Health Research Southampton

25/07/2025

Could a new blood test save lives by improving the early detection of pancreatic cancer?

BBC's Lara Lewington visited us this week to learn about an important research study. Among her interviews, she spoke with consultant surgeon and study lead Zaed Hamady.

Pancreatic cancer is the 10th most common cancer in the UK, but the 5th most common cause of cancer death.

Its symptoms can be vague, and often put down to other things such as a diabetes diagnosis. This means that most patients are diagnosed at a late stage, when the cancer has grown too large to be removed surgically.

The SAFE-D study is trialling a new DNA-based early detection blood test. It will see how well the test is able to detect the cancer in its early stages. The trial is being run by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit.

Watch BBC Tech Now this autumn to find out how Lara got on 📺

24/07/2025

23/07/2025

🤝 Supporting families after pregnancy loss

The Roberta Project is working with parents to shape future care.

Led by scientists at the University of Southampton and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, it will guide how personal data is used to improve support.

🔗 Learn more: research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/parents-who-experience-pregnancy-loss-to-help-shape-future-support

19/07/2025

Mum-of-two Ceri and baby Harry took part in a clinical trial at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust to prevent a common winter virus.

Now, thousands of premature babies in the UK will be protected with the antibody treatment 💙

Read more from BBC News 📺

From late September, 9,000 babies and vulnerable infants in the UK will have a long-lasting injection.

18/07/2025

Most urinary tract infections (UTIs) clear up with antibiotics - but some keep coming back.

Sascha Miller, a Senior Research Fellow at the University of Southampton, is improving management of recurrent UTIs.

Get to know Sascha and discover what she hopes to achieve with an NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre fellowship 👇

https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/supporting-better-management-of-utis-meet-dr-sascha-miller

17/07/2025

🎉 Celebrating a successful year at LifeLab 🎉

Last week, young people, teachers, researchers and collaborators gathered for the 2025 LifeLab Showcase.

🌟 The event at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust celebrated the achievements of everyone involved in LifeLab’s projects 👏 👇
research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/lifelab-showcase-celebrates-a-year-of-success

16/07/2025

A newborn eye screening study is marking an impressive milestone at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust 🏥👏

One thousand families have joined national research that is testing how well a new imaging device can diagnose cataracts in newborn babies. Cataracts - which are cloudy areas that form in the lens of the eye - are the most common cause of avoidable childhood blindness.

The achievement has been made possible by an amazing team of research nurses and midwives based at our NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility 💙

Read more: https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/southampton-recruits-1000-babies-for-newborn-eye-screening-study

📸 Image credit: 42T Ltd (right)

14/07/2025

🦻 Transforming care for children with hearing loss

Jacqueline Young is a Clinical Scientist in Paediatric Audiology at Royal South Hants Hospital.

She tests hearing, fits hearing aids, and helps families experience what their child hears - using innovative tools like a hearing loss simulator.

Jacqueline’s research has already helped shape national testing guidelines and improve counselling conversations.

Now, supported by University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s Research Leaders Programme, Jacqueline is growing Southampton’s hearing research.

She’s forming new collaborations, and mentoring her team to lead their own research and contribute to evidence-based care across the NHS.

Read more: https://www.soar-southampton.org/rlp-cohort-5/jacqueline-young

11/07/2025

Researchers have reached new agreement on how surgery schools should be delivered 🤝

These group education classes help patients prepare physically and emotionally for a planned operation. Evidence shows this approach can lead to shorter hospital stays and quicker recovery times.

Southampton researchers have now led the development of the first global recommendations on how surgery schools should be designed and delivered 🏥🌏

Read more: https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/experts-reach-landmark-consensus-on-surgery-schools

11/07/2025

Future leader in trauma research wins award 🏆

Huge congratulations to University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s Waqas Ilyas, winner of the Best Musculoskeletal Trauma Trainee Principal Investigator 2024–2025 award!

His impactful contributions to hip trauma research were recognised at the Orthopaedic Trauma Society and National Institute for Health and Care Research awards.

Waqas was nominated for this award by colleagues in the Trauma & Orthopaedics and Emergency Department research team. They praised his “fantastic support” 👏

Read more: https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/future-leader-in-trauma-research-wins-award

10/07/2025

A new trial is helping to identify people at greatest risk of oesophageal cancer.

Mobile screening vans have recently visited several places in the region, giving people with heartburn the chance to have an innovative ‘pill-on-a-thread’ test. Developed by researchers at the University of Cambridge, it checks for Barrett’s oesophagus - a precursor condition to oesophageal cancer.

Among those taking part is John Paffett, a father and grandfather from Netley. As a childhood cancer survivor, John knows just how important early diagnosis can be ❤️

The multi-million pound trial is funded by Cancer Research UK and the National Institute for Health and Care Research. It will recruit 120,000 people over the next three years and could pave the way for a new screening programme.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust’s Patricia Duarte, local lead for the trial, says the method could “identify more people earlier and crucially reduce deaths”.

Read more: https://research.uhs.nhs.uk/news/innovative-pill-on-a-thread-test-trialled-in-region

08/07/2025

👶 Helping tiny babies breathe

For babies born between 12 to 18 weeks early, taking their first breath is a massive challenge.

Kevin Goss, Consultant Neonatologist at University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust and Honorary Senior Clinical Lecturer at the University of Southampton, is working to change that.

As part of the UHS Research Leaders Programme, Kevin is investigating how a common nutrient - choline - could support lung development in very premature babies.

Why choline? It’s a key building block in producing surfactant, a substance that lines the lungs and keeps them open for breathing.

While healthy babies make this naturally at birth, very premature babies struggle to produce enough on their own, making breathing incredibly difficult.

Kevin’s research will explore whether adding choline to these babies’ diets could help improve their long-term health.

Read more: soar-southampton.org/rlp-cohort-5/kevin-goss