Researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre will play a crucial role in tackling the current COVID-19 pandemic, ranging from the development of a new vaccine to developing the most effective drug treatments for people who have contracted the virus. A team from the ... READ MORE
News for Inflammation across Tissues
Oxford professors appointed NIHR Senior Investigators
Four leading healthcare academics in Oxford have received a prestigious national award. The University of Oxford professors were named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of being “among the most prominent and prestigious researchers ... READ MORE
Researchers identify link in the treatment of inflammatory bowel disease
A new study involving Oxford researchers has revealed how the anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 and lipid mediator prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) work together to prevent inflammatory tissue damage and maintain a healthy gut balance. Inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD), which include Crohn’s disease (CD) ... READ MORE
Researchers find new cells that repair tissue
Researchers at Oxford University have discovered that a newly discovered group of cells can help repair tissues in the body. The researchers, who are supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, say these cells, which are abundant in our bodies, could be harnessed to help heal ... READ MORE
Oxford patients take part in study to understand role of stress in managing Crohn’s disease
Around 60 Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust patients are to take part in a study to look at how wearable and mobile devices can help us to understand the relationship between stress and the symptoms of Crohn’s disease, and help to improve management of the condition. The ... READ MORE
BRC researchers elected Fellows of Academy of Medical Sciences
Three Oxford BRC-supported researchers are among eight University of Oxford scientists elected to join the prestigious Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences (AMS) this year. The BRC researchers among the new Fellows are: Professor Helen McShane, Professor of Vaccinology in the ... READ MORE
Research identifies how the gut loses protective barrier function in IBD
A University of Oxford research team has used single-cell technology to identify new players in the gut epithelial barrier, the single-cell layer that forms the lining of the small and large intestine. The team from the MRC Human Immunology Unit (HIU), whose paper was published in the journal ... READ MORE
Study suggests immune system plays key role in survival after pancreatic cancer surgery
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 ... READ MORE
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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... 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 ... READ MORE
New TB test to get sufferers on right drugs sooner
Tuberculosis sufferers will be able get drug treatment sooner thanks to a new whole genome sequencing technique to determine for the first time which drugs to give sufferers, researchers in Oxford have reported. University of Oxford researchers at the John Radcliffe Hospital have developed a ... READ MORE
Immune system talk draws crowds
More than 100 people attended the latest BRC talk about the human immune system and how it can help and attack the body. The University of Oxford’s Professor Paul Bowness spoke on “Autoimmunity – when our immune system turns on our bodies” at the Nuffield Orthopaedic Centre, Headington, on ... READ MORE
First trial of a new hepatitis C vaccine shows promise
A new vaccine against the chronic liver disease hepatitis C has shown promising results in a first clinical trial in humans, Oxford University researchers report. The vaccine, based on a modified cold virus, generated immune responses similar to those seen in the minority of people who are ... READ MORE