by Danielle Schoenaker, Isla Davis and public contributors Michelle and Zaman Involving public contributors helps make sure studies are meaningful, relevant and grounded in lived experience. Public contributors can be invited to attend academic conferences. But what do they get out of these experiences? And how can researchers support them better? We work at the University of Southampton and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Our research looks at how people can be supported to plan and prepare for pregnancy and parenthood. This is often called 'preconception health'. Public contributors are involved throughout this work. They help decide the research questions and advise on how to recruit participants. They also help make sense of the findings and shape the final conclusions. This winter, we presented our work at the UK Preconception Early- and Mid-Career Researchers Conference in London. We invited members of our public involvement group to attend, either in person or online. In total, 11 public contributors took part, including Michelle and Zaman. They all shared their thoughts on the experience. What did public contributors gain from attending? Public contributors described the conference as interesting, engaging and mostly easy to follow. Many said it helped them to see things in a new way. Several people valued seeing the “bigger picture” of preconception health research, beyond the projects they were directly involved in. They realised their involvement is “one piece of a much larger puzzle”.  “The day provided even greater context to everything I have participated in so far. I didn’t realise there were so many researchers working on the topic across the UK and internationally,” one said. “It became clear to me that the medical community is really in need of Danielle’s project and eager to implement the results as soon as possible,” another commented. “This really helped me understand the importance of the input I’ve provided over the years.” Others appreciated learning about preconception health from both scientific and practical points of view. Topics such as nutrition, alcohol use when planning a pregnancy, the importance of involving men, and raising awareness through health professionals and online tools were especially interesting. Some people described having “lightbulb moments.” They realised how important everyday healthy behaviours - such as eating well, staying active and avoiding harmful substances - are for long-term health and prevention. “It was interesting to hear about the importance of reducing or avoiding alcohol while trying to get pregnant, and how it can affect pregnancy,” one said. “I didn’t realise how difficult it is to shift the norm from thinking preconception health is only relevant to women,” another added. “We’ve talked about this in our group which includes several men - seeing the wider challenge was eye-opening.” For some contributors, the conference felt personally meaningful. “As someone who would like to have kids someday, this was such an important way to learn about planning for pregnancy and preconception health,” they said. “I filled a whole notebook with new knowledge that I can use and also share with my sisters and friends who would like to have a baby one day or are currently pregnant.” People also spoke about how valuable it was to connect with researchers and with other public contributors. The friendly atmosphere, manageable room size, and open discussions helped everyone feel part of the same team, working towards a shared goal. One contributor said their trust in the research team had grown over time. Seeing how their feedback had shaped the research made them feel “valued, privileged, and grateful” to be part of the research journey. Others shared similar feelings. Travel costs and reimbursement were also highlighted as important, as this support makes it easier for people to take part, and helps make conferences more inclusive. What was challenging? Public contributors also shared some challenges. Many said they felt welcomed and respected, and that presenters made an effort to explain their work clearly. One person said: “I felt a bit nervous and hesitant in the beginning, but I realised the space was actually really comfortable and friendly, and I’m proud I was able to contribute, share my perspectives and ask questions.” However, some presentations were harder to follow. They used a lot of acronyms or complex statistics. As one person said: “There were a lot of big words.” This made some talks less accessible for people without a scientific background. Those attending online felt there were fewer chances to ask questions. One contributor noted that: “Only one online question was selected.” This made them less likely to take part. Even so, contributors said they found the conference really worthwhile and enjoyable. How can future conferences be more inclusive? Many contributors said they would like to attend similar events again, with several preferring to attend in person next time. Some were also interested in helping to organise future conferences or co-present the research. They suggested several ways to improve future events: Printed materials to help people follow along Clearer slides with less information on each slide Simpler language, less jargon, and slower speaking Better sound quality and more chances for online questions More interactive sessions and discussion Support for networking and follow-up, including a debrief with the research team These ideas show that public contributors want more than just to listen. They want to help shape how research is shared with the public. “It was an amazing day,” one contributor said. “There was a lot of attention on how to create awareness about preconception health and I think this [attending the conference] is one of them. Invite the public to your conferences, they can just be spectators, they can also ask questions and even share perspectives.” Final thoughts These reflections show why it matters to invite public contributors into research spaces as partners, not just observers. Their experiences and perspectives add depth to discussions and help make research more relevant. One contributor wrote: “ Thank you for inviting me and giving me the chance to learn more. ” By continuing to involve public contributors in meaningful ways, we can move beyond good intentions and build real partnerships. Going forward, our team will work with contributors to plan future conferences, shape programme content and co-present research findings. This will help ensure public voices are heard, not only in our research, but also in how we share it. It will create conferences and research programmes that are more inclusive, meaningful and useful for everyone. Danielle, Michelle, Zaman and Isla would like to thank all public contributors who attended the conference and contributed to the reflections captured in this blog: Husna, Tanjida, Abdul, Nik, Finlay, Khadija, Chidiogo, Alima, Laura and Ruksana. For more information, please contact Dr Danielle Schoenaker at D.Schoenaker@soton.ac.uk .

