Peter Horby

Peter Horby is Professor of Emerging Infectious Diseases and Global Health. He is the former, and founding Director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Hanoi, Vietnam. Established in early 2006, the unit conducts research on infectious diseases which crosses the disciplines of basic science, medical science and public health.

Peter returned to Oxford in July 2014 and established the Epidemic diseases Research Group Oxford (ERGO). ERGO is engaged in an international program of clinical and epidemiological research to prepare for and respond to emerging infections that may develop into epidemics or pandemics. ERGO is involved in a number of international projects including the European Commission funded PREPARE and ALERRT projects, the International Severe Acute Respiratory and Emerging Infection Consortium (ISARIC) and the UK Public Health Rapid Support Team (UK-PHRST). The group is conducting research on a range of epidemic diseases including Ebola virus disease, bird flu (H5N1 and H7N9), MERS-CoV, and Enterovirus 71. ERGO currently comprises a team of eleven people under the leadership of Professor Peter Horby and is funded by the Wellcome Trust, the Medical Research Council, the European Commission and the Department of Health and Social Care.

In June 2016, Peter became Chair of ISARIC, taking over from outgoing Chair Abdullah Brooks. 

Selected publications 

2020

Wang Y, Zhang D, Du G, et al. Remdesivir in adults with severe COVID-19: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial. Lancet. 2020;395(10236):1569‐1578. doi:10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31022-9.  Read more

Dean NE, Gsell PS, Brookmeyer R, et al. Creating a Framework for Conducting Randomized Clinical Trials during Disease Outbreaks. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(14):1366‐1369. doi:10.1056/NEJMsb1905390.  Read more

Cao B, Wang Y, Wen D, et al. A Trial of Lopinavir-Ritonavir in Adults Hospitalized with Severe Covid-19. N Engl J Med. 2020;382(19):1787‐1799. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa2001282.  Read more

Rojek AM, Moran J, Horby PW. Core Minimal Datasets to Advance Clinical Research for Priority Epidemic Diseases. Clin Infect Dis. 2020;70(4):696‐697. doi:10.1093/cid/ciz760. Read more.

Chen J, Zhu H, Horby PW, et al. Specificity, kinetics and longevity of antibody responses to avian influenza A(H7N9) virus infection in humans. J Infect. 2020;80(3):310‐319. doi:10.1016/j.jinf.2019.11.024.  Read more

Scott J, Meredith L, Dunning J, Moore C, Sahr F, Ward S, Goodfellow I, Horb P. (2020). Pharmacokinetics of TKM-130803 in Sierra Leonean patients with Ebola virus disease: plasma concentrations exceed target levels, with drug accumulation in the most severe patients. EBioMedicine. 52. 102601. 10.1016/j.ebiom.2019.102601. Read more

2019

Rojek AM, Salam A, Ragotte RJ, Liddiard E, Elhussain A, Carlqvist A, Butler M, Kayem N, Castle L, Odondi L, Stepniewska K, Horby PW. A systematic review and meta-analysis of patient data from the west Africa (2013-16) Ebola virus disease epidemic. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2019 Jul 5. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2019.06.032. Read abstract | Read more.

Sigfrid L, Moore C, Salam A, Maayan N, Hamel C, Garritty C, Lutje V, Buckley B, Soares-Weiser K, Marshall R, Clarke M, Horby P. A rapid research needs appraisal methodology to identify evidence gaps to inform clinical research priorities in response to outbreaks—results from the Lassa fever pilot. BMC Medicine. 2019 June 11, 17:107. doi:10.1186/s12916-019-1338-1. Read more.

Saxena A, Horby P, Amuasi J, Aagaard N, Köhler J, Gooshki ES, Denis E, Reis AA, the ALERRT-WHO Workshop and Ravinetto R. Ethics preparedness: facilitating ethics review during outbreaks - recommendations from an expert panel. BMC Medical Ethics. 2019 May 6, 20:29. doi:10.1186/s12910-019-0366-x. Read more.

Wang Y, Fan G, Horby P, Hayden F, Li Q, Wu Q, Zou X, Li H, Zhan Q, Wang C, Cao B; CAP-China Network. Comparative Outcomes of Adults Hospitalized With Seasonal Influenza A or B Virus Infection: Application of the 7-Category Ordinal Scale. Open Forum Infectious Diseases. 2019 Feb 15;6(3):ofz053. doi: 10.1093/ofid/ofz053. eCollection 2019 Mar. Read abstract | Read more.

