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« Back to NewsPilot study detects diverse DNA in ingredients of falsified tablets
10 January 2023
A recent multidisciplinary pilot study, originating from LOMWRU and the Medicine Quality Research Group of IDDO and MORU, investigated whether bacterial, plant, fungal and animal DNA in the ingredients and from the environment (eDNA) could be detected from falsified (aka counterfeit) tablets.
OUCRU’s Photographer In Residence Featured In The Lancet’s Highlights 2022
23 December 2022
Photographs have the power to inform and engage viewers. Earlier this year, The Lancet invited submissions for Highlights, the publication’s annual photography competition. Highlights 2022 featured 14 winning photographs telling stories from a wide variety of health-related topics that captured the world’s attention in 2022. One of the powerful images selected was from Pearl Gan, OUCRU’s Photographer in Residence.
COPCOV investigators meet, and prepare to submit for publication
23 December 2022
On 15-16 Dec, COPCOV investigators from around the world met in Bangkok to review study results and plan next steps. Led by co-PIs Prof Sir Nick White and Dr Will Schilling, and funded by the Wellcome Trust, the MORU-led COPCOV ( Chloroquine prevention of coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in the healthcare setting) is the world’s largest multinational trial of COVID-19 prevention.
Expert Comment: Biotechnology allows us to make unprecedented interventions for conservation
20 December 2022
In the wake of high-profile reports on the devastating toll human activity has had on global biodiversity, nations are expected to adopt the Convention on Biodiversity post-2020 framework that outlines measures to ensure humans live in harmony with nature.
Researchers call for antimicrobial resistance surveillance to be improved
20 December 2022
COMRU LOMWRU MORU NDM-CGHR OUCRU
The number of studies reporting antimicrobial resistance (AMR) data has increased in Africa, South and South East Asia according to new research in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases.
Are we getting tafenoquine dosing right?
6 December 2022
Researchers analysing clinical trial data for the new antimalarial drug tafenoquine find that higher doses are needed to cure reliably vivax malaria infection.
VAnguard Launch
6 December 2022
KWTRP hosted the launch of the VAnguard research project. The NIHR Funded Project Builds Knowledge-base on Factors Influencing Vaccine Impact among Communities in Kenya and Uganda. The project aims to strengthen collaborations between national and international stakeholders in the identification of social and biological factors that impair vaccine impact in African communities, to develop integrated strategies and recommendations to optimize vaccine impact, and to contribute to health equity in Africa. The launch concurrently took place in Kenya and Uganda from 28th – 30th November 2022.
New SMRU building opened in Thailand to provide health care to marginalized populations
1 December 2022
The inauguration of a new joint Shoklo Malaria Research Unit (SMRU) and Borderland Health Foundation (BHF) Building took place in Mae Ramat, Thailand, this week.
Constant genetic surveillance necessary to keep multidrug-resistant malaria parasite strains in check, study finds
1 December 2022
Continually monitoring malaria parasite populations is necessary to prevent outbreaks of previously dormant multidrug-resistant malaria strains, say University of Oxford researchers. Multidrug-resistant malaria parasite strains can rapidly grow or collapse in response to public health policy changes, say the researchers in a study published today in The Lancet.
Meta-analysis informed the updated WHO guidelines for treatment of uncomplicated malaria in the first trimester of pregnancy
29 November 2022
A new WWARN meta-analysis, commissioned by the World Health Organization and which informed a change to its treatment guidelines, has been published in The Lancet. The study provides compelling evidence that artemether-lumefantrine should now replace quinine as the treatment of choice in the first trimester.
Bacterial infections linked to one in eight global deaths, according to GRAM study
22 November 2022
Data showing 7.7 million deaths from 33 bacterial infections can guide measures to strengthen health systems, particularly in low-income settings
GRAM visualization tool tracks country-level AMR and related metrics
22 November 2022
Interactive app allows users to explore data underlying estimates of global AMR burden
Letter from the hills: The invisible burden of leprosy in Sumba
18 November 2022
OUCRU Indonesia launches a new exhibition by photographer Yoppy Pieter based in Jakarta, Indonesia. This exhibition documents, through a series of intimate and beautiful images, the invisible burden of leprosy and other skin diseases in Sumba, an island in Nusa Tenggara Timor province, Indonesia.
