In a small study, NIHR Imperial BRC Metabolic Medicine & Endocrinology Theme researcher Tricia Tan and colleagues looked at the brain activity of sixteen people with type 2 diabetes or pre-diabetes who underwent weight loss surgery. The brain activity was measured using magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans that detected the blood flow through different areas […]

A study supported by the NIHR Imperial BRC (published in BMC Medicine), funded by the Tommy’s pregnancy charity, has suggested that changes to a mother’s vaginal microbiome may be associated with pregnancy loss. The researchers propose that inflammation caused by these changes in bacteria could lead to miscarriage. Miscarriage is the most common pregnancy complication and […]

The largest study of its kind – a collaboration between the NIHR Imperial BRC, University of Edinburgh and the Office for National Statistics (ONS) – examined the relationship between asthma and COVID-19 and it includes data on almost 80% of adults and more than 75% of 12-17-year-olds in England. The main findings were that: Children […]

The findings of this collaborative study, including the NIHR Imperial BRC, show that patients who were infected with SARS-CoV-2 and influenza at the same time were over four times more likely to require ventilation support and 2.4 times more likely to die than if they had COVID-19 alone. This show the need for greater flu […]

The NIHR Imperial BRC has been closely supporting the world’s first human challenge study of COVID-19, whereby carefully-selected healthy volunteers were infected with the virus under controlled conditions. This has provided some detailed new insights into how the virus develops as it infects people, which is likely to have implications for future treatments, diagnostic technologies […]

Embracing equality, diversity and inclusion (EDI) is not simply a matter of complying with the law, nor is it simply a matter of social justice. Diversity is essential to excellence in scientific endeavour. Our commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion recognises the fact that excellence comes through facilitating inclusive opportunities that bring together people with […]

When assessing emergency department attendance before and during the first COVID-19 national lockdown, Imperial College London researchers found that numbers dropped, particularly in certain age groups as shown in a new cross-sectional study. To limit the spread of the new COVID-19 virus, the UK government initiated a nationwide lockdown on 23 March 2020. Following this, […]

Imperial College Healthcare is one of four new organisations to join the UK Health Data Research Alliance, which works to create a unified approach to the use of health data across the UK. The UK Health Data Research Alliance (UKHDRA) is an independent consortium of leading healthcare and research organisations united to establish best practice […]

On International Clinical Trials Day, we recognise the work of the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Imperial Clinical Research Facility (CRF) and their involvement in delivering COVID-19 vaccine trials. The CRF is a partnership between Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Imperial College London. The Facility offers a dedicated and purpose-built space in Hammersmith […]