Turkmen.
Traditionally, most of these groups consist
of herders organised into paternal descent
groups that choose brides outside of their
own social group. The Tajiks, in contrast,
place equal importance upon male and
female lines, and marry within their own
social group, often to cousins.
The authors found the signature of the two
different social organisations in the genomes
of the current members of each society.
As expected, the women seemed to move
around more among the herders, as they
live in their husbands’ villages, far from
their birthplaces. But more surprisingly, the
calculations suggest that there is a larger
effective population of women compared
with men in these populations – meaning
that, within populations, men are more
genetically related than expected, because of
the importance of paternal descent in their
social organisation.
Since humans aren’t the only ones with
complex social dynamics, the methods in
this study may also be useful for studying the
ecology of animal species.
Ségurel L et al. Sex-specific genetic structure and social
organization in Central Asia: insights from a multi-locus
study. PLoS Genet 2008;4(9):e1000200.
Kyrgyz people in front of a yurt. Laure Ségurel
Q&A
Michelle Teng, now at MedImmune, Inc. in Cambridge.
In studies of G-protein-coupled
receptors (important targets of many
human diseases) and their ligands,
Dr Michelle Teng – then working at
the Wellcome Trust Sanger Institute –
and colleagues have developed
assays using the nematode worm
Caenorhabditis elegans. In 2006, they
showed that worms expressing human
receptors in their sensory neurons can
‘taste’ and deliberately avoid soluble
forms of the receptor’s ligand. Now,
the team has developed a feeding
assay that can be used to test variants
of the ligand.
What’s new for this paper?
We’ve taken advantage of the fact that
C. elegans eat bacteria. We give the worms a
strain of E. coli called OP50. It’s like cat food
to them – they’d rather be eating something
else, but we use it as it stops them growing
too fast. This time, we’ve expressed the
ligand in the bacteria. As our earlier paper
showed that worms can taste soluble ligand,
we reasoned they should be able to taste it
when expressed in E. coli.
How does this feeding assay work?
We give the worms a choice between
bacteria that express the test ligand (MIP-
1ß) and bacteria that express something
that does not trigger an avoidance response.
We found that the worms specifically avoid
eating the bugs that express the ligand; they
only eat it when other food sources run out.
What did you find?
We generated a library of genetic variants
of the MIP-1ß peptide, in which we
mutagenised nearly every amino acid
residue. Each mutant was tested in the
feeding assay, and we identified 13 residues
involved in the activation of human
chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5), the receptor
responsible for HIV entry into cells which
also binds its native agonist, MIP-1ß.
Of these 13 residues, we found four that
had not been described before, despite
detailed mutagenesis work in the 1990s.
How could this assay be used
in the future?
The beauty of this system is that you don’t
have to purify the mutated ligand, you just
express it in bacteria – so it’s a really fast
method for structure–function studies.
You get a narrowed-down list of residues
that are important in the receptor–agonist
interaction, which you can then test in
more conventional assays.
The assay could, in the future, facilitate
the discovery of agonists from libraries of
bacteria expressing different ligands, so
it has potential for drug screening. The
proteins/peptides we (and others) have
expressed in bacteria are functionally
active, so we could apply this feeding
assay system to other ligands and other
transgenic worms. I certainly hope other
groups will try out the system.
How has the Trust helped you?
The Trust funded my postdoctoral
fellowship at the Sanger, and my
PhD, through a Wellcome Trust Prize
Studentship. The Trust support is especially
helpful as it allows postdocs to pursue their
ideas in an independent fashion. If I wasn’t
at the Sanger, I don’t think I would have
been given the opportunity to develop a
wacky idea and then work on it for three or
four years.
What do you do outside of the lab?
I’m an endorphin addict: I have a black belt
in tae kwon do and do lots of yoga, running
and climbing.
Teng MS et al. Control of feeding behavior in C. elegans
by human G protein-coupled receptors permits screening
for agonist-expressing bacteria. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA
2008;105(39):14826–31.
WellcomeNews | Issue 57 | 11
Title