Combating Antimicrobial Resistance
18 November 2022
November 18 – 24 is World Antimicrobial Awareness Week. Antimicrobial resistance has been a key focus in OUCRU’s research for many years. Our objective is to understand and improve antimicrobial use and antimicrobial resistance in agriculture, the community, and hospitals. Our approach is interdisciplinary – led by a number of OUCRU’s research groups and public engagement teams.
MQRG team delivers training in Mozambique and Ghana
9 November 2022
IDDO’s Medicine Quality Research Group delivered in-person training in researchers in Mozambique and Ghana to support a study into the quality of three antibiotics.
Studying the MSc IHTM 2022/23
31 October 2022
MSc IHTM sets out to attract individuals from low resource contexts who are looking to gain the skills and experience to help shape global health in the future. This year 23 students make up the cohort bringing the running total over the eight years of the course to 175 students from 56 countries, the majority of which are LMICs.
Combating drug-resistant malaria
26 October 2022
MORU research has contributed to strategies to eliminate malaria in the Greater Mekong Sub-region, helping to prevent the spread of drug-resistant malaria and improving health provision and outcomes for remote communities.
OUCRU Engagement around mental health
25 October 2022
OUCRU’s Public and Community Engagement team develops training and resources on the topic of stress management and communication skills. Run by the Public and Community Engagement team, the Youth Ambassadors programme also links young people to medical research that impacts their lives and connects researchers to the health issues that young people care about.
Study shows clear link between antibiotic treatment and acquisition of AMR bacteria in children
19 October 2022
A study of the genetic diversity of Streptococcus pneumoniae, the bacterium responsible for hundreds of thousands of infant deaths each year, found that deep sequencing whole pneumococcal populations gave unsurpassed sensitivity for detecting multiple colonisations and was twice as effective at detecting invasive virulent strains of the bacteria as current best methods, say researchers in a study published in Nature Microbiology.
Abhilasha Karkey, new OUCRU Nepal Director
18 October 2022
Awards & Appointments OUCRU OUCRU-Nepal
OUCRU Nepal is pleased to announce that as of 01 October 2022, Dr Abhilasha Karkey will assume the role of Director.
The University of Oxford launches fully online Postgraduate Diploma in Global Health Research to tackle inequities in health research leadership
14 October 2022
Beginning in October 2023, the Postgraduate Diploma in Global Health Research is specifically targeted at researchers and clinicians in low income countries, and will offer accessibility never previously available. It is the University’s first academic qualification designed to be taken wholly online and will transform Oxford’s ability to reach and train researchers in the most challenging of settings. By removing this significant barrier to access, the postgraduate diploma aims to strengthen health workforces’ research capacity, regardless of location and context, to meet ongoing and emerging global health challenges and crises.
Oxford University named world’s top university for the 7th consecutive year
12 October 2022
The University of Oxford has been named the best university in the world for a record seventh consecutive year in the Times Higher Education (THE) World University Rankings 2023.
Building Health Research Capacity in Seychelles through strengthened Collaboration
10 October 2022
The MSc IHTM is committed to leading positive change in low resource contexts. The aim of the course is to provide students with the skills and opportunities to collaborate across cultural and disciplinary boundaries to identify and develop creative solutions for existing and emerging national, regional and/or global health challenges. A recent example of the impact of the MSc has been an initiative in Seychelles, where a partnership has been established between the MSc IHTM and the Seychelles Ministry of Health (MoH).
Antimalarial chemoprophylaxis for forest goers could help accelerate malaria elimination in Cambodia
28 September 2022
Giving people antimalarials during and after visiting the forest reduced their risk of contracting malaria 6-fold, and could be the missing piece towards eliminating malaria in Asia-Pacific and South America, say Mahidol and Oxford University researchers in a study published in The Lancet Infectious Diseases.
