Controlling coronavirus transmission using a mobile app to trace close proximity contacts

31 March 2020

A team of medical researchers and bioethicists at Oxford University has published results today in Science that further our understanding of coronavirus transmission.

Professor Christophe Fraser from the Big Data Institute, Nuffield Department of Medicine, a lead author on the Science paper explains, “We need a mobile contact tracing app to urgently support health services to control coronavirus transmission, target interventions and keep people safe". The project is co-led by Dr David Bonsall, who explains “The mobile app concept we’ve mathematically modelled is simple and doesn’t need to track your location; it uses a low-energy version of Bluetooth to log a memory of all the app users with whom you have come into close proximity over the last few days. If you then become infected, these people are alerted instantly and anonymously, and advised to go home and self-isolate".

Lateral flow devices detect most infectious COVID-19 cases and could allow a safer relaxation of the current lockdown

22 January 2021

Researchers from NDM's Big Data Institute working with Public Health England and NHS Test and Trace, have used Test and Trace data to find out why some individuals pass COVID-19 on to their contacts more easily than others, and if lateral flow tests are sufficient in detecting those who are most infectious

National consortium to study threats of new SARS-CoV-2 variants

19 January 2021

A new national research project to study the effects of emerging mutations in SARS-CoV-2 will be launched with £2.5 million funding from UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).

Professor Sir Dave Stuart, FRS FMedSci knighted in New Year's Honours

31 December 2020

Congratulations to Sir Dave Stuart, FRS FMedSci, NDM’s Professor of Structural Biology, knighted for services to medical research and the scientific community.

Oxford University welcomes UK regulatory emergency use authorisation of coronavirus vaccine

30 December 2020

The Nuffield Department of Medicine welcomes the news that the UK Government has today accepted the recommendation from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) to authorise the emergency use of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 coronavirus vaccine in the UK.

Professor Susie Dunachie awarded flagship NIHR career development award

16 December 2020

Susie Dunachie joins a prestigious group of leading health researchers in the latest cohort of NIHR Global Research Professors. These awards fund research leaders of the future to promote effective translation of research and to strengthen health, public health and care research leadership at the highest academic levels. Research conducted by Global Research Professors directly benefits people in LMICs. A Consultant in Infectious Diseases and Medical Microbiology, Susie works on the development of a vaccine to prevent death from melioidosis in people with type 2 diabetes mellitus in LMICs, and supports vaccine research in Thailand.

RECOVERY trial finds no benefit from azithromycin in patients hospitalised with COVID-19

14 December 2020

RECOVERY reports absence of a benefit from Azithromycin. The latest result from the NDM/NDPH RECOVERY trial shows the widely administered administration of a broad-spectrum antibiotic makes no difference to the routine outcome in hospitalised COVID19 disease. Results on other therapies are likely to follow in the coming weeks.