A 21-month study into the safety and effectiveness of a smartphone application for women with gestational diabetes, developed with support from NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, has shown positive results. The randomised controlled trial (RCT) of the GDm-Health app, a digital therapeutic ... READ MORE
Premature hearts less able to cope with exercise
The hearts of people born prematurely are less able to cope with the pressures of exercise in adulthood, according to a new study funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. The findings, published in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology, might explain why people born ... READ MORE
Serious asthma attacks reduced by temporary quadrupling of steroid inhaler, study finds
Serious asthma attacks in adults can be reduced by a temporary but significant increase in the dose of inhaled steroids during asthma deteriorations, according to a new national study involving NIHR Oxford BRC. The Fourfold Asthma Study (FAST), published in the New England Journal of Medicine ... READ MORE
Sharp rise in heart disease patients experiencing five or more other conditions
The proportion of people experiencing heart disease and stroke who have five or more other health conditions quadrupled between 2000 and 2014, and the rise was not driven by age, according to new research funded by the NIHR Oxford BRC. The study by The George Institute for Global Health at the ... READ MORE
Respiratory theme showcased at Brookes Science Bazaar
Staff from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Respiratory Theme engaged with young members of the public at the Brookes Science Bazaar on Saturday 24 February. The event, aimed at primary school children, drew in around 2,000 people and was busy throughout the whole day. In one popular ... READ MORE
New funding allows John Radcliffe to expand testing for deadly heart conditions
Thousands more people nationally – and hundreds in our region - could be screened for deadly inherited heart conditions at the John Radcliffe Hospital after it received a grant to expand a genetic testing service. The funding from the Miles Frost Fund and the British Heart Foundation (BHF) was ... READ MORE
Oxford medical researchers win prestigious national awards
Leading health researchers in Oxford have been recognised in a prestigious national competition. Eight professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of their “outstanding contribution to clinical and applied health and social care ... READ MORE
New clinical trial aims to tackle bowel cancer
Oxford University Hospitals has started a clinical trial which combines the use of immunotherapy with a protein-inhibiting drug for use with difficult-to-treat bowel cancer. Immunotherapy combined with checkpoint inhibitor drugs has been used successfully as treatment for several cancers, ... READ MORE
Oxford Centre for Haematology launched
The new Oxford Centre for Haematology has been launched with funding from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), bringing together University of Oxford researchers and clinicians from Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. The aim of this new virtual centre is to bring ... READ MORE
Top Oxford cancer specialist retires from clinical work
One of Oxford’s leading breast cancer specialists is stepping down from clinical work, after working in the city for nearly 30 years, but will continue his research activities, which, with the support of NIHR Oxford BRC, have seen big advances in recent years. Prof Adrian Harris has been the ... READ MORE
Researchers close in on causes of skin inflammation
Researchers in Oxford have discovered an unexpected way in which different aspects of the skin’s defence system interact, and how they can go astray in skin inflammation. This research, supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC, suggests a new line of investigation to develop treatments for conditions ... READ MORE
Seminar explores how we measure research impact
What impact do we want our research to have beyond academia – and how do we measure that impact? These were among the questions that were discussed at a seminar in Oxford last week organised by the NIHR Oxford BRC. The seminar, organised by Prof Trish Greenhalgh, the lead for the BRC’s ... READ MORE
Celsion announces TARDOX study combining ThermoDox and focused ultrasound to tackle cancers
Celsion Corporation has launched a clinical trial, supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), to study the effectiveness of combining cancer drug ThermoDox with focused ultrasound to treat a range of tumours, including liver cancer The ... READ MORE
Oxford study questions value of common shoulder surgery
A study funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has found that decompression surgery does not reduce shoulder pain any more than placebo surgery for people with shoulder impingement. The results of the first placebo-controlled trial in shoulder surgery were published in The Lancet on ... READ MORE
Oxford mothers-to-be learn about gestational diabetes research
Oxford researchers have attended two events in Oxford to let pregnant women know how to have a healthy pregnancy and to ask them to get involved in giving their views on future research. The researchers from the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust ... READ MORE
High blood pressure linked to common heart valve disorder
New research has, for the first time, established a strong link between high blood pressure and the most common heart valve disorder in high-income countries. The NIHR Oxford BRC-funded study by The George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford followed 5.5 million adults in the ... READ MORE
MDS Patient Support Group learn more about treatment of condition
Patients and relatives affected by Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS) have visited the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine (WIMM) at the John Radcliffe Hospital to find out more about advances in treating the condition. The members of the Oxford and Thames Valley MDS Patient Support Group ... READ MORE
Researchers thank Bloodwise fundraisers for funding critical leukaemia trial
Staff and patients at the Oxford Cancer Centre at the Churchill Hospital have thanked fundraisers for the Bloodwise charity who have raised enough money to fully fund a trial of a new leukaemia drug. The staff and patient Thelma, who has been on the trial, sent their appreciation in a video to ... READ MORE
Experts meet in Oxford to discuss Responsible Research and Innovation
International research experts working to implement a more ethical and inclusive model in research institutions have been meeting in Oxford this week. The Starbios2 (Structural Transformation to Attain Responsible Biosciences) project is part of Horizon 2020, the European Union’s Research and ... READ MORE
GP practices prescribing ‘low priority’ treatments identified
A new tool developed by Oxford University researchers has been launched to identify which GP practices are prescribing ineffective and wasteful treatments. The tool is found on the OpenPrescribing.net, the first website of its kind to enable health professionals, patients and the public to easily ... READ MORE