Radcliffe Department of Medicine

New study reveals how blood cell production responds to parasite infection Research led by the Nerlov Group in the MRC Molecular Haematology Unit provides the first detailed explanation of how parasite-fighting immune cells are selectively increased following infection.

#WIMMReads
🧪 In a new Nature study, researchers from the Nerlov Group at the #MRCWIMM map how parasite infection reshapes blood cell production, boosting #parasite fighting immune cells.

The work also identifies a potential #drug target for allergic inflammation, asthma and mast cell disorders.

Paresh Vyas receives CRUK Discovery Programme Award Congratulations to Professor Paresh Vyas, who has been awarded a Discovery Research grant from Cancer Research UK to investigate cancer immunotherapies.

Congratulations to Professor Paresh Vyas who has received a Discovery Programme Award from @cancerresearchuk.org to investigate patient responses to cancer immunotherapies.

@imm.ox.ac.uk

www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/news/paresh-...

Today we remember our founder, Professor Sir David Weatherall, on his birthday 🧪

His vision of #collaboration continues to shape #MRCWIMM, and we are proud to carry his legacy forward.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk

2025 RDM Award for Excellent Supervision Winners Congratulations to Nikki Curry and Ladislav Valkovič who have both received an RDM Award for Excellent Supervision 2025.

Congratulations to Associate Professor Nikki Curry and Professor Ladislav Valkovič who have received an RDM Award for Excellent Supervision 2025 🎉

The award recognises exceptional teaching and learning support and mentorship to students.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/y0Z9a

New bone marrow model offers scalable platform for next-generation drug discovery Researchers at the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine have developed the first combined human bone and bone marrow organoid platform capable of modelling long-term blood and immune cell pr...

#WIMMReads
🧪 A new study led by Abdullah Khan introduces comBO, the first human bone and bone marrow organoid platform to model long term blood and immune cell production in 3D.

Designed to improve preclinical modelling of blood cancers and immune disorders.
#CancerResearch #Haematology #Organoids

Pump-priming awards support new cross-cutting research across RDM Three Radcliffe Department of Medicine research teams have secured pump-priming funding to support new collaborations and early-stage research aligned with RDM’s cross-cutting research themes.

Three RDM research teams have secured pump-priming funding to support new collaborations and early-stage research aligned with our cross-cutting research themes.

Find out more about the projects 👇

shorturl.at/tMKHs

Congratulations to 2025 RDM Graduate Citizenship Award Winners Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 RDM Graduate Citizenship Award; Casey Johnson and Alexander Redmond.

Congratulations to Casey Johnson and Alexander Redmond, winners of this year’s RDM Graduate Citizenship Awards 🎉

These awards recognise students who make a real contribution to the RDM community and strengthening our culture of support and wellbeing.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/lN3uh

@imm.ox.ac.uk

The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advances Discovery of Therapies for Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA) The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre (‘OHC’) dedicated to creating new medicines for rare diseases, today announced that the FA Alliance Innovation Fund has awarded funding to five researchers

The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre has awarded philanthropic funding of £500,000 through the FA Alliance Innovation Fund to support five Oxford researchers advancing new therapeutic approaches for Friedreich’s Ataxia, a devastating rare disease with no cure.

Read more: tinyurl.com/4srwmjza

Sleep apnoea: not just an airway problem but an exemplar of a systems-medicine complex disorder Obstructive sleep apnoea is one of the most common conditions occurring in sleep medicine, traditionally understood as a mechanical problem: during sleep, the upper airway is obstructed, interrupting ...

Obstructive sleep apnoea is often treated as a mechanical problem: a blocked airway which disrupts breathing and oxygen supply.

But a recent expert review reframes sleep apnoea as a complex, whole-system condition with long-term physiological effects.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/pQEvw

Congratulations to Professor Simon Stanworth who has been named a recipient of the 2026 Association for the Advancement of Blood and Biotherapies (AABB) Award 🎉

Simon is internationally recognised for his contributions to transfusion medicine and for improving patient outcomes worldwide.

