bristol university medical research

Bristol Medical Education Research Group

Group run by academics from University of Bristol Medical School with an interest in Medical Education Research. Opinions expressed are those of the authors and not of Bristol Medical School or the University.

Welcome to the Bristol Medical Education Research Group (BMERG)

BMERG aims to bring together all staff who have an interest in Medical Education Research both here at Bristol Medical School and beyond.

We hope this group will foster a great sense of collaboration between all those involved in the education of healthcare professionals, and how they might evaluate, research and share their innovate work.

University of Bristol research could lead to earlier detection of brain tumours

• Published 3 August 2022

Brain tumours could be detected at an earlier stage through a blood test, as part of University of Bristol research.

The university said detecting a tumour earlier could lead to more effective and personalised treatment options.

Researchers are looking to develop an affordable "point of care" blood test, which would be carried out by GPs.

Dr Johanna Blee said: "We are hopeful this research will ultimately aid the development of a simple blood test for brain tumours."

The research, published in the The Royal Society journal, involves assessing the current use of biomarkers in the detection of glioblastomas (GBMs), the most common type of malignant brain tumour among adults.

New mathematical models could be used to examine and compare biomarkers and test for brain tumours as they emerge, researchers say.

'More effective treatment'

"Our findings provide the basis for further clinical data on the impact of lowering the current detection threshold, to allow earlier detection of GBMs using blood tests," said Dr Blee.

"We have also demonstrated how our models can be combined with other diagnostics such as scans to enhance clinical insight with a view to developing more personalised and effective treatments," she added.

The university says earlier diagnosis could help reduce NHS costs and improve survival rates by catching tumours before they grow larger and become inoperable.

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Bristol Medical School

• Faculty of Health Sciences
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United Kingdom

• 1 Curtailed
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Search results

Statistical physics and complex networks in meta-analysis.

Davies, A. L.

1/04/24 → 31/03/27

Project : Research

Implementation of community-based health checks and peer-to-peer support to promote functional ability for older people living in rural Zimbabwe

Gregson, C. L.

1/04/24 → 31/03/28

Process evaluation of URApp: a digital intervention to support adherence to bladder training in paediatric continence clinics

Joinson, C. J. , Ingram, J. , Beasant, L. , Clothier, J. & Richardson, D.

1/03/24 → 28/02/25

The effect of COVID-19 infection on cardiovascular outcomes: an interaction analysis with environmental exposure

Li, Y. , Denholm, R. E. & Raffetti., E.

19/02/24 → …

Research collaboration with Indian Institute of Science, Bangalore - IIPF2024-04

Uney, J. B.

1/02/24 → 29/06/24

National partnership to tackle health inequalities in coastal communities

Selman, L. E.

1/02/24 → 31/01/27

Project : Research, Parent

Prosthetic Futures

1/01/24 → 31/10/24

Epigenomic Methods to Improve Personalised Treatment in Patients with Lung Cancer and Malignant Pleural Effusion

Bhatnagar, R.

1/01/24 → 31/12/26

NIHR National Immunisation Schedule Evaluation Consortium

Lazarus, R.

1/01/24 → 1/01/27

• Research 100%
• Vaccination 100%
• Immunization 100%
• Evaluation 100%
• Implementation 100%

Evaluating supervised opioid antagonist treatment consumption

Redaniel, M. T. , Hickman, M. , Wilson, R. & Scott, J.

1/01/24 → 30/06/25

• Opioid Antagonist 100%
• Opiate 100%
• Methadone 28%

Population Research UK Coordination Hub

Boyd, A. W.

1/01/24 → 31/12/28

8073 MRC IEU - Jiawei Huang RTSG

Borges, M. C.

1/01/24 → 31/01/28

8073 MRC IEU - Liping Wen RTSG

8073 mrc ieu - daniel searby rtsg, using artificial intelligence to decode morphological signatures underpinning neural development.

Armstrong, J. & Liu, Q.

