Healthier

Our latest research has advanced understanding of how genes in the brain contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. Using cutting-edge ‘long-read’ sequencing technology, we have identified different versions of genes—called isoforms—linked to the buildup of tau, a harmful protein associated with the disease. 
 
Published in Nature Communications, this study highlights potential new drug targets for dementia treatment. By mapping gene activity in greater detail than ever before, we are uncovering key insights into Alzheimer’s and providing valuable tools to drive future research. 
 
Find out more about our research here. 

We have led new research demonstrating the lasting impact of the Deciphering Developmental Disorders study, a major national initiative that has identified genetic causes of severe developmental conditions. The study, a collaboration between the NHS and Wellcome Sanger Institute and supported by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Biomedical Research Centres in Exeter and Cambridge, has provided diagnoses for over 5,500 participants by analysing genetic data from children and their parents.
 
Our findings show that 28 per cent of those diagnosed received further medical testing or treatment changes, while 76 per cent were given information or condition-specific support. This research highlights the vital role of genetic diagnosis in improving healthcare outcomes and shaping more effective treatments.

Learn about the study here.

Working in partnership with University College London, our SPIN-Dementia Network+ is a collaborative initiative that focuses on sustainable prevention, innovation, and involvement in dementia research. Together, the network aims to enhance our understanding of brain health, reduce dementia risk, and improve support for those affected.
 
With investments from the Economic and Social Research Council, the National Institute for Health and Care Research, and Alzheimer’s Society, the network combines research power from 15 universities with specialist organisations. By increasing collaboration and engaging with communities, we are driving new research and translating findings into real-world solutions for dementia prevention and care.

Visit the Spin-Dementia Network Plus website.

We are proud to be part of a ground-breaking study that could transform total hip replacement surgery for people with severe arthritis. The HIPSTER study is led by Exeter Hip Unit experts at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust and delivered in collaboration with the department of engineering at the University of Exeter. This partnership created the Exeter Hip more than 50 years ago, and is investigating innovative surgical techniques to improve patient recovery and satisfaction.

With over 100,000 hip replacements performed annually in the UK, we are exploring methods that minimise tendon disruption while enhancing surgical precision through robotic-guided technology. Building on our legacy of innovation, this research aims to deliver better outcomes for patients, ensuring faster rehabilitation and improved long-term results.

Find out more about the HIPSTER study.

We hosted the world’s first conference - the 4M Conference - on the link between menstruation, menopause, and mental health. More than 150 attendees from diverse fields, including psychology, medicine, and policy studies, joined experts, advocacy groups, and industry representatives to discuss this under-researched area.
 
Led by Professor Gemma Sharp from our School of Psychology, the 4M Conference unites over 400 global experts to find new solutions. The event explored biological, psychological, social, and environmental factors affecting mental health from menarche to menopause, focusing on challenges and potential interventions. The conference also helped early career researchers connect with experts. By partnering with advocacy groups, charities, and healthcare providers, we aim to ensure research leads to real-world improvements.

Find out more on the 4M Conference 2024 website.

Our research has found that Green Social Prescribing—supporting people to engage in nature-based activities—can improve mental health and wellbeing. In a report commissioned by the Government, written in partnership with the University of Sheffield, Sheffield Hallam University, and University of Plymouth, our researchers helped track over 8,300 participants who were referred to activities including gardening, conservation, and outdoor therapy. Taking part improved overall wellbeing and happiness and reduced anxiety.

As part of our commitment to research that transforms human health and wellbeing, the report provides evidence that Green Social Prescribing is an effective alternative to traditional treatments supporting people with their mental health.

Read the report here.

FAILSAFE – Fungal AMR Innovations for LMICs: Solutions and Access for Everyone – is a groundbreaking initiative led by the University of Exeter’s MRC Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) and funded by the UK Department of Health and Social Care’s Global AMR Innovation Fund (GAMRIF). FAILSAFE is funding research in the development of life-saving diagnostics, treatments, and prevention strategies, with a focus on low- and middle-income countries (LMICs), where the need is greatest.

In its first funding round, FAILSAFE awarded over £1.7 million to 78 researchers across 13 countries, accelerating the development of products and solutions that will transform the fight against fungal diseases. Alongside funding, FAILSAFE has established a rapidly growing global Network in Medical Mycology, fostering collaboration and strengthening partnerships to drive innovation. By uniting experts worldwide, FAILSAFE is creating lasting impact—advancing research, improving patient outcomes, and enhancing global health resilience. 

Discover the FAILSAFE network here.

We are proud to be leading the £28.5 million Human Functional Genomics Initiative, driving research into how genetic variations influence health and disease. This UK-wide initiative, funded by the Medical Research Council and Biological Sciences Research Council, aims to advance our understanding of how genomic variation influences human physiology and how it changes over time and in disease. 

Professor Jonathan Mill from our Medical School has been appointed Director of the initiative, which has funded top UK institutions to establish cutting-edge research clusters, a data coordination centre, and a functional genomics screening lab. Working collaboratively across academia and industry, we will advance our understanding of diseases affecting systems like immune and cardiovascular health, encouraging collaboration and transforming patient care through ground-breaking functional genomics research. 

Learn more about the UK Human Functional Genomics Initiative.

