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
News for Haematology and Stem Cells
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
Seven new Senior Fellows named
The Oxford BRC is delighted to announce the appointment of seven new Senior Research Fellows, the second cohort of emerging research leaders to receive the accolade. The selection process was a coordinated effort by the Oxford BRC and its partners in the NIHR Oxford Health BRC, which focuses on mental health and dementia, and the … Read more
Oxford haematologists win national awards to further their research
Two consultant haematologists at the Oxford Haemophilia and Thrombosis Centre (OHTC), based at the Churchill Hospital, have been awarded funding for their research as part of a new national scheme. Dr Nicola Curry and Dr Susie Shapiro were among the recipients of the new Clinical Academic Research Partnerships (CARPs), awarded by the Medical Research Council … Read more
Study discovers genetic changes linked to leukaemia in children with Down’s syndrome
Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered the specific gene mutations that are required for the development of leukaemia in children with Down’s syndrome. Children with Down’s syndrome have a 150-fold increased risk of myeloid leukaemia, and while some of the genetic causes of this have been previously established, this is the first study … Read more
Oxford Blood Group: Exchange Newsletter Issue 3 vol 1 / June 2019
Patient involvement partnership sets priorities for rare inherited anaemias
On the occasion of Rare Diseases Day, marked every year on the last day of February, we are sharing this article about how patients, carers, clinicians and researchers are collaborating to decide key questions to shape future research into rare forms of anaemia. Patients with anaemia lack red blood cells, or haemoglobin, which means that … Read more
Oxford researchers develop new technique to analyse cancer cells’ life history
A team of researchers from the University of Oxford has developed a new technique that allows scientists to reliably track genetic errors in individual cancer cells, and find out how these might lead to uncontrollable growth. The research by the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, could … Read more
Oxford Blood Group: Exchange Newsletter Issue 1 vol 2 / Nov 2018
Researchers map leukaemia ‘family trees’ in patients treated with new drug
A team of international researchers, including experts from NIHR Oxford BRC, has for the first time mapped the family trees of cancer cells in acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) to understand how this blood cancer responds to a new drug, enasidenib. The work also explains what happens when a patient stops responding to the treatment, providing … Read more