A pioneering data registry linking data on road collisions and healthcare is part of a new national road safety strategy. The Pre-hospital Research and Audit Network (PRANA) is delivered by a growing team led in University Hospital Southampton (UHS). It aims to save lives by connecting data. These new insights can inform improvements in patient care and support disease prevention. The national registry is based within the Wessex Secure Data Environment (SDE). PRANA has been highlighted in the Department for Transport’s (DfT) newly launched National Road Safety Strategy . This commits to securely link police-recorded road collision data with healthcare data. The registry’ chief investigator is Dr Phil Hyde. He is a Paediatric Intensive Care Consultant at UHS and a Pre-hospital Consultant for Dorset and Somerset Air Ambulance. He has been supported by the UHS Research Leaders Programme . What is PRANA? PRANA means ‘life force’ in Sanskrit. It is pulling together information about patients’ entire care pathways for life-threatening illnesses and life-threatening injuries. These range from heart attacks and sepsis, to industrial accidents and road traffic collisions. An important part of PRANA is combining understanding of what happens from the moment a person is injured on a road to the care they receive through hospital. It links data from ambulances, air ambulances, police, the DfT and coroners. It connects all of this with hospital data. All data is kept secure within the Wessex SDE. This enables secure and ethical data linkage. It also allows the data to be analysed for research. The registry is already helping to show how linking datasets can generate insights that are not otherwise possible. PRANA is supported by the UHS Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technologies Centre and the University of Southampton Clinical Informatics Research Unit. It is being driven forward by a team of data and communication specialists, public, patients, clinicians, engineers and other scientists. It has benefitted from seed funding from The Road Safety Trust, Wessex Health Partners, the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, the NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network and NHS England Data for Research and Development. Leading the pilot The national strategy has identified PRANA as the framework through which an initial pilot phase will take place. This will help to optimise data-matching and establish a foundational linked dataset. The pilot will support future national expansion of the data system. This includes improving understanding of injury severity and the circumstances that lead to the most serious harm. It will also assess the wider impact of road traffic collisions on NHS services and patients. Inclusion in the strategy provides a strong foundation for PRANA’s next phase of development. It will also help to ensure that research insights translate into real-world safety improvements. Dr Hyde said: “Being included in the National Road Safety Strategy is a big step forward for PRANA. It shows our commitment to working with partners across different sectors to reduce serious injuries on our roads and support the NHS. We’re excited to keep building this work together, and we’re truly grateful to everyone who has contributed their time and expertise to get us this far.”

