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« Back to NewsField evaluation of EasyScan GO: a digital malaria microscopy device
28 June 2022
Microscopic examination of Giemsa-stained blood films is key to quantifying and detecting malaria parasites but there can be difficulties in ensuring both a high-quality manual reading and inter-reader reliability. The EasyScan GO was developed as a potential solution to this, a microscopy device using machine-learning-based image analysis for automated parasite detection and quantification.
Registration is open for The Global Health Network Conference 2022
24 June 2022
To tackle disease we need evidence to be generated through every type of health research study. This conference aims to bring together health research teams, organisations, health-workers, policy makers and practitioners to explore together how health research can be embedded into every healthcare setting. Join us at The Global Health Network Conference 2022 at the University of Cape Town, South Africa, 24 – 25 November 2022
The inside story of Recovery: how the world’s largest COVID-19 trial transformed treatment – and what it could do for other diseases
21 June 2022
Two years ago, the Recovery trial transformed the care of COVID patients with its dexamethasone announcement. Within four hours, the steroid was included in NHS treatment recommendations. Almost overnight, treatment of COVID patients around the world changed completely. It has been estimated that dexamethasone may have saved a million lives in the first nine months following the announcement. Recovery is a groundbreaking scientific machine which, from the outset, moved at unprecedented speed. In the first 100 days alone, the trial produced three groundbreaking results that would completely reshape COVID care.
Gail Carson chair of GOARN
21 June 2022
Dr Gail Carson from the International Severe Acute Respiratory and emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) is nominated chair of WHO Global Outbreak Alert & Response Network (GOARN)
RECOVERY trial celebrates two-year anniversary of life-saving dexamethasone result
16 June 2022
Two years ago, the RECOVERY trial gave the world its first breakthrough against coronavirus: the discovery that an inexpensive steroid pill, dexamethasone, reduced deaths by up to a third from COVID-1. Within hours, the result was breaking news across the world and hospitals were adopting the drug into the standard care given to all patients with COVID-19. In the nine months following the discovery, dexamethasone saved an estimated one million lives worldwide.
Congratulations to Professor Sir David Warrell, appointed Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George!
7 June 2022
Awards & Appointments MORU OCGHR
David Warrell, MORU founding director, has been appointed by the Queen ‘Knight Commander of the Order of St Michael and St George for services to global Health Research and Clinical Practice’. Please join us in congratulating Sir David on receiving this richly deserved high honour!
Major boost for Oxford’s mission to counter future pandemic threats
20 May 2022
The Moh Family Foundation has given a substantial gift to support the work of Oxford University’s Pandemic Sciences Institute, greatly strengthening its ability to identify and counter future pandemic threats and ensure equitable access to treatments and vaccines around the world.
Indian authorities sign an MoU for a data and skill-sharing partnership between ICMR and IDDO
27 April 2022
The Indian government’s Union Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Shri Narendra Modi, has approved a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO), based at the University of Oxford.
The GRAM Project has moved
1 April 2022
The Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project has a new centre of operations at the University of Oxford, after moving this month from the Big Data Institute to the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, under the leadership of Dr. Benn Sartorius (PI) and Prof. Christiane Dolecek (co-PI).
Sharing expertise with scientific collaborators in India
29 March 2022
The Indian Council for Medical Research (ICMR) National Institute of Malaria Research (NIMR) and IDDO collaborate on a joint capacity building venture to train young researchers across three infectious diseases: malaria, visceral leishmaniasis and lymphatic filariasis
Artemisinin combination therapy trials need longer follow-up to detect late treatment failures for Plasmodium falciparum malaria
29 March 2022
WWARN researchers have been assessing the recommended minimum follow-up period in capturing polymerase chain reaction (PCR)-confirmed recrudescence following treatment with fixed-dose artemisinin combination therapies (ACTs) for patients with uncomplicated Plasmodium falciparum malaria.
Paxlovid to be investigated by the RECOVERY Trial as a potential treatment for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
29 March 2022
The RECOVERY Trial begins testing the antiviral treatment Paxlovid. Paxlovid, an oral antiviral treatment developed by Pfizer, is a combination of nirmatrelvir and ritonavir. Nirmatrelvir inhibits an enzyme that is critical for the replication of the virus that causes COVID-19, whilst ritonavir increases the concentration of nirmatrelvir.
The RECOVERY Trial - two years on
28 March 2022
One trial. Over 47,000 participants. Nearly 200 hospital sites, across six countries. Ten results. Four effective COVID-19 treatments. And behind them all, an army of countless researchers, doctors, nurses, statisticians and supporting staff.
