A trial of a new inhaled antiviral drug for COVID-19 has shown positive results and the drug is now moving into a larger international phase 3 trial of hospitalised patients, which is to be delivered with support from the NIHR. The new treatment, a protein called interferon beta or SNG001, has been developed by the UK biotech … Read more
News for Respiratory
‘Awake proning’ associated with improved COVID-19 clinical outcomes
A study by Oxford respiratory researchers has found that putting COVID-19 patients in a prone position can lead to improved outcomes. The findings of this retrospective study, supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre, were published in an article by BMJ Open Respiratory Research. Outcomes for patients with COVID-19 who require mechanical ventilation are … Read more
Oxford University and ZOE partner on COVID-19 treatment trials
The University of Oxford has joined forces with the COVID Symptom Study app to widen access to two clinical trials of potential treatments for COVID-19. The two trials include the STOIC trial, which is supported by the NIHR Oxford BRC. Run by the University’s Nuffield Department of Medicine (NDM), it is aiming to learn if … Read more
New treatment reduces COVID-19 patients needing intensive care
The preliminary results of a clinical trial supported by NIHR Oxford BRC researchers have suggested that a new treatment for COVID-19 dramatically reduces the number of patients needing intensive care. The treatment, a protein called interferon beta, has been developed by the UK biotech company Synairgen and a team of scientists at the University of … 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
First patient recruited for key drug treatment trial
A clinical trial to test whether Azithromycin, a commonly used antibiotic, can treat the symptoms of COVID-19 in outpatients has recruited its first patient. The ATOMIC2 trial, which is being led from Oxford, will enrol 800 people who are being assessed at hospital with COVID-19 but felt well enough to be cared for at home. … Read more
Drug trial could lead to enhanced respiratory care for COVID-19 patients
Researchers at the University of Oxford are working with clinical collaborators from NHS hospitals, including Oxford University Hospitals, to test a drug that could raise oxygen levels in the blood in COVID-19 patients in order to improve their chances of recovery. Raising oxygen levels is important in COVID-19, because many patients with the disease die … 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
Oxford researchers to play key role in fight-back against COVID-19
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 Oxford Vaccine Group and the University of Oxford’s Jenner … Read more
NIHR Oxford BRC Senior Research Fellows named
The Oxford BRC is delighted to announce the appointment of seven new Senior Research Fellows. They were chosen from an extremely strong field of 47 applicants from across the scientific and clinical community because they demonstrated that their research was high impact and of high quality . They were also able to demonstrate leadership, independence … Read more
Oxford medical researchers win prestigious national awards
Four leading healthcare academics in Oxford have received a prestigious national award. The University of Oxford 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
Study reveals trends in incidence of spontaneous pneumothorax
Oxford researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre have published research that show how the rates of incidence and recurrence of spontaneous pneumothorax have changed over time. The research, published on 9 October in the Journal of the American Medical Association, involved teams from the Oxford BRC’s Respiratory and Clinical Informatics themes, using … 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 outstanding scientists each year by the Wellcome … 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
Serious asthma attacks reduced by temporary quadrupling of steroid inhaler, study finds
Serious asthma attacks in adults can be reduced by a temporary but significant increase in the dose of inhaled steroids during asthma deteriorations, according to a new national study involving NIHR Oxford BRC. The Fourfold Asthma Study (FAST), published in the New England Journal of Medicine this week was led by asthma experts at the … Read more
Respiratory theme showcased at Brookes Science Bazaar
Staff from the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Respiratory Theme engaged with young members of the public at the Brookes Science Bazaar on Saturday 24 February. The event, aimed at primary school children, drew in around 2,000 people and was busy throughout the whole day. In one popular activity, Dr Tim Hinks used a bronchoscope … Read more
Respiratory experts urge rethink of ‘outdated’ asthma categorisation
A group of respiratory medicine experts have called for an overhaul in our thinking about how asthma and other airways diseases are categorised and treated, saying the current approach is outdated and does not reflect advances in treating these conditions. Outlining their views in a specially commissioned article in The Lancet, the 23 international asthma … Read more
A breathless and magical experience for foreign students
The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre has welcomed students attending the 58th London International Youth Science Forum, a two-week residential event that attracts more than 500 of the world’s leading young scientists from more than 75 countries. Twenty-five students attended the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neuroscience, based at the John Radcliffe Hospital on Thursday 3 August. … Read more
New hope for shock patients in intensive care
Care for critically-ill patients with shock could be improved, it is hoped, after the first successful testing by University of Oxford scientists of a new machine to record oxygen consumption in real time. The new technology has arisen through a collaboration between Professor Peter Robbins in the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Professors … Read more
New hope to tackle third biggest killer disease
A POTENTIAL new way to treat one of the world’s most common lung diseases is to be investigated after a study found a link between sufferers’ iron levels and worse health outcomes. Researchers are to give iron to people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) – commonly caused by smoking – to see if it … Read more