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Healthcare is a complex beast and too often problems arise that can put patients’ health – and in some cases, lives – at risk. A collaboration between the Cambridge Centre for Health Services Research and the Department of Engineering hopes to get to the bottom of what’s going wrong – and to offer new ways of solving the problems.

A large-scale genetic study has provided strong evidence that the development of insulin resistance – a risk factor for type 2 diabetes and heart attacks and one of the key adverse consequences of obesity – results from the failure to safely store excess fat in the body.

Our Facebook status updates, ‘likes’ and even photos could help researchers better understand mental health disorders with the right ethical safeguards, argue researchers from the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge, who suggest that social networks may even be used in future to provide support and interventions, particularly among young people.

Too many patients – particularly those from disadvantaged backgrounds – are being diagnosed with cancer as medical emergencies, say researchers. This means that their chances of successful treatment are greatly reduced.

People who carry variants in a particular gene have an increased preference for high fat food, but a decreased preference for sugary foods, according to a new study led by the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge. 

Britons eating a Mediterranean diet could lower their risk of developing heart disease and stroke, according to research published in the open access journal BMC Medicine.

Traveller communities have significantly lower uptake of vaccinations compared to the general population, suggesting that more work needs to be done to promote understanding and appreciation of the benefits of vaccination among this population, according to researchers at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge.

Communication between doctors and South Asian patients is poor, according to national GP surveys, but a question has been raised about whether this reflects genuinely worse experiences or differences in responding to questionnaires. Now, a new study led by researchers at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge has shown that it is in fact the former – South Asian patients do experience poorer communication with their GP than the White British majority.

Exposure to advertisements for e-cigarettes may decrease the perceived health risks of occasional tobacco smoking, suggests new research from the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge, prompting concern that this may lead more young people to experiment with smoking.

Potential outbreaks of diseases such as Ebola and Lassa fever may be more accurately predicted thanks to a new mathematical model developed by researchers at the ̽»¨Ö±²¥ of Cambridge. This could in turn help inform public health messages to prevent outbreaks spreading more widely.