1/12/23 → 30/06/24

CCGP: Exploring the Role of Collaborative Creativity in Grief Processing

Dawson, L. D. , Selman, L. E. , Hare, R. E. & Attwood, M.

1/11/23 → 31/07/24

• Story-Telling 20%
• Methodology 20%

INVESTIGATING THE EXTRACELLULAR MATRIX PROTEIN AGRIN AND ITS POTENTIAL OF INDUCING CARDIAC REPAIR

Bigotti, G.

1/11/23 → 31/10/26

Quality of intimate relationship and later cardiovascular disease risk factors in a longitudinal study in the UK

Tohidi Nik, H. , Ben-Shlomo, Y. & Fraser, A.

1/11/23 → …

• Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor 100%
• Cardiovascular Disease 100%
• Smoking 50%
• Dual-Energy X-Ray Absorptiometry 50%

Developing recommendations to support the mental well-being of academic mental health researchers

Winstone, L. , Bennett, J. & Di Cara, N. H.

• Wellbeing 100%
• Mental Health 100%

Making sense of the varying methylome and varying disease patterns

Li, Y. , Min, J. L. & Hemani, G.

4/10/23 → …

AI innovation to accelerate in health research

Sterne, J. A. C.

2/10/23 → 1/04/25

ESRC Postdoc Fellowship

Bennett, J.

1/10/23 → 30/09/24

Harnessing DNA methylation variation between populations to understand disease discordance across ancestries

1/10/23 → 30/09/28

DEEP study: Harnessing DNA methylation variation between populations to understand disease discordance across ancestries

Elliott, H. R. & Min, J. L.

• Epigenetics 100%
• Transcription 33%

Nutritional risks from vector-borne plant viral disease

Ockendon-Powell, N. , Papadaki, A. , Bernie, D. & Bailey, A. M.

1/10/23 → 17/05/24

Transforming the Objective Real-world measUrement of Symptoms (TORUS)

Craddock, I. J. , O'Kane, A. A. , Whone, A. L. , Masullo, A., Morgan, C. A. M. , Oikonomou, G. , Mirmehdi, M. , Santos-Rodriguez, R. , McConville, R. & Dong, S.

Understanding lived experience and behaviour during heatwaves

Lo, E. , Maude, U. , Northstone, K. & Timpson, N. J.

1/10/23 → 31/07/24

• Lived Experience 100%
• Behavior 100%
• Wellbeing 66%
• Early warning 50%

8073 MRC IEU - Tim Larsen consumables

Khandaker, G.

18/09/23 → 1/10/27

8073 MRC IEU - Olly Bastiani consumables

Reed, Z. E.

18/09/23 → 31/08/27

Using multi-omics to investigate mechanisms and prediction of immune-mediated postoperative complications

Armstrong, R.

11/09/23 → 10/09/26

• Multi-Omics 100%
• Professionals 100%

Children's Medical Tourism: Developing an inclusive base for international study

Birchley, G. M.

4/09/23 → 3/09/25

Cardiovascular outcomes of cholinesterase inhibitors in Parkinson’s disease and associated conditions – a systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials.

1/09/23 → …

Designing for all, inclusive assessmnet

Dowling, S. & Rooney, N. J.

1/09/23 → 31/07/24

Poverty proofing maternity services

Kipping, R. R.

1/09/23 → 28/02/25

MCI-COS: Developing a core outcome set for mild cognitive impairment

Gabb, V. G. , Coulthard, E. J. & Turner, N. L.

1/07/23 → 31/10/24

Domestic abuse proceedings in family courts: overlap and pathways in private and public family justice

Garside, L. B. E.

30/06/23 → 29/09/24

UNSEEN heatwave mortality

Shapland, C. Y. , Lo, E. , Tilling, K. M. & Mitchell, D. M.

