Pramila Rijal awarded grant from Academy of Medical Sciences Springboard Programme Now in its 11th year, Springboard supports researchers at a critical point in their careers, when many are establishing laboratories for the first time and need the freedom to explore ambitious questi...

Congratulations to Pramila Rijal who has been awarded £125,000 from the @acmedsci.bsky.social Springboard programme to accelerate translational research to understand immune response & improve #influenza vaccines in order to protect more people from future outbreaks.
www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/news/pramila...

Our researchers have trained an #AI tool to spot changes in the fat around the heart that indicate that the heart muscle is inflamed. This means it’s now possible to identify those most at risk of #HeartFailure at least five years before the condition develops.

www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/news/new-ai-...

Onima Chowdhury receives Cancer Research UK clinical trial grant Congratulations to Dr Onima Chowdhury, who has been awarded a clinical trial grant by Cancer Research UK to improve treatment of Myelodysplastic Syndromes.

#WIMMHighlights 🧪
Many congratulations to Onima Chowdhury on receiving a Cancer Research UK Clinical Trial Grant.

www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/chowdhu...

@cancerresearchuk.org @rdm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk @ox.ac.uk #AcademicSky #CancerResearch

Announcing new Principal Investigator 2026 Following RDM’s annual call for researchers to apply for Principal Investigator (PI) status, we are delighted to announce the designation of a new PIs for 2026.

Congratulations to Mafalda Santos, who has been designated an RDM Principal Investigator.

Mafalda's work integrates biophysics, super-resolution imaging, and molecular and structural biology to uncover the mechanisms underlying immune receptor triggering.

www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/news/announc...

Verena Korber receives CRUK Career Development Fellowship Congratulations to Dr Verena Korber, who has been awarded a Career Development Fellowship from Cancer Research UK.

#WIMMHighlights: Congratulations to Verena Körber, on receiving the CRUK Career Development Fellowship.

Read the full story here 👉 www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/korber-...

@rdm.ox.ac.uk @cancerresearchuk.org

DNA-damaging formaldehyde accelerates blood ageing by extinction of stem cells Researchers from the University of Oxford, the German Cancer Research Center, and Hospital Saint-Louis have uncovered a surprising new way that blood stem cells are lost over time, offering fresh insi...

#WIMMReads
🧪 Latest study from the Patel Group at the MRC WIMM reveals new route to clonal haematopoiesis - a common ageing-related condition where a few stem cells dominate blood production.

Learn more 👇
www.imm.ox.ac.uk/news/patel-C...

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

Heavier drinking linked to higher levels of harmful “hidden” fat, study finds A study of more than 5,700 adults suggests that higher alcohol consumption is associated with increased levels of visceral fat - the type of fat stored deep inside the abdomen and linked to poorer hea...

A new study of more than 5,700 adults suggests that higher alcohol consumption is associated with increased levels of visceral fat - the type of fat stored deep inside the abdomen and linked to poorer health outcomes.

Read more 👇

shorturl.at/kmKUn

@medsci.ox.ac.uk

Two Oxford BRC researchers named NIHR Senior Investigators | NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre

Congratulations to Professors Paul Leeson and Najib Rahman, who have been named @nihr.bsky.social Senior Investigators in recognition of their high-quality research and leadership oxfordbrc.nihr.ac.uk/two-oxford-b... @rdm.ox.ac.uk @ndm.ox.ac.uk @medsci.ox.ac.uk

Oxford University spinout Dark Blue Therapeutics acquired to advance leukaemia treatment Oxford University spinout Dark Blue Therapeutics has been acquired by global biotechnology company Amgen in a deal worth up to US$840 million, marking a major milestone for Oxford-led cancer research ...

Dark Blue Therapeutics has been acquired by @amgen.bsky.social in a deal worth up to US$840 million. Discoveries made by Professor Thomas Milne from @imm.ox.ac.uk contributed to the foundation of the company, which is expected to accelerate treatment for #leukaemia. www.rdm.ox.ac.uk/news/dark-bl...

RDM Day 2026: Celebrating scientific excellence and collaboration RDM Day, held on Tuesday 17 March at the Mathematical Institute, brought together researchers, professional services staff and students from across the Radcliffe Department of Medicine for a full day ...

RDM Day 2026 took place on Tuesday 17 March and brought together researchers, professional services staff and students from across the department.

It was a full day of celebrating scientific excellence, networking and community building. Here's what you might have missed:

shorturl.at/y15Sp

Study identifies immune–metabolic pathway as potential target in diabetic heart disease Researchers have shown that a drug originally developed to lower blood sugar can improve heart function and reduce inflammation in a preclinical model of type 2 diabetes.

New research identifies an immune–metabolic pathway as a potential target in diabetic heart disease 🫀

Researchers have shown that a drug originally developed to lower blood sugar can improve heart function and reduce inflammation in a preclinical model of type 2 diabetes.

shorturl.at/0ft34

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