A simple test at birth could positively transform the life of 70 families per year in the UK and save the NHS £280 every minute.
20 June 2022
It is a tragedy for a child to be diagnosed with a severe and disabling lifelong medical condition. But in addition to the child’s difficulties and suffering and the emotional cost to their family, such maladies can also create a significant financial cost to both the family and to society; whether due to the cost of treatments, the expense of medical equipment and home adaptations, or indeed the loss of a family’s productivity.
20 Minutes of Vigorous Daily Exercise Can Keep Teens' Doctors Away
20 June 2022
Teens should exercise vigorously for at least 20 minutes per day to reap increased cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF), according to a cross-sectional study from the U.K.
Com-COV vaccine study to research third dose booster options for 12-to-15-year-olds
26 May 2022
Researchers running the University of Oxford-led Com-COV programme have launched a further study of COVID-19 vaccination schedules in young people aged 12 to 15 – with a focus on assessing different options for a third dose booster vaccination.
AR cooperates with SMAD4 to maintain skeletal muscle homeostasis
18 May 2022
Skeletal muscle, which accounts for over 40% of the total mass in healthy individuals, plays a central role in maintenance of organismal homeostasis. Conversely, muscle atrophy upon acute and chronic conditions, ranging from genetic muscular dystrophy to critical illnesses, cachexia and sarcopenia, significantly correlates with levels of disability and is an important predictor of mortality. Despite the urgent medical need, treatments able to efficiently counteract muscle loss are lacking due to an incomplete understanding of the underlying intricate molecular mechanisms of regulation.
Developmental dynamics of the neural crest–mesenchymal axis in creating the thymic microenvironment
16 May 2022
A new paper from researchers at the Department of Paediatrics and the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences has shown that fibroblasts in the thymus, often considered simply as dull “structural” cells, are much more complex than previously thought.
Fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose provides stronger immunity boost than third dose, shows UK study
16 May 2022
COVID-19 vaccines given as fourth doses in the UK offer excellent boosting immunity protection, according to the latest results from a nationwide NIHR-supported study.
Oral paratyphoid vaccine to begin human trials
10 May 2022
The University of Oxford in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSoM) has begun recruiting for a Phase I/II trial of a new paratyphoid vaccine in human volunteers in Oxford.
Oxford scientist named Australian of the Year in the UK
9 May 2022
Awards & Appointments COVID-19 Public Engagement Vaccinology
The Oxford Vaccine Group’s Lead Statistician, Professor Merryn Voysey, received the prestigious Australian of the Year in the UK award at a gala dinner recently.
KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Researchers Awarded Fellowships
3 May 2022
The KEMRI Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) is based within the KEMRI Centre for Geographic Medical Research – (Coast). The core activities are funded by the Wellcome Trust. They conduct integrated epidemiological, social, laboratory and clinical research in parallel, with results feeding into local and international health policy.
From blood cells to the thymus: An IDRM Researcher’s journey at the frontline of immunology
29 April 2022
Friday 29 April is International Day of Immunology, an opportunity to raise global awareness of the importance of immunology in the fight against disease. Immunology research at the IDRM focuses on revealing the fundamental mechanisms that dictate the development and function of our immune system’s ability to efficiently respond to harmful antigens, while being tolerant towards the body’s own tissues.
Celebrating IDRM’s achievement on International Women’s Day
31 March 2022
The campaign theme for this year is #BreakTheBias. Celebrate women's achievement. Raise awareness against bias. Take action for equality. Today, we celebrate the achievements of several of IDRM’s women over the past year.
First UK pilot study of newborn screening for spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) launched in Oxford.
11 March 2022
In the UK, every 5 days a baby is born with SMA. Treatments are available now. If these treatments are delivered at birth, these newborns have the best chance of living long and healthy lives. If treated later, when they are identified because of the symptoms, they may survive, but with a severe disability. So, for every 5 days that a newborn screening is delayed, a baby in the UK loses the chance of a brighter future. Oxford University is initiating a population-based newborn screening study in the Thames Valley. This study aims to make it possible to detect SMA within days of birth, before symptoms develop, so that any affected newborn can receive diagnosis and treatment at the earliest possible opportunity. We hope that it will pave the way for a national newborn screening that will save about 70 babies/year in the UK from disability
Doctors learned how to save premature infants’ lives. They forgot about pain.
10 March 2022
Scientists are investigating how to treat pain in babies who can’t tell you when it hurts.
IDRM Building Completed
28 February 2022
More than 3 years after construction commenced, IDRM is proud to announce that the IMS-Tetsuya Nakamura Building, which houses the new Institute, at Old Road Campus has been completed.
Angelman syndrome: first patient to receive potential therapy in Oxford
3 December 2021
Neuromuscular Diseases Research
Things that seemed impossible, only a few years ago, are happening today. The first patient in Europe and one of the first in the world was injected with a potential treatment, GTX-102, in a phase I/II clinical trial in Oxford.
Department of Paediatrics unveils new logo
30 November 2021
The Department of Paediatrics at the University of Oxford - a world leader in child health research, has launched a new brand identity.
New model for infant leukaemia announced
25 November 2021
Haematology Publication Research
The breakthrough could lead to development of new treatments for infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukaemia.
Why it's so hard to treat pain in infants
12 November 2021
Children's Health Neuroimaging Research
For decades physicians believed that premature babies didn’t experience pain. Here’s what doctors know now – and the innovative solutions being embraced by today's caregivers.
Oxford to work with Brazil to establish clinical research hub
8 November 2021
The University of Oxford and Brazilian Ministry of Health have announced a joint initiative to set up a global health and clinical research unit in Brazil led by Professor Sue Ann Clemens CBE.
New atlas revealed of bone marrow haematopoiesis during development
5 October 2021
Children's Health Haematology Immunology Research
A new study published this week in Nature, provides the most detailed analysis so far of the prenatal development of blood and immune cells in the bone marrow.