Battista MC, Loignon C, Benhadj L, Nouvet E, Murthy S, Fowler R, Adhikari NKJ, Haj-Moustafa A, Salam AP, Chan AK, Mishra S, Couturier F, Hudon C, Horby P, Bedell R, Rekart M, Hajek J, Lamontagne F. Priorities, barriers, and facilitators towards international guidelines for the delivery of supportive clinical care curing an Ebola outbreak: a cross-sectional survey. Viruses. 2019 Feb. doi: 10.3390/v11020194. Read more.

Rampling T, Page M, Horby P. International Bipological Reference Preparations for Epidemic Infectious Diseases. Emerging Infectious Diseases. 2019 Feb. doi:10.3201/eid2502.180798. Read more.

Murthy S, Carson G, Horby P, Merson L, Webb S. Clinical research networks and assessing pandemic severity. The Lancet. 2019 Jan. doi: 10.1016/S2214-109X(18)30413-3. Read more.

2018

Brueckner M, Titman A, Jaki T, Rojek A, Horby P. Performance of different clinical trial designs to evaluate treatments during an epidemic. PLoS one. 2018 Sep 11. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0203387. Read abstract | Read more.

Horby, PW. Improving preparedness for the next flu pandemic. Nat Microbiol. 2018 Aug;3(8):848-850. doi: 10.1038/s41564-018-0206-7. Read more.

Zhao M, Chen J, Tan S, Dong T, Jiang H, Zheng J, Quan C, Liao Q, Zhang H, Wang X, Wang Q, Bi Y, Liu F, Feng L, Horby PW, Klenerman P, Gao GF, Liu WJ, Yu H. Prolonged Evolution of Virus-Specific Memory T Cell Immunity after Severe Avian Influenze A (H7N9) Virus Infection. J Virol. 2018 Aug 16;92(17). pii: e01024-18. doi: 10.1128/JVI.01024-18. Read abstract | Read more.

Wang X, Wu P, Pei Y, Tsang TK, Gu D, Wang W, Zhang J, Horby PW, Uyeki TM, Cowling BJ, Yu H. Assessment of human-to-human transmissibility of avian influenza A(H7N9) virus across five waves by analyzing clusters of case-patients in mainland China, 2013-2017. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Jun 29. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy541. Read abstract | Read more.

Gao L, Zou G, Liao Q, Zhou Y, Liu F, Dai B, Liu J, Chen Z, Xing W, Yang L, Liang H, Zhang Y, Chen Z, Luo L, Li Q, Luo K, Wu P, Mo X, Wang L, Lan K, Horby PW, Cowling BJ, Simmonds P, Altmeyer R, van Doorn HR, Yu H. Spectrum of Enterovirus Serotypes Causing Uncomplicated Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease and Enteroviral diagnostic yield of different clinical samples. Clin Infect Dis. 2018 Apr 24. doi: 10.1093/cid/ciy341. Read abstract | Read more.

Rojek AM, Gkolfinopoulou K, Veizis A, Lambrou A, Castle L, Georgakopoulou T, Blanchet K, Panagiotopoulos T, Horby PW. Clinical assessment is a neglected component of outbreak preparedness: evidence from refugee camps in Greece. BMC Medicine. 2018 Apr; 16:43. doi: 10.1186/s12916-018-1015-9. Read abstract | Read more.

Sigfrid L, Eckerle I, Papa A, Horby P, Koopmans M, Reusken C. Strengthening perparedness for (re-)emerging arboviruses in Europe. Clin Microbiol Infect 2018 Mar; 24 (3):219-220. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2018.02.001. Read more.

Salam AP, Horby PW. Isolation of viable Zika virus from spermatozoa. The Lancet Infectious Diseases. 2018 Feb. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(18)30020-3. Read more.

