COVID vaccines saved millions of lives, but months into the rollout, a small number of people began developing dangerous blood clots in unusual parts of the body. These only happened after vaccines that used a modified adenovirus to deliver its payload – such as the AstraZeneca vaccine. Why these blood clots formed was a mystery – until now.

The condition was named vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis, or VITT. It happens when the immune system mistakenly attacks one of the body’s own proteins, called platelet factor 4.

Antibodies that recognise platelet factor 4 are actually part of normal immune responses, but in VITT the antibodies that develop are unusually sticky. They cling on to platelet factor 4, pulling together many molecules and forming large clusters of proteins called “immune complexes”, leading to dangerous blood clots.

Over the last few years, we have been working on the biology of VITT, primarily focusing on how these antibodies activate platelets. However, the way that vaccination triggers these antibodies to form was one of the main mysteries in this disease.

Now an international team of scientists in Australia, Canada and Germany has provided an answer. In an elegant set of experiments, they showed that virtually all patients with VITT share a distinctive pattern in their antibodies.

They studied 100 patients with VITT from around the world. By chance, two of these patients had donated blood in the past, meaning samples were taken before vaccination and stored in German blood service freezers. These samples turned out to be the key that unlocked the mystery.

The team were able to show that the antibodies involved in VITT begin as antibodies that recognise an adenoviral protein called protein VII. These antibodies probably came from the immune system’s memory of earlier adenovirus infections – which are common in childhood and cause mild cold-like symptoms.

During normal immune responses to infection and vaccination, tiny random genetic changes occur in cells that produce antibodies. This is normal and these changes help the immune system refine antibodies so they fight infections more effectively.

In all the patients with VITT, the researchers found the same change. By changing just one small part of the antibody, it suddenly gained the ability to bind platelet factor 4 very strongly.

Previous research by the same team had already shown that most patients with VITT carry a particular immune gene variant that shapes the structure of the antibodies they produce.

The new study helps explain why this matters. The mutation identified by the researchers only occurs in antibodies built on this genetic background, allowing them to grab onto platelet factor 4 extremely tightly.

This discovery helps explain why VITT is so rare. Two unlikely events must occur at the same time. First, a person must inherit the particular immune gene variant. Second, a rare mutation must occur in one of the antibody-producing cells responding to the adenovirus. Only when both events happen together does the immune system begin targeting platelet factor 4.

Why do we need to understand VITT?

You might wonder why this is still important. The pandemic is over and surely VITT is no longer seen?

But adenovirus-based vaccines remain an important tool. They are versatile, inexpensive and easy to deploy worldwide. When the next pandemic arrives, vaccines made using this approach could once again save millions of lives.

We also occasionally see patients with syndromes that look exactly like VITT but without any link to vaccination. These cases can sometimes be triggered by viral infections, including adenovirus and cytomegalovirus.

A similar process has also been implicated in people with recurring blood clots over many years, repeated miscarriages and stroke in a newborn baby caused by antibodies from the mother that target platelet factor 4.

Understanding exactly how VITT happens means scientists may now be able to modify future vaccines to avoid triggering this rare immune reaction.

The Strictly Come Dancing bloodbath appears to continue with reports that two more long-standing professional dancers’ futures are in question.

It’s now being claimed that both Katya Jones and Karen Hauer are at risk of being dropped from the show’s line-up ahead of its return in the autumn.

Despite both being long-standing stars of the shows, and a former two-time winner and two-time finalist respectively, it’s being suggested that no-one is safe from murder on the dancefloor.

This comes after The Sun reported over the weekend that four other popular pros would not be returning for Strictly’s 24th series.

Gorka Marquez, Luba Mushtuk, Michelle Tsiakkas and Nadiya Bychkova have all been dropped, according to TV insiders.

Meanwhile, co-stars Neil Jones and Nancy Xu will reportedly remain part of the programme but will not be assigned celebrity partners. They may still feature in group routines.

The Sun has suggested that a full list of ‘who’s in and who’s out’ won’t be published until next month but that ‘difficult conversations’ are already happening with pros.

And now Karen, 43, and Katya, 36, are also waiting in anxious limbo to learn their fates.

