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Dr Manu Vatish and Dr Sofia Cerdeira from the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health have won a prestigious global award, that recognises teams that collaborate across disciplines and transform healthcare delivery and ultimately patient lives.
Exosomes are more diverse than we previously thought: implications for disease diagnosis and management
5 June 2026
A new opinion article published in Trends in Cell Biology explores how tiny packages released by cells, known as exosomes, could help researchers better understand disease and may one day support new approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Phase 2 Endometriosis Study Highlights a Novel Molecular Imaging Agent as a Promising Diagnostic and Monitoring Tool
29 April 2026
A Phase II Study, published in The Lancet Obstetrics, Gynaecology & Women's Health, highlights the potential of a new molecular imaging agent, ‘99mTc-maraciclatide’, when used alongside a non-invasive scan to diagnose and monitor the development and treatment of Endometriosis.
Blood pressure lowering reduces cardiovascular risk across all stages of chronic kidney disease
23 April 2026
A major international study led by researchers at the Nuffield Dept of Women's & Reproductive Health, University of Oxford has found that lowering blood pressure reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease by approximately 9–10% for every 5 mm Hg reduction in systolic blood pressure with consistent benefits across all stages of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Global series highlights innovations and impact in post-pregnancy contraception
9 April 2026
A collection of seven articles in Best Practice & Research Clinical Obstetrics & Gynaecology, led by Visiting Editor Anita Makins, brings together global expertise on post-pregnancy contraception - an area critical to improving maternal and newborn health outcomes worldwide.
Early pregnancy blood fat patterns linked to delayed brain development in children
8 April 2026
The INTERBIO-21st study has identified that a pattern of fats identified in the blood of mothers early in pregnancy is associated with reduced rates of brain growth in the baby, and developmental delays in the children once they reach 2 years of age.
INTERGROWTH-21st launches Version 2 of its Growth Standards App, expanding to fetal growth and multilingual access
20 March 2026
The INTERGROWTH-21st Project has released Version 2 of its clinical growth standards app, significantly expanding its functionality to include fetal growth standards, enhanced data export options, and in-app multilingual capability. Building on the successful launch of Version 1, which integrated the INTERGROWTH-21st Newborn Size at Birth and Preterm Postnatal Growth Standards, Version 2 now incorporates additional tools to support clinicians across the full continuum of pregnancy and early life.
AI Identifies Reproducible Clinical Subtypes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s Disease
26 February 2026
Published in Nature Aging today, five distinct subtypes of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease have been identified by using Artificial Intelligence to analyse healthcare data from over 100,000 patients.
New AI model Could Improve Prediction of Medium-Term Mortality in Heart Failure Patients
16 February 2026
Researchers from the University of Oxford and international collaborators have developed a new artificial intelligence model that can more accurately predict the medium-term risk of death for people with heart failure using routine electronic health records.
The Changing Face of Heart Disease: Why It’s Time to Rethink Prevention
9 February 2026
For decades, heart disease prevention has been one of the biggest public health success stories. Thanks to research and better awareness about risks like high blood pressure, smoking, and cholesterol, rates of heart attacks and strokes have fallen dramatically since the 1960s. But in recent years, this progress has slowed, and in some countries, even reversed. Despite medical advances, the number of people being diagnosed with heart and circulatory diseases has stayed roughly the same since the mid-2000s. Rising rates of obesity, diabetes, and chronic kidney disease are thought to play a big role in this worrying trend.
New WHO Meta-Analysis Suggests Better Clinical Markers Could Improve Early Detection of Postpartum Haemorrhage
17 December 2025
A major international research collaboration has published new evidence in The Lancet that could transform how postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) is diagnosed and treated around the world. The study - an individual participant data (IPD) meta-analysis involving more than 312,000 women from diverse clinical settings - was led by scientists including Dr Adam Devall and Prof Arri Coomarasamy.
Early Diagnosis Saves Lives: New Study Highlights Critical Window for Postpartum Haemorrhage Care
18 November 2025
A new international study co-led by Professor Arri Coomarasamy of the University of Birmingham and the Nuffield Department of Women’s and Reproductive Health, University of Oxford, has shown that diagnosing postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) within the first 90 minutes after childbirth can be crucial in preventing maternal deaths.