2017

Sigfrid L, Reusken C, Eckerle I, Nussenblatt V, Lipworth S, Messina J, Kraemer M, Ergonul O, Papa A, Koopmans M, Horby P. Preparing clinicians for (re-) emerging arbovirus infectious diseases in Europe. Clin Microbiol Infect. 2017 Jun 22. pii: S1198-743X(17)30336-1. doi: 10.1016/j.cmi.2017.05.029. Review. Read Abstract | Read More

Wang X, Jiang H, Wu P, Uyeki TM, Feng L, Lai S, Wang L, Huo X, Xu K, Chen E, Wang X, He J, Kang M, Zhang R, Zhang J, Wu J, Hu S, Zhang H, Liu X, Fu W, Ou J, Wu S, Qin Y, Zhang Z, Shi Y, Zhang J, Artois J, Fang VJ, Zhu H, Guan Y, Gilbert M, Horby PW, Leung GM, Gao GF, Cowling BJ, Yu H. Epidemiology of avian influenza A H7N9 virus in human beings across five epidemics in mainland China, 2013-17: an epidemiological study of laboratory-confirmed case series. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017 Aug;17(8):822-832. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30323-7. Epub 2017 Jun 2. Read abstract | Read More

Laxminarayan R, Kakkar M, Horby P, Malavige GN, Basnyat B. Emerging and re-emerging infectious disease threats in South Asia: status, vulnerability, preparedness, and outlook. BMJ. 2017 Apr 11;357:j1447. doi: 10.1136/bmj.j1447. Review.

Rojek AM, Horby PW. Offering patients more: how the West Africa Ebola outbreak can shape innovation in therapeutic research for emerging and epidemic infections. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2017 May 26;372(1721). pii: 20160294. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0294. Review. Read Abstract | Read More 

Lee N, Cao B, Ke C, Lu H, Hu Y, Tam CHT, Ma RCW, Guan D, Zhu Z, Li H, Lin M, Wong RYK, Yung IMH, Hung TN, Kwok K, Horby P, Hui DSC, Chan MCW, Chan PKS.IFITM3, TLR3, and CD55 Gene SNPs and Cumulative Genetic Risks for Severe Outcomes in Chinese Patients With H7N9/H1N1pdm09 Influenza. J Infect Dis. 2017 Jul 1;216(1):97-104. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jix235. Read Abstract | Read More

Rojek A, Horby P, Dunning J. nsights from clinical research completed during the west Africa Ebola virus disease epidemic. Lancet Infect Dis. 2017 Sep;17(9):e280-e292. doi: 10.1016/S1473-3099(17)30234-7. Epub 2017 Apr 28. Review. Read Abstract | Read More

Salam AP, Rojek A, Dunning J, Horby PW. Clinical trials of therapeutics for the prevention of congenital Zika virus disease: challenges and potential solutions.Ann Intern Med. 2017 Mar 21. doi: 10.7326/M16-2530. [Epub ahead of print] Read Abstract | Read More

Whitehead J, Horby P. GOST: A generic ordinal sequential trial design for a treatment trial in an emerging pandemic.PLoS Negl Trop Dis. 2017 Mar 9;11(3):e0005439. doi: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0005439. eCollection 2017 Mar 9. Read Abstract | Read More

2016

Nguyen DN, Mai LQ, Bryant JE, Hang NK, Hoa LNM, Nadjm B, Thai PQ, Duong TN, Anh DD, Horby P, et al. Epidemiology and etiology of influenza-like illness in households in Vietnam: it's not all about the kids!Journal of clinical virology : the official publication of the Pan American Society for Clinical Virology 82:126-132 Sep 2016 (Journal article) Read Abstract

Koh WM, Bogich T, Siegel K, Jin J, Chong EY, Tan CY, Chen MI, Horby P, Cook AR. The Epidemiology of Hand, Foot and Mouth disease in Asia: a systematic review and analysis
The Pediatric infectious disease journal 35(10):e285-e300 Oct 2016 (Journal article) Read Abstract

Lai S, Qin Y, Cowling BJ, Ren X, Wardrop NA, Gilbert M, Tsang TK, Wu P, Feng L, Jiang H, et al. Global epidemiology of Avian influenza A H5N1 virus infection in humans, 1997-2015: A systematic review of individual case dataThe Lancet. Infectious diseases 16(7):e108-e118 Jul 2016 (Journal article) Read Abstract

Hoa LNM, Mai LQ, Bryant JE, Thai PQ, Hang NK, Yen NT, Duong TN, Thoang DD, Horby P, Werheim HF, et al. Association between hemagglutinin stem-reactive antibiodies and influenza A/H1N1 virus infection during the 2009 pandemicJournal of virology 90(14):6549-6556 Jul 2016 (Journal article) Read Abstract

Hope-Gill B, Idriss B, Massaquoi T, Horby P. Teaching research methodology within an Ebola virus outbreak. Medical education 50(5):584-585 May 2016 (Journal article) Read Abstract