A new WWARN study supports safety of WHO recommended malaria treatment to advance elimination and reduce spread of artemisinin resistance
27 September 2022
A new WWARN study, published in BMC Medicine, supports a World Health Organization (WHO) recommendation that a single primaquine target dose of 0.25 mg/kg is generally safe and well tolerated when given together with an ACT to treat malaria.
Routine surveillance data can provide an early warning system for antimalarial resistance in pre-elimination areas in Africa
27 September 2022
In the first published study of its kind, a new WWARN paper in the Malaria Journal has created near-real-time maps to support antimalarial drug resistance monitoring, using routine malaria surveillance data and individually patient linked data on molecular markers of antimalarial drug resistance.
OUCRU presents a new virtual exhibition: Digital Diaries, Voices from the Pandemic, COVID-19 experiences in Asia
13 September 2022
EOCRU OUCRU OUCRU-Nepal Public Engagement
This online exhibition showcases short films and photographs created by health-care workers and community members and documents the socio-cultural impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam.
Four CTMGH researchers awarded full professorships
30 August 2022
Awards & Appointments KWTRP MOCRU MORU
We are delighted to announce that four of our researchers have been awarded the title of Professor, in recognition of their research achievements, contribution to teaching, and contribution to the general work of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford.
INTERBIO-21st study findings could help predict infants at risk of obesity
30 August 2022
Fetal abdomen growth and the mother’s blood fat metabolites very early in pregnancy influence a child’s weight, body fat, vision and neurodevelopment at 2 years of age
Oxford University launch new clinical trial to test a treatment for monkeypox
24 August 2022
The team behind the world-leading RECOVERY trial of COVID-19 treatments are leading a new study investigating a potential treatment for people who have been diagnosed with monkeypox. The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) has commissioned and funded the study. The first patients have now been recruited.
Using mathematical modelling to fight malaria
12 August 2022
Researchers have created a mathematical model to predict genetic resistance to antimalarial drugs in Africa to manage one of the biggest threats to global malarial control.
FORESFA and VIE project meetings
5 August 2022
The Medicine Quality Research Group organised a multidisciplinary hybrid meeting at Keble College, Oxford, July 3 to 6, for the FORESFA project ‘Forensic epidemiology and impact of substandard and falsified antimicrobials on public health’, funded by a Wellcome Collaborative Award.
MORU hepatitis work focusses on preventing mother-to-child transmission, high-at-risk populations, and remote communities
28 July 2022
MORU Tropical Health Network researchers in Southeast Asia study various aspects of hepatitis B and C, infections that can lead to chronic liver diseases, and complications like liver cancer or cirrhosis. Researchers at MOCRU work on treatment for hepatitis C, a frequent opportunistic infection in HIV patients. MORU’s Clinical Pharmacology conducts two trials on possible treatments of hepatitis C. Hepatitis B is frequently transmitted from mother to child at birth, and SMRU researchers study mothers’ knowledge and behaviour, as well as prevention.
World Hepatitis Day: OUCRU research seeks to lower cost of treatment and improve access to care for patients with hepatitis C
28 July 2022
Today is World Hepatitis Day. OUCRU and hospitals in Ho Chi Minh City and Hanoi have been collaborating on hepatitis C clinical trials since 2018. Our research is centred around predictive factors for selecting persons who could be successfully treated with shorter durations of antiviral therapy. OUCRU’s social science and public engagement teams are currently working with underrepresented groups to create community-led strategies to link care and treatment for populations at risk for viral hepatitis. Our aim is to have a more significant impact on the treatment strategy and access to care for patients with hepatitis C in Vietnam and worldwide in the future.
Incomplete reporting of COVID-19 disease severity criteria compromises meta-analysis
20 July 2022
Patients affected by COVID-19 should be treated according to the severity of their disease. However, not all key national or international organisations define severity in the same way. This imprecision in severity assessment compromises the validity of some therapeutic recommendations. Using individual patient data would better guide and improve therapeutic recommendations for COVID-19.