Scientists have uncovered genetic differences that could show who is most at risk of a potentially life-threatening infection. The international research team identified gene variants that make people more susceptible to meningococcal disease – a serious bacterial infection that can be fatal. The discovery has been published in The Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology . Dr Evangelos Bellos from the University of Southampton is first author the paper. The research lays the groundwork for new advances in the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre’s data, health and society theme. The researchers aim to move the insights toward improved treatments and outcomes for patients with the disease. Understanding who gets the disease Invasive meningococcal disease is a serious bacterial infection caused by Neisseria meningitidis . It can be life-threatening, particularly in babies, young children and teenagers. The disease is spread by coughing and sneezing. It is the most common cause of bacterial meningitis, where the lining of the brain and spinal cord becomes infected and inflamed. It can also cause septicaemia, or blood poisoning, if the bloodstream is infected. Yet only a small fraction of people who come into contact with Neisseria meningitidis  actually get ill. The bacteria live harmlessly in the back of the nose and throat of about one in ten people. The researchers aimed to find out why this type of bacteria causes such severe disease in some people, while others carry them harmlessly. To do this, they looked at people’s genetics. Identifying gene variants The researchers analysed the genetics of 229 patients with invasive meningococcal disease. They were particularly interested in genes involved in the complement and coagulation pathways. They compared this against the genetics of 275 patients with other invasive bacterial infections. This allowed them to identify gene variants only found in people with meningococcal disease. Patients with meningococcal disease had many rare gene variants, including CFP and FCGR2A . Those with the most severe disease also had a variant of the gene SERPINE1 . This enabled the team to identify a key mechanism involved in the disease. This is known as complement-mediated thrombotic microangiopathy. This is a serious condition where blood clots form in the body's smallest blood vessels, blocking blood flow. Dr Bellos, a Senior Lecturer in Genomic Informatics, said: “These results shed new light on how Neisseria meningitidis causes meningococcal disease. They help to explain why the severity differs so much from person to person. “We hope to build on this going forward. This will create a more complete picture of how and why this disease develops and who is most at risk. This could help to refine and tailor treatments for patients most at risk, so we can improve survival and long-term outcomes.”

An award-winning paper has warned that older people can feel unheard and unsupported as they leave hospital. Southampton researchers looked at why some older people end up back in the hospital within 30 days of being discharged.  Their analysis suggests that listening to what matters most to older people can result in better care. The study brought together insights from a multi-disciplinary team. This included Dr Harnish Patel from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). The research has now been recognised as an outstanding paper by the International Journal of Older People Nursing (IJOPN). Voices behind readmission Researchers interviewed ten adults aged 65 and over who had an unplanned readmission. The discussions sought to understand what the experience was like for them. The participants said they often felt left out of decisions about their own care, describing it as “all about me without me.” They also felt that support after leaving the hospital was inconsistent or confusing. Many said they returned because their original health problems weren’t fully resolved, or they didn’t get the help they needed at home. Another big issue was that health and social care services often didn’t work well together. This made it hard for people to get proper support. The study suggests hospitals should involve patients more in decisions. It also recommends better communication so older people feel supported and are less likely to be readmitted. International journal honour The IJOPN paper has been recognised with the journal’s Award for Outstanding Scholarly Contribution to Gerontological Nursing Research. It was led by Fanis Stavrou. The authors were from the University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton. They include Professor Jo Adams, Dr Harnish Patel, Dr Ivaylo Vassilev and Dr Dinesh Samuel. Dr Patel said: “Our interviews show that many older people feel left out of decisions about their own care. This has real consequences for their recovery. "These findings give us a real opportunity to change the system so that older adults feel valued, heard, and properly supported.” Post-discharge struggles The research complements findings from another Southampton-led review. This paper, published in Geriatrics , found that older people often experience loneliness, anxiety and depression after leaving hospital. This was mainly because they don’t get enough support and feel unprepared for life at home. It concluded that hospitals should check for these psychological needs before discharge. This would mean problems can be spotted early and older adults can stay healthier and more independent.

