Oxford trial funded by UKRI offers new hope for a COVID vaccine
Early stage human trials of a COVID-19 vaccine have found it produces strong immune response and shows no early safety concerns, according to results published in The Lancet.
World-leading study into long-term health impacts of COVID-19 launched by UKRI and NIHR
Today, UKRI and NIHR are announcing £8.4 million funding for one of the world’s largest studies into the long-term physical and mental health impacts of coronavirus on hospitalised patients. Results from the UK-wide study will inform the development of new and better measures to treat and rehabilitate patients hospitalised with COVID-19.
New £1.3 million national research programme to evaluate coronavirus tests in hospitals, GP surgeries and care homes
Testing for coronavirus infection could become quicker, more convenient and more accurate, following the launch of a multicentre national programme of research that will evaluate how new diagnostic tests perform in hospitals, general practices and care homes.
UK's largest genetic study into myalgic encephalomyelitis, led by a partnership of patients and scientists, is launched
A new study has been funded to analyse samples from 20,000 people with myalgic encephalomyelitis (ME), also diagnosed as chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS, or ME/CFS), to search for genetic differences that may indicate underlying causes or increase the risk of developing the condition.
First volunteer receives new COVID-19 vaccine today
The first healthy volunteer has now received a new coronavirus vaccine developed by researchers led by Professor Robin Shattock at Imperial College London.
UK Research and Innovation seeks further council members
UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) is looking for new council members.
Preliminary results from RECOVERY trial on the use of hydroxychloroquine in hospitalised patients with COVID-19
The ‘RECOVERY’ trial has released preliminary results showing no effect on mortality from the use of hydroxychloroquine in patients admitted to hospital with COVID-19.
Did life emerge in the ‘primordial soup’ via DNA or RNA? Maybe both
Scientists have long debated which genetic information carrier – DNA or RNA – started life on Earth, but a new study suggests life could have begun with a bit of both. The research, led by scientists from the Medical Research Council (MRC) Laboratory of Molecular Biology (LMB), in Cambridge, shows for the first time how some of the building blocks of both DNA and RNA could have spontaneously…
LifeArc and MRC partnership to create new £16m fund to establish Gene Therapy Innovation Hubs
The Medical Research Council (MRC) and LifeArc are making £16m available to establish a network of Gene Therapy Innovation Hubs, providing access to clinical grade viral vector and translational support for early phase academic-led gene therapy clinical trials.
Study of more than 16,700 COVID-19 patients identifies characteristics of severe disease
To answer many urgent questions about the characteristics of people who are most severely affected by coronavirus and what happens to them in hospital, a study – called ‘ISARIC4C’ – has analysed data obtained from 16,749 COVID-19 hospital patients in the UK.
Preliminary results of Covid-19 drug treatment trial found to improve recovery
An international clinical trial, co-led by UKRI’s Medical Research Council and UCL, which is testing the effectiveness of the drug remdesivir on patients hospitalised with Covid-19, has shown “very promising” preliminary results.
MRC scientists elected Fellows of the Royal Society
MRC-supported researchers are among the eminent scientists announced this week, elected as Fellows of the Royal Society.
COVID-19 vaccine begins human trial stage
Researchers at the University of Oxford have begun testing a COVID-19 vaccine in human volunteers this week. The phase I trial was funded by UKRI and NIHR as part of the rapid research response.
Expressions of interest invited for virtual workshop on mouse genetics
Given the current requirements for social distancing as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic, the Medical Research Council (MRC) is now exploring a virtual meeting / webinar on Wednesday 20 May 2020.
Research and Innovation ideas to address COVID-19
The Medical Research Council (MRC) is funding new research projects as part of the UK Research and Innovation response to the current COVID-19 pandemic through the DHSC/UKRI COVID-19 Rapid Response Initiative.
COVID-19 vaccine & therapy research boosted by six new projects in rapid response
Six new studies into the novel coronavirus have been funded by the UK government, including testing a vaccine, developing therapies and improving understanding of how to treat COVID-19.
New film helps early career researchers take steps toward research independence
The Medical Research Council’s (MRC) New Investigator Research Grant (NIRG) is a unique opportunity for talented early career researchers to get significant funding for their work.
Time to Talk: Young people bust mental health myths through art
Does everyone experience mental health issues in the same way? If mental health conditions run in your family, are you destined from birth to develop them? Are mental health problems a snowflake generation issue? These are all mental health myths that are busted in the first National Gallery mental health awareness audio tour, sponsored by UKRI’s Medical Research Council.
£20 million 'rapid response' for novel coronavirus research
In a rapid research call announced today, £20 million has been made available for novel coronavirus research. The investment will ensure world-class UK academic and industry expertise can initiate new and additional research as quickly as possible.
Largest analysis of UK health research funding published
A report just published delivers the most comprehensive analysis of UK health research funding ever compiled.
New study finds evidence for reduced brain connections in schizophrenia
Advances in scanning have allowed researchers for the first time to show lower levels of a protein found in the connections between neurons in the living brains of people with schizophrenia.
Slashing energy could make Nobel prize-winning cryoEM microscopes more affordable
Electron cryomicroscopy (cryoEM) – which won the 2017 Nobel prize – could be made 10 times cheaper by reducing the energy of the microscope and creating better detectors for imaging low energy electrons, according to a proof-of-principle demonstration by scientists at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology.
UK and South Korea collaboration tackles severe asthma
In a landmark collaboration, the MRC, the Korean Ministry of Science and ICT (MSIT) and the National Research Foundation of Korea (NRF) have joined forces to fund a major new precision medicine consortium focused on tackling severe asthma.
Cold infections may be less frequent in people with the flu
People were less likely to catch either influenza or a common cold-causing rhinovirus if they were already infected with the other virus, a new study has found.
MRC, NIHR and ESRC join forces to launch an ambitious multidisciplinary initiative in Multimorbidity
Applications are sought to build a national portfolio of interdisciplinary Multimorbidity Research Collaboratives as part of “Tackling Multimorbidity at Scale” - a £20 million Strategic Priorities Fund initiative, jointly funded by the MRC and the DHSC, through the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), and in close collaboration with ESRC.