New research shows that, in a head-to-head comparison of five tests used to detect SARS-CoV-2 antibodies, an assay developed by an academic partnership led by the University of Oxford and one manufactured by Siemens had the most accurate results. The study comparing these ‘immunoassays’ has been published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases, as part of … Read more
News for COVID-19
‘Awake proning’ associated with improved COVID-19 clinical outcomes
A study by Oxford respiratory researchers has found that putting COVID-19 patients in a prone position can lead to improved outcomes. The findings of this retrospective study, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, were published in an article by BMJ Open Respiratory Research. Outcomes for patients with COVID-19 who require mechanical ventilation are … Read more
RECOVERY Trial to test ‘antibody cocktail’
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial to find effective COVID-19 treatments, will evaluate the impact of an anti-viral antibody cocktail developed to tackle the virus. The announcement was made on 14 September by Regeneron Pharmaceuticals and the University of Oxford, which is leading the RECOVERY (Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY) Trial. The trial, … Read more
Persistent immune memory of COVID-19 found in recovered patient T cells
Oxford University researchers have found that infection with COVID-19 produces a robust T cell response, including inducing T cell ‘memory’ to potentially fight future infections. The results, published in Nature Immunology, are a joint effort from the Oxford COVID-19 immunology group, led by the Medical Research Council Human Immunology Unit at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine … Read more
Low-dose corticosteroids found to reduce mortality in patients with severe COVID-19
Oxford patients, clinicians and researchers have contributed important data to new global research which shows that corticosteroids can significantly improve outcomes for severely ill patients with COVID-19. Four research papers published today in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) reinforce evidence that these inexpensive and widely available drugs improve outcomes for the most … Read more
Hydroxychloroquine study finds increased cardiovascular risk with azithromycin
The combination of hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) and azithromycin (AZM) has been linked to significant cardiovascular risks, including mortality, in the largest safety study ever performed on both HCQ and HCQ+AZM. This network study, led by the Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics (OHDSI) community, was published in Lancet Rheumatology. The study was supported by the NIHR … Read more
Paper outlines management of post-acute COVID-19 in primary care
A new article published in the BMJ has mapped out what is known and what is still unknown about ‘long COVID’, where patients COVID-19 patients continue to experience symptoms many weeks after contracting the virus. The article, co-authored by the NIHR Oxford BRC’s Theme Lead for Partnerships for Health, Wealth and Innovation, Prof Trish Greenhalgh, … Read more
Common heart medication does not increase risk of COVID-19 hospitalisation
A study by Oxford researchers, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), found that ACE inhibitors and ARBs – both common treatments for high blood pressure and heart failure – are not generally linked to an increased risk of severe COVID-19 disease or an increased likelihood of being admitted to intensive care. However, … Read more
Oxford University and ZOE partner on COVID-19 treatment trials
The University of Oxford has joined forces with the COVID Symptom Study app to widen access to two clinical trials of potential treatments for COVID-19. The two trials include the STOIC trial, which is supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC. Run by the University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), it is aiming to learn if … Read more
Mild COVID-19 symptoms might not result in positive antibody test, research finds
Oxford researchers have found that COVID-19 antibody tests might not give a positive result if people have only had mild symptoms, like loss of taste and smell. Microbiology and data experts from the Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust and the University of Oxford made the initial findings, published as a pre-print, as part … Read more
AI test identifies COVID-19 within an hour in emergency departments
University of Oxford scientists specialising in infectious disease and clinical machine learning have developed an artificial intelligence test that can rapidly screen for COVID-19 in patients arriving in emergency departments. The initial findings of the ‘CURIAL’ AI test, which has been supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), appeared in a preprint paper. The test … Read more
Thousands miss out on life-saving heart attack treatment due to COVID-19 pandemic
Researchers at the University of Oxford have published new research that shows that by the end of May there had been about 5,000 fewer hospital admissions with heart attack in 2020 than would be expected, suggesting that many patients have missed out on lifesaving treatment. The research showed that the number of admissions to hospital … Read more
New national study into the long-term health impacts of COVID-19
A major UK research study – PHOSP-COVID, will investigate the long-term health impacts of COVID-19 on hospitalised patients. The new study has been awarded £8.4 million jointly by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR). The PHOSP-COVID study is one of a number of COVID-19 studies that have been … Read more
Varying risk of COVID-19 to health workers revealed
A study at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust has revealed the different levels of risk faced by healthcare workers dealing with the COVID-19 pandemic. In a major collaboration with the University of Oxford, almost 10,000 staff were tested both for presence of the virus responsible for COVID-19 and antibodies to the virus. In … Read more
Oxford leads development of risk prediction model for smarter COVID-19 shielding advice
People at highest risk of serious illness from SARS-CoV-2 infection may soon have access to better shielding advice based on a new data-driven risk prediction model being developed by an Oxford University-led team. The Principal Investigator, Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox of the University of Oxford’s Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, said: ”Driven by real patient data, this risk assessment tool could enable a more sophisticated approach to identifying and managing those most at risk of infection … Read more
Breakthrough in RECOVERY COVID-19 drug treatment trial
A cheap and widely available steroid has been found to save lives of patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in a national trial being led by University of Oxford researchers. Dexamethasone was one of the drugs being tested as part of the RECOVERY trial, the world’s biggest trial looking at whether existing treatments can tackle the symptoms of … Read more
Serum iron may be useful biomarker to identify COVID-19 disease severity
A new study led by University of Oxford researchers has found that patients with severe COVID-19 respiratory failure have very low levels of iron, compared to those with less severe disease. Changes in iron levels have been associated with worsening disease for other viral infections such as HIV and Hepatitis C, but this is the … Read more
Study explores effects of COVID-19 on sleep
Oxford researchers have launched a study investigating the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on sleep and daily rhythms in adults. The UK arm of the International COVID-19 Sleep Study (ICOSS) is led by Professor Colin Espie from the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences at the University of Oxford and is funded by the NIHR Oxford … Read more
Oxford leads part of major COVID-19 drugs trial
As part of a new UK trial researchers at the University of Oxford will investigate whether administering the anti-inflammatory drug infliximab to patients with COVID-19 can prevent progression to respiratory failure or death. The multi-arm, multi-stage CATALYST Trial, is being led by the University of Birmingham in partnership with University Hospitals Birmingham and the Birmingham NIHR Biomedical Research … Read more
First patient recruited for key drug treatment trial
A clinical trial to test whether Azithromycin, a commonly used antibiotic, can treat the symptoms of COVID-19 in outpatients has recruited its first patient. The ATOMIC2 trial, which is being led from Oxford, will enrol 800 people who are being assessed at hospital with COVID-19 but felt well enough to be cared for at home. … Read more