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An internationally recognised centre of excellence for biomedical and clinical research and teaching
Maternal death rates in the UK have increased to levels not seen for almost 20 years
General
12 January 2024
The latest set of data presented by the Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries (MBRRACE-UK) Collaboration investigation into maternal deaths in the UK shows that the mortality rate for women who died during or soon after pregnancy has increased to levels not seen since 2003-05.
First-in-human vaccine trial for deadly Nipah virus launched
General Research
12 January 2024
First clinical trial participants received doses of the ChAdOx1 NipahB vaccine over the last week at University of Oxford. UK trial is first step to developing a vaccine against Nipah virus – a devastating disease mostly found in South-East Asia – that can be fatal in up to 75% of cases. The milestone clinical trial comes as the global health community marks the 25th anniversary of the first Nipah virus outbreaks. There are still no approved vaccines or treatments for the disease.
COVID-19 vaccines found effective in reducing long COVID symptoms
General Research
12 January 2024
A recent study has revealed the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in preventing long COVID
Research into ancient DNA sheds new light on cause of Multiple Sclerosis and other neurodegenerative diseases
General Research
11 January 2024
Research led by scientists at the Universities of Oxford, Cambridge, Copenhagen, Bristol and California (Berkeley) reveals the evolutionary origins of multiple sclerosis (MS). This new insight into the genetic architecture of this disease changes scientists’ view of its causes and has implications for its treatment, as well as paving the way for further investigations into other diseases.
Sir Stewart Cole joins the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research as Executive Chair
Awards and Appointments General
10 January 2024
Sir Stewart Cole, KCMG, FRS has joined the Ineos Oxford Institute for antimicrobial research (IOI) as Executive Chair. The IOI is a world-leading centre of research, training, and education in the field of antimicrobial resistance (AMR) based at the University of Oxford. It was established thanks to an unprecedented £100 million gift from INEOS, one of the world’s largest chemical companies.
Next step in plans for Warneford Park
General Innovation
8 January 2024
Plans for Warneford Park have taken a step forward as partners in the project signed a Conditional Option Agreement (COA) and Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), agreeing how they will work together going forward.
Study shows that the way the brain learns is different from the way that artificial intelligence systems learn
General Research
8 January 2024
Researchers from the MRC Brain Network Dynamics Unit and Oxford University’s Department of Computer Science have set out a new principle to explain how the brain adjusts connections between neurons during learning. This new insight may guide further research on learning in brain networks and may inspire faster and more robust learning algorithms in artificial intelligence.
What is selective mutism? And is it a lifelong condition?
General Research
8 January 2024
Selective mutism is an anxiety disorder characterised by a consistent pattern of silence in specific social situations where speech is expected (for example, at school or work) while the person is able to speak comfortably in other situations.
New Year's Honours 2024
Awards and Appointments General
2 January 2024
Members of the Medical Sciences Division have been recognised in the New Year's Honours list for 2024
Early-life diseases linked to lifelong childlessness
General Research
19 December 2023
A ground-breaking study, published in Nature Human Behaviour, reveals a significant association between 74 early-life diseases and the likelihood of remaining childless throughout one's life, with 33 of these diseases prevalent in both women and men.
Study shows diverse gut bacteria communities protect against harmful pathogens by nutrient blocking
General Research
15 December 2023
A new study led by the the Departments of Biology and Biochemistry at the University of Oxford, has demonstrated that diverse communities of resident bacteria can protect the human gut from disease-causing microorganisms. The researchers found that protective communities block the growth of harmful pathogens by consuming nutrients that the pathogen needs. The findings, published today in the journal Science, could help to develop new strategies to optimise gut health.
Researchers define new class of regulatory element in DNA
General Research
15 December 2023
Researchers at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine's Laboratory of Gene Regulation, led by Professor Doug Higgs and Dr Mira Kassouf have published a study in the journal Cell, in which they reveal another piece of the puzzle of how the code in our DNA is read. In this study, the authors introduce the concept of “facilitators”, a newly identified type of non-coding DNA that can help to drive gene expression.
Ancient DNA reveals how a chicken virus evolved to become more deadly
General Research
15 December 2023
An international team of scientists led by geneticists and disease biologists from the University of Oxford and Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU) have used ancient DNA to trace the evolution of Marek's Disease Virus (MDV). This global pathogen causes fatal infections in unvaccinated chickens and costs the poultry industry over $1 billion per year. The findings, published today in the journal Science, show how viruses evolve to become more virulent and could lead to the development of better ways to treat viral infections.
Report sets out recommendations for reducing inequities and improving care for babies of Asian and Black mothers
General
14 December 2023
The Mothers and Babies: Reducing Risk through Audits and Confidential Enquiries across UK (MBRRACE) collaboration, which is co-led by The Infant Mortality and Morbidity Studies (TIMMS) group at the University of Leicester and the Nuffield Department of Population Health's Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU), has today published the results of a confidential enquiry into the care of Black and Asian babies born in the UK in 2019.
Blood collected through skin offers reliable testing method in children with type 1 diabetes
General Research
13 December 2023
Transdermal sampling – collecting blood through the skin – is a reliable alternative to taking blood samples from a vein with a needle in children with type 1 diabetes (T1D), new research has found.
Oxford scientist to lead international transdisciplinary consortium towards delivering NetZero Healthcare
General Research
13 December 2023
The European Union Horizon Europe (with joint funding from UK Research Innovation) has awarded NetZeroAICT Consortium major funding to develop a novel technology with great potentials to promote climate neutral and sustainable health care.
A Christmas miracle? No, it's business continuity, Lapland-style
General
13 December 2023
It’s Christmas Eve, there are still millions of present to be delivered and the Alberta Clipper is wreaking havoc in Lapland. But don’t fear, Mary Christmas’s foresight saves the day…. good thing she was making a list and checking it twice, only this time she's looking strictly at key operational functions.
Oxford Vaccine Group, Department of Paediatrics, University of Oxford receives £7.8 million in research funding to fight pandemic and epidemic threats
General Research
13 December 2023
Oxford Vaccine Group (OVG), which led the rapid clinical development of the Oxford vaccine in COVID-19 in the pandemic, has been awarded a total of £7,788,783 by UK Aid for research into the prevention of five dangerous diseases with epidemic or pandemic potential. The awards will fund research into vaccines against: Chikungunya and mayaro virus, Marburg virus, Plague (Yersinia pestis), Q Fever (Coxiella burneti) and Sudan Ebolavirus.
Oxford University Hospitals launches new mRNA cancer vaccine trial for patients with head and neck cancers
General Research
11 December 2023
The first patient in Oxfordshire has been treated in an mRNA cancer vaccine trial at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation trust (OUH). The trial, led locally by Dr Ketan Shah, consultant clinical oncologist at OUH, marks a significant milestone in the national cancer vaccine advance.
Antibiotic resistance genes are spread more widely between bacteria than previously thought
General Research
8 December 2023
A new study published in The Lancet Microbe has found that the transfer of antibiotic resistance genes between different bacteria is considerably more widespread than previously thought.