Experts at Newcastle University are known for their pioneering research in healthcare, connecting with the shared goal of working towards a healthier world.
On World Health Day 2026, the World Health Organisation (WHO) is promoting the theme of ‘Together for science’ to highlight the role of science-led innovations into human health and the environment. Read on to explore our research, and find out how our researchers champion facts and science-based solutions.
Contents:
- Fighting bowel cancer with exercise
- Scientists reveal how bacteria could transform wastewater
- Experts recreate a biological clock in a test tube
- Keeping plant-based foods on the table
- Identifying better standards of care for people in police custody
Fighting bowel cancer with exercise
.jpg?width=1200&height=628&name=FromBlog_Exercise_Header_sm%20(1).jpg)
Every 12 minutes, someone in the UK is diagnosed with bowel cancer. That's nearly 44,000 people each year.
It’s long been understood that physical activity reduces the risk of developing bowel cancer by approximately 20%. But our researchers have now found that exercise increases the concentration of several small molecules in the blood, many linked to reducing inflammation, improving blood vessel function, and metabolism.
The study, published in the International Journal of Cancer, explains how applying exercise-induced molecules to bowel cancer cells in the lab altered the activity of more than 1,300 genes. These included those involved in DNA repair, energy production, and cancer cell growth. These findings reveal that exercise doesn’t just benefit healthy tissues, it sends powerful signals through the bloodstream that can directly influence thousands of genes in cancer cells.
Scientists reveal how bacteria could transform wastewater
Every year, we produce about 359 billion cubic meters of wastewater globally, enough to fill Lake Geneva four times over.
Wastewater is water that’s been used and carries organic matter and nutrients. This might be from everyday sewage such as toilets, showers, laundry, industrial water from rinsing, cooling, and cleaning, or food-related streams such as kitchens, restaurants, and food processing.
'Globally, our wastewater contains over 800,000 GWh of chemical energy – equivalent to the annual output of 100 nuclear power plants.' - Prof Uwe Schröder, University of Greifswald, Germany
Our experts have put forward a co-authored review published in Frontiers in Science, suggesting that wastewater is actually an important resource in its own right. Not only does it contain valuable chemicals, after they’ve been removed, the resulting water can be used for watering crops or industrial cooling. If further treated, it can even be used as drinking water.
Experts recreate a biological clock in a test tube
The circadian clock is essential to our health and wellbeing, aligning our 24-hour biological cycles with the natural rhythm of light and darkness by switching genes on and off at precise time. When our internal clock falls out of sync with the external environment, it places a strain on both body and mind.
Circadian systems in complex organisms are intricate and challenging to study, so an international research team including scientists from Newcastle University turned to the simplest version of the circadian clock found in nature. This was in cyanobacteria – tiny aquatic organisms that are also known as blue-green algae.
The team successfully recreated the daily rhythmic genetic switching process in a test tube and demonstrated how the clock coordinates gene activity by switching off ‘morning’ genes as ‘evening’ genes turn on, and vice versa, under laboratory conditions.
By understanding how these clocks work at a molecular level, scientists can better explain how biological clocks function. This could also help them create tools to produce target molecules at specific times of day, and essentially scheduling production in biotechnology. Circadian biology could also eventually help regulate the bacteria in our gut, which could improve overall health, including brain function.
Keeping plant-based foods on the table
Campaigns like Veganuary have been hugely successful in raising awareness about the climate and the health benefits of a plant-based diet. However, making the switch longer term is not always easy, especially when there are usually limited meat-free options in workplaces.
‘Providing the right kinds of plant-based foods is an effective way of countering worries that people have about the health risks of going vegetarian or vegan, and about restricting their dietary preferences.’ Andrew Walton, Senior Lecturer in Political Philosophy
A study by researchers from Newcastle University and the University of Glasgow has identified public institutions like hospitals, universities and local councils as key players in the move towards a more sustainable food system, accounting for 5-6% of all food sales in the UK, or £2.4 billion annually. However, some caterers argue that public institutions should not limit our freedom of choice when it comes to what we eat, or that it is insensitive to the cultural preferences of staff and clients.
How can we encourage caterers to value a plant-based diet, and keep plant-based foods on the table after Veganuary?
Identifying better standards of care for people in police custody
Having access to quality healthcare, current prescriptions, and robust mental health support can tip the balance between a detained person's sense of desperation and hope. However, unlike prisons in England where the principle of ‘equivalence’ ensures healthcare matches community standards, there are no clear and explicit healthcare standards for those detained in police custody.
So what happens when someone in police custody has urgent health needs?
A research team from Newcastle, Northumbria, and Durham universities set out to better understand how healthcare is delivered in custody suites and identify ways to enable a higher standard of care.
You might also like
- find out more about World Health Day 2026 from the World Health Organization
- read the blog, Healthy beginnings, hopeful futures: our work in maternal and newborn health
- find out how we're helping to create a world in which we all live better, for longer