A show insider told the outlet that while it had been ‘some time’ since there was a ‘churn’ in the pro line-up ‘they do happen every few years and there hasn’t been a big one in some time’.

They added: ‘The way producers look at it is a little like running a football team: even after Man City win the league they still change their team around and bring in fresh blood constantly, to stay at the top of their game.’

‘A lot of the people going are now established names and stars in their own right but you have to remember that to be on the show, they also had to replace someone else at one point.’

Metro has contacted the BBC and reps for Karen Hauer and Katya Jones for comment.

More to follow.

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Kirstin Baker, chairwoman of the independent group appointed by the CMA, said: “We’ve rejected most of the bill increases water companies asked for but allowed limited extra funding where that’s genuinely needed, balancing concerns about affordability with the need to secure our water supplies and cut pollution.

Eberechi Eze is confident Arsenal have unearthed a ‘special’ talent in Max Dowman and has backed the teenager to thrive in the Gunners’ first team.

The Hale End Academy graduate became the youngest player in Arsenal’s history back in August when he made his Premier League debut against Leeds United when he was still just 15 years old.

An ankle injury had curtailed his progress, but Dowman was promoted to the starting XI on Saturday as Mikel Arteta’s side progressed to the quarter finals of the FA Cup.

While the majority of his senior teammates struggled to cope with the treacherous conditions, Dowman displayed a maturity beyond his tender years and produced a stunning man of the match display.

‘Max Dowman is very different to a lot of players, but he is someone that is confident.

‘He believes in his ability a lot. He is a special player, but also a special person. You can see that he is maturing well and he’s a good guy. It’s fun to be around.

‘To be fair, that is the same with a lot of the players coming through the academy these days.

‘Once they come to train with the first-team, they believe in themselves. It is a positive energy to be around.’

While it was Dowman who attracted most of the post game plaudits, it was Eze who turned out to be the matchwinner.

With the League One side pressing for an unlikely winner, Arteta summoned the England international from the bench and it didn’t take Eze long to produce the moment of magic that ultimately separated the two sides.

The former Crystal Palace star has a habit of coming alive at the business end of the season and the 27-year-old hopes it is a case of history repeating itself after Eze inspired the Eagles to an unlikely FA Cup triumph last season.

Eze said: ‘I am trying every single game to perform, to score goals and to win.

‘It just seems to fall more so at this time of the year. I hope it is the same this year.

‘This is where it matters. These are the end points that you want to arrive in.

‘For sure, I will be working as hard as I can – like the team – to push for it.

‘I just pray that we continue to build the team, to keep working and winning games.’

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Some of the UK’s first homes to meet new energy efficiency standards are proving kinder to the electricity grid than expected. A real-world study of social housing in Birmingham, UK found that peak electricity demand from heat-pump-equipped homes was: “lower than we would expect,” said Dr Monica Mateo-Garcia, academic lead at Birmingham City University’s Centre for Future Homes. The analysis of carbon savings is still being finalised.

Researchers at Birmingham City University tracked seven all-electric homes over the course of a year. The results show that efficient design and smart energy use can avoid spikes in demand that strain infrastructure, easing concerns that widespread electric heating could overwhelm the network. The research compared electricity use across a year and found overall consumption far below typical UK homes.

“We currently seem to be overpredicting how much power we need in new-build housing,” said Professor Richard Fitton of the University of Salford, who was not involved in the study.

Each property was equipped with an air-source heat pump for heating and hot water, as well as high levels of insulation and solar panels. Critics of heat pumps have expressed concern that the extra load would burden the grid, but findings show that electrified homes used less energy at peak times, because peak usage timings varied between properties, and were spread across the homes, helping to reduce pressure on the grid.

In several cases, electricity used for heating and hot water was also lower than Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) estimates, reflecting well-documented concerns about the accuracy of EPC ratings. Total energy consumption over the year was between 40% and 67% lower than the UK average for each property creating “a huge saving over the typical household”.

“We’re finding that all those reasons not to go ahead with a heat pump are slowly but surely falling away,” said Professor Aaron Gillich of London South Bank University.

The results add weight to the upcoming Future Homes Standard, expected in 2027, which will require new properties to be built with heat pumps and solar panels.

