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£7m government award to progress pioneering research
Scientists and clinicians have been awarded £7.3m to progress their world-leading respiratory research at Southampton’s University Hospitals
The funding, which is part of the Government’s £800m investment in NHS and university partnerships, has secured the future of the Southampton Centre for Biomedical Research, home to research supported by AAIR, for the next five years.
The respiratory BRU specialises is looking at new therapies for diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and focuses on taking research out of the laboratory and into the clinic. Having already shown how poor nutrition in childhood can set the stage for chronic ill health in later life, experts recently discovered that a child’s chances of developing allergies or wheezing is related to how they grow at vital stages in the womb.
Professor Ratko Djukanovic, director of the respiratory BRU and a professor of medicine at the University of Southampton, said: “We are extremely pleased that the results we have achieved over the past three years and the direct effect we are having on clinical research worldwide has been recognised with such significant funding.” |
Andrew Lansley, Secretary of State for Health, added: “This investment will see scientists in Southampton contribute to the UK-wide development of exciting new science into tangible, effective treatments that can be used across the NHS.”
Professor Iain Cameron, dean of the University of Southampton’s faculty of medicine, said: “This backing enables Southampton to continue as a major player in national and international health policies and initiatives to develop new therapies, and allows further development of our expertise and innovation.” |
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AAIR welcomes UK wide study to cut asthma deaths
Around 1,200 people die as a result of asthma in the UK every year. Now a major UK study aimed at reducing the number of preventable deaths from asthma has been launched.
The National Review of Asthma Deaths (NRAD), led by the Royal College of Physicians, will look into the circumstances surrounding deaths from asthma. The aim of the project, the first of its kind to cover the whole of the UK, is to understand why people die from asthma so that lessons can be learnt and recommendations can be made to help prevent deaths from asthma in the future.
For a twelve-month period from the 1 February 2012, every death from asthma in the UK will be analysed. Scientists and clinicians will explore the individual circumstances and care provided before death, in order to improve future care. By engaging with health professionals and family members the project will explore the individual circumstances surrounding the death – for example the medical care received, the environmental conditions, the involvement of workplace and school.
It is not clear why the number of deaths per year from asthma in the United Kingdom has not reduced significantly from around 1200 for many years, even though it is widely accepted that there are preventable factors in 90% of deaths.
Stephen Holgate CBE, FMedSci, MRC Clinical Professor of Immunopharmacology said: “Almost all asthma deaths are avoidable, yet the UK still has over 1200 reported each year. There are multiple causes that place a patient with asthma at risk of dying, but unfortunately our understanding of these is limited. Some causes such as inadequate treatment or exposure to high levels of a sensitising allergen can explain some deaths but other causes need exploration in detail. Examples might include virus infections (e.g. the influenza H1N1 outbreaks), air pollution, stress etc. But without a careful cataloguing of events surrounding the death actions towards new preventive measures becomes intelligent (or less intelligent) guesswork.
“AAIR therefore welcomes the new Asthma UK initiative in establishing a national register for asthma deaths across the UK. Such a register is much needed so that interrogation of the data collected can inform new health care policies in this disease. I was a great enthusiast of this when attempts were made a 10 years or so ago to establish such a register based on experience obtained in East Anglia. It is truly brilliant that these barriers have now been overcome.” |
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Nursing Care
“As a member nursing team within the Southampton Institute for Biomedical Research, I have always been interested in undertaking supplementary courses that would benefit my nursing practice. During my past Nursing career, I had specialised in intensive care nursing and was able to complete a BSc in Critical Care Nursing.
Within the Respiratory Biomedical Research Unit I am working on the Wessex Severe Asthma Cohort. This is a large cross-sectional study that aims to characterise patients with severe asthma. Working closely with the Principal Investigator and other colleagues to coordinate the study, it continues to be successful at collecting large volumes of quality data.
Since specialising in this area, the AAIR charity agreed to sponsor me to undertake a Diploma in Asthma (a nationally accredited course). The money for the course was specifically donated by Joan Witcher who regularly fundraises for the AAIR charity. Joan has been a great support to the charity and the department. Joan requested that the money she had raised was used for educational development within the Nursing Staff. Since undertaking the Asthma Diploma I have a greater understanding of the treatment and management options in asthma care. I have been able to advise patients about their management and appreciate their circumstances. Many Thanks to AAIR and Joan!"