1/06/23 → 31/05/24

• Heat Wave 100%
• Environment 100%
• Breaking 50%

UK Longitudinal Linkage Collaboration: the transformative Trusted Research Environment for the UK longitudinal research community

1/06/23 → 31/05/28

Integrative analysis of whole genomes and transcriptomes from multiple cell types in rare disease patients

Mumford, A. D.

15/05/23 → 29/02/28

• Analysis 100%
• Transcriptome 100%
• Rare Disease 100%
• Patient 100%

Automation in systematic reviews

1/05/23 → 30/04/26

NUTRITION-RESPONSIVENESS OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM: INTERPLAY BETWEEN INFECTIOUS DISEASES AND DIET-RELATED METABOLIC DISEASES AND THE POTENTIAL FOR FOOD-BASED SOLUTIONS

Timpson, N. J.

LlothyrONiNe Sulphate (T3S) use in hypothyroid subjects on T4 homozygous for the Thr92Ala Deiodinase 2 (D2) polymorphism - the LIONNS-D2 study

Lightman, S. L.

ESRC NIRG: Improving understanding of weight stigma with causal inference methods and general population survey data

Hughes, A. M. M.

1/04/23 → 31/03/25

Integrative Epidemiology Unit

Gaunt, L. F.

1/04/23 → 31/03/28

• Mendelian Randomization Analysis 100%
• Mendelian Randomization 100%
• Diabetes Mellitus 50%
• Genetics 100%
• Comorbidity 100%
• Dementia Praecox 100%
• Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young 100%

Davey Smith, G.

• Association 100%
• Malignant Neoplasm 58%
• Analysis 58%
• Esophageal Adenocarcinoma 58%
• Head and Neck Cancer 58%

NIHR Evidence Synthesis Group

Higgins, J. P. T. , Caldwell, D. M. , Savovic, J. , Jones, H. E. , Cabral, C. L. , Macdonald, G. M. , Gibson, A. J., Welton, N. J. , Sanghera, S. , Whiting, P. F. , Webster, K. E. , Parkhouse, T. L. & Dawson, S.

Tilling, K. M.

8073 OAFI MRC IEU - Director's Discretionary Fund

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Report: England has more food banks inside schools than regular food banks nationwide

by University of Bristol

Research shows schools have increasingly stepped in as a fourth emergency service and are now the biggest source of charitable food and household aid for families struggling with the cost-of-living crisis.

The working paper , led by the University of Bristol, reveals there are more than 4,000 school-based food banks in primary and secondary schools across England, which equates to one in every five schools running one. The study also found school food banks are more prevalent in deprived areas and schools, highlighting the severity of child food insecurity and the challenges facing low-income families.

The report calls for greater awareness among policymakers and reform, including an overhaul of the social security system, to address the growing issue.

Lead author Dr. William Baker, Senior Lecturer at the University of Bristol School of Education, said, "Our research shows there are now, quite shockingly, more food banks inside schools than outside of schools in England. In recent years inflation has sent the cost of essentials spiraling, while other forms of state support have withered due to severe cutbacks. Schools are on the frontline in responding to food poverty and many are offering crisis services to struggling families.

"Teachers and support staff see the devastating effects of poverty and the cost-of-living crisis daily, so they have felt compelled to act. The result is a flourishing patchwork of food banks, pantries, and food clubs, which have become well-established, are often highly organized operations distributing more than just food and are an indictment of this country's retreating welfare state. I'll never forget the stark image of dozens of boxes of new school shoes, bought out of school funds, stacked up ready for distribution as if this was business as usual."

The survey data used in the study indicates food banks exist in more than a fifth (21%) of schools and this rises to a third (33%) in schools with the high numbers of students from deprived backgrounds.

Charitable and third sector organizations, chiefly The Trussell Trust and The Independent Food Aid Network, remain key players operating 1,646 and 1,172 food banks respectively. But the latest data indicates schools now outstrip this, running an estimated 4,250 food banks.

"The fact so many schools now offer a food bank raises the possibility they may have already become completely normalized and institutionalized within schools in England," Dr. Baker added.

