The latest news, research updates and announcements from the Nuffield Department of Medicine.
For media enquiries, background information on any of our research, or to arrange interviews with relevant scientists please contact Marin Hirschfeld, NDM Head of Communications. We also have photos and videos of our work available for B-roll purposes.
What's new
Cancer vaccination mediates anti-tumour immunity
11 October 2024
The Van den Eynde group at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have identified a new CD8+ T-cell epitope of the MAGE-type P1A tumour antigen presented in a widely-used tumour model, opening new perspectives for mechanistic studies looking at MAGE-type specific anti-tumour immunity.
Research finds that a DNA polymerase is a source of cancer mutations
10 October 2024
Researchers at Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in the Nuffield Department of Medicine have found that cancer mutations are not solely caused by a random chemical reaction, but the human DNA polymerase ε makes errors which result in cytosine to thymine mutations.
NDM researchers give evidence at House of Lords Science Committee
9 October 2024
Professor Catherine Green, Professor of Clinical Biomanufacturing and Director of NDM’s Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility; Professor Sandy Douglas, Associate Professor at the Jenner Institute within NDM; and Dr Adam Ritchie, Senior Vaccinologist at the Jenner Institute were invited give evidence on lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic at the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee.
CMD collaborates with BPGbio on novel protein degradation technologies
7 October 2024
NDM’s Centre for Medicines Discovery and BPGbio, a leading biology-first, AI-powered, clinical stage biopharma focused on mitochondrial biology and protein homeostasis, today announced a five-year research collaboration focused on advancing novel protein degradation technologies, particularly in oncology and central nervous system diseases, with the goal of unlocking new therapeutic pathways for conditions with limited treatment options. The organisations will work in phases, starting with the validation of BPGbio’s novel E2 TPD technology, and expanding to the degradable target space.
New malaria study to support WHO guideline changes
4 October 2024
Researchers from the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health at NDM have contributed to a new study which will help inform World Health Organization guidelines for treating children with Plasmodium vivax malaria. They found that giving children higher doses of primaquine substantially reduced recurrences of malaria.
Pseudouridine landscape across the human transcriptome mapped
1 October 2024
The Song group at Ludwig Oxford in the Nuffield Department of Medicine have published a technique for mapping the pseudouridine landscape across the human transcriptome.
New GSK collaboration will develop use of biostatistics and AI in research
30 September 2024
With a base in the University's Nuffield Department of Medicine and Department of Statistics, the collaboration will draw upon biostatistical and artificial intelligence (AI) expertise across Oxford, prioritising the development of innovative new tools and methods that translate to medical and biopharmaceutical research.
Youth ambassadors raise tetanus awareness through public engagement activities
27 September 2024
The Youth Science Ambassadors (YSA) project has become key in the youth engagement activities of OUCRU’s Public and Community Engagement Group. Becoming part of the project, young participants are empowered to lead, propose, plan, and execute their own initiatives addressing specific issues they identify themselves.
Inflammation stimulates antimicrobial peptide release for epithelial defence
26 September 2024
The Boccellato group at NDM’s Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research have studied the regulation of antimicrobial peptide secretion in the mucus and its role in determining the colonisation of a pathogen association with stomach cancer.
New point-of-care testing to improve antibiotic use in Vietnam
24 September 2024
High levels of acceptability for a point-of-care testing service to improve antibiotic distribution for in Vietnamese pharmacies have been discovered by the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit (OUCRU), part of the Nuffield Department of Medicine.
Dr Lennard Lee wins 2024 Government Science and Engineering award
23 September 2024
The UK Government’s Science and Engineering award recognises teams or individuals who have made a significant achievement in delivering major national flagship scientific or engineering initiatives.
Improving survival rates of children with sickle cell disease in Kenya
19 September 2024
Research on sickle cell disease conducted by KEMRI-Wellcome Trust Research Programme (KWTRP) at the Nuffield Department of Medicine shows significant progress in understanding how to improve survival rates and quality of life for those living with the condition.
Central Ho Chi Minh City identified as a hotspot for tuberculosis
18 September 2024
A recent study identified key factors contributing to the tuberculosis burden in Ho Chi Minh City, conducted by researchers from the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam (OUCRU), part of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, and Pham Ngoc Thach Hospital.
Antibiotic resistance could cause 39 million deaths between now and 2050
17 September 2024
Based on estimates across 204 countries and territories, new forecasts from the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project suggest that bacterial antimicrobial resistance (AMR) will cause 39 million deaths between 2025 and 2050 – equating to three deaths every minute.
Hydroxychloroquine provides moderate COVID-19 prevention
16 September 2024
Four years after being derailed by scientific fraud and politicised science in the first year of the pandemic, COPCOV, the world’s largest COVID-19 chemoprevention study, finally published results today that showed that hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) does have a moderate benefit in preventing COVID-19.
Improving understanding of lung microbiome in severe asthma patients
12 September 2024
Researchers in the Nuffield Department of Medicine, supported by NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), have discovered a link between potentially pathogenic bacteria and airways inflammation in people with severe asthma.
Developing the first cancer prevention vaccine for Lynch syndrome
10 September 2024
Scientists from the Centre for Human Genetics at Nuffield Department of Medicine are taking the initial steps in developing the UK’s first vaccine to prevent cancer in people with Lynch syndrome, thanks to funding from Cancer Research UK.
Adoptive T cell therapy shows an enhanced tumour response
9 September 2024
The Van den Eynde groups at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research in Brussels and Oxford have demonstrated that deletion of PHD2/3 enzymes in CD8 T cells shows an enhanced tumour response in various cancer models.
Preventive vaccination could be a key strategy against Lassa fever
29 August 2024
Researchers at the University of Oxford and the University of Liverpool have for the first time been able to estimate the current burden of Lassa fever, project the impacts of a Lassa fever vaccination programme, and demonstrate how it may help avoid the next pandemic.