Professor Wilkinson has been appointed as the new Chair of the NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration. The NIHR Respiratory Translational Research Collaboration  (R-TRC) brings together leading investigators from across the UK. It aims to speed up the delivery of new drugs for patients with respiratory conditions. Professor Wilkinson is Respiratory and Allergy theme lead at our NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). He is also Professor of Respiratory Medicine and Associate Dean at the University of Southampton. He was previously the R-TRC's Deputy Chair. He also co-leads their COPD National Research Strategy Group (NSRG). Improving care for respiratory conditions Respiratory disease affects one in five people and is the third biggest cause of death in England. The annual economic cost of respiratory conditions on the NHS is vast. Asthma costs £3 billion and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease costs £1.9 billion. Meanwhile, lung conditions, including lung cancer, cost the NHS £11 billion annually. Improving the diagnosis, care and prevention of respiratory disease is a key priority for the Department of Health and Social Care.  Stronger together The R-TRC aims to speed up the delivery of new drugs in a range of respiratory conditions. It does this by working at the interface of experimental medicine and early phase trials. Investigators work with life sciences companies, charities and other funders. In doing so, research can be accelerated to benefit patients.  Building on success As new Chair, Professor Wilkinson will continue to build on the successes of the R-TRC. He will take over from Professor Alex Horsley of NIHR Manchester BRC, who has led the TRC since 2022. Professor Wilkinson said: “I am thrilled to be appointed as the new Chair of the Respiratory TRC. “The R-TRC is strategically placed to become one of the key agents of change and collaboration within respiratory medicine. I look forward to leading this enthusiastic group of experts, steering the community and working closely with industry. “Together we will continue to work towards tackling major challenges within respiratory medicine for the benefit of patients.” Professor Salman Siddiqui will move into the position of Deputy Chair. He is a Clinical Professor of Respiratory and Experimental Medicine at Imperial College. Professor Siddiqui is Respiratory Co-theme Lead at NIHR Imperial BRC. He led the R-TRC’s Asthma NSRG and was the R-TRC Industry lead.  He said: “The R-TRC has been critical in galvanising the research community and facilitating translational research across BRCs. This is all for the benefit of patients with respiratory disease. “I look forward to working with the new Chair and supporting the NSRGs to help drive and accelerate their efforts as the TRC enters a new era of leadership.”

Image credit: DBV Technologies New trial results show a specially designed patch could help children with peanut allergy.   Hundreds of young children with a peanut allergy took part at dozens of sites for the international clinical trial, including at University Hospital Southampton (UHS). The VIASKIN® Peanut Patch is designed to help children with a peanut allergy build up a tolerance. The aim is to prevent severe reactions if they accidentally eat peanut. Topline results, announced by DBV Technologies , show more children who wore the patch could tolerate eating  the equivalent of one peanut  without reacting after 12 months. This was compared to children who had a placebo. Dr Mich Lajeunesse, Consultant in Paediatric Allergy and Immunology at Southampton Children's Hospital, led Southampton’s involvement in the trial. The research is part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre’s respiratory and allergy theme. Building tolerance The standard treatment for children with peanut allergy is to avoid peanuts, but this can be difficult. Accidental exposure can result in severe, potentially life-threatening reactions. The VIASKIN peanut patch works by non-invasive epicutaneous immunotherapy (EPIT). This means small amounts of allergen are applied to the skin, to train the immune system to tolerate it. The VITESSE trial is the largest immunotherapy clinical trial to date for children with peanut allergy. UHS was one of 86 sites across the UK, USA, Canada, Europe and Australia. Overall, 654 children with peanut allergy took part in the trial, with four joining at UHS. They were randomly assigned to either have the treatment patch (438 children) or a placebo (216 children). Looking for responders The researchers looked for treatment ‘responders’. This was done by measuring the amount of peanut protein that, when eaten in a food challenge, triggered an allergic reaction. Children were considered responders if they went from reacting to 30mg or less peanut protein at the start to tolerating up to 300mg after 12 months. A typical shelled peanut weighs between 250mg and 600mg. This means that, by the end of the trial period, responders were able to tolerate the equivalent of one peanut. If they could tolerate up to 100mg at the start, they needed to react to 600mg or more at the end of the trial period to be a responder.     Promising results The researchers found 46.6% of children who wore the patch were responders, compared to 14.8% of children who had the placebo. There were no reports of serious treatment-related side effects. The main side effect was mild-to-moderate skin reactions where the patch was applied. Few children left the study due to side effects (3.2% treatment group, 0.5% placebo group). Two children had treatment-related anaphylaxis, but both decided to continue the treatment. After the trial, all participants were offered the VIASKIN peanut patch for up to three years. Dr Lajeunesse said: “I am really encouraged by these results. There will now be further research required before it will be available to patients.  “I hope that, in due course, it will be an important treatment on the NHS for children with peanut allergy.”

