Researchers in Oxford have found that an individual’s immune system – and in particular the presence of T-cells amongst tumour cells – may play an important role in survival after surgery to remove pancreatic cancer. The study by the University of Oxford’s Department of Oncology and Kennedy Institute, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research … Read more
News for Gastroenterology and Mucosal Immunity
Oxford researcher gets additional prize for his research into immunology of asthma
A University of Oxford researcher has been awarded a top scientific prize to add to a prestigious fellowship he was given in June. Dr Tim Hinks was awarded the £25,000 Wellcome-Beit Prize for his research into the immunology of lung diseases, including asthma. The prize is given to four outstanding scientists each year by the Wellcome … Read more
Stem cell transplants to be used in treating Crohn’s disease
A new clinical trial has begun which will use stem cell transplants to grow a new immune system for people with untreatable Crohn’s disease. Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the centres where the trial will be conducted, and where patients will be recruited. Research at Oxford into Crohn’s disease and other … Read more
Oxford researcher gets £1m boost to study immunology of asthma
A University of Oxford researcher has received a £1m grant to expand his research into the immunology of lung diseases, including asthma. Dr Tim Hinks has been awarded a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Career Development Fellowship. The funding that comes with the award will allow Dr Hinks, who is also supported by the NIHR Oxford … Read more
Online tool allows patients with ulcerative colitis to manage condition
An online tool that allows people with a form of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) to manage their own condition and reduce hospital visits is being rolled out to more patients in Oxford. The decision to expand use of the True Colours platform for people with ulcerative colitis follows a successful six-month trial involving around 60 … Read more
Killer T cells show their kinder side, BRC researchers reveal
The immune system protects the body by responding to invading organisms, but how is an attack on useful resident microbes prevented? Two NIHR Oxford BRC researchers have identified a pathway that allows immune cells to sense and respond to beneficial bacteria. The article by the Oxford BRC’s Co-theme Lead for Gastroenterology and Mucosal Immunity Prof … 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 research”. The successful candidates are all prominent researchers in the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre … Read more
HIV cure hope thanks to collaboration
Researchers are hopeful of a cure for HIV after treating the first patient with a promising new treatment that could kill all traces of the virus. A partnership sparked by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre is behind this collaborative UK effort for the new … Read more
Treatment targets HIV’s last hiding place
Picture: Wellcome Trust UK scientists may have found a way to destroy HIV’s last refuge. A study by Oxford University has confirmed that a treatment developed by a British company can remove the virus in its chosen hiding place, in laboratory conditions, offering hope of a viable treatment. Professor Lucy Dorrell and her team at … Read more
Researchers find more uses for immune system’s ‘Swiss army knife’
Oxford University research supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has found that a little-studied and relatively unknown part of the human immune system could be twice as important as previously thought. Mucosal Associated Invariant T-cells (MAIT cells) were first identified in 1993 but largely ignored until recently. Australian researchers recently found that they … Read more