Research impact stories
Themes
Health and welfare
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Studies link schizophrenia to functional disconnections in the brain
13 May 2013
Attempts to understand schizophrenia and its diverse symptoms have taken researchers and psychiatrists on a journey throughout the brain. Schizophrenia is one of the most common of the mental illnesses and is thought to affect about 70 million adults worldwide – yet effective alleviation of its broad range of symptoms continues to elude medical practitioners.
Studies of mutant fish reveal genetic roots of osteoarthritis
8 May 2013
It is one of the UK’s major causes of disability, affecting eight million people. Over half the population of the Western world aged over 65 are affected by it. Yet osteoarthritis, and particularly the prevention of it, attracts a proportionately low level of research interest. For Dr Chrissy Hammond, this makes it an increasingly urgent issue, and her research is already making significant inroads into our understanding of joint deterioration.
Calcium sparks: the discovery that revolutionised cardiac cell biology
7 May 2013
The regulation of calcium in cardiac muscle cells is a well-documented problem that physiologists, biophysicists and mathematicians have made steps towards solving over the past century. Yet there remain major gaps in our understanding of how this process, the failure of which leads to heart failure and heart disease, works at the cellular level.
PROMPT training tackles emergencies in pregnancy and birth
15 October 2012
PROMPT (Practical Obstetric Multi-Professional Training) is an obstetric emergencies training package now used in 85 per cent of UK maternity units. With the potential to save millions in litigation costs for health services, PROMPT also looks set to achieve substantial reductions in preventable perinatal harm both in the UK and worldwide.
Contributing to the welfare of laying hens
13 September 2012
Research into the welfare of laying hens, undertaken by Professor Christine Nicol, contributed significantly to the UK Government's decision to sign up to the battery cage ban in January 2012.
Early season treatment of sheep could reduce the incidence of blowfly strike as climate warms
3 September 2012
Changing climate patterns are likely to put ewes at higher risk of parasitic disease, which could have important implications for farmers.
From maize oil to murder: the diverse applications of sophisticated chemical analyses
3 September 2012
A suite of sophisticated molecular and stable isotopic techniques developed by organic chemists at the University of Bristol has proven to be a powerful diagnostic tool for analysing organic materials.
Cot deaths: How a Bristol research pioneer has saved more than 100,000 young lives worldwide
18 July 2012
Cot deaths in the UK have fallen by 80 per cent over the last 20 years following groundbreaking research by Peter Fleming, Professor of Infant Health and Developmental Physiology and Dr Pete Blair, Senior Research Fellow and their team
Improving care for children with cleft lip and palate
11 July 2012
A Bristol research team, headed by Professor Jonathan Sandy from Bristol Dental School, undertook a nationwide review of services for cleft palate patients in the UK, leading to dramatic improvements for patients and their families.
Saving thousands of newborns by cooling them down
1 June 2012
Pioneered by Professors Thoresen and Whitelaw in Bristol, a treatment which cools newborns now saves 1,500 from death and disability every year in the developed world.
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