Pioneering rapid tests have been recognised with a national prize. iFAST Diagnostics is developing rapid blood and urine tests. These can determine which antibiotics will work for treating a bacterial infection in hours rather than days. The spinout company has won the Institute of Physics' (IoP) Lee Lucas Award. This recognises early-stage companies taking innovative products into the medical and healthcare sector. Professor Hywel Morgan is the company’s Chief Technology Officer. He co-founded iFAST Diagnostics in 2022 with Dr Toby King and Dr Dan Spencer. His work forms part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre’s microbiology, immunology and infection theme. Tackling antimicrobial resistance Antimicrobial resistance is a growing threat to health worldwide. It sees bacteria evolve defences against the antibiotics used to kill them. This makes the infections they cause extremely difficult to treat. Reducing unnecessary use of antibiotics is key to tackling its rise. However, current methods take two to three days to find out which antibiotics can be used to treat a bacterial infection. During this time, the patient may be prescribed an antibiotic that doesn’t work, or broad-spectrum antibiotics that target many types of bacteria. This helps to fuel antibiotic resistance. The rapid antimicrobial susceptibility test developed by iFAST Diagnostics can give results in three to four hours. This would allow patients to be prescribed the right antibiotic straight away. Award-winning innovation This winter's IOP Lee Lucas Award winner receives £5,000 prize money and a trophy. They are also invited to exhibit their innovation at the annual IOP Business Awards Parliamentary Reception. In addition, they will have access to a range of IOP networking opportunities and events. Professor Morgan, Professor of Bioelectronics at the University of Southampton, said: "Reducing unnecessary antibiotic use is essential to slow the rise in antimicrobial resistance. I am delighted that this new technique we pioneered in Southampton has been recognised on the national stage. The iFAST Diagnostics system will launch early this year."

Big data and AI are being used to improve care for arthritis. Southampton researchers are part of a new international partnership, known as PROBE . This aims to revolutionise the way osteoarthritis is understood, diagnosed and treated. Professor Nicholas Harvey, Dr Leo Westbury and Dr Elizabeth Curtis are involved in the major new initiative. All three are researchers at Southampton’s MRC Lifecourse Epidemiology Centre (LEC). They are also part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Large-scale collaboration PROBE is a five-year initiative. It launched in December 2025. The partnership is funded by the Innovative Health Initiative Joint Undertaking. Southampton is one of 38 partners in the collaboration. It brings together academia, industry, patient organisations, regulatory bodies and healthcare professionals. Together, they will develop patient-centred osteoarthritis endpoints and advanced AI-driven predictive models. The also aim to develop next-generation clinical trial designs. They will achieve this using a federated database infrastructure. This will ensure sensitive health data remains local, while enabling large-scale analyses. It will cover over 70 million people from international cohorts and registries. Harnessing big data and AI The UK work will deepen existing musculoskeletal research collaborations. This includes between NIHR BRCs in Southampton, Leeds and Oxford. Professor Harvey, who is Director Designate of the NIHR Southampton BRC, said: “We are delighted to be part of this global initiative. PROBE represents a unique opportunity to harness big data and cutting-edge AI technologies to transform osteoarthritis research and care. This will ultimately improve outcomes for millions of patients worldwide.”

Professor Keith Godfrey has been honoured with the 2025 David Barker Award. The David Barker Award recognises outstanding contributions to medical research. Each year it is presented to a long-serving consultant at University Hospital Southampton (UHS). In receiving the prize, Professor Godfrey praised his late mentor David Barker, who inspired his journey into research. Globally leading clinical academic Professor Godfrey is Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development at the University of Southampton. He is an Honorary Consultant at UHS and Chief Investigator of the NiPPeR study. This randomised trial focussed on nutrition before and during pregnancy in over 1,700 women in the UK, Singapore and New Zealand. He leads the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre’s Nutrition, Lifestyle and Metabolism Theme. His work includes designing and launching the pioneering LifeLab educational programme as a partnership between the University and UHS. Professor Godfrey is an NIHR Emeritus Senior Investigator and Associate Dean for Knowledge Exchange and Enterprise in the Faculty of Medicine. Improving long-term health outcomes Professor Godfrey’s research focusses on a mother's diet and lifestyle before (preconception) and during pregnancy. He has established that this affects the child's development and body composition. This has long-term implications for children's health in later life, particularly their risk of obesity. He is Co-Chair of the UK Preconception Partnership. In this role, he is working with the NHS England and national policymakers to improve the health of the next generation of children. In 2022, Professor Godfrey was awarded an MBE. This was for services to medicine during the COVID-19 response. He delivered a COVID-19 saliva test programme, which pioneered regular at home self-sampling. This helped educational settings in Southampton identify and manage infections. Celebrating research excellence The UHS award is named in memory of Professor David Barker, a renowned medical professor in Southampton. He was Director of the MRC Environmental Epidemiology Unit at the University of Southampton from 1984 to 2003. Professor Barker was awarded a CBE for services to Preventative Medicine in 2006. He passed away in 2013. The prize is presented at a UHS Spotlight event. These celebrate excellence across the hospital. ‘Particularly poignant’ “I deeply appreciate receiving this prestigious award,” Professor Godfrey said. “It is particularly poignant for me. David Barker was the person who first sparked my interest in research, during my medicine attachment as a 3rd year medical student. “David later supervised my subsequent PhD. He provided fantastic support as a mentor during my progression to becoming an independent researcher. “The award comes at an exciting time in my career, when we are about to commence a large NIHR funded programme . We plan to co-develop a ‘blueprint’ for coordinated preconception and interpregnancy care and support for the UK. “Our aim is to improve maternity outcomes and reduce the transmission of disparities across generations.”

