Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) researchers have highlighted how the BRC’s infrastructure gave it the agility and capacity to respond rapidly with research projects to tackle COVID-19. In a commentary published in the open access BMC Health Research Policy and Systems journal, the BRC team said the development of the Oxford AstraZeneca (AZ) vaccine and the … Read more
News for Vaccines and Endemic Diseases
COVID-19 infection more likely than vaccines to cause rare cardiovascular complications
Researchers have reported the results of the largest ever study to compare the risks of cardiovascular events – such as myocarditis, pericarditis, and cardiac arrhythmia – between different vaccines and COVID-19 infection, and the first to investigate the association between cardiac events and the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine. The study, led by University of Oxford researchers supported … Read more
New study launched to understand vaccine escape
Oxford researchers will be involved in a major new study seeking to understand why some people become infected after vaccination or prior infection while others do not Oxford BRC-supported investigators already involved in the Protective Immunity from T-Cells in Healthcare workers (PITCH) study will be part of a consortium of academic partners involved in the … Read more
Delayed second dose and third doses of the Oxford vaccine lead to heightened immune response to COVID-19
A longer delay of up to 45 weeks between the first and second dose of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine leads to enhanced immune response after the second dose, the latest research by the Oxford Vaccine Group has found. They also found that a third dose given more than six months after the second dose leads to … Read more
Latest data on immune response to COVID-19 reinforces need for vaccination
A new study led by University of Oxford has found that previous infection, whether it was symptomatic or asymptomatic, does not necessarily protect you long term from COVID-19, particularly against new variants of concern. The PITCH Study (Protective Immunity from T cells to COVID-19 in Health workers) examined how the immune system responds to COVID-19 … Read more
Treating needle fears may reduce COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy
A new large-scale study shows that a quarter of the UK adult population has a potential injection phobia, and these individuals are twice as likely to be put off getting a COVID-19 vaccine. The study indicates that if all injection anxiety in the population was removed, just over 10 per cent of instances of vaccine … Read more
BRC-supported researchers recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours
A number of NIHR Oxford BRC-supported researchers who have played prominent roles in the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic have been honoured as part of the Queen’s Birthday Honours List. The researchers, who have developed new vaccines or identified new drug treatments, have saved many lives around the world. Among the BRC researchers recognised … Read more
Messaging focused on personal rather than collective benefits more effective for COVID-19 vaccination
The largest ever study of COVID-19 vaccine messaging shows that emphasising the personal benefits of vaccination may be the most effective way to persuade people who are sceptical about the jab. For the one in ten who say they won’t take a COVID-19 vaccine, messaging that focuses on personal rather than collective benefits is more … Read more
Oxford BRC researchers named among new Academy of Medical Sciences fellows
A number of leading researchers supported by the NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre are among 50 prominent biomedical and health scientists elected to the Academy of Medical Sciences’ respected and influential Fellowship. The new Fellows include Oxford BRC experts who have spearheaded the COVID-19 response, such as Professor Sarah Gilbert, who led the team developing … Read more
Malaria vaccine becomes first to achieve WHO-specified 75% efficacy goal
Researchers from the University of Oxford and their partners have reported that a malaria vaccine they are developing has proved to be 77% effective in early trials. The findings of the Phase IIb randomised, controlled, double-blind trial, posted on SSRN/Preprints with The Lancet, show the candidate malaria vaccine, R21/Matrix-M, demonstrated high-level efficacy over 12-months of … Read more
National survey reveals big reductions in COVID-19 infections with single dose of Oxford-AZ and Pfizer vaccines
Data from the national COVID-19 Infection Survey, which is led by senior NIHR Oxford BRC researcher Professor Sarah Walker, has revealed the impact of vaccination on antibody responses and new infections in a large group of adults from the general population. This major community surveillance survey, one of the NIHR’s COVID-19 urgent public health studies, … Read more
Human challenge trial launches to study immune response to COVID-19
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
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