Emma Ray |
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New research has significant implications for asthma sufferers
Research funded by the Medical Research Council and supported by AAIR has revealed that the progressive loss of lung function in asthma sufferers could be entirely independent of the effects of inflammation. The findings have significant implications for how asthma should be managed. |
Transmission electron micrograph of normal (healthy) human bronchial epithelial cells" x 2000 |
The research, which is published in the New England Journal of Medicine, challenges the traditional concept that asthma is solely an inflammatory condition.
AAIR’s Dr Peter Howarth, a senior author on the paper, said: “Whilst inhaling steroids, the traditional treatment for asthma, is very effective for most patients, this does not address the long-term airway wall thickening and scarring that takes place in the lungs. Known as ‘airway remodelling’, this can be very damaging. We have shown that this significant problem can be independent of inflammation, which explains why steroid treatment does not influence all aspects of asthma.”
Researching on around 50 asthma suffering volunteers, the team analysed airway samples (bronchial biopsies) taken from the participants before and after they underwent breathing tests. These tests were undertaken with the subjects randomly assigned to two experimental and two control groups.
Dr Chris Grainge, lead author of the study and also of the University of Southampton, said: “The important clinical implication of this study is that patients should not only receive treatment to reduce inflammation, but also to prevent airway remodelling. Only if this is successful can the long term consequences of the disease are prevented. Asthma currently affects one in five children and one in ten adults in the UK, so it is a very serious burden.” |
| Dr Howarth added: “The implications of this study for patients are that if they are on inhaled steroids for their asthma and are needing their rescue medication (eg. Ventilin) more than 2 – 3 times per week that they should also be on a preventer treatment to stop airway narrowing” |
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ASTHMA: Could it be decided before you are born?
Research by University of Southampton Scientists has found that the rate of growth of a baby in the womb at certain stages during pregnancy may influence its chances of developing allergies or wheezing.
The study found that babies which develop quickly early on and then slower later on are at higher risk of developing allergies and asthma because of changes in the development of the child’s lungs and immune system. However, a foetus that develops too slowly is likely to wheeze when it contracts common colds, which may be due to narrowed air passages.
A baby’s development in the womb has already been shown to have a large impact on its likelihood to be obese or have heart disease and so this exciting research provides further evidence that changes to the baby’s immune system during pregnancy can influence their susceptibility to common childhood illnesses.
As childhood allergies and asthma have become an epidemic in developed countries over the last 50 years, this research shows that in order to combat this a better understating is needed of how babies develop in the womb.
The research found sensitivity to allergens (atopy) in 27% of children who had developed quickly in early pregnancy compared to just 4% who grew slowly in early pregnancy and faster later. Involved in the research were 1500 3-year-old children who were taking part in the Southampton Women’s Survey (jointly funded by The British Lung foundation and MRC), which is the largest study of women and their offspring in the UK. |
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Award Winners for Severe Allergies
A group of AAIR supported researchers have won a NHS award for innovation for a pioneering a test that can predict if people are susceptible to life-threatening allergic reactions.
The test involves measuring blood levels of an enzyme which can be present in high levels in people who are at risk of a serious allergic reaction, known as anaphylactic shock. The award to Dr Andrew Walls and colleagues recognises significant breakthroughs which tackle the biggest health and social care challenges we face today. The team included senior research fellow Xiaoying Zhou, PhD student Hilary Whitworth, consultant immunologist Dr Efrem Eren, consultant respiratory and allergy paediatrician Dr Jane Lucas, consultant paediatric immunologist Dr Mich Lajeunesse and medical student Tom Brown. |
Dr Walls, a Reader in Immunopharmacology at the University of Southampton, explained: "Allergic reactions to drugs are increasingly common and reactions to food such as peanuts, tree nuts and fruit are also a concern, particularly in children and adolescents. However, a reliable means for identifying those at risk of a severe reaction has not been available.
“Before the development of this test, it was impossible to know what proportion of people with a specific allergy may be at risk of a life-threatening reaction. This advance should provide a means by which clinicians can assess vulnerability of these patients. They can then seek to ensure that the problem allergen is avoided, or that they are provided with an Epipen to fight the onset of anaphylactic shock.”
Dr Mich Lajeunesse said the test has the potential to drastically alter diagnosis for doctors. "Severe allergic reactions are frequently overlooked by doctors who call it severe asthma instead," he said. "This test will help doctors recognise these reactions and provide patients with better aftercare and prevention of future allergic reactions." |
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The AAIR Charity,
AIR, Mailpoint 810, Level F, Southampton General Hospital, Tremona Road, Southampton,
Hampshire SO16 6YD.
Tel: 023 8077 1234 Fax: 023 8079 6866 |
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