News

Thomas Willis (1621 - 1675) 400th Birthday - Erica Charters in conversation with Zoltán Molnár

11 January 2021

Professor Zoltán Molnár talks to Dr Erica Charters for a History of Medicine perspective on Oxford physician and Father of Neurology Thomas Willis.

Thomas Willis 400th anniversary trailer

8 January 2021

On 27 January 2021 we celebrate the 400th anniversary of the birth of the greatest neuroanatomist of all time, Thomas Willis. DPAG's Professor Zoltán Molnár has interviewed 8 experts - watch a video preview of what's to come from Monday onwards! With thanks to St John's College.

Frontal view of a developing mouse heart used in the study

Earliest origins of the forming heart identified

8 January 2021

The earliest known progenitor of the outermost layer of the heart has been characterised for the first time and linked to the development of other critical cell types in the developing heart in a new paper from the Srinivas group led by BHF Immediate Fellow Dr Richard Tyser.

New Nanoscience Institute to advance physiology research in Oxford

3 December 2020

A new institute for nanoscience research is to open in Oxford thanks to a $10 million gift from The Kavli Foundation, the ground floor of which will be home to cutting-edge new research avenues across the six themes of DPAG.

Lukas Krone to represent Oxford at the Global Young Scientists Summit

3 December 2020

Congratulations are in order for Dr Lukas Krone who is one of just five University of Oxford researchers selected to attend the Global Young Scientists Summit 2021.

Scarred lungs compared with healthy lungs show much larger areas of darkness, representing parts of the lungs that are having difficulty transporting oxygen into the blood stream.

Covid-19 lung damage identified in study

2 December 2020

In a new study into the longer-term damage amongst patients recovering from COVID-19, DPAG Research Fellow Dr James Grist of the Tyler Lab has been running a novel scanning technique that shows a dramatic decrease in the ability of the lungs to diffuse gas in to the blood stream after COVID infection. This work may shed light on the problem of breathlessness after COVID infection and help guide us in understanding therapeutic selection and efficacy.

Fluorescent close up of the fly brain showing that a key magnesium transporter dominates the neurons involved in memory.

A clue to how a memory-enhancing pill might work

27 November 2020

Hundreds of dietary supplements have been reported to improve cognitive and emotional function in humans, but few have scientific foundation. A new study from the Waddell group provides fresh insight into how dietary Magnesium supplementation can influence memory performance.

New MRI technique could detect early signs of heart failure in cancer patients following chemotherapy

19 November 2020

New research led by Oxford BHF CRE Intermediate Transition Fellow Dr Kerstin Timm shows that a recently developed imaging technique pioneered by the Tyler Group can detect early metabolic changes in the heart caused by a commonly used chemotherapy drug, which is known to increase risk of heart failure in cancer survivors.

Two major BHF awards to Neil Herring pave the way to new treatments for heart attack patients

12 November 2020

Associate Professor Neil Herring has been awarded a Senior Clinical Research Fellowship and a Project grant from the British Heart Foundation to further critical research into the mechanisms behind heart attacks and heart failure and potential drugs to combat them. Given the 50% reduction in research investment this year from the BHF due to the impact of COVID-19, Prof Herring is to be congratulated on these awards.

Pawel Swietach becomes Professor Pawel Swietach

30 October 2020

Congratulations are in order to Pawel Swietach on his conferral of the title of full Professor. Research in the Swietach Lab is driven by an interest in how biological processes are affected by chemical acidity.

MRC Senior Non-Clinical Fellowship awarded to Samira Lakhal-Littleton

27 October 2020

Congratulations are in order for Associate Professor Samira Lakhal-Littleton, who has been awarded a Senior Non-Clinical Fellowship by the Medical Research Council to further her lab's work exploring the implications of the cardiac hepcidin/ferroportin axis for the management of iron deficiency in heart failure.

Researchers reveal surprising simplicity behind our ability to hear

26 October 2020

A computational modelling study from the King Group demonstrates that the way sounds are transformed from the ear to the brain’s auditory cortex may be simpler than expected. These findings not only highlight the value of computational modelling for determining the principles underlying neural processing, but could also be useful for improving treatments for patients with hearing loss.

100 Years of Oxford Degrees for Women

23 October 2020

Meet four of DPAG's female graduate students as the department joins celebrations for the Centenary of women making history at Oxford.

Damaged mitochondria are shown to scale in small areas within the centre and edges of a large mass of healthy mitochondria.

New insights into mitochondria quality control could hold the key to treating metabolic disorders

21 October 2020

The Zaccolo Group has identified a new mechanism that regulates mitochondria quality control, a process that is crucial to maintaining healthy cells and preventing disease.

‘Junk’ DNA could be rewiring our brains

16 October 2020

A new study by Waddell Group Neuroscientists at the Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour shows that mobile genetic elements that were active in the genomes of our ancestors could be closely linked to important functions in our brain and might help diversify our behaviour, cognition and emotions.