Excess weight in early adulthood linked to higher risk of premature death
27 February 2026
A new study by researchers at the Nuffield Department of Population Health and in China has shown that entering adulthood with a healthy body weight is associated with a substantially lower risk of premature death from cardiovascular disease, cancer and respiratory disease. The study of approximately half a million Chinese adults is published in Science Bulletin.
Largest study of vegetarian diets and cancer shows lower risk of five cancers
27 February 2026
The largest ever study of non-meat diets and cancer risk has found that vegetarian diets are associated with lower risks of several cancers ‒ breast, prostate, kidney and pancreatic cancers, and multiple myeloma ‒ but a higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus.
New study questions the evidence behind behaviour-change communication guidance for GPs
26 February 2026
Advice on how general practice staff should talk to adult patients about behaviour change is common, but new research from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences found that this behaviour-change communication guidance for general practice is rarely clearly substantiated with relevant evidence.
Study reveals unexpected Astrocyte enlargement enhances brain repair after transplantation
26 February 2026
Researchers have uncovered a surprising and potentially transformative finding in the field of regenerative neuroscience: xenotransplanted mouse astrocytes dramatically enlarge following implantation into the injured brain, a response that was not anticipated and that may play a critical role in improving neural repair.
AI Identifies reproducible clinical subtypes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease
26 February 2026
Published in Nature Aging today, five distinct subtypes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease have been identified by using Artificial Intelligence to analyse healthcare data from over 100,000 patients.
New clinical trials begin in Burkina Faso
23 February 2026
Vaccinations have started at the Institut de Recherche en Sciences de la Santé – Clinical Research Unit of Nanoro (IRSS-URCN), Burkina Faso for two clinical trials to assess the blood-stage malaria vaccine candidates R78C and RH5.1 with Matrix-M (developed by the Draper Lab in the Department of Paediatrics), in combination with the R21/Matrix-M vaccine, which targets the earlier liver-stage.
New bone marrow model offers scalable platform for next-generation drug discovery
23 February 2026
Researchers at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine have developed the first combined human bone and bone marrow organoid platform capable of modelling long-term blood and immune cell production in a fully human 3D system.
School trips key factor in belonging at school – new survey
20 February 2026
Students value school trips most highly in fostering a sense of belonging at school, according to a survey of tens of thousands of pupils in England.
Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences professors amongst first Group Leaders announced for new dedicated Parkinson's Research Centre
19 February 2026
Professors Laura Parkkinen and Peter Magill have been appointed to UK DRI Group Leader roles.
COVID-19 Vaccination During Pregnancy Offers New Insight into Preeclampsia Prevention
18 February 2026
A new multinational study from the INTERCOVID Consortium, led by researchers from the University of Oxford, has found that COVID-19 vaccination during pregnancy, particularly when combined with a booster dose, significantly reduces the risk of preeclampsia, a serious and potentially life-threatening pregnancy complication. The findings offer unprecedented insight into preeclampsia prevention, independent of the direct effects of COVID-19 infection.
New Study highlights demographic shift of visceral leishmaniasis to older patients and increased incidence of relapses in Brazil
18 February 2026
A new study into visceral leishmaniasis (VL) in Brazil has created the most comprehensive picture of the disease in the country, and highlighted trends including more older patients being diagnosed with the disease and more patients presenting with relapses over time.
Existing hospital analysers offer a low-cost method to screen for fake vaccines
17 February 2026
An international team of researchers led by the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust have demonstrated that hospital analysers can be used to identify fake liquid medical products.
'Hidden' costs of social care after a hip fracture exceed £1.25 billion a year in the UK
16 February 2026
Social care for hip fracture costs the NHS over £1.25 billion, equating to £15K per patient every year, according to a new study by the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS).
New AI model could improve prediction of medium-term mortality in heart failure patients
16 February 2026
Researchers from the University of Oxford and international collaborators have developed a new artificial intelligence model that can more accurately predict the medium-term risk of death for people with heart failure using routine electronic health records.
Epilepsy and the brain
16 February 2026
Epilepsy is one of the most common neurological disorders, affecting roughly 50 million people around the world. Researchers at Oxford are looking at how epilepsy can be prevented, diagnosed and treated. Our experts are also raising awareness of the condition to reduce stigma and improve the quality of life for people with epilepsy, particularly those in under-resourced communities.
Drugs identified that could help prevent delirium after surgery
12 February 2026
A new study has found that several commonly used drugs could significantly reduce the risk of delirium in older people following surgery.
AI ‘digital assistant’ could transform fetal ultrasound training and support
11 February 2026
Researchers from the University of Oxford, including clinicians and scientists from the Nuffield Department of Women’s & Reproductive Health (WRH), have developed a new artificial intelligence (AI) system to assist clinicians during fetal ultrasound scans in real time.
Smoking remains stubbornly higher among disadvantaged groups, new research confirms
11 February 2026
New research finds people experiencing socioeconomic disadvantage are more likely to smoke, more addicted, and less likely to attempt to quit – a pattern that holds across different types of disadvantage.
New study reveals how egg cells mature in anolis lizards
10 February 2026
Researchers from the Nuffield Department of Women's & Reproductive Health (NDWRH) and the MD Anderson Cancer Center shed light into the egg cell maturation in lizard ovaries by providing a detailed characterisation of the individual stages a reptile egg cell must pass through before it ovulates.
Oxford to advance mental health research through £1.5 million gift
10 February 2026
The University of Oxford has received a £1.5 million gift from Bukhman Philanthropies to support new research aiming to tackle one of the most pressing challenges of our time – young people’s mental health.