Freeing Voices

PITCH-2 (Protective Immunity from T cell Cells in Healthcare workers) is an exciting project that seeks to understand the role of T cell immunity in protection against the COVID-19 in healthcare workers. PITCH-2 (Protective Immunity from T cell Cells in Healthcare workers) is a national consortium study led by the University of Oxford in collaboration with five Universities in England (Birmingham, Liverpool, Newcastle, and Sheffield). This is a longitudinal observational cohort study of healthcare workers that seeks to understand the immune system's response to COVID-19, whether induced by vaccination or natural exposure to the virus. Antibody responses to SARS-CoV-2 are important but other parts of the immune response are necessary for protection against getting ill. T cells, which are a subset of the body’s white blood cells, are crucial for directing the immune response (including co-ordinating antibodies) and also fight the virus once it has infected cells. However, T cells are harder to measure because specialist skills and equipment are needed and therefore most studies focus on antibodies. PITCH-2 takes a comprehensive look at the immune system, measuring antibodies, T cells and other cellular responses in the blood stream, and also looks at the local immune response in the nose (mucosal immunity). The role of antibodies, T cells and other cellular immune responses in protection against future infections with SARS-CoV-2 remains unknown, and lasting immunity to COVID-19 is yet to be determined. Therefore, detailed examination of the immune system among healthcare workers is essential to provide critical information for vaccine design and future public health policies, including the need for further booster vaccines. More details and study publications can be found on the PITCH study website PITCH Study (pitch-study.org).

Genetic variation can have opposing effects on human disease, where the benefits of a protective variant against one disease can increase the risk of another. I provided four examples of the Yin/Yang of genetic variation in human health and disease: CCR5Δ32: This variant protects against HIV-1, but associates with risk of symptomatic West Nile Virus infection. HLA-B*57: this is an HLA class I allele of the highly polymorphic HLA-B gene that confers protection against HIV-1, but associates with risk of psoriasis and abacavir hypersensitivity. HLA-C expression levels: complex variation outside of the protein coding region of the HLA-C gene determines HLA-C expression levels, where high expression associates with protection against HIV-1, but it also confers risk of Crohn’s Disease and graft vs. host disease after transplantation. Killer cell immunoglobulin-like receptors that confer activating states: These complex genotypes confer protection against KSHV infection, but among subjects with these genotypes who do become infected with KSHV, there is an increased risk of Kapok’s sarcoma.

Professor Peter Horby's research focuses on epidemic diseases such as Ebola and bird flu, and crosses the disciplines of basic science, medical science and public health. Professor Peter Horby, who was recently awarded a UK Government Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa for his role in fighting the 2015 Ebola outbreak, talks about the history and science of Ebola. This public lecture was given as part of Oxford Open Doors, on the 12th September 2015.

The Nuffield Department of Medicine is committed to the pursuit of academic excellence and the positive impact of its research on the health and wellbeing of the global community. Reaching out to the wider community, through public engagement, is an increasingly important component of medical research. In addition, the societal and economic impact of medical research is fast becoming an integral part of research assessment. NDM Strategic is dedicated to supporting its researchers in actively engaging with the public, as well as ensuring everyone in the Department is aware of the options available to them for translating research into impact.

The Nuffield Department of Medicine recognises that public engagement is vital to educate, inform and build relationships with the community. Our scientists are actively engaging in open discussion, meeting people to debate, listen and learn. Our series of evening lectures at Science Oxford Live, as part of the Healthy Season in spring 2013, was a great success. We are grateful to all of our speakers: Dr Julian Knight (Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics), Professor Tim Key (Cancer Epidemiology Unit), Professor Adrian Hill and Dr Simon Draper (Jenner Institute), Professor Chas Bountra and Professor Stefan Knapp (Structural Genomics Consortium), and Dr Dianne Newbury (Wellcome Trust Centre for Human Genetics) for contributing to five memorable evenings.

Specific Language Impairment affects hundreds of thousands of British children, and causes them to have difficulties speaking and understanding language. Can the environment have an effect? Is Specific Language Impairment reflected in IQ scores? How will this research help people with Specific Language Impairment? Where does your research go next?

How does medicine work? How are new drugs made? What role does the pharmaceutical industry play? Professors Stefan Knapp and Chas Bountra joined Science Oxford Live in spring 2013 for an evening of Scientists on the sofa, to take your questions. Have you really got a model for how this ought to work? I wanted to comment about the publication of negative findings. Have you been involved? What is your view on this? How quickly do you think it will happen? You spoke about the research institutes closing down; are they closing down in the UK and relocating, or are they just closing? Is there something to be said for slowing, or stopping, research for diseases of old age, for example Alzheimer's, and instead concentrating on scanning the genome of very young human beings to see what they might get in their future years? In regards to what you were saying about people reacting differently to a drug; that must mean that for a long time doctors have been prescribing things that don't work, and nobody's admitted it? Is that right? Because we are all so very different?

Specific Language Impairment affects hundreds of thousands of British children, and causes them to have difficulties speaking and understanding language. Unlike common speech and language disorders, Specific Language Impairment (SLI), is the impairment of acquisition and language use, which is severe, persistent and often unexpected. SLI is hereditary and is typical of a complex genetic disorder, where certain combinations of functional variants result in less efficient biological processes.

How does medicine work? How are new drugs made? What role does the pharmaceutical industry play? Professors Stefan Knapp and Chas Bountra work in the field of drug discovery. They joined Science Oxford talks in spring 2013. Society is increasingly desperate for novel medicine. Most drugs used today were developed more than 40 years ago. With our ageing population, the incidence of diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular disease, and cancer will increase exponentially over the coming years.

How does medicine work? How are new drugs made? What role does the pharmaceutical industry play? Professors Stefan Knapp and Chas Bountra work in the field of drug discovery. They joined Science Oxford talks in spring 2013. Over the past 30 to 40 years there have been drastic changes in the way new medicines are developed. Before the 1970s drug development was based on phenotypic assays and 'accidental findings', with an approval process that would often take two to three years to complete. Scientists now have a better understanding of the mechanisms leading to disease development, allowing the selection of 'targets' - regulators which are dysfunctional in the disease - allowing scientists to develop new drugs, which inhibit these cellular targets.