News in November

Analysis finds four repurposed antiviral drugs have little or no effect on patients hospitalised for COVID-19

4 December 2020

Repurposed antiviral drugs - remdesivir, hydroxychloroquine, lopinavir and interferon - to treat COVID-19 appear to have little or no effect on patients hospitalised for the disease, in terms of overall mortality, initiation of ventilation and duration of hospital stay. The interim findings from the WHO Solidarity trial, published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM), followed 11,266 adults at 405 hospitals in 30 countries.

Exceptional Bristol researcher awarded Turing AI Fellowship to deliver world-class AI research

27 November 2020

Bristol researcher Dr Raul Santos-Rodriguez is one of 15 UK researchers awarded prestigious Turing AI fellowships to develop cutting-edge Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies.

Treatment for drug addiction - how do patients cope in lockdown?

27 November 2020

There are encouraging signs that people in treatment for drug addiction can manage their medication when they are entrusted with a substantial quantity of opiate substitutes and told to take it in small daily doses, finds a new ‘early insight’ report from researchers at the Universities of Bristol and Bath.

Exceptional challenges of bereavement during the pandemic highlighted in interim findings

27 November 2020

Interim findings of a survey of people bereaved in the UK since March, led by researchers from the univerities of Bristol and Cardiff and the Marie Curie Palliative Care Research Centre, show the difficulties and distress experienced by those who have lost a loved one, both prior to the death and in their grief.

Bristol embarks on a new partnership with India’s Krea University

26 November 2020

The University of Bristol has formalised an agreement to collaborate with Krea University in India, focusing on the fields of sciences and humanities.

World's first research programme to identify scarring gene launched

26 November 2020

A world-leading £1.5 million research programme that aims to achieve scar free healing within a generation has been launched today [26 November] by The Scar Free Foundation, the only medical research charity which focuses solely on scarring. The five-year research study led by the University of Bristol will identify the gene(s) that causes scarring and inform future treatments.

Where to withdraw? New research maps access to cash across the UK

26 November 2020

A report published today has mapped for the first time how far people have to travel to access cash across the UK.

Research creates hydrogen-producing living droplets, paving way for alternative future energy sources

25 November 2020

Scientists have built tiny droplet-based microbial factories that produce hydrogen, instead of oxygen, when exposed to daylight in air.

Spread Germ Defence, not the virus!

25 November 2020

With Covid-19 infections still high and people preparing for Christmas gatherings, it is vitally important to try to reduce the spread of infection in people's homes as this is where infections are now most likely to be transmitted. Research suggests people who follow the advice from Germ Defence are less likely to catch flu or other viruses and less likely to pass it on to members of their household.

Young people's anxiety levels doubled during first COVID-19 lockdown, says study

24 November 2020

The number of young people with anxiety doubled from 13 per cent to 24 per cent, during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic and lockdown 1, according to new research from the University of Bristol. The study, using Bristol’s Children of the 90s questionnaire data, showed that young people (27-29 years) reported higher levels of anxiety during the early phases of the pandemic in the first national lockdown and this was higher than their parents.

Seventeen Bristol academics named in Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list

23 November 2020

The Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list recognises 17 University of Bristol researchers reaching the highest sphere of influence in research.

Biofriendly protocells pump up blood vessels

20 November 2020

An international team of researchers from Bristol and China has prepared biocompatible protocells that generate nitric oxide gas – a known reagent for blood vessel dilation - that when placed inside blood vessels expand the biological tissue.

Bristol secures £45M to advance gene therapy treatment of chronic kidney diseases

19 November 2020

The University of Bristol has secured a £45million deal to advance its groundbreaking gene therapy technology for chronic kidney diseases. The commitment, made by healthcare company Syncona Ltd to Bristol spin-out Purespring Therapeutics, aims to address a global unmet need for renal conditions in one of the largest single investments made to a new UK university biotech company.

Research by students helps Wellspring Settlement secure £100k funding to transform lives of Bristol residents

18 November 2020

“We shall overcome!” – that’s the motto Judith Kibuye has called on to prevail during lockdown and help transform the lives of others.

Campaign launched to help older people leave hospital when ready

17 November 2020

A new campaign to support older people with frailty admitted to hospital in an emergency has launched today. Many people worry about the possibility of an emergency hospital admission, and the coronavirus pandemic will be heightening these concerns. The 'Information About Me' campaign helps older patients – or their relatives or carers – give the right information about their usual day-to-day life to staff to help patients leave hospital at the right time.

Dr Colin J Mapes, 1938-2020

17 November 2020

Dr Colin Mapes, former lecturer in Biological Sciences at Bristol, has died. Sir Brian Follett FRS and several colleagues offer a remembrance.

Rapid point-of-care testing during and after COVID-19 – how widely should it be used?

17 November 2020

Even before the COVID-19 pandemic, the point-of-care testing industry was investing millions of pounds to develop rapid tests to tell us the cause of respiratory infections. The pandemic has accelerated this process. In an editorial published in the British Journal of General Practice today [17 November], researchers from the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care ask if we know enough about these tests to merit their widespread use in primary care.