Quality of care, health workers’ well-being and COVID-19
19 July 2022
Nurses are central players in the provision of quality health care globally. Although neonatal units have not been at the epicenter of the current COVID-19 pandemic, challenges have also been raised for neonatal nurses. KWTRP share their COVID-19 related experiences and challenges, highlight strategies they used to manage the challenges and show how elements of the communication skills and emotional competence course helped them cope.
A multi-country study of monkeypox being launched – first cases enrolled in Geneva
12 July 2022
Researchers have launched a new study to improve our understanding of monkeypox disease. The first patients have now been recruited at Hôpitaux Universitaires de Genève (HUG) in Switzerland
Pandemic Sciences Institute formally launched in Oxford
6 July 2022
The University of Oxford’s Pandemic Sciences Institute (PSI) has been formally launched at a two-day event at the Blavatnik School of Government, at which the lead researchers set out its direction and strategy for the next five years.The PSI will draw together academics and experts from across the University to build a multi-disciplinary institute focused on reducing the risk from infectious threats through science, innovation and building global preparedness.
High prevalence of antibodies against COVID-19 within the general population: Evidence from Nairobi and Kilifi
5 July 2022
By May 2022, 69% of individuals residing within the Kilifi Health and Demographic System (HDSS) and 91% residing within the Nairobi Urban HDSS had evidence of an immune response to COVID-19 resulting from natural infection and/or vaccination, i.e., anti-spike IgG antibodies.
Prof Guy Thwaites co-authored WHO’s report on antibacterial agents in preclinical & clinical development
5 July 2022
OUCRU’s Director, Professor Guy Thwaites, has recently contributed to an analysis of antibacterial agents in preclinical and clinical development by the World Health Organisation (WHO), as part of the WHO advisory group on research and development of antibacterial treatments.
Field 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.
Dengue Research Article Awarded The 2021 – 2022 Alexandre Yersin Prize for Outstanding Publications
28 June 2022
OUCRU research article titled ‘Combination of inflammatory and vascular markers in the febrile phase of dengue is associated with more severe outcomes’ was recently awarded the 2021-2022 Alexandre Yersin Prize for Outstanding Publications.
Registration is open for The Global Health Network Conference 2022
24 June 2022
Conferences & meetings NDM-CGHR
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
OUCRU SPEAR Digital Diaries
21 June 2022
EOCRU OUCRU OUCRU-Nepal Public Engagement
Healthcare workers and community members in Indonesia, Nepal and Vietnam have been documenting their personal experiences of Covid-19. They have each made their own ‘digital diary’, using a range of creative tools and with technical support from the project team. These diaries form part of the SPEAR project: exploring the experiences and impacts of COVID-19 for healthcare workers and vulnerable communities.
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
Awards & Appointments NDM-CGHR
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)
Clinical trials for a malaria vaccine start in Mali and Indonesia
21 June 2022
Sanaria Inc. announced that two new Phase 2 trials of its pioneering malaria vaccines have started. The first is in 6- to 10-year-old children living in Bancoumana, Mali, a malarious region of West Africa. The second is in Indonesian soldiers based in Sumatra, Indonesia. The soldiers will be deploying for six to nine months this coming August to an intensely malarious district in eastern Indonesia.
Enhanced vaccination against Japanese encephalitis virus could reduce encephalitis prevalence by one third in SE Asia
20 June 2022
Encephalitis is a worldwide public health issue, with a substantially high burden among children in Southeast Asia. A large study of the causes of childhood encephalitis in SE Asia suggests that enhanced and effective vaccination against the Japanese encephalitis virus alone could reduce encephalitis prevalence by one third.
Taking relationships seriously
17 June 2022
Community Engagement (CE) is a critical aspect of health research because of its potential to make research more ethical, relevant, and well implemented. Many research programmes now aim to incorporate CE activities at all stages of their work. This KWTRP brief summarises key findings from a malaria trials, and provides an illustration of how CE works more generally. It highlights facilitators and challenges to engagement, and the ethical issues that are particularly relevant in LMIC settings with under resourced health systems.
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.