We are committed to ensuring a healthier and greener future for all by finding solutions to the health impacts of climate change. To support our goals, the new Centre for Net Positive Health and Climate Solutions has been established thanks to £10 million funding from UK Research and Innovation, with its hub based in Cornwall and with staff working across the UK. In partnership with the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA), the National Trust, Forest Research, the Met Office and other partner organisations, the Centre will deliver leading research on climate change and its impacts on health. The Centre is expected to contribute to scientific advances, innovation, and policy advice to maximise the benefits of research and ensure real world impact and solutions that make a difference to people’s lives.

Learn more about the Centre here.

Our experts are working in partnership with the University of Bath and the University of Bristol to tackle mental health challenges faced by children and young people in the region. As part of the NIHR Mental Health Research Group, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research, we will work with young people to provide support during key stages of development.

The research focuses on developing and implementing innovative treatments for conditions like depression, anxiety, autism, and ADHD, as well as addressing harmful behaviours. By collaborating with young people, we aim to create solutions that truly meet their needs and build healthier futures.

Find out more about the NIHR Mental Health Research Group

We have worked with our regional partners to secure well over £20 million in funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR), the government’s health research arm. This funding is enabling strong collaborations to accelerate the impact of our health research and address the most pressing health and care issues for our community and beyond. In 2022 we were awarded, in partnership with the Royal Devon University healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, £15m to develop the South West Peninsula’s first NIHR Biomedical Research Centre, and we have since been awarded £3 m for a new NIHR Healthtech Research Centre. Working together with NHS organisations, patients, carers and charities, this significant funding is already helping academics and clinicians to translate lab-based scientific breakthroughs into potential new treatments, diagnostics and medical technologies.

We’re proud to be tackling some of the greatest healthcare challenges we’re facing now and in the future, and with more than 1.5 million deaths each year caused by fungal infections, we’re at the forefront of research into medical mycology. Of all human microbial pathogens, fungi are the least studied and understood, but our Medical Research Council Centre for Medical Mycology (MRC CMM) enables research into clinical recognition, diagnosis and management of fungal diseases. The centre focuses on cutting-edge interdisciplinary research and training the next generation of scientists in this neglected field of study, as well as on the creation and establishment of new CMM research units in Africa, Latin America and Asia, to tackle devastating fungal diseases in the worst impacted regions worldwide.

Find out more about MRC CMM

One of the ways we’re improving human health is through our Biomedical Research Centre’s (BRC) exploration of rehabilitation. We’re using exciting new approaches in surgery, devices and therapy, to help develop a new generation of ways to improve mobility in older people and develop effective precision rehabilitation available to everybody. We’re also exploring how co-interventions such as medication and nutrition, can enhance rehabilitation outcomes across a broad range of diseases and help us develop more effective treatments.

Find out more about our Rehabilitation work

Our research has found that one in five children and young people in the UK has a probable mental health disorder. We are a leader in the development of new approaches to prevention and intervention, as well as the vital training and expansion of the mental health workforce. Our groundbreaking work ranges from exploring triggers of mental health problems and developing new ways of preventing those problems in early childhood, to pioneering work with adolescents who have a clinical diagnosis. Our research in children’s health and wellbeing is brought together in the Children and Young People's Wellbeing @ Exeter Research Network. The network represents 16 different groups and was formed to ensure that strong collaboration and interdisciplinary thinking are at the heart of our research, for the benefit of children and young people.

Find out more about our research

In a University-NHS partnership we will be setting up the Westcountry’s first Biomedical Research Centre, thanks to £15million in government funding support, to translate scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for patients.
Together we aim to improve diagnosis, treatment and care, in the South West and across the world. The innovations will transform lives, improve the NHS and ensure patients receive the treatment and care that is best for them.

Find out more about the five key themes the centre will focus on

We are committed to providing a healthy future for all and we aim to be at the forefront of medical research and partnerships that improve quality of life. Working with the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, we have pioneered a rapid whole genome sequencing service which processes DNA samples of babies and children who are born or end up seriously ill in hospital. This sequencing looks at 20,000 genes to identify genetic changes that cause illness and provide a diagnosis within just 7-10 days – meaning they can start treatment straight away; saving lives and opening up the possibility for thousands more patients to be treated or even cured completely.

Find out more about the results of our pioneering research here.

Our research stretches from fundamental lab work right through to influencing global policies. Our teams are committed to developing new ways to reduce antibiotic resistance, minimise antibiotic use, create alternative treatments, and tackle the major health and food threat from anti-fungal resistance. The prevalence of AMR in the environment starkly highlights the complex cycle of antimicrobial use and spread of resistance.

Discover how our vital research is helping the global fight against antimicrobial resistance

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We specialise in new approaches to prevent and treat dementia, and to care for people who have the condition. Our people-first approach means we excel at working with people living with dementia, and together we are developing new drug therapies, new prevention approaches and better patient care.  We have particular strengths in vascular dementia, as well as Alzheimer dementias and mental health, and neuropsychiatric symptoms in people with dementia.

Find out more about our approach to improve care for people who have dementia

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Our Precision Diabetes Research is transforming healthcare, helping improve lives worldwide. Our unique approach focuses on understanding the genetics and variations of diabetes, getting the best treatment options for the patient, as quickly as possible. We have discovered 25 different types of diabetes which are caused by changes in a single gene and this has allowed diagnosis and treatment to be transformed, including genetics and optimised treatment for all diabetes types. Making the right diagnosis is the first step to the best treatment and our team provides genetic testing for 207 countries and has excelled in developing diagnostic tools that are used by  clinicians throughout the world..

Read more about our precision approach to tackling diabetes

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