RECOVERY Trial launches in Ghana
18 March 2022
The world’s largest clinical trial investigating treatments for COVID-19 has now launched in Ghana, West Africa. This is the sixth country to take part in RECOVERY, joining Indonesia, Nepal, South Africa, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.
Oral paratyphoid vaccine to begin human trials
11 March 2022
The University of Oxford in collaboration with the University of Maryland School of Medicine has begun recruiting for a Phase I/II trial of a new paratyphoid vaccine in human volunteers in Oxford. In the first study of its kind, after vaccination volunteers will be 'challenged' with paratyphoid to see whether the vaccine can prevent infection.
Largest-ever IPD meta-analysis of malaria patients to inform haemoglobin changes
8 March 2022
A new malaria study using a very large analysis of pooled individual patient data (IPD) from more than 70,000 patients of all ages, has been published in BMC Medicine by the WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network Falciparum Haematology Study Group
New RECOVERY trial result: baricitinib reduces deaths in patients hospitalised with COVID-19
3 March 2022
The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial has demonstrated that baricitinib, an anti-inflammatory drug normally used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, reduces the risk of death when given to hospitalised patients with severe COVID-19. The benefit was in addition to those of dexamethasone and tocilizumab, two other anti-inflammatory treatments which have previously been shown to reduce the risk of death in these patients.
The University of Oxford annouces the new Pandemic Sciences Institute
1 March 2022
The University of Oxford has launched a new institute of global research collaboration and excellence, the Pandemic Sciences Institute. It will harness the strong global research collaborations that the University of Oxford has developed over more than forty years to ensure that the world is better equipped to create global and equitable science-driven solutions to prepare for, identify, and counter future pandemic threats.
Training Programme in Modelling for Global Health
18 February 2022
Starting October 2022 and based on the MSc in Modelling for Global Health, our new Training Programme in Modelling for Global Health allows participants to select a bespoke set of short courses from the Modelling for Global Health curriculum.
Trial of holographic communication in Centre for Tropical Medicine & Global Health – an Enterprise....
18 February 2022
From 1st- 3rd March 2022 the Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health will be hosting a demo event to showcase holographic meeting equipment and assess whether this technology offers an advantageous solution to topical issues such as hybrid meetings and international travel whilst also providing opportunities to enhance international communication.
Global Research on AntiMicrobial resistance (GRAM) project
20 January 2022
Antimicrobial resistance (AMR) is responsible for at least 1.27 million deaths per year — with over 97,000 deaths in 2019 in SE Asia alone, according to a study published in The Lancet by the Global Research on AntiMicrobial resistance (GRAM) project, who urged urgent action from policymakers and health communities to avoid further preventable deaths.
Susie, Phaik Yeong, Richard and Paul among new full Oxford professors!
20 December 2021
Awards & Appointments COMRU MORU OCGHR
In the 2021 Oxford Recognition of Distinction round, four MORU colleagues were awarded Full Professor title.
RECOVERY Trial launches in South Africa
10 December 2021
The world’s largest clinical trial investigating treatments for COVID-19 has now launched in South Africa, with the first patient recruited today. This is the fifth country to take part in RECOVERY, joining Nepal, Indonesia, Vietnam, and the United Kingdom.
RECOVERY Trial wins ‘Oscar of Higher Education’ for STEM Research Project of the year
26 November 2021
The RECOVERY Trial has been awarded the 2021 Times Higher Education (THE) Award in the ‘Research Project of the Year: STEM’ category.
Antibiotic accountability: how countries and companies perform
24 November 2021
Patients in north Africa and the Middle East are using antibiotics in sharply rising quantities far beyond the global average, raising concerns over the escalating risks of resistance to medicines to treat bacterial infections. Estimated antibiotic consumption for 204 countries between 2000 and 2018 shows a 46 per cent increase in global antibiotic usage, with a surge in nations including India and Vietnam.
Paul Newton named ASTMH Distinguished International Fellow
19 November 2021
Professor Paul Newton was announced new Distinguished International Fellow at the ASTMH Annual Meeting Awards Ceremony on the 17th November. This distinction formally recognizes individuals who have made eminent contributions to a particular aspect of tropical medicine or hygiene.
GRAM study provides the first longitudinal estimates of global antibiotic consumption in 204 countries from 2000 to 2018
12 November 2021
Global antibiotic consumption rates increased by 46 percent in the last two decades, according to the first study to provide longitudinal estimates for human antibiotic consumption covering 204 countries from 2000 to 2018, published in Lancet Planetary Health by the Global Research on Antimicrobial Resistance (GRAM) Project.