🧬 Data scientists and enablers with experience in UK biomedical research: Your experience matters! MRC-funded research to tackle isolation & career barriers in biomedical data science roles.

app.onlinesurveys.jisc.ac.uk/s/oxford/bio...
📅 Closes: 6/3/26
£50 Prize draw
Contact: integrate@imm.ox.ac.uk

🚨Calling all UK-based biomedical postdocs!🚨If you’re curious about code or have questions about the world of data science, join our peer mentoring scheme to connect with your peers across the data divide forms.office.com/e/UsRFm2F0a7 (closes 02/03/26).

A person studying with a laptop on the desk

TRAINING: Communicating your Research to the Media, and Beyond

Aimed at researchers, communications colleagues cover topics such as:

Why share your research?
What makes a good story?
Ins and outs of a press release

Tues 3 March, 10am
Online: Teams

Book now👇
www.medsci.ox.ac.uk/...

Sarah Gooding and Rubeta Matin named NIHR Oxford Senior Research Fellows Congratulations to Dr Sarah Gooding and Dr Rubeta Matin who have been appointed as the next cohort of NIHR Oxford BRC Senior Research Fellows.

Congratulations to Dr Sarah Gooding and Dr Rubeta Matin who have been appointed as NIHR Oxford Senior Research Fellows 🎉

The scheme supports mid-career individuals with the potential to become future leaders in translational research in the NIHR in Oxford.

shorturl.at/yykoK

@imm.ox.ac.uk

Study suggests blood pressure care after giving birth could protect brain health | NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre

Study suggests that women who develop high #BloodPressure during #pregnancy may be able to protect their long-term brain health with better BP management soon after birth oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/study-sugges... @rdm.ox.ac.uk @nihr.bsky.social @ouhospitals.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk

Sleep, stress and sunshine: endocrinologists on 11 ways to look after your metabolism Hormones impact almost all of our bodily functions, from skin, to the gut, to our moods. Here, experts on hormonal and metabolic health explain how to stay well

Great to see Professor David Ray commenting in this article from @theguardian.com all about looking after your metabolism:

www.theguardian.com/society/2026...

✍️ Sarah Phillips.

2025 RDM Graduate Prize winner Congratulations to the 2025 RDM Graduate Prize Winner; Lauren Murphy.

Congratulations to the 2025 RDM Graduate Prize winner - Lauren Murphy 🎉

The annual RDM Graduate Prize is awarded to current or recently graduated students of RDM supervisors for exceptional achievement in their research.

Read more about Lauren's work 👇

shorturl.at/QWaty

@imm.ox.ac.uk

Why the body stops protecting itself against low blood sugar New RDM research reveals how prior hypoglycaemia weakens a key hormonal defence.

Researchers have discovered that previous episodes of hypoglycaemia alter how cells within the pancreas communicate, reducing the release of glucagon - the hormone responsible for raising blood glucose levels when they fall dangerously low.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/AVOpI

@medsci.ox.ac.uk

MRC WIMM Sustainability Team recognised at LEAF Oxford Forum Congratulations to the Sustainability Committee and Working Group, who received an award for ‘Community and Culture’ at the LEAF Oxford Forum 2025.

Back in December, we shared that the #MRCWIMM #Sustainability Team received an award at the #LEAF Oxford Forum 🌱 🧪

The full story is now live on our website, with more on the people and work behind this recognition.

Read more 👇
@medsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk #ResearchCulture #WIMMHighlights

Night-time changes in metabolism may be driving common liver disease Researchers at the University of Oxford have discovered that the most common liver disease follows a strong day-night pattern, and the metabolic changes that drive the disease are most pronounced over...

Researchers have found that the most common liver disease follows a strong day-night pattern, and the metabolic changes that drive the disease are most pronounced overnight, when the body is least able to process sugar and fat.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/SvCEe

@oxfordbrc.bsky.social

Scientists in the UK and Germany partner to advance heart imaging research Researchers from the Acute Multidisciplinary Imaging and Interventional Centre (AMIIC) in RDM’s Division of Cardiovascular Medicine are leading a new partnership to strengthen international collaborat...

