The latest updates on our research and how it is improving people’s lives.
Kneecap resurfacing during knee replacement should be the standard procedure, new study finds
17 June 2026
The largest and longest clinical trial of its kind has found that resurfacing the kneecap during total knee replacement is likely to be the most cost-effective approach for patients and healthcare systems over the long term.
Tackling tendon injuries: A One Medicine approach
10 June 2026
Prof Stephanie Dakin has been awarded a major research project from the Horserace Betting Levy Board and the Racing Foundation to identify targeted new treatments for equine tendon injuries.
Pioneering study sets out to answer and address why osteoarthritis impacts patients differently
3 June 2026
Researchers from NDORMS are playing leading roles in a major new UK-wide research consortium aiming to improve treatment and outcomes for people living with osteoarthritis.
Largest study of knee osteoarthritis tissue reveals the core biological pathways underlying osteoarthritis
2 June 2026
A major international study led by researchers at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford has found that osteoarthritis (OA) – the most common form of arthritis worldwide – is not a collection of separate diseases, as many scientists had previously speculated, but rather a single condition with common core underlying biological pathways.
NDORMS hosts international workshop to advance therapeutic discovery in chondrosarcoma
20 May 2026
Researchers, clinicians, industry partners, bone cancer charities and patients recently gathered at St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford, for the inaugural ‘Oxford Workshop on Systems Biology and Therapeutic Approaches in Chondrosarcoma’. The event brought together expertise across research and clinical care with the long-term aim to improve outcomes for patients with chondrosarcoma.
New research programme to strengthen the evaluation of implants in the NHS
5 May 2026
A major new NIHR funded programme grant aims to make medical implants safer and better value for money in the NHS. The project will develop a robust framework to assess the long-term risks, benefits and costs of implants.
Associate Professor title awarded to NDORMS researchers
1 May 2026
The University of Oxford has awarded the title of Associate Professor to Ed Burn, Antonella Delmestri and Paula Dhiman.
James Fullerton appointed as John Climax Professor of Clinical Therapeutics
1 May 2026
Professor Fullerton will take a leading role in clinical pharmacology and experimental medicine research in Oxford to help bridge the gap between discoveries in the laboratory and the development of new drug treatments.
Large UK trial shows bone healing ‘superpower’ in children
17 April 2026
Most children with a severely broken wrist can be treated without surgery, according to a major NIHR-funded UK trial led by researchers at the University of Oxford. The findings suggest that a non-surgical, cast-first approach delivers similar long-term recovery while reducing the risks associated with surgery and costs.
£3M study led by patient voices targets pain in inflammatory arthritis
15 April 2026
Researchers across the UK are banding together to tackle one of the largest unmet clinical needs in inflammatory arthritis, pain reduction, in a new £3m research programme funded by Arthritis UK.
Oxford–ZEISS Centre to advance live-cell imaging for drug discovery
14 April 2026
The pioneering technology will be able to precisely quantify drug behaviour at the cellular level for the development of novel therapeutics.
Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology secures five-year major funding from the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research
2 April 2026
The Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology (KIR) at the University of Oxford has secured a major five-year funding commitment of £28 million from the Kennedy Trust for Rheumatology Research (KTRR), extending its long-standing strategic partnership to 2031.
Professor Jonathan Rees reappointed as NIHR Senior Investigator
31 March 2026
The NIHR Senior Investigator award recognises the most prominent and prestigious researchers of applied health and social care.
New microscopy methods to reveal how electrostatics shape biological processes
23 March 2026
Dr Narain Karedla has received a 5-year European Research Commission (ERC) grant for the project ‘Metal-Induced Energy Transfer based Electrometry and Nanometry’ (MIETEN) to be carried out at the Botnar Institute and the Rosalind Franklin Institute. The project aims to develop new optical microscopy methods for probing the role of electrostatics in biological processes.
New industrial partnership to advance human immunology research and accelerate therapeutic development
18 March 2026
A new collaboration between the Translational Pharmacology Group at NDORMS and global biopharmaceutical company UCB aims to promote understanding of human adaptive immunity and catalyse the development of new treatments for patients with immune-mediated conditions.
New study shows observational analyses can complement randomised clinical trials findings for the study of HPV vaccine effectiveness
16 March 2026
Led by researchers at NDORMS as part of the Data Analysis and Real World Interrogation Network (DARWIN EU®) initiative, a new European study has shown that carefully designed observational studies can produce robust and reliable vaccine effectiveness estimates. These results highlight that high-quality real-world evidence can play a key role in complementing the findings from randomised clinical trials.
Fair and Safe Medical AI: why local expertise matters
16 March 2026
A Global Grand Challenges case study reveals the potential of large language models (LLMs) to close health gaps in the South Asia, but only when they’re adapted and fine-tuned using local data and expertise.
Anchoring a key immune molecule boosts T cell responses
11 March 2026
Researchers at the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology have found that physically resisting the formation of an immunological synapse actually promotes a stronger immune response. The findings could help explain how immune responses become weakened in cancer and chronic infection and inform the design of more effective vaccines.
Oxford joins new West Africa consortium to accelerate climate and health solutions
5 March 2026
Researchers from the University of Oxford have joined African universities and regional experts who are working with Wellcome to establish new science and policy consortiums that will address the escalating public health crisis driven by climate change - saving lives and livelihoods.
'Hidden' costs of social care after a hip fracture exceed £1.25 billion a year in the UK
16 February 2026
Social care for hip fracture costs the NHS over £1.25 billion, equating to £15K per patient every year according to a new NDORMS study.