Horby PW, Rojek A. 2016. Modernising epidemic science: enabling patient-centred research during epidemics. BMC Medicine. 2016:14:12.  DOI: 10.1186/s12916-016-0760-x Read Abstract

2015

Cooper BS, Boni MF, Pan-Ngum W, Day NP, Horby PW, Olliaro P, Lang T, White NJ, White LJ, Whitehead J. 2015. Evaluating clinical trial designs for investigational treatments of Ebola virus disease. PLoS Med, 12 (4), pp. e1001815. Abstract  | Read more

2014

Fonville JM, Wilks SH, James SL, Fox A, Ventresca M, Aban M, Xue L, Jones TC et al. 2014. Antibody landscapes after influenza virus infection or vaccination. Science, 346 (6212), pp. 996-1000. Read abstract | Read more

Cauchemez S, Ferguson NM, Fox A, Mai LEQ, Thanh LET, Thai PQ, Thhoang DD, Duong TN, Minh Hoa LEN, Tran Hien N, Horby P. 2014. Determinants of influenza transmission in South East Asia: insights from a household cohort study in Vietnam. PLoS Pathog, 10 (8), pp. e1004310. Read abstract | Read more

2012 

Cauchemez S, Horby P, Fox A, Mai LEQ, Tranh LET, Thai PQ, Hoa LENM, Hien NT, FERGUSON NM. 2012. Influenza infection rates, measurement errors and the interpretation of paired serology.PLoS Pathog, 8 (12), pp. e1003061. Read abstract | Read more

HORBY P, MAI LQ, FOX A, THAI PQ, THI THU YEN N, THANH LT, LE KHANH HANG N, DUONG TN et al.2012. The epidemiology of interpandemic and pandemic influenza in Vietnam, 2007-2010 American Journal of Epidemiology, 175 (10), pp. 1062-1074. Read abstract | Read more

2011 

CUONG HQ, HIEN NT, DUONG TN, PHONG TV, CAM NN, FARRAR J, NAM VS, THAI KT, HORBY P. 2011. Quantifying the emergence of dengue in Hanoi, Vietnam: 1998-2009. PLoS Negl Trop Dis, 5 (9), pp. e1322. Read abstract | Read more

2010 

HORBY P, SUDOYO H, VIPRAKASIT V, FOX A, THAI PQ, YU H, DAVILA S, HIBBERD M et al. 2010. What is the evidence of a role for host genetics in susceptibility to influenza A/H5N1? Epidemiol Infect, 138 (11), pp. 1550-1558. Read abstract | Read more

LE QM, WERTHEIM HF, TRAN ND, VAN DOORN HR, NGUYEN TH, HORBY P, VIETNAM H1N1 INVESTIGATION TEAM. 2010. A community cluster of oseltamivir-resistant cases of 2009 H1N1 influenza. N Engl J Med, 362 (1), pp. 86-87. | Read more

2009

LIEM NT, TUNG CV, HIEN ND, HIEN TT, CHAU NQ, LONG HT, HIEN NT, MAI LEQ et al. 2009. Clinical features of human influenza A (H5N1) infection in Vietnam: 2004-2006. Clin Infect Dis, 48 (12), pp. 1639-1646. Read abstract | Read more

WERTHEIM HF, NGUYEN HN, TAYLOR W, LIEN TT, NGO HT, NGUYEN TQ, NGUYEN BN, NGUYEN HH et al. 2009. Streptococcus suis, an important cause of adult bacterial meningitis in northern Vietnam.PLoS One, 4 (6), pp. e5973. Read abstract | Read more

Boni MF, Manh BH, Thai PQ, Farrar J, Hien TT, Hien NT, Van Kinh N, Horby P. 2009. Modelling the progression of pandemic influenza A (H1N1) in Vietnam and the opportunities for reassortment with other influenza viruses. BMC Med, 7 (1), pp. 43. Read abstract | Read more

2008

Nguyen TH, Farrar J, Horby P. 2008. Person-to-person transmission of influenza A (H5N1).Lancet, 371 (9622), pp. 1392-1394. | Read more

Le MT, Wertheim HF, Nguyen HD, Taylor W, Hoang PV, Vuong CD, Nguyen HL, Nguyen HH et al. 2008. Influenza A H5N1 clade 2.3.4 virus with a different antiviral susceptibility profile replaced clade 1 virus in humans in northern Vietnam. PLoS One, 3 (10), pp. e3339. Read abstract | Read more

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