People across South Yorkshire are amongst the first in the country to have greater opportunities to take part in pioneering dementia research, thanks to a new £3 million nationwide investment from Alzheimer’s Society to embed dedicated dementia research nurses within the UK Dementia Trials Network (UKDTN).   

There will be a fleet of dedicated Alzheimer’s Society UKDTN research nurses across the country, focused on boosting the number and diversity of people taking part in vital dementia research studies.  

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust is one of the first UKDTN sites to recruit a dementia research nurse, with up to 20 sites across the UK expected to be set up over the next few years.  Dementia is the UK’s biggest killer, and one in three people born today will develop the condition in their lifetime. Despite the urgent need to find new ways to diagnose and treat it, dementia research currently lags far behind other diseases and medical conditions. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(February 2026)

Groundbreaking ‘at home’ technology aimed at improving the lives of stroke survivors is to feature on BBC Tech Now, the BBC’s flagship technology show. 

Airing Saturday 14 February, presenter Shiona McCallum visits Sheffield’s Royal Hallamshire Hospital to find out more about the Triceps trial, which could offer a simple and cost-effective solution to one of the most common and debilitating consequences of a stroke. 

In the trial patients living with persistent arm and hand weakness following a stroke use a specialised device and connected earpiece to stimulate the vagus nerve (a major nerve that connects the brain to the body) to strengthen hand and arm mobility. The device is currently being trialled in 19 NHS sites across the country. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

The BBC Tech Now piece will be available at this link shortly after broadcast: BBC News – Tech Now, 14/02/2026   

(February 2026)

Innovative research led by Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has been spotlighted in a special report published by the Yorkshire Post. 

Published in the Post’s Postscript daily pullout, the feature highlighted the difference healthcare studies and trials make to the lives of people across the region as the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) marks its 20th anniversary. 

As well as highlighting the vital role the NIHR network and Yorkshire research infrastructure plays in improving health across the region, Assistant Features Editor Laura Reid looks at cutting-edge research taking place across the region. 

The groundbreaking Oceanic (pictured) and UPSIDE trials are among the case studies featured.  

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(February 2026)

A Sheffield doctor leading the way in research for irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and other gut disorders, including those linked to the brain, has won an international award.  

Dr Imran Aziz, Honorary Consultant Gastroenterologist at Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and Senior Lecturer at the University of Sheffield, was awarded the prestigious Cuthbertson Medal 2026 from the Nutrition Society. 

The Nutrition Society is awarded to scientists or clinicians at an early stage of their career for excellence in clinical nutrition and/or metabolism research providing an evidence base for clinical practice.  

It is the second time Sheffield has received the international honour, following Professor David Sanders’ award in 2011, cementing the city’s reputation as a leading centre for gastroenterology and clinical nutrition research in the UK. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(February 2026)

Brain tumour research in the region is to be bolstered by a ground breaking £13.7m research partnership involving Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.  

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Brain Tumour Research Consortium brings hospitals, universities, cancer centres, charities and patients together in a UK-wide partnership, aiming to transform care and outcomes for people living with brain tumours and their families.  

Sheffield Teaching Hospitals is the sole site in South Yorkshire to be named in the consortium, which will help doctors and researchers understand the disease better, test new innovative treatments earlier, and make trials available to more adults and children closer to home. 

It will also support the development of the next generation of leaders in brain tumour research. This strengthens the UK as a key location for evaluating brain tumour treatments, both now and for the future.  

Brain tumours, especially aggressive types like glioblastoma, are among the hardest cancers to treat due to location, the brain's natural defences (which makes it difficult for many drugs to enter the brain and act on the tumour), their ability to spread rapidly and the complexity of brain cancer. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(January 2026)

More than 1,000 expectant parents have signed up to a revolutionary genetic study at Jessop Wing which is helping to detect rare genetic illnesses in newborn babies.  

The Generation study is being led nationally by Genomics England in partnership with NHS England and aims to screen 100,000 newborn babies in England using a technology called whole genome sequencing for more than 200 rare genetic conditions. If detected early, these conditions, can be treated. 

Most babies will not be found to have any of the gene changes known to cause the genetic conditions tested for. However, for the small number of babies who are found to have a rare genetic condition the impact could be life changing.   

The long-term study is referenced in the NHS Ten Year Health Plan, and forms part of the Government’s plans to aid earlier detection and identify the potential for universal screening for rare disease at birth. It is open to all expectant parents and families giving birth at Jessop Wing. 

To read more, please visit the Sheffield Teaching Hospitals news page.

(January 2026)