Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) is the precursor of AIDS.  HIV is a 'lentivirus’ which is a type of virus that slowly attacks the immune system; it belongs to a larger family of viruses known as retroviruses [1].  The origins of HIV are still widely debated and...

  This week we are raising awareness of Krabbe Disease, a rare metabolic condition. Krabbe (pronounced crab-AY) Disease, also known as globoid cell leukodystrophy (GLD), is a devastating inherited metabolic disorder. Krabbe Disease affects the nervous system,...

Here we look at Hurler Syndrome, a rare genetic metabolic condition. The metabolism is the chemical process by which our bodies convert the food we eat into fuel to keep us alive.  The types of food we eat can be categorized in to carbohydrates (sugars), fats and...

Your baby’s umbilical cord blood is the richest known source of stem cells from the human body.  Here we’ll take a look at stem cells in more detail to find out what they do, what they are and why they are so special. Stem cells are the building blocks of life, in...

For World Diabetes Day, we are raising awareness of this illness which costs the NHS 10% of its budget. While there are several kinds of diabetes the most common are Type 1 and Type 2.  Glucose is a kind of sugar which gives us energy, diabetics are unable to utilise...