Main image: Nancy Pauwels

Analyst Cornwall Insight, the leading independent authority on household energy prices, currently predict that the cap will rise by about 10%, adding around £160 a year to typical household bills, bringing the annual total to around £1,801 per year for a dual fuel customer.

Kartal said she will prioritise recovery for her back before she meets Kazakhstan’s Elena Rybakina, the reigning Australian Open champion, in the last 16.

“It [the back] was a pretty big hindrance,” Kartal added.

“I didn’t really practise yesterday so I gave it as much recovery as I could, so I think now it’s about getting recovered and doing the same exact thing to get back on the court in the next couple of days.”

Kartal was not the only player to cause an upset on Monday with a comeback win.

Czech Katerina Siniakova, the world number 44, knocked out defending champion and Russian eighth seed Mirra Andreeva in a gruelling 4-6 7-6 (7-5) 6-3 win that lasted two hours and 48 minutes.

Meanwhile, third seed Rybakina claimed her fourth-round spot with a hard-fought 6-4 6-4 victory over Ukraine’s Marta Kostyuk.

World number two Iga Swiatek, the reigning Wimbledon champion, overcame Greece’s Maria Sakkari, while American fifth seed Jessica Pegula fought back from a set down against Jelena Ostapenko to reach the last 16.

MPs have voted against a proposal to ban social media for under-16s.

The age limit, influenced by the Australian-style ban on sites like Tiktok, Instagram and Snapchat, was supported by people arguing that parents are in ‘an impossible position’ over the online harms their children are being exposed to.

Others, including the NSPCC, warned a prohibition could drive teenagers into unregulated corners of the internet.

MPs voted 307 to 173, majority 134, against the proposed change to the Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, which was brought forward by Conservative former minister Lord Nash.

However, a ban could still come in future after the Commons supported a Government bid to give additional powers to the Secretary of State.

Under the amendment in lieu, Science Secretary Liz Kendall could ‘restrict or ban children of certain ages from accessing social media services and chat bots’.

She could also limit children’s VPN use, restrict access to addictive features, and change the age of digital consent in the UK, education minister Olivia Bailey told MPs.

Lord Nash described the Commons’ vote as ‘deeply disappointing’ and pledged to do ‘all that we can’ to revive the amendment in the upper chamber.

As MPs considered the changes proposed by the upper chamber, Ms Bailey said: ‘Many parents and campaign groups have called for an outright ban on social media for under-16s.

‘Others, including children’s charities, have warned that a blanket ban could drive children towards less regulated corners of the internet or leave teenagers unprepared when they do come online.

‘That is why, last week, the Government launched a consultation to seek views to help shape our next steps and ensure children can grow up with a safer, healthier and more enriching relationship with the online world.’

The consultation will look at whether social media platforms should come with a minimum age requirement and whether platforms should switch off addictive features such as autoplay.

Education Committee chairwoman Helen Hayes said she supports ‘robust measures to protect children from social media harms, including raising the age of digital consent and a ban on some social media apps for under-16s and I support a statutory ban on schools’.

‘There are important differences of opinion between stakeholders on the best ways to regulate young people’s access to smartphones and social media. So I believe it is right for the Government to consult,’ the Labour MP for Dulwich and West Norwood added.

Labour MP for Hayes and Harlington John McDonnell rebelled against the Government on Monday, voting in favour of the Lords amendment.

Meanwhile, 107 Labour MPs abstained, including North Somerset’s Sadik Al-Hassan.

Mr Al-Hassan had earlier said: ‘Parents like me are locked in a daily battle that they simply cannot win alone, fighting platforms that have been specifically designed to keep children hooked.

‘As a pharmacist, I know if a drug were causing such measurable harm for 78%, it would be withdrawn, reformulated or placed behind a counter with strict controls on who could access it.

‘We would act, because that is what the evidence demanded. The same logic must apply here.

‘We have an identifiable source, we have overwhelming evidence of harm, and we have the power to act.’

Lord Nash said: ‘It is deeply disappointing that the House of Commons has chosen to gamble on a process which may lead to half-measures – doing little to avert the damage of social media – with no fixed timeline and no opportunity for proper parliamentary scrutiny.