Researchers from the Acute Multidisciplinary Imaging and Interventional Centre (AMIIC) in RDM are leading a new partnership to strengthen international collaboration in advanced medical imaging, with a focus on improving how heart disease is studied and diagnosed.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/zQxQy

Oxford recruits first participant in Europe for heart inflammation treatment study FORTIFY is an international clinical trial to test a potential treatment for people with coronary inflammation. The first patient in Europe has been recruited by the team at the Acute Multidisciplinary Imaging and Interventional Centre (AMIIC). AMIIC is a state-of-the art facility in the Radcliffe Department of Medicine linking interventional, non-invasive imaging and artificial intelligence/big data capabilities.

NEWS: Oxford recruits first participant in Europe for heart inflammation treatment study

The patient has been recruited by the Acute Multidisciplinary Imaging and Interventional Centre (AMIIC) team, which is a state-of-the art facility in @rdm.ox.ac.uk

Cancer inequalities: Empowering inclusive cancer research Experts from Cancer Research UK share how through world-class research, we can better understand and tackle the impacts of cancer inequalities

#WIMMReads
🧪 A new article on cancer inequalities shows why inclusive research is essential to beat cancer for everyone.

Written by Cancer Research UK experts including #MRCWIMM Director KJ Patel.

#CancerResearch #CancerInequalities @cancerresearchuk.org @rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk 🧬🔬

Iron and the immune system - Nature Reviews Immunology Iron is crucial for cellular metabolism, but its availability varies greatly within and between individuals and populations. This Review highlights how iron regulates innate and adaptive cellular and ...

#WIMMReads: A new #review in Nature Reviews Immunology by Hal Drakesmith and Joe N Frost explores how #iron shapes immune responses in infection inflammation and cancer.
Read more 👇

#Immunology #Immunology #IronMetabolism #Infection
@rdm.ox.ac.uk @drakesmith-lab.bsky.social @medsci.ox.ac.uk

Tackling iron deficiency More than 1.2 billion people worldwide are so iron-deficient that they develop iron-deficiency anaemia. The consequences include fatigue, dizziness, hair loss, greater risk of pregnancy complications,...

Almost every species on Earth fundamentally needs iron. This feature on the work led by @drakesmith-lab.bsky.social from @imm.ox.ac.uk reveals more about iron's complex role in shaping human health. www.ox.ac.uk/pulse/health...

Kevin Rue-Albrecht receives Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship Congratulations to Dr Kevin Rue-Albrecht, who has been awarded a Fellowship to improve accessibility and reusability of research software.

Many congratulations to Kevin Rue-Albrecht on receiving the Software Sustainability Institute Fellowship.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @kevinrue.bsky.social
@softwaresaved.bsky.social

www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/kevin-r...

Holly Russell receives Lee Placito Research Fellowship Congratulations to Holly Russell who has been awarded a fellowship from the Lee Placito Medical Fund.

Huge congratulations to Holly Russell who has been awarded a fellowship from the Lee Placito Medical Fund.

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk

www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/holly-r...

The @meassociation.org.uk is taking part in Big Give's #ChristmasChallenge this week to raise money to support a case-control study led by some of our researchers. The study will use MRI and Near-Infrared Spectroscopy to uncover what goes wrong in the muscles during Post-Exertional Malaise.

It's beginning to look a lot like Gutmas! Congratulations to Vy Wien Lai, whose image was chosen for 1st place in the MRC/MRF 2025 Festive Science Image Competition.

"It's beginning to look a lot like Gutmas!"

Congratulations to @vywien-lai.bsky.social on winning the MRF/MRC 2025 Festive Science Image Competition with these striking cross sections of gut tissue at different developmental stages 🧪🎄

@medresfdn.bsky.social @ukri.org @rdm.ox.ac.uk

Learn more 👇

Don’t miss out on this opportunity- come and join us at the Oxford Organoid Hub working under the MRC-BHF REACT programme! If you love in vitro 3D models, the ❤️ and regenerative therapies, this is for you - apply by 18 Dec @oxforddpag.bsky.social @idrm.ox.ac.uk @rdm.ox.ac.uk