\n \n 3 October 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nResearchers are seeking about 500 NHS patients to try out a new \"universal\" vaccine against seasonal flu. The experimental vaccine works differently from the one currently available, which has to be remade each year based on a \"best guess\" of what type of flu is likely to be about.\r\n\r\nThe new jab targets part of the virus that does not change each year. This means the vaccine should work against human, bird and swine flu, say the team from the University of Oxford led by Prof Sarah Gilbert, Jenner Investigator.
\n \n\n\n \n 26 July 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \n\u2018We started the first trial in 2002 and we finished the efficacy trial in 2013.\u2019 Nine years of trials. That was on top of the time taken to develop the thing in the first place. That\u2019s a long time. For Le Mans, the MdS and the Vendee Globe, the finish line is known, fixed; for vaccines, new data may move the finish line at any time. Vaccine development may not be as physically demanding, but to keep plugging away for twenty years surely requires mental resilience.
\n \n\n\n \n 26 July 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nJenner scientist Dr Rachel Tanner has been awarded an NC3Rs Skills and Knowledge Transfer Grant for the transfer of a novel non-human primate in vitro mycobacterial growth inhibition assay. The assay will be transferred to Public Health England and the Biomedical Primate Research Centre, with the aim of refining and reducing use of non-human primate TB infection models in the early evaluation of TB vaccine candidates.
\n \n\n\n \n 7 June 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nStatement from Professor Ewan McKendrick, Registrar of Oxford University, regarding BBC\u2019s File on 4 programme (6 June 2017) examining the role of animal experiments in the development of a new human vaccine for tuberculosis.
\n \n\n\n \n 30 May 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nWhether a painful strep throat turns into a fatal case of heart disease depends not just on prompt antibiotic treatment but also on the patient\u2019s genetic makeup, according to a new study led by Oxford University scientists. The discovery could help the long fight to find a vaccine against Group A streptococcus bacteria, which cause strep throat, scarlet fever and rheumatic heart disease. The Oxford study, published in Nature Communications this month, was done in Fiji, New Caledonia and other South Pacific islands \u201cbecause it\u2019s one of the top reasons young people die there,\u201d said Dr. Tom Parks, lead author and part of Prof Adrian Hill's genetics group which studies genetic susceptibility to infectious diseases.
\n \n\n\n \n 22 May 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nA new partnership has been formed between European and African researchers to develop an AIDS vaccine that can be used to prevent infection with different strains of HIV worldwide. The partnership, which is led by Prof Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hanke at the Jenner Institute, will evaluate a new vaccine that triggers the body to produce T-cells, at four sites in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia. Professor Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hanke said: 'There is enormous variation between HIV strains worldwide, which as well as making treatment difficult, has also been an obstacle to developing a vaccine. By using small parts common to most HIV strains, if successful, the vaccine could be used around the world, especially in Africa which is most affected by the HIV pandemic.'
\n \n\n\n \n 2 May 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \np53 is one of the most damaged genes in cancer. Because p53 stays inside the cells, it is not straightforward to identify and kill the cells with damaged p53. Jenner Institute researcher, Dr Nicola Ternette has developed an antibody that recognises a p53 fragment presented on cancer cell surface and shows in a recent publication that this antibody is a promising new drug for cancer immunotherapy.
\n \n\n\n \n 31 March 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nAn Oxford University spinout company is developing a molecular superglue for the rapid development of vaccines targeting a range of diseases. SpyBiotech, co-founded by Jenner researchers Sumi Biswas, Jing Jin and Simon Draper aims to facilitate the rapid development of robust and novel vaccines.
\n \n\n\n \n 15 March 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nThe tenth anniversary of the European Research Council (ERC) has been marked by a series of events and a video featuring some of Oxford's recipients of ERC funding. In a video to mark the anniversary, a number of Oxford University academics have explained how ERC funding has been vital to their research, including Adrian Hill, Director of the Jenner Institute.
\n \n\n\n \n 15 February 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nA new call for Medical Research Council (MRC) Confidence in Concept funding has just been launched as part of the Tropical Infectious Disease Consortium (Jenner Institute, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, and Public Health England).
\n \n\n\n \n 15 February 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nA new partnership has been formed between European and African researchers to develop an AIDS vaccine that can be used to prevent infection with different strains of HIV worldwide. Led by Professor Tom\u00e1\u0161 Hanke at the Jenner Institute, the Globally Relevant AIDS Vaccine Europe-Africa Trials Partnership (GREAT) will evaluate a new vaccine that triggers the body to produce specialised immune cells called T-cells, which will be trialled at four sites in Kenya, Uganda and Zambia.
