Page URL: https://www.bionews.org.uk/mariabotcharova
Dr Maria Botcharova
Maria Botcharova was previously a Volunteer Writer at BioNews, having originally joined the publication under the auspices of its writing scheme. She is currently studying for a PhD in Neuroscience at University College London (UCL)'s Institute of Neurology. Her research, conducted under the auspices of the Centre for Mathematics and Physics in the Life Sciences and Experimental Biology with funding from the British Heart Foundation and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, focuses on understanding how neurons synchronise their firing. She is also Science Editor at Pi magazine, Life Sciences Editor at Sophia magazine, and a contributor to Experimentation and the London Student. Previously, she studied Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and went on to obtain an MSc in Mathematical Modelling from UCL.
BioNews Review articles written by Dr Maria Botcharova:
| Event Review: Marcus Brigstocke Invites Mark Thomas |
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| 25 June 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| How are we different from animals? Comedian Marcus Brigstocke met evolutionary geneticist Professor Mark Thomas at the Cheltenham Science Festival, and asked him about what makes humans so human. Their marvellously informative discussion of human achievement covered art, religion, Adam and Eve, and how they all tie into our genes.... [Read More] |
| Event Review: The Magic of Medicine |
| 27 February 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Is medicine magic? No, of course not. The active ingredients in the medicines we take are simply chemical compounds which interact with our bodies to produce a net effect. And yet, when we take a pill and our headache promptly disappears, it can all feel a bit miraculous to someone who doesn't know the chemical mechanisms... [Read More] |
BioNews News articles written by Dr Maria Botcharova:
| UK's first spina bifida surgeries in the womb completed |
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| 29 October 2018 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Surgeons have successfully repaired the spines of two fetuses with spina bifida, a spinal birth defect, for the first time in the UK... [Read More] |
| Same-sex mice have pups thanks to stem cell technique |
| 15 October 2018 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Researchers have bred mouse pups with genetic material from two male, or two female parents... [Read More] |
| Contraceptive pill linked to lower risk of ovarian cancer |
| 1 October 2018 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Taking contraceptives that contain a low dose of oestrogen has been linked to a reduced rate of ovarian cancer, in a study of almost two million women... [Read More] |
| Alzheimer's memory loss due to gene blockade reversed in mice |
| 5 March 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| An enzyme associated with memory loss can be blocked to reverse symptoms of Alzheimer's disease in mice, a study has shown... [Read More] |
| Gene therapy successfully treats inherited blindness |
| 13 February 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Three women have reported a significant improvement in sight following gene therapy in both their eyes. Initially, they received the therapy in just one eye, but this latest study demonstrates the treatment was also successful in the other... [Read More] |
| California clinic to perform stem cell procedure amid FDA lawsuit |
| 6 February 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| A clinic in California has announced that its doctors are licensed and trained to carry out a stem cell treatment for chronic pain. Meanwhile, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is pursuing a lawsuit against Regenerative Sciences, the company that developed the technique... [Read More] |
| Cancer drugs may boost breast cancer stem cell growth |
| 31 January 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Two breast cancer drugs, Avastin and Sutent, may inadvertently aid cancer growth, a study in mice suggests. The drugs, designed to reduce the blood supply to tumours, were found to encourage cancer stem cell growth, potentially fuelling the spread of the cancer... [Read More] |
| £5.8m boost for mitochondrial disease research |
| 23 January 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| An experimental genetic technique to prevent serious diseases from passing between mother and child is to receive £5.8 million funding. The Wellcome Trust is contributing £4.4 million to the new Centre for Mitochondrial Research at Newcastle University... [Read More] |
| Lifespan predicted by DNA test - in zebra finches |
| 16 January 2012 - by Dr Maria Botcharova |
| Analysis of person's DNA when they are still young could provide important clues about how long they will live, if a study on zebra finches is anything to go by. Research shows that the best indicator of the birds' longevity is the length of a section of genetic code at the end of their chromosomes, called the telomere... [Read More] |
