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.

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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Horseshoe bats

Study identifies genetic changes likely to have enabled SARS-CoV-2 to jump from bats to humans

08 Jan 2021

A new study, involving the University of Cambridge and led by the Pirbright Institute, has identified key genetic changes in SARS-CoV-2 - the virus...

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Few vaccines prevent infection – here’s why that’s not a problem

05 Jan 2021

Immunologist Dr Sarah Caddy looks at how vaccination will cause transmissin to dwindle for the Conversation.

Coronavirus image

Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral evolution tracked in an immunocompromised patient

04 Jan 2021

Professor Ravi Gupta and colleagues investigated SARS-CoV-2 evolution in a patient treated with convalescent plasma. Here’s what the results could...


Ben Underwood with the COVID-19 vaccine research team

Tackling COVID-19: Dr Ben Underwood

04 Jan 2021

Ben Underwood’s expertise in delivering clinical trials became highly prized last year, as he worked on a vaccine trial the whole world was watching.

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Six ways to ‘reboot your brain’ after a hard year of COVID-19

04 Jan 2021

Prof Barbara Sahakian and colleagues look at steps we can take to help with mental health and resilience during this particularly bleak midwinter.

Volunteer in the testing centre

Cambridge COVID-19 Testing Centre passes 2 million tests milestone

24 Dec 2020

The Cambridge COVID-19 Testing Centre, set up in April in response to the urgent need to boost the UK’s testing capabilities, has processed two...

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Masked commuters on the London Underground

Opinion: Here's what we know about the new variant of coronavirus

23 Dec 2020

Professor Sharon Peacock writes in The Guardian about COG-UK's role in identifying the new SARS-CoV-2 variant.

Wine glass and bottle

One in three adults drank more alcohol during first lockdown

21 Dec 2020

COVID-19 and lockdown measures drove some individuals more than others to use alcohol to cope with stress, a new study has revealed. While overall...

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Medical personnel putting on PPE

Aroma diffuser and plastic bag offer inexpensive method to test fit of face masks at home

16 Dec 2020

Researchers have developed a way to use a simple home aroma diffuser to test whether N95 and other types of sealing masks, such as KN95 and FFP2...

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UK citizens get less legal protection for COVID jabs than other vaccines – and that could undermine confidence

15 Dec 2020

Writing for the Conversation, Drs Kathy Liddell and Mark Toshner argue that the government needs to be "honest about risks" when it comes to new...

Creative rendition of SARS-COV-2 virus particles

Remdesivir likely to be highly effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2 for some patients

14 Dec 2020

The drug remdesivir is likely to be a highly effective antiviral against SARS-CoV-2, according to a new study by a team of UK scientists. Writing in...

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Reflections on a year of fighting COVID-19

11 Dec 2020

2020 will be forever remembered for COVID-19. As the year draws to a close, Dr Estée Török looks back at how colleagues across the NHS and the...

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