Large-scale systematic review identifies research gaps in scrub typhus
2 November 2021
A new, extensive systematic review has identified significant research gaps in the treatment of scrub typhus which could be improved by developing a database for individual participant data (IPD) to enable more detailed analyses to address important knowledge gaps such as the optimum dosing for children and to improve patient outcomes.
Peter Horby receives prestigious award for outstanding service to public health
14 October 2021
The Faculty of Public Health has awarded its prestigious Alwyn Smith Prize to Professor Sir Peter Horby for 2020/2021 in recognition of his outstanding service to public health as a global leader in epidemic science.
Lack of evidence is key barrier to using portable devices to detect poor quality medicines
11 October 2021
A series of papers which reviewed portable devices to detect poor quality medicines has concluded major gaps in scientific evidence remain a key barrier for regulators to implement surveillance systems using such devices.
RECOVERY Trial paper on dexamethasone wins BMJ’s 2021 UK Research Paper of the Year Award
1 October 2021
A RECOVERY Collaborative Group paper has been announced as the 2021 winner of The British Medical Journal’s prestigious UK Research Paper of the Year Award. This award recognises original UK research that has the potential to contribute significantly to improving health and healthcare. The paper, “Dexamethasone in Hospitalized Patients with Covid-19”, published in the New England Journal of Medicine, described the discovery in June 2020 of the world’s first effective, readily available treatment for COVID-19 – the inexpensive steroid, dexamethasone.
Tropical Medicine DPhil Students awarded NDM Prize
22 September 2021
Awards & Appointments MORU OCGHR
Every year, the Nuffield Department of Medicine awards NDM Prizes to our most outstanding students. This year, Mo yin and Rebecca Inglis (both at MORU) were highly commended in the category NDM Overall Prize, for conducting research with an outstanding impact. Will Schilling (MORU) received a prize as first year DPhil student, and Mohammad Ali (OCGHR) as second year DPhil student. Our warmest congratulations to you all!
New study alerts to the risk of poor quality medicines used to prevent and treat cardiovascular disease
21 September 2021
There are important but neglected issues with substandard and falsified medicines and medical products used to prevent and treat cardiovascular diseases. From limited available data, MORU and IDDO scientists found about one fifth of medicines reported as sampled in the literature were substandard or falsified. This systematic review suggests that more and better quality data and data sharing are needed to better understand the global burden of this problem and inform interventions.
Systematic review identifies research gaps for Chagas disease
14 September 2021
A new, large-scale systematic review published in PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases has identified clear, significant research gaps in the diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease. The paper also highlights significant differences in study design, diagnostic methods, duration of follow-up, and the timing of outcome assessment used by investigators even in the last decade.
The scale of the problem of visceral leishmaniasis in pregnancy is underestimated
23 August 2021
Despite the limitations and paucity of data, the most comprehensive review of visceral leishmaniasis to date in pregnant women and vertical transmission of leishmaniasis has confirmed that liposomal amphotericin B is the safest treatment option and it is critical to ensure access to this.
RECOVERY Trial announced as overall winner of Best COVID-19 Response Project Award in the UK
20 July 2021
The RECOVERY Trial has won the Project Management Institute’s Special Covid-19 UK Response Project Award. The award specifically recognised RECOVERY’s work to investigate whether the cheap steroid dexamethasone was an effective treatment for patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19.
ISARIC COVID-19 clinical database passes ½ million patient records mark
19 July 2021
COVID-19 has exposed our vulnerability to pandemic infections and shown what works, and what does not. It has tested the effectiveness of the Oxford-based global, open-source, collaborative approach set up 10 years ago to prevent illness and deaths from infectious disease outbreaks: ISARIC, the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium.
RECOVERY Trial named joint winner of HDR UK’s Impact of the Year Award
30 June 2021
The RECOVERY trial has been jointly awarded Health Data Research UK’s 2021 Impact of the Year Award. This award is open to projects which had effectively used health data to improve people’s lives, including through clinical practice, policy, software, algorithms, or publications. The award was presented by James O’Shaughnessy at HDR UK’s online Annual Scientific Conference: Data Insights in a Pandemic.
Latest data on immune response to COVID-19 reinforces need for vaccination, says Oxford-led study
20 June 2021
A new study led by the University of Oxford has found that previous infection, whether symptomatic or asymptomatic, does not necessarily protect you long-term from COVID-19, particularly against new Variants of Concern.
