International

Road traffic accidents leading cause of pet cat deaths in the UK, Bristol Cats study finds

30 April 2025

Road traffic accidents (RTAs) are the leading cause of death among UK pet cats who are 8 years old or younger, new research has found. This is the first UK-wide study to assess mortality and survival rates in pet cats to include those that do not attend vets or have insurance. The study, by the University of Bristol Veterinary School and Cats Protection, is published in the Journal of Feline Medicine and Surgery.

Stopping the spread of coronavirus in universities

14 September 2020

As universities prepare to welcome students back, infectious disease modelling experts at the University of Bristol have conducted a rapid review and developed a new epidemic model which contributed to evidence considered by SAGE to assess the effectiveness of different interventions that could stop the spread of Sars-CoV-2 in a university setting. The findings, published on the preprint server medRxiv, provides the sector with recommendations to help reduce the risk for students, staff and the wider community.

Smartwatch technology could help with future alcohol interventions, new study finds

2 April 2025

Alcohol harm costs NHS England £3.5 billion annually, with 70 people dying every day from alcohol-related causes in the UK (1). According to new University of Bristol-led research smartwatches could provide a more accurate picture of people’s daily drinking habits than current methods. The technology could be a key element for future alcohol interventions.

Research reveals even cool, wet Northern Ireland is feeling strain of climate change

2 April 2025

Northern Ireland is known for its cool, wet weather – but a new study has shown warmer temperatures and erratic rainfall due to climate change are taking a toll on the nation’s health and farming industry.

What research needs to be prioritised in global burns – results from a project spanning 88 countries

24 April 2025

Each year, more than 11 million people worldwide suffer serious life-changing burns, affecting both adults and children. The largest-ever project of its kind — the Priorities in Global Burns Research partnership, led by the University of Bristol — has identified the top 10 priorities in burns care research from 88 countries. The findings are published today [23 April] in The Lancet Global Health.

Pioneering research paves the way towards exascale optical networks

14 September 2016

In the face of increasing bandwidth demands, ground-breaking research between the University of Bristol and the National Institute of Information and Communication Technology (NICT) in Japan, has demonstrated solutions for network infrastructure to address the looming network capacity crunch.

What patients want most from their GP is trust and respect, finds study

11 August 2020

Relationships between GPs and patients are changing. It is becoming more difficult for patients to see their preferred GP. In a study by researchers from the University of Bristol's Centre for Academic Primary Care, patients reported that, regardless of whether they were able to see the same GP or not, what they most wanted is to be trusted and respected by their GP.

Moths strike out in evolutionary arms race with sophisticated wing design

23 November 2020

Ultra-thin, super-absorbent and extraordinarily designed to detract attention, the wings of moths could hold the key for developing technological solutions to survive in a noisy world.

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.

Oxford COVID-19 vaccine follows its programmed genetic instructions, independent analysis finds

22 October 2020

The AstraZeneca Oxford COVID-19 vaccine (ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 and also known as AZD1222) now undergoing Phase III clinical trials, has already undergone rigorous testing to ensure the highest standards of quality and safety. Now a team at Bristol University has used recently developed techniques to further validate that the vaccine accurately follows the genetic instructions programmed into it by the Oxford team. This novel analysis provides even greater clarity and detail about how the vaccine successfully provokes a strong immune response.