A number of leading researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre are among 50 prominent biomedical and health scientists elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences’ respected and influential Fellowship. The new Fellows include Oxford BRC experts who have spearheaded the ... READ MORE
News for Translational Data Science
Data reveals COVID-19 risk factors for people with type 1 diabetes
The largest study of people with type 1 diabetes admitted to hospital with COVID-19 has found that those with higher body mass index (BMI), poorer kidney function and the presence of microvascular complications were at greater risk of death and/or admission to intensive care. However, the ... READ MORE
Study highlights role of BMI in increased COVID-19 risks
A study by University of Oxford researchers has found that the risk of admission to hospital, admission to ICU or death from COVID-19 increases progressively above a ‘normal’ BMI of 23, even without other comorbidities. The research team, who are supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research ... READ MORE
National survey reveals big reductions in COVID-19 infections with single dose of Oxford-AZ and Pfizer vaccines
Data from the national COVID-19 Infection Survey, which is led by senior NIHR Oxford BRC researcher Professor Sarah Walker, has revealed the impact of vaccination on antibody responses and new infections in a large group of adults from the general population. This major community surveillance ... READ MORE
New clinical prediction tools for myeloma developed
University of Oxford researchers have developed new clinical prediction models for use in primary care with the aim of accelerating the diagnosis of myeloma, a cancer of the bone marrow. Myeloma caused 117,077 deaths worldwide in 2020. Earlier diagnosis improves the rate of survival but ... READ MORE
Risk of severe COVID-19 from asthma and other respiratory diseases may be only modestly increased, new analysis suggests
An analysis of 8.3 million health care records in England shows that people with asthma have only a small increased risk of developing severe Covid-19. The study, led by University of Oxford researchers, examined routine patient data collected between January and April 2020 to generate risk ... READ MORE
Two doses of vaccine offer same protection from COVID as prior infection, study finds
Two doses of either the Pfizer or Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine offer similar protection against symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection to that coming from natural immunity after infection, an ongoing study of healthcare workers has found. None of the 1,456 healthcare workers at Oxford University ... READ MORE
Oxford study shows high level of readmissions and death after COVID-19 discharge
Some 30% of patients discharged after being admitted to hospital with community-acquired COVID-19 had been readmitted or died within 60 days, a study by Oxford researchers has shown. In a paper published in the European Journal of Public Health, they found that, as anticipated, rates of ... READ MORE
Oxford-led technology to help those at high risk from Covid-19
More people in England at high risk from Covid-19 will get priority access to vaccines thanks to new technology developed by a University of Oxford-led team of researchers that can identify those who may be most vulnerable to the virus. Research led by Professor Julia Hippisley-Cox in the ... READ MORE
Tocilizumab found to reduce deaths in hospitalised COVID-19patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found that the anti-inflammatory drug, tocilizumab, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The trial, which received core funding from the NIHR Oxford ... READ MORE
Lateral flow devices found to be useful in screening OUH staff for coronavirus
Infection prevention and control clinicians and researchers at Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) have been outlining the OUH’s experience of deploying self-administered home-based lateral flow testing of its staff. In a letter published in the Journal of Infection, they said that 46,503 ... READ MORE
Fewer colorectal cancer diagnoses reported during COVID-19
University of Oxford researchers from the UK Colorectal Cancer Intelligence Hub have been investigating how the diagnosis and treatment of colorectal cancer patients has been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The NIHR Oxford BRC-supported researchers at the Nuffield Department of Population ... READ MORE
Lateral flow devices detect most infectious COVID-19 cases, study shows
Researchers from the University of Oxford, working with Public Health England, have used NHS Test and Trace data to find out why some individuals pass COVID-19 on to their contacts more easily than others, and if lateral flow tests are sufficient in detecting those who are most ... READ MORE
Trial finds no benefit from azithromycin in hospitalised COVID-19 patients
The RECOVERY Trial, the world’s largest randomised trial of potential COVID-19 treatments, has found no convincing evidence that that the widely used antibiotic azithromycin has any meaningful clinical benefits for patients who have been hospitalised with COVID-19. Azithromycin was regarded a ... READ MORE
AI test rules out a COVID-19 diagnosis within one hour in A&E
An artificial intelligence test has been shown to be able to rapidly screen patients arriving in emergency departments for COVID-19, using clinical information routinely available within the first hour of coming to hospital. Results of the CURIAL study, published in The Lancet Digital Health, ... READ MORE
Key step for hepatitis research as patient database created
For the first time, a comprehensive database comprising an initial cohort of more than 1,300 patients with chronic hepatitis B or hepatitis C infections has been developed for potential future research into the conditions. The methodology to develop a pipeline to collect and manage this data ... READ MORE
Hidden lung damage from COVID-19 revealed in new study
Early findings from a study into longer-term damage in patients recovering from COVID-19 suggest that cutting-edge scanning techniques may detect previously unseen lung damage. The research by the universities of Oxford and Sheffield is the first in Europe to use hyperpolarised Xenon gas with MRI ... READ MORE
Prior COVID-19 infection offers protection from re-infection for at least six months
A new study suggests that individuals who have previously had COVID-19 are highly unlikely to contract the illness again, for at least six months following their first infection. The study, done as part of a major collaboration between the University of Oxford and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) ... READ MORE
COVID antibodies wane within months, healthcare workers study shows
Antibodies to COVID-19 fall by half in less than 90 days, and antibody levels peak lower and fall faster in younger adults, an ongoing study of staff at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has revealed. The findings, published on the pre-print server medRxiv, also showed that ... READ MORE
Hydroxychloroquine does not benefit hospitalised COVID-19 patients, RECOVERY Trial finds
Oxford scientists have confirmed that there is no clinical benefit from using hydroxychloroquine on COVID-19 patients in hospital. The findings were published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Hydroxychloroquine was one of the potential COVID-19 treatments being studied as part of the ... READ MORE