Topic description and stories

Cambridge researchers have played a vital role in the fight back against COVID-19, from the use of genomics to track its spread and mathematic modelling to understand infection rates through to innovative screening programmes to keep its students and staff safe.

Intensive care unit at Addenbrooke's Hospital

Underactive immune response may explain obesity link to COVID-19 severity

20 March 2023

Individuals who are obese may be more susceptible to severe COVID-19 because of a poorer inflammatory immune response, say Cambridge scientists.

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Patient receiving a COVID-19 vaccination

Obesity accelerates loss of COVID-19 vaccination immunity, study finds

11 May 2023

The protection offered by COVID-19 vaccination declines more rapidly in people with severe obesity than in those with normal weight, scientists at...

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Vaccine being administered by needle-free injection into a volunteer's arm

Cambridge University’s needle-free coronavirus vaccine begins clinical trials in home city

24 Apr 2023

Recruitment is underway in Cambridge for volunteers to take part in clinical trials of a revolutionary new needle-free vaccine to protect against...

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COVID-19 variants

Roadmap sets out new global strategy for development of more effective coronavirus vaccines

21 Feb 2023

Plan will accelerate a new approach to coronavirus vaccines research and development, to protect against COVID-19 variants and future pandemic...

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COVID has increased trust in genetics, study finds

26 Jan 2023

A survey of over 2,000 British adults finds that trust in genetics is high and went up significantly during the pandemic. It also finds that there is...

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Doctor examining a patient

Gone fishing: highly accurate test for common respiratory viruses uses DNA as ‘bait’

16 Jan 2023

A new test that ‘fishes’ for multiple respiratory viruses at once using single strands of DNA as ‘bait’, and gives highly accurate results in under...

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Coronavirus

‘Cocktail’ vaccines could offer increased protection against future COVID-19 variants of concern

14 Dec 2022

COVID-19 vaccinations that combine two or more distinct variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus could offer protection against both current and future ‘...

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Medical staff at Addenbrookes hospital

Partnering with local hospitals during COVID-19

13 Dec 2022

From developing intensive care equipment to tackling supplies of PPE and oxygen, here's how a group of Cambridge researchers refocused and partnered...

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The off-patent drug that could protect us from future COVID-19 variants

05 Dec 2022

Cambridge scientists have identified a drug that can be repurposed to prevent COVID-19 in research involving a unique mix of ‘mini-organs’, donor...

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Young children in Ethiopia

COVID has 'ruptured' social skills of the world’s poorest children, study suggests

30 Nov 2022

Two interlinked studies, involving 8,000 primary pupils altogether, indicate children lost at least a third of a year in learning during lockdown.

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Hands of senior man with cannulae and band-aid being in intensive care

Blood thinning drug to treat recovery from severe COVID-19 is not effective

28 Nov 2022

A drug used to reduce the risk of blood clots does not help patients recovering from moderate and severe COVID-19, despite this approach being...

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A 3d animation of the COVID-19 Virus or Coronavirus being broken apart

‘Programmable molecular scissors’ could help fight COVID-19 infection

16 Nov 2022

Cambridge scientists have used synthetic biology to create artificial enzymes programmed to target the genetic code of SARS-CoV-2 and destroy the...

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The “zero-chance” doctor who now advises government

19 Oct 2022

Growing up on free school meals at one of the lowest performing state schools in the country, Raghib Ali went on to become a leading epidemiologist...

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