Researchers in the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre have launched a new five-year study looking at the links between a condition known as Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behaviour Disorder (RBD) and Parkinson’s. Supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, the study seeks to improve the ... READ MORE
Oxford gets government funding to expand antimicrobial resistance work
Researchers in Oxford have been awarded £1.8m in capital funding from the Department of Health and Social Care to expand their work to tackle the growing problem of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), including using whole genome sequencing to diagnose AMR. The funding was awarded to the NIHR ... READ MORE
All newborns with Down’s syndrome to get leukaemia test under new guidelines
New national guidelines are recommending that all babies born with Down’s syndrome should have a new genetic test to detect signs of a potentially fatal preleukaemic condition, following research by a University of Oxford group led by NIHR Oxford BRC-supported investigators. The new British ... READ MORE
First human test of robotic eye surgery a success
The first trial of robot-assisted eye surgery in patients has shown the technique to be both safe and effective. Researchers from the University of Oxford, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) have completed the first successful ... READ MORE
Therapeutics and collaboration in the spotlight at Technology Showcase
This year’s Technology Showcase, held on 13 June at Oxford’s Saïd Business School, attracted a host of leading academics, clinicians and investors to discuss the most exciting commercial opportunities and projects in the field of Therapeutics, Small Molecules and Biologics. The event, which was ... READ MORE
Oxford researcher gets £1m boost to study immunology of asthma
A University of Oxford researcher has received a £1m grant to expand his research into the immunology of lung diseases, including asthma. Dr Tim Hinks has been awarded a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship. The funding that comes with the award will allow Dr Hinks, who ... READ MORE
Type 2 diabetes linked to higher rate of Parkinson’s
People with type 2 diabetes are 32% more likely to develop Parkinson’s disease than those without diabetes, a new study by UCL, University of Oxford and Queen Mary University of London researchers has found. The research, published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy ... READ MORE
Supermarket interventions could play role in public health strategies, study finds
Oxford researchers have found that interventions carried out in in grocery stores - such as manipulating price or availability or suggesting swaps – have an impact on purchasing and could play a role in public health strategies to improve the nutritional quality of people’s diets. The study, ... READ MORE
New haematology patient group launched
The launch of a new patient engagement group for those with blood conditions has brought together patients, clinicians and researchers to discuss how to get patient involved in research. A screening of the film People are Messy at the Ultimate Picture Palace followed by a group discussion ... READ MORE
Health minister visits Oxford BRC
The Health Minister, Lord O'Shaughnessy, visited the NIHR Oxford BRC on Wednesday 30 May to take a look at the ground-breaking research that is taking place in the fields of cancer and genomics. He was accompanied on the tour by Oxford BRC Director Prof Keith Channon and Head of Research ... READ MORE
JRO opens doors for Clinical Trials Day
Researchers from across the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) and the University of Oxford visited the Joint Research Office (JRO) on Friday (18 May) as it threw open its doors for International Clinical Trials Day. The JRO brings together research support services for the ... READ MORE
BRC HIV research showcased at Chelsea Flower Show
Scientists backed by NIHR Biomedical Research Centres (BRC) have teamed up with designers and young people living with HIV to create a show garden at this year’s RHS Chelsea Flower Show. The garden, whose theme is ‘HIV: stigma and cure’, highlights the successes and challenges still faced by young ... READ MORE
Exercise does not slow mental decline in people with dementia, study finds
Moderate to high intensity exercise does not slow cognitive impairment in older people with dementia, a study by Oxford researchers has found. The study, published on 17 May by the BMJ, found that although the exercise programme improved physical fitness, it could not be recommended as a ... READ MORE
Partial knee replacements better for many patients and cheaper for NHS
Researchers at the University of Oxford have found that many more patients could be given a partial knee replacement instead of a total knee replacement, resulting in improvements in their quality of life and lower costs for the healthcare system. The researchers from the Nuffield Department of ... READ MORE
ISO 9001 audit success
In April, the Oxford BRC successfully participated in an external audit by ACS Registrars Ltd, a UKAS-accredited certification body. The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre’s funding Management System was successful certified to the internationally recognised ISO 9001:2015, a new standard ... READ MORE
Online tool allows patients with ulcerative colitis to manage condition
An online tool that allows people with a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to manage their own condition and reduce hospital visits is being rolled out to more patients in Oxford. The decision to expand use of the True Colours platform for people with ulcerative colitis follows a ... READ MORE
3,200 Oxfordshire residents to take part in kidney disease study
One of UK’s largest observational studies of incident chronic kidney disease (CKD) in general practice gets underway this month, with 3,205 Oxfordshire residents involved. Over the next two years, the New onset Kidney Impairment (NewKI) study will work with 13 Oxfordshire GP surgeries to ... READ MORE
Study confirms close contact casting offers alternative to surgery in unstable ankle fractures in older people
A study has confirmed that a new form of casting offers an alternative to invasive surgery in older people who have unstable ankle fractures. The study comparing initial treatment with close contact casting (CCC) and the usual open reduction and internal fixation (ORIF) surgery was conducted by ... READ MORE
Killer T cells show their kinder side, BRC researchers reveal
The immune system protects the body by responding to invading organisms, but how is an attack on useful resident microbes prevented? Two NIHR Oxford BRC researchers have identified a pathway that allows immune cells to sense and respond to beneficial bacteria. The article by the Oxford BRC’s ... READ MORE
Oxford Centre for Haematology stages inaugural event
The new Oxford Centre for Haematology has held its inaugural event at Keble College, Oxford. The event, which will be held annually, was attended by around 200 academics, healthcare professionals and representatives of industry. Some speakers travelled from as far away as the United ... READ MORE