The report builds on Dr. Baker's previous research which uncovered how school food aid operations varied in size and structure, ranging from discreet food parcels given to parents and funded by staff donations to larger-scale, well-advertised regular provision with food supplied by large supermarkets and food waste charities.

Examples of this included a free, help yourself pantry in the form of a shed next to the playground and a weekly stall set up at school pick-up time for parents to select what they need. In addition to food, schools were providing essential children's clothing and footwear. Household products including soap and washing powder, or in some cases even a free laundry service, were also on offer.

The report claims policy makers are largely unaware of the nature and scale of the problem, in contrast to previous high-profile media campaigns for universal free school meals and holiday food vouchers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Dr. Baker said, "There is a policy vacuum around charitable food aid in schools in England and across the UK. Although much attention has been given to free school meal provision, the pressing wider problem of children going hungry routinely at home due to rocketing food costs and other budget pressures, such as fuel prices and interest rates, isn't being properly addressed.

"The fact schools are running food banks en masse is falling under the radar with no national support, guidance, or oversight. Food charity is not the solution: people need secure, fairly-remunerated jobs, and support through the benefits system so they can afford to properly feed and clothe their kids."

The report also aims to spark serious consideration about whether schools should be filling this role, and to such an extent, in the first place. But since food insecurity and school food banks look likely to stay for the foreseeable future, the report calls for more training so staff are better equipped to tackle the issue and best practice can be shared.

Over the past 15 years, the number of food banks in the UK has risen dramatically, growing from dozens to many thousands. The report recounts how they have become a safety net amidst an ongoing period of austerity and welfare state decline.

There are also global implications and the paper furthers international debates about the development of food banking systems, child poverty, declining welfare states and how schools are filling the gap to support vulnerable families.

Provided by University of Bristol

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Opioid dependence remains high but stable in Scotland, new surveillance report finds

by University of Bristol

Opioid dependence in Scotland remains high but largely stable, according to a new University of Bristol-led analysis published in Addiction . The study is the first to estimate the number of people dependent on opioid drugs (such as heroin), and who are in or could benefit from drug treatment, among Scotland's population since 2015/2016 estimates were published.

Scotland has one of the highest rates of drug-related deaths in Europe, with the number of these more than doubling between 2011 and 2020. At 250–300 per million population in 2021–22, Scotland's rate of drug-related deaths was sixteen times higher than the average in the European Union and on par with rates in North America.

As part of the response to the public health emergency in drug-related deaths, the Scottish Government-commissioned study sought to understand whether the number of people with opioid dependence among its general publication is also increasing.

To predict how many people aged 15 to 64 years old are opioid dependent, researchers from Bristol's National Institute for Health and Care Research Health Protection Research Unit (NIHR HPRU) in Behavioural Science and Evaluation applied a statistical modeling technique using data from Public Health Scotland's Scottish Public Health Drug Linkage Programme, including information on people in drug treatment called opioid agonist treatment (OAT—primarily methadone and buprenorphine) and data on opioid-related mortality and hospital admissions.

In these new estimates, researchers found the prevalence of opioid dependence in Scotland to have been relatively stable between 2014/15 to 2019/20, with 47,100 people estimated to be opioid-dependent in 2019/20—which is 1.3% of the adult population aged 15 to 64.

While there was weak evidence of a small reduction in the total number of people with opioid dependence since 2014/15, the extent of any change was estimated to be small (-0.07% or -2,000 people). There was evidence that the population of people with opioid dependence was aging, with estimates of the number of people aged 15 to 34 years old reducing by 5,100 and the number aged 50 to 64 years old increasing by 2,800 between 2014/15 and 2019/20.

The research team also estimated that over 60% of the population of people who were opioid-dependent received OAT at least once during 2019/20 and nearly 75% had been in drug treatment in the last five years.