University launches new round of Think Big Scholarships

17 November 2020

The University of Bristol is inviting the best and brightest minds from across the world to apply for its 2021/22 Think Big scholarships.

Accuracy of rapid covid test may be lower than previously suggested

12 November 2020

The accuracy of a rapid finger-prick antibody test for SARS-CoV-2, the virus responsible for Covid-19 infection, may be considerably lower than previously suggested, finds a study led by scientists from Public Health England and the Universities of Bristol, Cambridge and Warwick published in The BMJ.

Combined intimate partner violence that includes sexual violence is common and more damaging

12 November 2020

Women who experience sexual violence combined with other forms of intimate partner violence suffer greater damage to their health and are much more likely to attempt suicide, according to a study led by researchers at the University of Bristol’s Centre for Academic Primary Care published today [12 November] in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

Interactive virtual reality emerges as a new tool for drug design against COVID-19

12 November 2020

Bristol scientists have demonstrated a new virtual reality [VR] technique which should help in developing drugs against the SARS-CoV-2 virus – and enable researchers to share models and collaborate in new ways. The innovative tool, created by University of Bristol researchers, and published in the Journal of Chemical Information and Modeling, will help scientists around the world identify anti-viral drug leads more rapidly.

#8Investments to enable everyone, everywhere, to be physically active

10 November 2020

Researchers from the University of Bristol and NIHR ARC West have contributed to the International Society for Physical Activity and Health (ISPAH) ‘Eight Investments That Work for Physical Activity‘, released today [10 November].

Costs of informal end of life care are larger than formal care services

10 November 2020

An international study into the costs and outcomes of informal end of life care has found that in the UK, Ireland and the US, care provided by informal carers, meaning family and friends, accounted for more than half of total care costs in the last three months of life.

Urban gulls adapt foraging schedule to human activity patterns

10 November 2020

Fitting birds with GPS trackers inside mini backpacks reveals what has been long suspected: urban gulls know exactly when and where to forage for human food.

Analysis of Trump’s tweets reveals systematic diversion of the media

10 November 2020

President Donald Trump’s controversial use of social media is widely known and theories abound about its ulterior motives. New research published today in Nature Communications claims to provide the first evidence-based analysis demonstrating the US President’s Twitter account has been routinely deployed to divert attention away from a topic potentially harmful to his reputation, in turn suppressing negative related media coverage.

Bristol study completes COVID-19 antibody testing

10 November 2020

Children of the 90s, a health study based at the University of Bristol, has today published results from a study testing almost 5,000 participants for COVID-19 antibodies. 4.3% reported a positive result, of which a quarter were asymptomatic and did not report any symptoms in previous questionnaires.

Combining electronic and photonic chips enables new record in super-fast quantum light detection

9 November 2020

Bristol researchers have developed a tiny device that paves the way for higher performance quantum computers and quantum communications, making them significantly faster than the current state-of-the-art.

New type of antivenom to reduce 100,000 fatalities each year from venomous snake bites being developed by Bristol scientists

5 November 2020

A new approach of treating life-threatening snake bites responsible for around 100,000 deaths globally each year is being pioneered by an international research consortium led by University of Bristol scientists. The EU-funded ADDovenom study, involving teams in the UK, France, Belgium and Portugal, set out to create a new type of antivenom treatment to neutralise and eliminate venom toxins from the bloodstream with more efficacy, safety and affordability than what is available today.

Bristol COVID-19 experts to answer your questions

4 November 2020

COVID-19 has had an enormous impact on nearly every aspect of our everyday lives. In response, researchers from the University of Bristol are working together and with partners around the world to understand the virus, develop a vaccine and help bring an end to the pandemic.

Big babies, little mothers: tsetse flies show extreme mothering

4 November 2020

The tsetse fly is an exception to the almost universal law of nature that babies are born smaller than their mothers.

November lockdown: An update from the Vice-Chancellor

3 November 2020

The Prime Minister announced on Saturday that schools and universities should remain open during the forthcoming national lockdown.

Fossil poop shows fishy lunches from 200 million years ago

2 November 2020

A new study of coprolites, fossil poop, shows the detail of food webs in the ancient shallow seas around Bristol in south-west England. One hungry fish ate part of the head of another fish before snipping off the tail of a passing reptile.

Research to use artificial intelligence to identify sick livestock

2 November 2020

The welfare of livestock could be improved thanks to a new research project that will use novel artificial intelligence methods combined with behavioural analytics to provide rapid and reliable insights to animal health for farmers across the UK. The research and commercial feasibility program, co-funded by Innovate UK, the UK's innovation agency, will be led by the Quant Foundry (QF) in collaboration with the University of Bristol Vet School and Agri-EPI Centre.

University of Bristol joins UK-wide calls for government to support post-Covid recovery plans

2 November 2020

The University of Bristol is among a UK-wide cohort of cities and their universities that is calling on the government to work towards a radical new vision to help bring social and economic prosperity post-Covid.