RECOVERY trial finds Regeneron’s monoclonal antibody combination reduces deaths for hospitalised COVID-19 patients who have not mounted their own immune response
16 June 2021
The Randomised Evaluation of COVID-19 Therapy (RECOVERY) trial has demonstrated that the investigational antibody combination developed by Regeneron reduces the risk of death when given to patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19 who have not mounted a natural antibody response of their own.
Professors Peter Horby and Guy Thwaites recognised in Queen’s Birthday Honours
12 June 2021
Awards & Appointments OCGHR OUCRU
The pioneering work of members of the University of Oxford has been recognised in The Queen's Birthday Honours List. The honorands include Professor Peter Horby and six researchers that have played key roles in leading the University’s response to the Coronavirus pandemic, from the development of new vaccines to the discovery of new drug treatments. Professor Guy Thwaites is appointed a Member of the Order of the British Empire.
RECOVERY trial finds aspirin does not improve survival for patients hospitalised with COVID-19
9 June 2021
The RECOVERY trial was established as a randomised clinical trial to test a range of potential treatments for patients hospitalised with COVID-19. Patients with COVID-19 are at increased risk of blood clots forming in their blood vessels, particularly in the lungs. Between November 2020 and March 2021, the RECOVERY trial included nearly 15,000 patients hospitalised with COVID-19 in an assessment of the effects of aspirin, which is widely used to reduce blood clotting in other diseases. There was no significant difference in the primary endpoint of 28-day mortality
The COVID-19 International Modelling Consortium (CoMo Consortium) enters a new phase
9 June 2021
Created in March 2020 to assist policymakers to make use of existing evidence in mathematical and epidemiological models to inform strategies for minimising the impact of COVID-19, the CoMo Consortium brings together mathematical modellers, epidemiologists, health economists and public health experts from more than 40 countries across Africa, Asia and South and North America.
New Pandemic Sciences Centre at the University of Oxford
28 May 2021
The University of Oxford announces the launch of a centre of global research collaboration and excellence, the Pandemic Sciences Centre. The need for partnership between academic excellence, industry and public health organisations is one of the key lessons learned from the coronavirus pandemic. This centre will unite disciplines, and sectors, to build agile, equitable partnerships that can tackle complex problems and respond to pandemic threats at any time.
RECOVERY trial named David Sackett Trial of the Year 2020
20 May 2021
The RECOVERY trial has been named David Sackett Trial of the Year by the Society for Clinical Trials. The award was presented today at the Society for Clinical Trials’ 42nd Annual Meeting.
Arjen Dondorp, Peter Horby and Rose McGready elected Academy of Medical Sciences Fellows
12 May 2021
Awards & Appointments MORU OCGHR
"Although it is hard to look beyond the pandemic right now," says President of the Academy of Medical Sciences Professor Dame Anne Johnson, "I want to stress how important it is that the Academy Fellowship represents the widest diversity of biomedical and health sciences. The greatest health advances rely on the findings of many types of research, and on multidisciplinary teams and cross-sector and global collaboration."
Risks of serious adverse events following treatment for visceral leishmaniasis
30 March 2021
This large-scale systematic review and meta-analysis aimed to collate all reported serious adverse events in visceral leishmaniasis clinical trials and quantify the incidence of mortality during the first 30 days of therapy. The analyses, which included clinical data from more than 35,000 patients, found that mortality following treatment was an extremely rare event and serious adverse events following treatments were poorly reported.
The RECOVERY Trial: One year on
23 March 2021
The Randomised Evaluation of COVid-19 thERapY (RECOVERY) trial was officially launched on 23 March 2020. It is the world's largest COVID-19 drug trial. Thanks to the ground-breaking work of RECOVERY, clinicians treating patients hospitalised with severe COVID-19 now have two treatments that are known to improve survival.
Researchers call for access to Ivermectin for young children
19 March 2021
Millions of children weighing less than 15kg are currently denied access to Ivermectin treatment due to insufficient safety data being available to support a change to the current label indication. The WorldWide Antimalarial Resistance Network’s new meta-analysis provides evidence that supports removing this barrier and improving treatment equity.
Gender imbalance in visceral leishmaniasis clinical trials
17 March 2021
Researchers have found that despite an ongoing trend for a decreasing proportion of males being enrolled in antileishmanial therapeutic efficacy trials over time, there are still 1.8 times as many males as females involved in clinical trials. A new systematic review and meta-analysis suggests that existing knowledge on drug efficacy is derived from a study population that is heavily skewed towards adult males. At the same time, substantially less is known about the optimal treatment response in female patients.