Professor Duncan Richards, who is Director of the Oxford Clinical Trials Research Unit (OCTRU) as well as the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre’s Musculoskeletal Co-theme Lead, is at the forefront of Oxford’s strategy on clinical trials for COVID-19. In this interview with the Nuffield Department of Orthopaedics, Rheumatology and Musculoskeletal Sciences (NDORMS), he discusses how … Read more
News for COVID-19
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine begins human trial stage
University of Oxford researchers have begun testing a COVID-19 vaccine in human volunteers in Oxford. Around 1,110 people will take part in the trial, half receiving the vaccine and the other half (the control group) receiving a widely available meningitis vaccine. Of the first two volunteers to take part, one likewise received the vaccine and … Read more
Large-scale COVID-19 infection and antibody test study launched
Some 20,000 households across England are being contacted to take part in the first wave of a major new government study to track the COVID-19 coronavirus in the general population. The study will help improve understanding around the current rate of infection and how many people are likely to have developed antibodies to the virus. … Read more
BRC funds three further COVID-19 studies
Three more studies are being funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) to look at the way the body interacts with COVID19; these include assessing the safety of a new vaccine; the role that antibodies might play in plasma therapy; and blood biomarkers that determine adverse reactions in those that have been infected. … Read more
Common antibody test can be adapted for COVID-19, study finds
Research led from Oxford has found that an immunological assay commonly used to measure antibodies, antigens and proteins in biological samples can be specifically adapted to detect and quantifying COVID-19 antibodies. The investigations by the National COVID Testing Scientific Advisory Panel were co-ordinated by Prof Derrick Crook at the University of Oxford. The trial involved researchers at … Read more
Oxford-led research describes the safety profile and potential harms of hydroxychloroquine and azithromycin
Over 300 researchers from the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) international community studied data from almost 1 million patients who have previously taken hydroxychloroquine. They declared hydroxychloroquine safe for short-term use, but urge caution in using it in combination with azithromycin. Led by Prof Dani Prieto-Alhambra, Professor of Pharmaco- and Device Epidemiology at the … Read more
BRC funds new COVID-19 research projects
The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has allocated funding to three COVID-19 research projects in an attempt to improve treatment, understand how the virus interacts with chronic diseases, and the longer-term effects of infection on organs. The funding, originally earmarked for BRC cross-theme cluster projects, has been diverted to research projects in the BRC’s … Read more
New wearable technology used to monitor COVID-19 patients
Wearable technology that monitors patients’ vital signs is being used with COVID-19 patients on the isolation ward at the John Radcliffe Hospital. The technology has been developed by biomedical engineers and medical researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The Oxford BRC’s Technology and Digital Health theme, led by Prof Peter Watkinson … Read more
GP practices urged to join COVID-19 research
Oxford researchers have launched a study to track the spread of COVID-19 in the population and develop a deeper understanding of the virus in general practice. The University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences (NDPCHS) and the Royal College of General Practitioners (RCGP) have joined forces with clinical system supplier EMIS Health … Read more
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine programme opens for clinical trial recruitment
University of Oxford researchers, working in an unprecedented vaccine development effort to prevent COVID-19, have started screening healthy volunteers ahead of a vaccine trial. The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) provided essential funding to get the trial up and running. The team will enrol healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55, who, if they … Read more