Crippen’s nemesis:
the father of forensics
Dusty old index cards may be a far cry from the
glamorous TV world of CSI, but when they shed new
light on one of the first and most controversial figures in
forensic science, it’s enough to make Mike Findlay drop
the remote control and head to the Wellcome Library.
In August 2008, the Wellcome Library’s The case set the tone for a colourful career
Senior Archivist Chris Hilton secured at in forensic medicine. Spilsbury gave evidence
auction the last remaining index cards of in numerous other high-profile trials,
the late Sir Bernard Spilsbury, known as including the ‘Brides in the Bath’ murders,
‘the father of modern forensics’. where three women were drowned in their
Spilsbury was a famous figure in forensic baths – each had been married to George Bernard Spilsbury by George Belcher, 1928.

medicine in the early 20th century. He Joseph Smith. In a theatrical display, reopened, speculating that his wife’s death
appeared as a prosecution witness in many Spilsbury laid out a bathtub in the Old Bailey was an accident or that the body discovered
high-profile murder trials, including the courtroom and explained how Smith could in the coal cellar was that of a man – calling
notorious Dr Crippen case. He also performed have whipped each woman under the water, Spilsbury’s method into question.
autopsies in many other cases of accidental causing them to pass out and drown. In later life, Spilsbury was estranged
or unexpected death or suicide, which form Forensic medicine was often frowned upon from his wife and in poor health. In 1947,
the basis of the material purchased by the by the medical and legal professions, but following the deaths of two of his sons,
Wellcome Library. Over the course of his Spilsbury was instrumental in changing its he committed suicide in his laboratory by
career he undertook more than 25 000 post perceptions for generations to follow. His coal-gas poisoning, a method he had often
mortems – between 750 and 1000 per year. presentational skills brought a star quality to encountered in his work.
Spilsbury was born in Bath in 1877. He the courtroom. According to Colin Evans, Despite this bleak and dramatic end, there
gained entry to Magdalen College, Oxford, author of The Father of Forensics, he was is no doubt that Spilsbury paved the way for
to study natural science with the intention of “toweringly handsome, immaculately turned modern CSI. Although his official career is
going into medicine. With his father’s gift of out, with a fresh red carnation on his well documented in materials at the National
a microscope, the impressionable young man buttonhole”. Archives and in the press, no significant
took an interest in pathology. Critics of Spilsbury cast doubt over his collections of personal papers, apart from
Spilsbury shot to fame during the highly ability, particularly given his lack of academic these handwritten cards, are known to have
publicised 1910 trial of Dr Hawley Crippen, attainment. He has been accused of being survived. Discovered in a lost cabinet, they
an American physician who was hanged in behind several miscarriages of justice. may help to explain the father of forensics
London for his wife’s murder. When Mrs The recent Five documentary Dr Crippen – so maybe it is time to swap the sofa for the
Crippen disappeared, two letters signed by explored how the case has recently been filing cabinet.
her announced her resignation from the
Music Hall Ladies Guild, saying she had been
summoned to the USA on a family matter.
The letters were not, however, in her writing.
Dr Crippen told a family friend that
his wife had been taken ill in the USA and
was not expected to live. A little later, this
friend received a telegraph stating that Mrs
Crippen had indeed died. Friends of the
Crippens, alarmed, approached Scotland
Yard to investigate. Panicked, Crippen and
his mistress fled to Canada. Chief Inspector
Walter Dew searched the Crippen household
to discover human remains buried in lime in
the coal cellar; he boarded a faster ship and
arrested the pair at sea.
At trial, Spilsbury argued that a scar on a
small piece of skin from the remains pointed
to their being Mrs Crippen’s. Despite the
defence stating that no link could be proven,
Spilsbury was insistent. Crippen was
convicted and hanged. Index cards in Spilsbury’s filing cabinet.

