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Oxford-led study uncovers previously unknown function of platelets as DNA 'vacuum cleaners' in the blood, with profound implications for cancer diagnosis and prenatal screening. Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered an unexpected and powerful new function for platelets - the tiny blood cells primarily known for their role in blood clotting.

Researchers from the UK and Madagascar, in collaboration with Madagascar's health services and national plague programme, have conducted the world's first rigorous clinical trial of treatments for bubonic plague. The IMASOY trial provides the first robust evidence of the efficacy and safety of two treatment regimens.

A research project led jointly by researchers from the University of Oxford, the University of Copenhagen and University of Cambridge shows that large-scale mapping of prehistoric teeth and bones provides new knowledge of present-day infectious diseases. This may, among other things, have an impact on the development of vaccines.

New study uncovers how a metabolic "overload" in specialised brain cells triggers the need to sleep. Sleep may not just be rest for the mind - it may be essential maintenance for the body's power supply. A new study by University of Oxford researchers, published in Nature , reveals that the pressure to sleep arises from a build-up of electrical stress in the tiny energy generators inside brain cells.

A drug used for Parkinson's disease has been shown to be effective in reducing the symptoms of difficult to treat depression, in a study led by the University of Oxford. In the largest clinical trial to date, pramipexole was found to be substantially more effective than a placebo at reducing the symptoms of treatment resistant depression (TRD) over the course of nearly a year, when added to ongoing antidepressant medication.

Oxford researchers have developed programmable microcapsules to deliver vaccines in stages, potentially eliminating the need for booster shots and increasing immunisation coverage in hard-to-reach communities. A team of scientists at the University of Oxford has developed an innovative vaccine delivery system that could allow a full course of immunisation - both initial and booster doses - to be delivered in just one injection.

A new study by the University of Oxford, published in the journal npj Vaccines , shows that a vaccine against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is associated with a 29% reduction in dementia risk in the following 18 months. The findings suggest a novel explanation for how vaccines produce this effect.

Oxford researchers uncover a potential new therapeutic target for a hard-to-treat form of leukaemia Researchers at the University of Oxford have uncovered a potential new therapeutic target in a particularly aggressive and hard-to-treat form of leukaemia. A new target for potential treatments for blast phase myeloproliferative neoplasm (BP-MPN), one of the most aggressive forms of leukaemia, has been identified by a research team at the University of Oxford.

An intensive low-energy diet programme, similar to the NHS Type 2 Diabetes Path to Remission , significantly improved eating disorder symptoms in people with type 2 diabetes and excess weight who were at risk of developing eating disorders, according to a University of Oxford study published in The Lancet Psychiatry .

People living in poverty are significantly more likely to experience loneliness than those on higher incomes - and this may be affecting their health, according to new research from the School of Anthropology and Museum Ethnography at the University of Oxford. The study, published in Public Health , examined survey responses from over 24,000 people across 20 European countries.

Research published in the journal Human Reproduction reveals that women with endometriosis are at a significantly higher risk for developing a range of autoimmune, autoinflammatory, and mixed-pattern diseases. The new study, of unprecedented scale, examines not only clinical associations, but also for the first time the biological basis for these comorbidities - through genetics.

Mothers who are anaemic in the first 100 days of pregnancy have a much higher chance of having a child with congenital heart disease, according to new research funded by the British Heart Foundation and published in the journal BJOG . As a result, researchers will now investigate whether taking iron supplements before and during pregnancy could help to prevent some heart defects at birth.

Research suggests that Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection before a skin cancer diagnosis improves patient response to immunotherapy (a form of treatment that harnesses the immune system to target cancer). A new study led by the University of Oxford has revealed that a common and usually harmless virus may positively influence how skin cancer patients respond to current treatments.

In the study, researchers including Oxford archaeologists Shadreck Chirikure and Helena Hamerow considered the implications for wealth distribution of variation in house sizes and their storage capacities within settlements, and how land use and farming practices impacted this variation. They found that in regions with land-intensive farming systems, such as those with specialised animal traction for ploughing, high wealth inequality became persistent, with a small number of households controlling productive land.

A report published by the Rees Centre at the University of Oxford and national charity Kinship suggests that ethnicity has significantly impacted the experiences of Black and Asian kinship carers when trying to access crucial support. Kinship carers are relatives or family friends who step up to look after children when their parents are no longer able to care for them.

Researchers from around the UK, led by the University of Oxford, have found that a new way of performing prostate biopsies is better at diagnosing prostate cancer, but takes longer to perform and is more painful for patients. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in the developed world. The most widely used method of diagnosing prostate cancer involves a biopsy that passes a needle through the lining of the lower bowel (the rectum) and into the prostate gland, which is performed under local anaesthetic.

A new study has found that targeted psychological interventions can significantly enhance long-term resistance to misinformation. Dubbed "psychological booster shots," these interventions improve memory retention and help individuals recognize and resist misleading information more effectively over time.

A new rapid systematic review published today by researchers from the Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, has found little evidence supporting the safety and efficacy of physician associates (PAs) and anaesthetists associates (AAs) in the UK, raising critical questions about the rapid expansion of these roles in the NHS.

A new study led by researchers from Oxford Population Health has shown that a range of environmental factors, including lifestyle (smoking and physical activity) and living conditions, have a greater impact on health and premature death than our genes. The researchers used data from nearly half a million UK Biobank participants to assess the influence of 164 environmental factors and genetic risk scores for 22 major diseases on ageing, age-related diseases, and premature death.

Researchers at the University of Oxford and their collaborators, including the Serum Institute of India, have developed an innovative method to identify falsified vaccines without opening the vaccine vial. The new method, published in npj Vaccines , analyses the vaccine vial label and its adhesive and therefore allows the vaccine vials to be retained in the supply chain.