\n \n\n\n \n 9 February 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nUniversity of Oxford/University of Cape Town PhD Exchange Programme: Applications are open for the Newton/RCUK PhD partnership scheme for PhD students within medical sciences. There is an opportunity for 8 University of Oxford DPhil students to visit the University of Cape Town on a 4 month exchange visit, with an equivalent opportunity for University of Cape Town PhD students to visit the University of Oxford. The scheme covers the costs of the exchange visits, a stipend, a contribution to research and bench fees or equivalent and additional partnering activities.
\n \n\n\n \n 2 February 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nThe \u2018Vaccinology in Africa\u2019 Master\u2019s level course is now open to applications from students, researchers and professionals resident in East Africa. 40 bursaries are available for this fully funded course which covers the main aspects of human and veterinary vaccinology, the vaccine development process, biomanufacturing, clinical trials, regulatory and ethical issues, highlighting human and veterinary links and synergies. The course is jointly organised by the host institution, MUII-Plus (Makerere University-UVRI Centre of Excellence for Infection & Immunity Research and Training) in Entebbe, Uganda, and the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford.
\n \n\n\n \n 20 January 2017\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nScientists have named three relatively little-known diseases they think could cause the next global health emergency. A coalition of governments and charities has committed $460m to speed up vaccine development for MERS (Middle East Respiratory Syndrome), Lassa fever and Nipah virus. At the Jenner Institute, scientists are developing vaccines for all three of the viruses. Their MERS vaccine candidate is currently at the most advanced stage worldwide. It is expected that it will be trialled in humans by the end of the year.
\n \n\n\n \n 21 November 2016\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nJenner Institute scientists, Dr Lynda Coughlan and Prof Adrian Hill have been awarded the 2016 British Medical Association HC Roscoe grant for a research project which aims to develop improved vaccines for influenza.
\n \n\n\n \n 21 November 2016\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nUK researchers creating new vaccines for epidemic diseases such as Zika and Ebola are among the winners of \u00a322 million of funding, announced by the Department of Health today. These projects will be the first to benefit from the UK Vaccine Network, a \u00a3120 million fund launched last year to support Britain\u2019s world-leading role fighting deadly diseases. The network brings together leading figures from industry, academia and philanthropy, including the Jenner Institute, University of Oxford, the Wellcome Trust, and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK).
\n \n\n\n \n 4 November 2016\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nIn this issue, there is a particular highlight on Outbreak Pathogens. In the past months, Jenner researchers have received major funding to manufacture and clinically develop vaccine candidates against several outbreak pathogens of international concern: Zika, Chikungunya, MERS and Rift Valley Fever. Recently, the Jenner Institute has also initiated research programmes on vaccines against non-communicable diseases such as prostate cancer and psoriasis, and Prof Lucy Dorrell\u2019s group is utilizing the Jenner Institute\u2019s viral vector prime-boost platform to deliver therapeutic vaccine against cervical pre-cancer.
\n \n\n\n \n 28 September 2016\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \n'Going Viral' is the first in a new series of audio podcasts. This episode, featuring Dr Sandy Douglas from the Jenner Institute, explores how we learn to use viruses to our own advantage, in fighting them with vaccines as well as harnessing them for use in understanding how the brain is connected.
\n \n\n\n \n 28 September 2016\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \nThe University of Oxford's Professor Sir Peter Ratcliffe has won the Albert Lasker Basic Medical Research Award, one of the most prestigious prizes in medicine, for his work understanding the mechanisms by which cells sense and signal hypoxia (low oxygen levels). Hypoxia is an important component of many human diseases including cancer, heart disease, stroke, vascular disease, and anaemia.
\n \n\n\n \n 7 September 2016\n \n
\n\n \n\n \n \n \n17-20 Oct: Clinical Vaccine Development and Biomanufacturing\r\n\r\nFrom pre-clinical testing to field trials - development and manufacture of vaccines, immunogenicity and vaccine testing in Phases I to IV .\r\n21-25 Nov: Human and Veterinary Vaccinology\r\n\r\n5 day Master's level course providing an overview of all aspects of human and veterinary vaccinology - from Edward Jenner to modern day vaccines.
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