Thousands of people suffering with long COVID will benefit from new research programmes backed by £19.6 million to help better understand the condition, improve diagnosis and find new treatments. Among the 15 studies that will receive government funding through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) is the EXPLAIN study, supported by the NIHR Oxford … Read more
News for Imaging
AI replaces contrast dye for fast, cheaper and needle-free cardiac MRI scans
A team from Oxford comprising artificial intelligence (AI) scientists, magnetic resonance specialists and cardiologists have developed a new cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) scan for detecting heart muscle disease. The current ‘gold standard’ for imaging heart muscle disease is CMR, using a method called late gadolinium enhancement. This requires injection of a contrast agent into the … Read more
New Senior Research Fellows named
The NIHR Oxford BRC has announced the appointment of its latest group of Senior Research Fellows – the third cohort of emerging research leaders to receive the accolade. Like in 2020, this year’s selection process was a coordinated effort by the Oxford BRC and its partners in the NIHR Oxford Health BRC, which focuses on mental health … Read more
AI endoscopy enables 3D surface measurements of pre-cancerous condition in oesophagus
Clinicians and engineers in Oxford have begun using artificial intelligence alongside endoscopy to get more accurate readings of the pre-cancerous condition Barrett’s oesophagus and so determine patients most at risk of developing cancer. In a research paper published in the journal Gastroenterology, the researchers said the new AI-driven 3D reconstruction of Barrett’s oesophagus achieved 97.2 … Read more
Artificial intelligence tool for streamlining pathology workflow
A multidisciplinary team comprising University of Oxford academics and Oxford University Hospitals (OUH) pathologists has developed an algorithm that automates requests for additional investigation of diagnostically uncertain prostate biopsies. The team were supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC through its Molecular Diagnostics and Imaging themes. Nearly 50,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed each year … Read more
Study confirms longer-term lung damage after COVID-19
A study by Oxford and Sheffield researchers using a cutting-edge method of imaging has identified persistent damage to the lungs of COVID-19 patients at least three months after they were discharged from hospital, and for some patients even longer. This damage was not detected by routine CT scans and clinical tests, and the patients would … Read more
Having a healthier heart associated with better problem-solving and reaction time
People with healthier heart structure and function appear to have better cognitive abilities, including increased capacity to solve logic problems and faster reaction times, according to a study involving University of Oxford and Queen Mary University of London (QMUL) researchers. The study, which included researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, was published … Read more
Seven in ten patients hospitalised with COVID-19 not fully recovered five months after discharge
A majority of survivors who left hospital following COVID-19 had not fully recovered five months after discharge and continued to experience negative impacts on their physical and mental health, as well as their ability to work, according to results released by a major national study into the longer-term effect of the COVID-19. The PHOSP-COVID study, … Read more
Oxford study confirms medium-term impact of COVID-19
A study looking at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 has found that a significant proportion of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital reported symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue and depression and had limited exercise capacity several weeks after leaving hospital. The University of Oxford scientists carrying out the C-MORE study found that at two to three month … 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 scanning to identify the impact on lung function as patients … Read more
Oxford study reveals medium-term impact of COVID-19
Initial findings from a study looking at the longer-term impact of COVID-19 have shown that a large proportion of COVID-19 patients discharged from hospital were still experiencing symptoms of breathlessness, fatigue, anxiety and depression two to three months after contracting the virus. The University of Oxford scientists carrying out the C-MORE study have also detected … Read more
Eight BRC projects get RCF funding
Eight Oxford BRC proposals, many covering a number of themes, have been awarded NIHR Research Capability Funding (RCF) funding to take forward key areas of research. The selected projects that will be supported include: Developing a research centre devoted to urgent and acute care The creation of a state-of-the-art imaging centre; and of a new … 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
BRC funds new COVID-19 research projects
The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) has allocated funding to three COVID-19 research projects in an attempt to improve treatment, understand how the virus interacts with chronic diseases, and the longer-term effects of infection on organs. The funding, originally earmarked for BRC cross-theme cluster projects, has been diverted to research projects in the BRC’s … Read more
New approach to reducing damage after a heart attack
During the emergency procedure used to reopen the blocked artery that has caused a heart attack, smaller ‘micro’ blood vessels can remain constricted, causing significant damage, according to a new study. The research by Associate Professor Neil Herring of the University of Oxford’s Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics established a key cause of this … Read more
Oxford researchers spot tell-tale signs of potentially fatal cardiac condition
Researchers in Oxford have employed a technique more commonly used in brain imaging to identify the tell-tale signs of the potentially fatal heart condition hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the leading cause of sudden cardiac death in young people. This Oxford BRC-supported study is the first time these microscopic heart muscle abnormalities have been spotted in living patients. … Read more
Study shows new technology can predict fatal heart attacks
Researchers at the University of Oxford, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), have developed a new technology based on analysis of computed tomography (CT) coronary angiograms that can identify patients at risk of deadly heart attacks years before they occur. Heart attacks are usually caused by inflamed plaques in the coronary artery … Read more
Lifestyle factors linked to brain health of young adults
Researchers at Oxford’s John Radcliffe Hospital have used advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate whether factors such as blood pressure, fitness, smoking and alcohol intake during young adult life are associated with changes in the blood vessels inside the brain. The University of Oxford researchers, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, collaborated … Read more
Trust opens its doors to showcase innovation and history
Oxford University Hospitals threw open its doors to the public on Friday 8 September to show visitors the latest in cutting-edge imaging technology at the John Radcliffe Hospital – and some of the Churchill Hospital’s wartime history. The four tours – two at each hospital – were part of the annual Oxford Open Doors event, … Read more
Oxford researchers develop new scan to predict stroke
Researchers at the University of Oxford, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, have developed a new type of MRI scan to predict the risk of having a stroke. The non-invasive technique, developed with funding from the British Heart Foundation (BHF), is described in a paper published in the journal JACC: Cardiovascular Imaging. It … Read more