12 | WellcomeNews | Issue 57
Sign up to receive our free
Wellcome Trust publications
Up-to-date news and Aimed at medical historians,
ISSUE 57 DECEMBER
2008
features highlighting the WW
elel
lclcom
omeH
eH ryry
toto
isis
ISSUE 39 WINTER
2008
this engaging newsletter
contains a lively mixture of
ISSUE 57 DECEMBE
R 2008

Trust’s wide-reaching
2008
ISSUE 39 WINTER

Double-acts
On the front line
Doubofle-act s
twin research
On the front line
In seque
of twin resear
sequed
In Richar nce
ch
nce
The Sanger Institu
Durbin te’s
te’s science and public features, research updates,
conference reports, book
The Sanger Institu
Richar
CSI:
Durbin
CSI:d1910
Forensic archives
1910
Spilsb ury vs Crippe
Forensic archives nn
–
– engagement activities,
Spilsbury vs Crippe
grant schemes, policies reviews and more.
and more.
Published three
Published four times a year.
2 Connective tissue
Feature Feature article
article
2 Animal suicide
Connective
n tissue
Face transplantatio
Face transplantatio 13
n rePOrt
uNit
4
Animal cONFereNce
suicide
MaNcHeSt MaNcHeSter
er uNit 16
care
4 reSearcH reSOurceS
cONFereNc
Intensive Intensive e rePOrt

times a year.
care 13
database
illness Italian charlatans
reSearcH
AbdominalAbdominal
illness reSOurceS
16 18
n bOOk reviewS
NHS reorganisatio
NHS reorganisatio Italian charlatans
n database
24
Animal testing
Animal testing caleNdar
bOOk reviewS
18
caleNdar
24

To receive copies of any of these publications, please let us know your name, address,
email and occupation and the titles you would like. Call, email or write to us, quoting WN57:

Publishing Department See the full range of Wellcome Trust

Wellcome Trust publications online:
FREEPOST RLYJ-UJHU-EKHJ www.wellcome.ac.uk/publications The Wellcome Trust regards the lawful and correct treatment of
Slough SL3 0EN To unsubscribe from any publications
personal information as very important and to this end is fully
committed to the principles of data protection, as set out in the
T +44(0)1753 688684 please contact us on any of the above. data protection act. Our full privacy statement can be found
online at www.wellcome.ac.uk/aboutthissite/privacy
E publishing@wellcome.ac.uk

Courses, conferences and workshops

March 2009 14–17
Genomic Epidemiology of Malaria
9–11 Wellcome Trust Conference GC
Genomics Disorders 
 17–26
Wellcome Trust Conference GC Functional Genomics
21–23 and Systems Biology
Perspectives in Stem Advanced Course GC
Cell Proteomics 

Wellcome Trust Conference July
(plus training workshop) GC
2–5
April Biobank Training Workshop
Wellcome Trust/Public Population
22–26 Project in Genomics GC
Systems Biology 
 5–11
Wellcome Trust Conference GC Practical Aspects of Small
Molecule Drug Discovery
May Advanced Course GC
10–16 18–20
Lung cancer cells dividing. Anne Weston
Molecular Basis of HIV: Comparative insights
Bacterial Infection
 from the chimpanzee genome

GC: Event takes place at the Wellcome
Advanced Course GC Wellcome Trust Conference GC
Trust Genome Campus, Hinxton, Cambs.
For information on Wellcome Trust
June 22–28
Conferences, see www.wellcome.ac.uk/ Human Genome Analysis: Genetic
conferences. analysis of multifactorial diseases
For information on Advanced Courses
1–5
Mouse Toolkit for Studying Cancer Advanced Course GC
and Open door Workshops, see
www.wellcome.ac.uk/advancedcourses. Wellcome Trust Conference GC

WellcomeNews | Issue 57 | 13