What difference can connecting researchers achieve for health and care? This winter, some of the region’s brightest minds gathered for a networking event in Southampton. Early career researchers from across the NIHR Wessex Experimental Medicine Network (WEMN) and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) shared a day of speed talks, conversations and inspirational keynote sessions. The event brought together researchers from a range of institutions, professions and disciplines. They were united by a shared commitment to improving health and care through research. The programme offered time to connect, collaborate and reflect. Speakers shared their journeys into research and encouraged discussions around inclusive research. Investing in early career researchers Jazz Bartholemew is an NIHR Regional Research Delivery Network (RRDN) Wider Care Settings Research Manager and a PhD student at University of Portsmouth. “The support and investment in early career researchers in our regions is essential to ensure growth of research capacity and capability in health and care research,” she said. “It is important that we nurture those early in their research journey to build our regional research workforce and embed a culture of research in practice. It was great to see a diverse group of people at this event from a wide geography and range of specialisms and professional backgrounds.” Jazz also emphasised the importance of including those with less exposure to research, to ensure the benefits of innovation reach all areas of care across the region. New ideas and opportunities This season’s networking day took place at the Novotel Southampton. Dr Humaira Khan, Co-Lead in Preventative Healthcare and Lecturer at Health Sciences University, found the event valuable for sharing research and sparking new opportunities. She presented two projects during the speed talks. One was aligned with the National Strategy on Women and Girls’ Health in England, and the other focussed on supporting the NHS Maternity Stop Smoking Pathway through digital technology. “Attending such a showcase event connects regional researchers and highlights key research initiatives across the region, expanding the opportunity for further collaboration and idea generation,” she explained. A conversation at the event gave Humaira advice that supported fresh applications to an NIHR i4i grant and a Nuffield Foundation bid. For her, the event showed how a single discussion can spark real progress. A sense of shared purpose Mensah Gyeabour is an NIHR Intern and Registered Nurse in the Emergency Department at University Hospitals Dorset. “What I enjoyed most about the day was the sense of connection and shared purpose among early career researchers across Wessex,” he said. “It was inspiring to see how different professions contribute to research, and it strengthened my motivation to pursue the clinical academic pathway. The supportive atmosphere and genuine interest in each other’s work made the event both uplifting and highly valuable.” Collaboration in motion For Dr Andy Bates, Critical Care Research Fellow within the NIHR Southampton BRC, the event has already translated directly into new collaborative work. “The WEMN networking day was a genuinely energising opportunity to connect with research colleagues,” he said. “Hearing the creativity and ambition of other early career researchers was inspiring, and the chance to share my own work in such a supportive setting immediately opened new doors. “Since the event, I have already met with two researchers and an industry sponsor to explore collaborative projects, including work on the mechanisms driving post-Intensive Care Unit mental health outcomes. These conversations simply would not have happened without the WEMN bringing us together.” Looking ahead The WEMN Early Career Researcher event showed the strength and ambition of the research community across Wessex. It also highlighted how vital it is to support early career researchers as they grow in confidence and skill. By creating spaces where these researchers can meet, share ideas and build new collaborations, WEMN is helping to build a more connected and innovative research future for the region.

