University of Oxford

Results from a trial testing a new malaria vaccine have revealed an impressive 77 percent efficacy, higher than any prior vaccine trialled. The vaccine is the first to reach a WHO goal of at least 75 percent efficacy and a larger trial is now underway.

UK researchers are set to re-infect a cohort of recovered COVID-19 patients to study how the immune system responds to a second encounter with SARS-CoV-2. This trial expands on an ongoing study infecting healthy subjects to test vaccine efficacy.

A first-of-its-kind study from Oxford University has investigated the relationship between well-being and time spent playing video games. The surprising findings revealed a small correlation between longer play-times and positive well-being.

AstraZeneca and the University of Oxford have presented the first interim data from their Phase 3 COVID-19 vaccine trial. The vaccine is safe, up to 90 percent effective, and significantly easier to distribute compared to other options.

A new analysis of US patient data has found nearly one in five people are diagnosed with a psychiatric illness within three months of a positive COVID-19 test. The study suggests recovered patients are twice as likely to suffer from anxiety or depression.

New research reveals a novel drug, designed to break up the aggregations of toxic proteins associated with Parkinson’s disease, can effectively slow the disease in mouse models. The researchers are now looking at moving toward human trials.

Following a swift independent investigation, large-scale trials for a COVID-19 vaccine developed by scientists at the University of Oxford are recommencing across the UK after a suspected adverse reaction triggered a global halt to trials last week.

A new systematic review is affirming the effectiveness of honey as a first-line treatment for upper respiratory tract infections, suggesting antibiotics are ineffective treating minor coughs and colds, and honey offers superior symptomatic relief.

New data has found the cheap steroid dexamethasone significantly reduces deaths when administered to COVID-19 patients in intensive care. The treatment has been described as “the first major breakthrough in the therapeutics of COVID-19 infection”.

Is there a link between personality traits and gut microbiome composition? While new research does not claim gut bacteria determines a personality, it does reveal a bi-directional association between behavior and the microbiome.

For the first time, researchers have identified regions of the genome related to left-handedness in the general population.

Birds flying together in formation can save substantial amounts of energy. But what’s good for the goose isn’t necessarily good for the gander, with scientists finding that for pairs of homing pigeons this approach actually costs them energy instead.