Professor Hugh Watkins shortlisted for £30m British Heart Foundation research prize
23 January 2020
Awards and Appointments General Research
A project led by Professor Hugh Watkins at the Radcliffe Department of Medicine is one of the four projects on the shortlist of four research projects competing for a single £30 million award from the British Heart Foundation.
Oxford alumni startups receive €4M for brain health
23 January 2020
Awards and Appointments General Research
A new Medium article examines the two University of Oxford alumni-led startups, iLoF and Pipra, which were recently funded by the European Institute of Technology for Health (EIT Health).
Funding success for liver cancer early detection
23 January 2020
Professor Ellie Barnes and her team win a prestigious Cancer Research UK Early Detection Programme Award to research the earlier detection of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Clinical research federation responding to the Wuhan novel coronavirus outbreak
22 January 2020
The International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) is adapting its existing tools, designed for emerging respiratory pathogens, for the current outbreak of global significance. This is an international resource for facilitating the collection of standardised clinical data on patients hospitalised with suspected or confirmed infection with novel coronavirus.
Study reveals how cancer cells use bone marrow fat for growth and survival
22 January 2020
As society battles with an obesity epidemic, new research from the Edwards Group (Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences / Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology & Musculoskeletal Sciences) shows how increased body fat contributes to cancer establishment and progression.
Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences launch new journal
22 January 2020
The Nuffield Department of Surgical Sciences (NDS) has launched a new journal showcasing case reports written by medical students at the University of Oxford during their surgical attachment.
Enriching Engagement awardees announced
21 January 2020
Awards and Appointments Engagement Opportunities General
The first awardees for the University of Oxford’s Enriching Engagement funding scheme have now been announced, including five projects from across the Medical Sciences Division
Oxford researchers test ‘Viagra’ drug to prevent recurrent strokes
20 January 2020
Researchers in Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences (NDCN) have begun a clinical trial to assess whether the drug sildenafil could improve blood flow to the brain.
Lifetime suicide risk factors identified
17 January 2020
A new review by researchers in the Department of Psychiatry of previous studies into suicide worldwide has highlighted the effects of individual and environmental risk factors over a lifetime.
Timothy Behrens and Eleanor Stride recognised in prestigious Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists
15 January 2020
Awards and Appointments General Research
Two Medical Sciences Division scientists have been recognised in The Blavatnik Family Foundation and the New York Academy of Sciences Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, the largest unrestricted cash prizes available to scientists under the age of 42.
Malnutrition linked with increased risk of Zika birth defects
15 January 2020
The severity of Zika virus-related deformations in babies has been shown to be affected by environmental factors such as maternal nutrition.
Amount of sugar sold in soft drinks drops by 29% in the UK
14 January 2020
There was a 29% reduction in the total amount of sugar sold in soft drinks in the UK between 2015 and 2018, despite an increase in sales of soft drinks by volume of 7%, according to new research from Nuffield Department of Population Health.
New heart disease drug to be made available to NHS patients through ground-breaking collaboration
14 January 2020
Up to 30,000 lives could be saved over the next decade thanks to a proposed pioneering government collaboration with pharmaceutical company Novartis to tackle heart disease – a leading cause of death in the UK.
Determining the atomic structure of bacterial surface proteins in situ
14 January 2020
Researchers in the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology, together with colleagues from across Oxford, have successfully obtained a structure of the surface layer from Gram-negative bacteria, bound to the cell membrane via long sugars called lipopolysaccharide or endotoxin, by applying novel electron tomography techniques.
New target identified to help prevent dangerous heart rhythms after heart attack
9 January 2020
For many years, we have been using beta-blockers to neutralise a specific stress hormone and prevent dangerous heart rhythms following a heart attack. However, a new study led Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics (DPAG) and published in the European Heart Journal has uncovered evidence for an additional stress hormone acting as a key trigger for dangerous heart rhythms that is not currently targeted by these drugs.
Removing body clock gene protects mice against pneumonia
9 January 2020
Removing the clock gene BMAL1 makes bacteria-engulfing defence cells in the body more effective, a new study from the Radcliffe Department of Medicine has found.
Oxford's Medical School implement Practicum Script, an innovative tool to improve clinical reasoning skills
9 January 2020
Oxford's Medical School are one of the first faculties to implement Practicum Script in the undergraduate level. The multi-centre study (also including Imperial College London) aims to investigate the effectiveness of Practicum Script as a standardised educational resource integrated into the medical school curriculum to enhance clinical reasoning and problem-solving skills among students in clinical rotations. The experiment will consist of the simulation of 20 real clinical Internal Medicine cases during the academic year and the participation includes a handful of other medical schools in the UK. It’s envisaged more than 2000 senior medical students from 25 top medical schools will benefit from this programme.
Biomarker predicts which patients with heart failure have a higher risk of dying
8 January 2020
UCLA researchers in collaboration with Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics researchers have identified a biomarker for increased risk of early mortality in patients with heart failure. Associate Professor Neil Herring is senior author.
Professor Vincenzo Cerundolo FRS 1959-2020
8 January 2020
It is with profound sadness that we learnt of the death of Professor Vincenzo Cerundolo FRS.
IDRM ground-breaking – work gets underway!
8 January 2020
Work will shortly be underway on the new IMS-Tetsuya Nakamura Building, home to the new Institute of Developmental and Regenerative Medicine at Old Road Campus. The formal ground-breaking ceremony, which took place towards the end of last year, was organised by the Medical Sciences Development team in collaboration with the Department of Paediatrics.