Announcing new Principal Investigator 2026
7 April 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.
Verena Korber receives CRUK Career Development Fellowship
1 April 2026
Congratulations to Dr Verena Korber, who has been awarded a Career Development Fellowship from Cancer Research UK.
Heavier drinking linked to higher levels of harmful “hidden” fat, study finds
25 March 2026
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 health outcomes.
Paul Leeson named NIHR Senior Investigator
24 March 2026
Professor Paul Leeson is one of seven academics in the University of Oxford's Medical Sciences Division who have been named National Institute of Health Research (NIHR) Senior Investigators. This award recognises the most prominent and prestigious researchers of applied health and social care.
DNA-damaging formaldehyde accelerates blood ageing by extinction of stem cells
23 March 2026
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 insight into ageing and diseases that affect blood production.
Hal Drakesmith and Jon Wade awarded UKRI funding to understand how metals regulate biology
23 March 2026
Congratulations to Hal Drakesmith and Jon Wade, who have received a grant from UKRI to investigate how metals influence metabolism, disease, and ecosystem stability, marking a new interdisciplinary approach to advancing metal biology.
Oxford University spinout Dark Blue Therapeutics acquired to advance leukaemia treatment
23 March 2026
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 and innovation. The deal reflects years of collaborative, multidisciplinary work across the University and its partners to translate fundamental research into promising new medicines.
Study identifies immune–metabolic pathway as potential target in diabetic heart disease
19 March 2026
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.
RDM Day 2026: Celebrating scientific excellence and collaboration
18 March 2026
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 of science, networking and community building.
New study reveals how blood cell production responds to parasite infection
11 March 2026
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.
Paresh Vyas receives CRUK Discovery Programme Award
11 March 2026
Congratulations to Professor Paresh Vyas, who has been awarded a Discovery Research grant from Cancer Research UK to investigate cancer immunotherapies.
2026 RDM Award for Excellent Supervision Winners
26 February 2026
Congratulations to Nikki Curry and Ladislav Valkovič who have both received an RDM Award for Excellent Supervision 2026.
New bone marrow model offers scalable platform for next-generation drug discovery
24 February 2026
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 production in a fully human 3D system.
Pump-priming awards support new cross-cutting research across RDM
19 February 2026
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.
Congratulations to 2025 RDM Graduate Citizenship Award Winners
12 February 2026
Congratulations to the winners of the 2025 RDM Graduate Citizenship Award; Casey Johnson and Alexander Redmond.
The Oxford-Harrington Rare Disease Centre Advances Discovery of Therapies for Friedreich’s Ataxia (FA)
9 February 2026
Philanthropic funding from the FA Alliance Innovation Fund awarded to five Oxford researchers to support development of novel therapeutics.
Sleep apnoea: not just an airway problem but an exemplar of a systems-medicine complex disorder
4 February 2026
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 breathing and oxygen supply. Treatments have largely focused on this anatomy, particularly through continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) therapy.
Study suggests blood pressure care after giving birth could protect brain health
19 January 2026
Women who develop high blood pressure during pregnancy may be able to protect their long term brain health through better blood pressure management soon after giving birth, according to a new study by Oxford researchers.
Sarah Gooding and Rubeta Matin named NIHR Oxford Senior Research Fellows
19 January 2026
Congratulations to Dr Sarah Gooding and Dr Rubeta Matin who have been appointed as the next cohort of NIHR Oxford BRC Senior Research Fellows.