Georgina Ferry interviews Richard Cornall, Head of the Nuffield Department of Medicine, 26 October 2022.
Topics discussed include (00:00:18) early interest in medicine, including medical school at Cambridge, further studies and work at Oxford, interest in immunology and work at Stanford as a researcher, clinical training at Oxford; (00:02:20) research relating to diabetes, interest in autoimmune diseases and immunology, work with Simon Davis relating to the creation of drugs to combat disease; (00:04:30) treatment for cancers using blockers for checkpoint receptors; (00:08:02) work as the Head of Nuffield Department of Medicine; (00:11:00) work of the department, particularly infectious disease and tropical medicine, including global research units; (00:14:52) division of the department, including global units and Oxford-based units; (00:15:30) devolution of the department, ability to take risks to support work; (00:19:01) first awareness of COVID-19, including collaboration with Peter Horby and ISARIC, first departmental COVID meeting on 30th January 2020, funding for vaccine work; (00:30:15) work on the vaccine, particularly relating to the manufacturing process; (00:32:00) work with Richard Liwicki, particularly relating to contractual obligations with AstraZeneca; (00:39:00) lighthouse laboratories and supply of equipment; (00:40:40) antibody response and sub-group, ELISA platform; (00:41:45) collaboration with Brian Marsden and Sarah Walker, relating to ONS survey using NHS samples; (00:43:16) work with Derrick Crook and Alex Mentzer; (00:44:09) collaboration with Gavin Screaton relating to cloning of antibodies; (00:45:00) work with David Stuart relating to spike protein; (00:45:50) partnership with Thermo Fisher Scientific, Mark Stevenson, and Daniel Ebner relating to serology platform work, particularly in automation and setting up robotic platforms, collaboration with David Eyre relating to statistical work and quality control; (00:55:40) serology work in Thailand, relating to other diseases; (00:56:39) work of Derrick Crook, Tim Peto and Miles Carroll, particularly in the field of microbiology; (00:59:26) supply of protein to different companies; (01:01:30) tracking and isolation, including the development of a contact tracing app by Christophe Fraser; (01:04:40) the RECOVERY trial and work of Peter Horby, Martin Landray and Richard Haynes; (01:07:16) routes of access to funding for the research; (01:10:40) work of the Cornall lab during COVID; (01:11:27) pathology, antiviral discovery and moonshot programme; (01:13:36) COMBAT study; (01:15:02) Pandemic Sciences Institute and pandemic preparedness; (01:18:03) momentum of collaborative work during the pandemic and projects for the future; (01:20:50) role of the University of Oxford during the pandemic and public perception; (01:23:38) media attention and public perception of individuals in the department; (01:26:50) changes to working day, including remote working and online meetings; (01:28:00) work of the professional services teams, on-site working in laboratories; (01:28:34) overseas units, including the work of Philip Bejon in Kenya on viral screening, Edwin Barasso[?] in Nairobi as principal advisor to the government, Indonesian unit and particularly the sequencing work undertaken by Kevin Baird, and work on clinical trials by Guy Thwaites in Vietnam; (01:30:13) observational studies by microbiologists Tim Peto and David Eyre; (01:30:52) departmental safety, including work with Miles Carroll on guidance, co-ordination with the Sir William Dunn School and William James; (01:32:46) changes to work and personal life throughout the pandemic, including working on wards at the John Radcliffe Hospital and cover of renal clinics; (01:35:15) changes in approach to work as a result of the pandemic, and hopes for future collaboration with U.K. scientific industry. Note: the following section of audio is redacted (00:34:36) to (00:36:33).
