Search results (218)
« Back to NewsIron deficiency anaemia in early pregnancy increases risk of heart defects, suggests new research
8 June 2021
Cardiac Theme Postdoctoral Publication Research
In animal models, iron deficient mothers have a greatly increased risk of having offspring with congenital heart disease (CHD). The risk of CHD can be greatly reduced if the mother is given iron supplements very early in pregnancy. Additionally, embryos from a mouse model of Down Syndrome were particularly vulnerable to the effects of maternal iron deficiency, leading to a higher risk of developing severe heart defects.
New target to develop immunosuppressants
18 May 2021
A new study from the Parekh Group has resolved a long-standing question in our understanding of intracellular Ca2+ signalling, namely how a specific type of Ca2+ channel is uniquely able to signal to the nucleus to regulate gene expression. By unravelling this mechanism, researchers have identified a new approach for developing immunosuppressant drugs.
How the kidney contributes to healthy iron levels and disease
17 May 2021
Lakhal-Littleton Group News Publication Research
A new study from the Lakhal-Littleton Group has addressed a long-standing gap in our understanding of systemic iron homeostasis. It provides the first formal demonstration that the hormone hepcidin controls iron reabsorption in the kidney, in a manner that impacts the body’s iron levels, under normal physiological conditions. It also demonstrates for the first time how this mechanism becomes critically important in the development of iron disorders.
New research to radically alter our understanding of synaptic development
14 April 2021
A new study from the Molnár group on the role of regulated synaptic vesicular release in specialised synapse formation has made it to the cover of Cerebral Cortex.
Being "in the zone": how waking activity controls sleep need
7 April 2021
Publication Research Vyazovskiy Group News
A new study from the Vyazovskiy group suggests that how and where we spend our time while awake impacts how much we need to sleep - it does not only depend on how long we are awake.
New target identified to develop treatment for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm
30 March 2021
Cardiac Theme Publication Research
A new study from the Smart group has shed light on a key regulatory step in the initiation and progression of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm by revealing the protective role of a previously little known small protein.
Drug trial that could improve respiratory recovery from COVID-19 now underway
10 February 2021
A clinical trial has commenced this week to test whether a drug called almitrine can help people who are seriously ill with COVID-19 to recover from the disease.
Same genome, different worlds: How a similar brain causes sexually dimorphic behaviours
27 January 2021
CNCB Goodwin Group News Publication Research
A new paper from the Goodwin group based in DPAG's Centre for Neural Circuits and Behaviour has shown how males and females are programmed differently in terms of sex.
New form of gift wrap drives male reproductive success
26 January 2021
Publication Research Wilson Group News
The transfer of complex mixtures of signals and nutrients between individuals is a key step in several biologically important events in our lives, such as breastfeeding and sexual intercourse. However, we know relatively little about the ways in which the molecular gifts involved are packaged to ensure their successful delivery to the recipient.
Just over half of British Indians would take COVID vaccine
21 January 2021
EDI News Outreach Postdoctoral Publication Research Riley Group News
University of Oxford researchers from the Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics (DPAG) and the Department of Psychiatry, in collaboration with The 1928 Institute, have published a major new study on the impact of COVID-19 on the UK’s largest BME population.
Earliest origins of the forming heart identified
8 January 2021
Cardiac Theme Postdoctoral Publication Research
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.
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.
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
Cardiac Theme Postdoctoral Publication Research
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.
Researchers reveal surprising simplicity behind our ability to hear
23 October 2020
Postdoctoral Publication Research Students
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.
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
Postdoctoral Publication Research
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.
The transient blueprint of the brain
16 October 2020
Transient neurones match the spontaneous and sensory driven activities to shape cortical circuits: a landmark collaborative review published in Science from Professor Zoltán Molnár, Professor Patrick Kanold and Professor Heiko Luhmann.
Sites of early dysfunction in Parkinson's identified
2 October 2020
Cragg Group News OPDC News Postdoctoral Publication Research
A new collaborative study from the Oxford Parkinson’s Disease Centre led by Prof Stephanie Cragg and Dr Bradley Roberts has revealed that GABA transporters on astrocytes, the brain's lesser known yet critically important cells, support dopamine release and are sites of early dysfunction in parkinsonism.
Tiny brain “tweezers” could hold the key to treat Parkinson’s
28 September 2020
OPDC News Postdoctoral Publication Research
A collaborative study led by the OPDC's Dr Nora Bengoa-Vergniory has shown that compounds known as molecular tweezers could become a promising disease modifying therapy for Parkinson’s.