‘There is huge demand across the country to raise the age limit and protect children from the catastrophic harms of social media.

‘Our medical professionals, intelligence community, senior police officers, teachers and parents are all clear: we are not short of evidence, we are just short of action.

‘The Lords passed this amendment overwhelmingly once before.

‘It would raise the age limit for harmful social media within 12 months, written into law by the summer, and I will now work with colleagues across the House to do all that we can to pass it again.’

Liberal Democrat education, children and families spokesperson Munira Wilson said: ‘The Government’s failure to commit to a ban on harmful social media is simply not good enough – families need concrete assurances now.

‘We need the Government to confirm that their consultation will not result in yet more dither and delay.’

During the debate, shadow education secretary Laura Trott pressed the Government to introduce a ban on phones in schools, saying: ‘Polling out today shows 40% of children are shown explicit content during the school day.

‘That’s happening right now. This is an emergency. No more guidance, no more consultations. Legislate, do something about it.’

The Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill will now return to the House of Lords to be further considered by peers.

It will only become law if the final draft is agreed by both Houses.

If passed, the legislation will also require councils to ‘assess the child’s home environment within 15 days’ of them being listed on a register of children not in school.

This forms part of the Government’s response to the death of Sara Sharif, 10, who was murdered by her father Urfan Sharif and stepmother Beinash Batool in 2023.

Ms Bailey also confirmed that Benedict’s law, which aims to strengthen allergy safety guidance in schools, would be put on the statute book.

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The price of Guinness is among a number of changes made for the 2026 Cheltenham Festival

The price of Guinness at the Cheltenham Festival has been slashed following an outcry from racegoers. A pint of the black stuff is the go-to tipple for many of the tens of thousands who descend on the Cotwolds for the four-day extravaganza, which straddles St Patrick’s Day.

Last year, however, the ‘cheers’ turned to jeers for many punters when they spotted how much a pint of the Irish stout would set them back – a whopping £7.80, while the alcohol-free version was just 40p less.

Lagers and ales were barely cheaper, with a ‘premium larger’ £7.40, with a Doom Bar the same as a regular Guinness. Refreshingly, bosses appear to have listened to the complaints, with the price of a regular Guinness dropping to a slightly more reasonable £7.50 for the 2026 Festival.

Meanwhile, a non-alcoholic Guinness will cost slightly less at £7.30. Premium lager and Doom Bar prices remain unchanged from 2025.

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As an added bonus for Guinness drinkers, for the first time, punters will be allowed to consume alcohol in front of the grandstand along the rails, meaning spectators won’t need to gulp down their drinks before watching the action.

Guinness is one of a few things coming down in price at Cheltenham, although accommodation costs remain sky-high. An average five-night stay is now £3,772, according to Booking.com, while renting a three-bed townhouse near the course for the four days costs £8,812.

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At the cheaper end of the spectrum, Airbnb prices ranged from a one-bedroom cottage nine miles from the course for £579 to a single-bedroom apartment less than two miles away for £2,500. The cheapest Booking.com option was a guest house four miles from the track for £1,033.

Organisers have introduced measures to make the Festival more fun and affordable to the average punter. Ladies Day is back after being shelved seven years ago.

Bosses expected the move to trigger an invasion of female fans with £10,000 in prizes on offer to the most stylish race-goer. Meanwhile, the daily capacity has also been cut by 2,500 to 66,000 to give the crowd a more comfortable experience, with less-packed stands and smaller queues for food and drink.

Multi-ticket offers were available to reduce the entrance price. The moves are the biggest revamps in Cheltenham’s 166-year history. Though the event may be cheaper to attend, the extra interest has driven up the cost of staying in the area, which is beyond the control of racing chiefs.

The changes have been given the thumbs up by legendary-jockey-turned pundit Ruby Walsh, who said: “I’m very impressed with the changes. I think less is always more, so bringing down the capacity to me is a no-brainer.

“There has to be a customer experience. People have to walk out thinking, ‘I want to go there again’. Ladies’ Day? I’m all in a dither. I have no idea what hat I’m going to wear! I am a man with a girl’s name so I’d better make an effort.”