A study of schizophrenia patients has found profound disruptions in their sleep patterns, with half also having irregular body clocks that are out of synch with the pattern of night and day. The Oxford researchers argue that the extent and severe nature of these long-term sleep problems should be ... READ MORE
News Archive
Stroke feature: restructuring the brain
A Wellcome Trust article highlights the work of Professor Heidi Johansen-Berg at the University of Oxford and her research exploring the structural changes in the brain’s white and grey matter that underlie learning. Understanding the precise cellular nature of those changes may improve diagnosis of ... READ MORE
Treating the brain with tiny electric currents may aid stroke recovery
Tiny electric currents applied across regions of the brain can improve hand movements in recovering stroke patients for a short period, an Oxford University study has demonstrated. The researchers are hopeful that developing this brain stimulation technique further may provide a useful addition ... READ MORE
New treatment for lung, liver and renal tumours
Doctors, surgeons and researchers from the Imaging Theme of the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, Oxford are looking into the effectiveness of using ablation as another treatment option for lung, liver and renal tumours. Microwave Ablation is used to treat small tumors by passing ... READ MORE
Ten years of collaboration brings new hope for patients
NIHR funded doctors, surgeons and scientists from the HIFU Unit (high intensity focused ultrasound), marked its official opening at the Churchill Hospital after a 10 year collaboration with the Haifu Company of China. The £1.5m Oxford HIFU machine has been given on long-term loan from the ... READ MORE
Man treated in Oxford for blindness with gene therapy
Researchers in Oxford have treated a man with an advanced gene therapy technique to prevent him from losing his sight. It is the first time that anyone has tried to correct a genetic defect in the light-sensing cells that line the back of the eye. The president of the Academy of Medical ... READ MORE
The amazing story of my father’s brain
The Thomas Willis Oxford Brain collection features in a Sunday Telegraph article by local journalist Vikki Owen. She talks movingly about donating her father's brain to research and his struggle with MS. The Thomas Willis Oxford Brain Collection is a collaborating centre for the Brains for ... READ MORE
Researchers trial new drug for women with hereditary breast and ovarian cancer
A CANCER RESEARCH UK-funded trial of a new drug for patients with advanced breast or ovarian cancer due to inherited gene faults has been launched at the Oxford Experimental Cancer Medicine Centre (ECMC) at the University of Oxford. The trial, led by a team based at the National Institute for ... READ MORE
New two-drug approach to treat type of respiratory disease
A therapy combining two existing drugs could provide an effective new approach for treating patients with pleural infections, a serious condition where infected fluid builds up in the space between the ribs and lungs. A randomised clinical trial conducted by Oxford University researchers in the ... READ MORE
Small molecules found to play complex role in cancer metastasis
While they may be small in size, a family of tiny molecules called microRNAs could potentially play a large role in the process of cancer metastasis, or the spread of cancer from one area of the body to another. A team of researchers from The Cancer Institute of New Jersey (CINJ) and Princeton ... READ MORE
Patients tell of their experience of TIAs and minor strokes
Healthtalkonline is a website that provides a rich resource of more than 2,000 people's experiences of health and illness. It’s also a great source of reliable information about conditions, treatment choices and support. Adding to the growing list of diseases covered by Healthtalkonline is a new ... READ MORE
Joint funding for multiple sclerosis research
The Oxford Biomedical Research Centre and the MS Society have joined forces to fund a three year Clinical Research Fellowship to carry out translational research into basic or clinical aspects of multiple sclerosis (MS). The collaboration will support the research of Dr Oliver Leach, based within ... READ MORE
Rare tumour’s ‘fingerprint’ used to develop cheap and reliable new test
Researchers at the University of Oxford have developed a cheap and reliable diagnostic test for a rare form of cancer. The test involves screening tumour samples for a particular molecular fingerprint unique to this cancer. Hereditary leiomyomatosis and renal cell cancer (HLRCC) is a disorder ... READ MORE
What can be done about the rising risk of antibiotic resistance?
On December 11th 1945, at the end of his Nobel lecture, Alexander Fleming sounded a warning. Fleming’s chance observation of the antibiotic effects of a mould called Penicillium on one of his bacterial cultures had inspired his co-laureates, Howard Florey and Ernst Chain, two researchers based in ... READ MORE
Final child vaccinated in clinical trial of new TB vaccine
The vaccination of the final child marks a significant milestone in the development of the MVA85A/AERAS-485 vaccine candidate, the most advanced of any of the new generation of preventative TB vaccines currently being investigated. Tuberculosis kills 1.8 million people per year, and more than 2 ... READ MORE
Vital signs for newborns standardised
New reference ranges for children’s heart and breathing rates have been produced by Oxford University scientists to help doctors assess these vital signs. The new reference charts, based on an analysis of 69 studies including a total of some 143,000 children, differ widely from existing ... READ MORE
Do you dance like your Dad?
A brain chemical called GABA is the reason why “some people dance like Fred Astaire – while others have the natural rhythm of Ann Widdecombe”, the Daily Mail has reported. The news is based on a study involving 12 healthy young adults who had their brains stimulated with electrodes to alter ... READ MORE
Heart disease linked to a few rogue genes
Heart disease is linked to just a few rogue genes as well as lifestyle choices, landmark research into Britain’s biggest killer has found. The 18 genes that raise the risk of cardiac problems, from heart attacks to hardening of the arteries, have been pinpointed in three studies involving ... READ MORE
3G Ambulance Technology Monitors Vital Signs in Heart Attack Patients
Doctors, engineers, scientists, clinicians and ambulance paramedics are working together on a National Instititue for Health Research (NIHR) funded project which could shave off vital time between patient assessment, diagnosis and treatment for those with suspected heart attacks, and give earlier ... READ MORE
Universal flu vaccine developed in Oxford
Scientists at Oxford University have successfully tested a universal flu vaccine that could work against all known strains of the illness, taking a significant step in the fight against a disease that affects billions of people each year. The treatment – using a new technique and tested for the ... READ MORE