Dr. Hayley Jones, Associate Professor in Medical Statistics in the Bristol Medical School: Population Health Sciences (PHS), lead author and developer of the method (Multi-Parameter Estimation of Prevalence) used in Scotland, said, "This is the first time that trends in the prevalence of people with opioid dependence have been produced in Scotland, showing the value of and making the most of the high-quality linked data sets that are available there.

"The method can be used to update the estimates in future, and can be applied in other countries that create comprehensive records of people in drug treatment and link these to data on drug-related harms."

Professor Matt Hickman, co-first author and director of the NIHR HPRU at the University of Bristol, added, "Importantly, our estimates suggest the substantial increase in drug-related deaths in Scotland is not due to increases in the underlying population of people with opioid dependence but because of increases in the risk of death experienced by people with opioid dependence in Scotland."

Professors Sharon Hutchinson and Andrew McAuley, co-authors and lead researchers at Glasgow Caledonian University, explained, "We showed that exposure to drug treatment in Scotland is high compared to many countries worldwide. The challenge in Scotland and rest of UK, however, is to retain people in drug treatment for longer and to determine what other interventions are required to effect change at the population level—and bring down the number of drug-related deaths."

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News and features

€2m grant to develop ‘acoustic tweezers’ which could revolutionise laboratory microscopes.

Dr Bruce Drinkwater, Professor of Ultrasonics

Press release issued: 11 April 2024

A University of Bristol scientist who has created a new ultrasonic technology with the potential to transform how microscopes are used in laboratories has been awarded €2m in funding from the European Research Council (ERC).

Professor Bruce Drinkwater , Professor of Ultrasonics in the School of Electrical, Electronic and Mechanical Engineering , is pioneering a new generation of microscale acoustics tweezer devices, which will allow researchers using microscopes to hold, move, assemble and quantify microscale objects such as cells and micro-organisms without physical contact.

The device will transform the use of microscopes into an interactive process. The devices will be compact, low power and low cost, meaning the functionality could be available to all microscope users.

Professor Drinkwater said: “I’m very excited to start this project which will allow me and my team to create a new generation of microscale acoustics tweezer devices. These will act as invisible hands that can be used to orient, assemble and deform objects under simultaneous microscopic examination.

“This funding will allow me and my collaborators to use these devices to tackle hugely important biomedical challenges such as improved tissue engineering and tracking disease progression using cell mechanical properties.

“My aim is to see one of these new acoustic tweezers in every biomedical lab.”

The technology will compliment widely used optical tweezers but allow the application of higher forces and the manipulation of larger objects.

Professor Drinkwater will be collaborating with leading researchers at the Bristol Medical School, as well as European colleagues at the University of Lille and Medical University in Innsbruck.

Professor Drinkwater is one of 255 outstanding research leaders in Europe set to be awarded ERC Advanced Grants .

The ERC funding is among the EU’s most prestigious and competitive, with more than 1,800 proposals submitted. The new grants will support cutting-edge research in a wide range of fields, from life sciences and physical sciences to social sciences and humanities.

Iliana Ivanova, European Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture, Education and Youth, said: "To all the new ERC grantees, my heartfelt congratulations! These grants will not only support leading researchers in pushing the boundaries of knowledge, but also create some 2,500 jobs for postdoctoral fellows, PhD students and other research staff across Europe. This investment nurtures the next generation of brilliant minds. I look forward to seeing the resulting breakthroughs and fresh advancements in the years ahead.”

President of the European Research Council Professor Maria Leptin added: “Congratulations to the 255 researchers who will receive grants to follow their scientific instinct in this new funding round. I am particularly happy to see more mid-career scientists amongst the Advanced Grant winners this time. I hope that it will encourage more researchers at this career stage to apply for these grants.”

The new grants, worth in total nearly €652 million, are part of the EU’s Horizon Europe programme.

The ERC, set up by the European Union in 2007, is the premier European funding organisation for excellent frontier research. It funds creative researchers of any nationality and age, to run projects based across Europe.