Researchers at the University of Oxford have launched a human challenge trial to look at what kind of immune response can stop people from becoming re-infected. The team, led by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre Director Professor Helen McShane (pictured right), also want to find out how the immune system reacts to a second … Read more
News for Vaccines and Endemic Diseases
New study finds strong immune response following COVID-19 vaccination
A new study has found that 99% of people generate a robust immune response against COVID-19 after just one dose of the Pfizer vaccine, and that after two doses levels of protection were even stronger. The PITCH (Protective Immunity from T cells to COVID-19 in Health workers) study, led by Oxford and Sheffield Universities with … 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 Hospitals (OUH) NHS Foundation Trust who had received two vaccines had a symptomatic infection … Read more
Oxford academics named NIHR Senior Investigators
Four academics supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre have been awarded a prestigious national award. The University of Oxford professors have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators in recognition of being “among the most prominent and prestigious researchers funded by the NIHR and the most outstanding leaders of patient and people-based research within the NIHR research … Read more
Oxford study reveals public attitudes to vaccine roll-out programmes
An international study led by University of Oxford health economists and political scientists has found that there is much greater consistency in public attitudes across a number of countries about who should be prioritised for COVID-19 vaccination than there is in national policies. The study, published on the medRxiv pre-print server, could have important implications … Read more
Oxford University extends COVID-19 vaccine study to children
The University of Oxford coronavirus vaccine team has launched the first study to assess the safety and immune responses in children and young adults of their ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine. The study, which will be conducted with partner sites in London, Southampton and Bristol, builds on previous trials of the vaccine, which have shown that it … Read more
Oxford coronavirus vaccine shows sustained protection between doses
Researchers at the University of Oxford have revealed that the efficacy of the Oxford/AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine is higher at longer prime-boost intervals, and that a single dose of the vaccine is 76% effective from 22 to up to 90 days post-vaccination. In their findings, published in Preprints with The Lancet, they report on an analysis … Read more
Oxford COVID-19 vaccinations begin
The NHS has launched the roll-out of the new Oxford AstraZeneca coronavirus vaccine, with patients at Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust (OUH) the very first to get the life-saving jab. Among the first to be vaccinated was Prof Andrew Pollard, the Oxford BRC investigator who has played a key role in developing the vaccine. … 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 has been presented in a paper published in BMJ … Read more
Peer-reviewed results of phase 3 Oxford coronavirus vaccine trial demonstrate efficacy
The vaccine against SARS-CoV-2 developed by researchers from the University of Oxford and AstraZeneca is safe and effective according to the peer-reviewed findings of the phase 3 trial. The pooled analysis of the trial across two different dose regimens resulted in an average efficacy of 70.4%; however, one dosing regimen achieved 90% efficacy. The new study, … Read more
Oxford University breakthrough on global COVID-19 vaccine
The University of Oxford, in collaboration with AstraZeneca plc, has announced interim trial data from its Phase III trials that shows its candidate vaccine, ChAdOx1 nCoV-2019, is effective at preventing COVID-19 and offers a high level of protection. The interim analysis indicates that the vaccine is 70.4% effective when combining data from two dosing regimens. … Read more
Health economists outline possible criteria for allocating COVID-19 vaccine
NIHR Oxford BRC-supported health economics researchers have published a paper outlining the possible criteria that governments might use to prioritise who gets a COVID-19 vaccine once one has been approved for use. The article – ‘How Should a Safe and Effective COVID-19 Vaccine be Allocated? Health Economists Need to be Ready to Take the Baton’ … Read more
BRC researchers’ work recognised with Vice-Chancellor’s Awards
A number of Oxford BRC-supported researchers have been recognised in this year’s University of Oxford Vice-Chancellor Innovation Awards. The Vice-Chancellor Innovation Awards celebrate research-led innovation that is having societal or economic impact. Prof Robert MacLaren, who leads the BRC’s Surgical Innovation theme, was named winner of the Inspiring Leadership category for his work on creation and spin-out of … Read more
Oxford coronavirus vaccine produces strong immune response, study finds
A team of scientists at Oxford University’s Jenner Institute and Oxford Vaccine Group has taken the next step towards the discovery of a safe, effective and accessible vaccine against coronavirus. The results of the Phase I/II trial, published today in The Lancet, indicate no early safety concerns and show the vaccine induces a strong immune … Read more
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine to begin phase II/III human trials
University of Oxford researchers have begun recruiting for the next phase in human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine in human volunteers. The phase I trial in healthy adult volunteers began in April. More than 1,000 immunisations have been completed and follow-up is currently ongoing. The next study will enrol up to 10,260 adults and children … Read more
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine begins human trial stage
University of Oxford researchers have begun testing a COVID-19 vaccine in human volunteers in Oxford. Around 1,110 people will take part in the trial, half receiving the vaccine and the other half (the control group) receiving a widely available meningitis vaccine. Of the first two volunteers to take part, one likewise received the vaccine and … Read more
BRC funds three further COVID-19 studies
Three more studies are being funded by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) to look at the way the body interacts with COVID19; these include assessing the safety of a new vaccine; the role that antibodies might play in plasma therapy; and blood biomarkers that determine adverse reactions in those that have been infected. … Read more
Oxford COVID-19 vaccine programme opens for clinical trial recruitment
University of Oxford researchers, working in an unprecedented vaccine development effort to prevent COVID-19, have started screening healthy volunteers ahead of a vaccine trial. The NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) provided essential funding to get the trial up and running. The team will enrol healthy volunteers aged between 18 and 55, who, if they … 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
Working together to find a cure to HIV
Results from a study testing a new ‘kick and kill’ method of reducing the size of the undetected HIV reservoir in people living with the virus were published in The Lancet this week. RIVER (Research in Viral Eradication of HIV Reservoirs) is the first ever randomised clinical trial to test this approach to curing HIV. … Read more