Two globally respected researchers are taking leading roles in the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Professor Nicholas Harvey has been appointed as the new Director Designate. Professor Diana Baralle has been selected as the Director Designate co-lead. Together, they will lead the development of the next phase of the research centre. Pending a successful award, this is expected to launch in 2028. What is the BRC? The NIHR Southampton BRC is a longstanding partnership between University Hospital Southampton and the University of Southampton. It drives early-stage experimental medicine research and supports the translation of scientific discoveries. It is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research. The current BRC is delivering research across five strategic themes and will run until 2028. It is led by Professor Mike Grocott. New Director Designate Professor Harvey is recognised as one of the most prominent health researchers in the UK. He is an international leader in rheumatology research. He uses a lifecourse approach to study the epidemiology, determinants, mechanisms and prevention of osteoporotic fractures. He is President of the International Osteoporosis Foundation, an NIHR Senior Investigator and a member of the WHO Bone Health Expert Advisory Group. Professor Harvey said: “I am delighted and honoured to lead our bid for renewal of the NIHR Southampton BRC. I hugely look forward to working with Professor Baralle and colleagues across the University, NHS trust and the Wessex region. “Working together, we will showcase our collective world-class experimental medicine and real-world clinical impact, underpinned by our exceptional Wessex translational ecosystem.” ‘Incredible progress’ Professor Baralle is internationally recognised for genomics research. She is a leading expert in genomics, new methods for genetic diagnostic testing, and the cause and treatment of rare disease syndromes. She is an NIHR Senior Investigator and emeritus NIHR Research Professor. She is the genotype to phenotype domain lead for Genomics England and the current Vice President of the Clinical Genetics Society. Professor Baralle said: “The NIHR Southampton BRC has achieved incredible progress over the years, driving research that truly changes lives. I’m excited to co-lead the next chapter, shaping bold plans for the future of experimental medicine. We will push boundaries so Southampton maintains its place as a global leader in innovation and patient care.” Professor Grocott will continue to lead the current BRC until March 2028. The application process and outcome are expected for the next BRC in the next 18 months. It would run for between five and seven years.

A UK study has shown that a vaccine can protect people against paratyphoid fever. Paratyphoid fever affects over two million people globally each year. Yet no licensed vaccine is currently available. The clinical trial involved six UK sites, including University Hospital Southampton. Volunteers took part locally at the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility (CRF). The new oral vaccine was shown to provide significant protection. There weren’t any safety concerns. ‘Major global health challenge’ Paratyphoid fever is caused by a type of salmonella bacteria. It accounts for around 30% of enteric fever around the world. Together with typhoid fever, enteric fever leads to more than 100,000 deaths each year. The trial of the new vaccine was led by researchers in Oxford. Results have been published in the New England Journal of Medicine . Professor Saul Faust, Director of the NIHR Southampton CRF, led Southampton’s involvement in the trial. He said: "We’re proud to have played a key role in this landmark study. Paratyphoid fever is a major global health challenge, and these results bring us closer to a vaccine that could save countless lives in regions where the disease is most prevalent." Controlled infection The study tested the vaccine CVD 1902 on 72 healthy adults aged 18 to 55. Participants received two doses before being exposed to Salmonella Paratyphi A under controlled conditions. Results showed the vaccine was 73% effective, with no serious safety concerns and only mild side effects reported. Dr Naina McCann, Clinical Research Fellow at the Oxford Vaccine Group and lead author, said: “This is the first time a modern-day vaccine has been shown to protect people against Salmonella Paratyphi A. By using a controlled human infection model, we were able to show that this vaccine was effective using only a small number of participants, greatly accelerating the path to a licensed vaccine.” New hope through research More studies are underway to confirm these results and develop combined vaccines for typhoid and paratyphoid. Professor Sir Andrew Pollard, Director of the Oxford Vaccine Group and co-senior author, said: “We are in a constant fight against bacterial infections, like paratyphoid, that threaten the lives of children in some of the most resource-poor regions of the world. This study provides hope that this important disease could be controlled by vaccination if the same effects can be obtained in real-life conditions in those communities.” The trial was funded by the UK Medical Research Council and NIHR Oxford Biomedical Research Centre. It was delivered with collaboration from Bharat Biotech and the University of Maryland.