No Strategic Call for ME/CFS: Why Patients Are Pushing Back
17 March 2025
The release of the government's ME/CFS delivery plan is imminent, but the lack of a strategic call for these complex, chronic conditions has left patients frustrated and demanding action.
AI offers potential to transform Pregnancy Scans in Africa
23 July 2024
Dr. Aris Papageorghiou, co-founder of Intelligent Ultrasound, Principal Investigator and Global Health theme lead at the Nuffield Dept of Women’s & Reproductive Health, is at the forefront of an exciting project that is transforming pregnancy care in Africa. The AI-based ScanNav FetalCheck ultrasound software, currently being tested in Uganda, promises to revolutionise prenatal care in low-resource settings by enabling scans without the need for specialists.
Children's BMI and LDL-C (cholesterol) are major risk factors for adult cardiovascular disease.
28 June 2024
A groundbreaking study, recently published in JAMA Network Open, has uncovered the significant contributions of both childhood and adulthood cardiovascular risk factors to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in middle age. The research tracked 10,634 participants from the US, Finland, and Australia from childhood (1970s-1990s) until 2019. The mean age at childhood was 13.3 years, and the mean age for adulthood was 32.3 years.
Major UK Study Reveals Shifting Trends and Persistent Challenges in Heart Disease Over the Last 20 Years
27 June 2024
A groundbreaking new study has shed light on how the landscape of heart disease has evolved in the UK over the past two decades. Researchers analyzed electronic health records from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD GOLD and Aurum), encompassing a representative cohort of 22 million individuals. This included 1,650,052 people newly diagnosed with at least one cardiovascular disease (CVD) between 2000 and 2019, with an average age of 70.5 years, of whom 48% were women.
The "Maternal Mental Health in Africa - Conversations" symposium
28 May 2024
The "Conversations on Maternal Mental Health in Africa" symposium is scheduled for June 19, 2024, in Oxford. This hybrid event, organised by the Nuffield Department of Women's and Reproductive Health and the Africa Oxford Initiative at the University of Oxford is in partnership with the Perinatal Mental Health Project at the University of Cape Town.
New study reveals autoimmune disorders now affect about one in ten individuals
5 May 2023
A new population-based study of 22 million people shows that autoimmune disorders now affect about one in ten individuals. The work, published in The Lancet, also highlights important socioeconomic, seasonal, and regional differences for several autoimmune disorders and provides new clues on possible causes behind these diseases.
The link between childhood risk factors and adult cardiovascular events revealed
6 April 2022
A new international study published April 4th 2022, in The New England Journal of Medicine finds, for the first time, direct evidence that the recognised risk factors for cardiovascular disease when present in childhood, predict the risk of adult cardiovascular events such as myocardial infarction and stroke.
Global INTERCOVID-2022 Study launched to compare Covid-19 during pregnancy, with pregnant women without the infection.
15 February 2022
The Oxford Maternal & Perinatal Health Institute (OMPHI) has launched the 2022 round of the global study to evaluate the effects of Covid-19 variants and vaccination in pregnancy.
Latest news
Recent changes in caesarean birth rates in England
8 June 2026
Professor Marian Knight, Director of the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit (NPEU), appeared on BBC Breakfast this morning to discuss new NPEU research examining recent changes in caesarean birth rates in England.
Exosomes are more diverse than we previously thought: implications for disease diagnosis and management
5 June 2026
A new opinion article published in Trends in Cell Biology explores how tiny packages released by cells, known as exosomes, could help researchers better understand disease and may one day support new approaches to diagnosis and treatment.
Oxford researchers develop wearable ultrasound patch for continuous pregnancy monitoring
26 May 2026
New technology could help identify fetal complications earlier in high-risk pregnancies. Researchers at the University of Oxford and collaborators have helped develop a wearable ultrasound patch capable of continuously monitoring fetal wellbeing during pregnancy, offering a potential new approach to identifying complications earlier in high-risk pregnancies.
Targeted Removal of sFlt-1 in Very Preterm Preeclampsia: A Promising First-in-Human Pilot Study
15 May 2026
A first-in-human pilot study, published in Nature Medicine, suggests that selectively removing a placenta-derived protein called soluble Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt-1) from the blood may be a safe and feasible way to help manage very preterm preeclampsia.