Author Archives: Science Media Centre
expert reaction to news reports on the possible introduction of further COVID-19 measures for England
There have been several news reports suggesting what the Prime Minister is set to announce this afternoon about introducing further … read more
expert reaction to preprint of lab study from South Africa looking at omicron and extent of Pfizer vaccine immune escape
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, suggests that the omicron variant of SARS-CoV-2 has extensive but incomplete escape of … read more
expert reaction to study using Biobank data to look at associations between electronic device use and mental traits
A study published in Addiction Biology uses UK Biobank data to look at associations between electronic devices use and common … read more
expert reaction to study looking at overdiagnosis of milk allergies in babies
A study published in Clinical & Experimental Allergy looks at frequency of guideline-defined cow’s milk allergy symptoms in infants. … read more
expert reaction to latest ONS stats on deaths registered weekly in England and Wales, provisional: week ending 26 November 2021
The Office for National Statistics (ONS) have released provisional counts of the number of deaths registered in England and Wales in the … read more
Results from the COM-COV2 study (Comparing COVID-19 Vaccine Schedule Combinations)
In June we heard from the team running the COM-COV trial giving results of mixed vaccine schedules on the immune … read more
expert reaction to results of the Com-COV2 study looking at different combinations of first and second vaccine doses
A study published in The Lancet looks at immunogenicity, safety, and reactogenicity of heterologous COVID-19 primary vaccination incorporating mRNA, viral-vector, … read more
expert comment on the omicron variant and the UK
Following an update on the omicron variant situation in the UK from Sajid Javid in the House of Commons on … read more
expert reaction to study identifying sildenafil (Viagra) as a candidate drug for Alzheimer’s disease
A study published in Nature Aging identifies sildenafil as a candidate drug for Alzheimer’s disease. Prof Tara Spires-Jones, Deputy Director … read more
expert reaction to UK government’s proposed new drugs strategy
The government has launched a new 10-year drugs strategy for England and Wales. Prof Liz Hughes, Professor of Nursing, … read more
The effect of different infection and vaccination combinations on immunity against SARS-CoV-2 variants
New research, from a team from Imperial College London and Queen Mary University of London and published in Science, looks … read more
expert reaction to study looking at genome editing to create single sex mice litters
A study published in Nature Communications looks at the use of genome editing technology to generate single-sex litters and sex-specific … read more
expert reaction to preprint looking at risk of reinfection associated with emergence of the Omicron variant in South Africa
A preprint, an unpublished non-peer reviewed study, looks at the risk of SARS-CoV-2 reinfection associated with the Omicron variant in … read more
Preparing for Extreme Risks: Building a Resilient Society – a new report from the House of Lords Risk Assessment and Risk Planning Committee
The House of Lords opened an inquiry into Risk Assessment and Planning in October 2020. They have assessed UK government planning … read more
expert reaction to fourth and final government report on understanding and tackling COVID-19 disparities
The final report by the Race Disparity Unit on progress to address COVID-19 health inequalities has been posted online. This … read more
The Government’s fourth and final quarterly report on COVID-19 disparities
This final quarterly report from Dr Raghib Ali, the government’s independent adviser on COVID-19 and ethnicity, brings together, for the … read more
COV-BOOST Results
COV-BOOST is a blinded, multicentre, randomised, controlled, phase 2 trial investigating safety and immunogenicity of seven COVID-19 vaccines as a … read more
expert reaction to COV-BOOST study investigating safety and immunogenicity of seven COVID-19 vaccines as a third dose following two doses of either Oxford-AstraZeneca or Pfizer
A study published in the Lancet looks at the safety and immunogenicity of seven COVID-19 vaccines as a third (booster) … read more
expert reaction to study looking at pollutants and sex ratio at birth
A study published in PLOS Computational Biology looks at variations in human sex ratio at birth. Dr Gareth Nye, Lecturer … read more
expert reaction to study demonstrating a new model simulating human embryo development
A study published in Nature uses human blastoids to model blastocyst development and implantation. Dr Harry Leitch, Stem cell … read more