RESEARCH

On International Women’s Day, our Director of Research and Innovation, Dr Sam Walker, reflects on her career as a woman in research and the importance of researching how lung conditions affect women in different ways.

International Day of Women and Girls in Science is an opportunity to promote full and equal access to and participation in science for women and girls. Dr Sam Walker, Director of Research and Innovation at Asthma + Lung UK introduces some of the amazing women in respiratory research we’re funding.

Today it’s a well-established fact that lung conditions can be influenced by our genes. But this wasn’t always the case. Pioneering research funded by Asthma UK, one of the founding organisations of Asthma + Lung UK, discovered the first genetic link to asthma. Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Innovation, tells us all about this ground-breaking research and the importance of its legacy today.

Over 1 in 3 people with COPD report symptoms of anxiety and depression. Yet, challenges with mental health are often under-recognised and under-treated in people living with chronic lung disease. Dr Lisa Brighton tells us about her important research into ways to support people with COPD and their mental health.

It may be easy to overlook the power of the humble bus but they’re a vital tool for cleaner air in our cities. There are major issues with Glasgow’s transport system that we urgently need to fix to tackle toxic air in the city. Maddy from the Clean Air team explains why the fight for better buses in Glasgow is a fight for clean air too – and how you can get involved.

Someone dies from a lung condition every five minutes in the UK. And millions more live with debilitating symptoms.  Our new report, written with PwC, reveals the huge financial cost of lung conditions to the UK economy. It shows how increased investment in lung health research could lead to huge savings and increased productivity, and protect the future of the NHS.

Clinical trials are an essential part of medical research, looking at new ways to prevent, detect or treat disease.

But recruitment into trials is struggling, with the number of patients accessing industry research falling by 44% between 2017 and 2021 (ABPI 2022). This is a serious threat to the long-term future of clinical research in the UK – and the benefits it brings to patients, the NHS and the economy.

For some people with long-term lung conditions, their symptoms can lead to feelings of loneliness and isolation. Dr Lisa Jane Brighton, a researcher at King’s College London, explains why we should be thinking about how living with a long-term lung condition can affect people’s social wellbeing.

Six million people in the UK currently have a lung condition and someone dies from one every five minutes. The research that is needed to prevent people developing these conditions, as well as diagnosing, treating, and managing them if they do, is seriously underfunded. Our new report sets out why we need to see more investment and how it should be invested.

Our vision at Asthma + Lung UK is for a world where everyone has healthy lungs. When people are left struggling to breathe, getting them the right treatment starts with early and accurate diagnosis.

Dr Erika Kennington, Head of Research and Innovation, tells us more about Asthma + Lung UK’s £2 million investment in improving diagnosis and why better diagnosis tools, techniques, and approaches are key to saving the nation’s lung health.

Andy, aged 37, was diagnosed with pulmonary fibrosis (PF) in 2013. He is currently waiting for a lung transplant. Here he asks our researcher, Simon a few questions about his research into PF and how it could make a difference to others with the condition.

It’s been three long years, but it’s finally back in person – the European Respiratory Society Congress (ERS), taking place this September. Offering people from across the world the chance to come together to discuss and plan new research ideas that could transform the way lung diseases are diagnosed and treated in the future

Recently, Asthma + Lung UK launched our new Innovator’s Network with the first in our new series of events for innovators, researchers and healthcare professionals. Naomi from our Research team tells us about this first event, what the key takeaways were and our hopes for the network.

Krisnah Poinasamy, Head of Research and Innovation Advocacy at Asthma and Lung UK, shares two joint A+LUK publications and discusses their potential implications for respiratory research and innovation.

At the Royal Brompton and Harefield Trust, consultant chest physician Dr William Man and his team have taken a difficult lung test and made it as simple as breathing in and out. He’s discovered a ground-breaking new way of using sound waves to measure how well the lungs are working in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF).

Professor Clare Murray and her team at the University of Manchester have made a potentially life-changing discovery for people with asthma, in the ‘silent zone’ of the lungs. It could be the key to finding new ways to diagnose and treat asthma – and save lives.

For years the respiratory life sciences have been underfunded, despite lung conditions affecting one in five people in the UK and being the third biggest cause of death. Our CEO, Sarah Woolnough explains what we believe needs to change and our ideas for improving research and innovation in lung health.

Current treatment options for mesothelioma, a type of cancer, are very limited and there is no cure. But Asthma + Lung UK has funded research by Professor Dean Fennell, who is working on new treatments. In this blog he explains what mesothelioma is and the hope his research could bring to more than a thousand people diagnosed with the condition each year.

Danielle Roe, our Patient and Public Involvement Manager, shares how involving patients in your research can not only improve the quality of your work, but ensure it has the biggest possible impact on the lives of people with lung conditions.

Dr Samantha Walker tells us about Asthma + Lung UK’s mission to reduce respiratory morbidity and mortality by 20% over the next 5 years through a big focus on research and innovation.

Over the years Asthma + Lung UK (previously Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation) have funded hundreds of research projects to find new ways to treat lung conditions and improve lives. In this blog, Bella from our Media Team shows us a few of our more unusual projects.

Dr Hannah Durrington is a consultant in respiratory medicine and a senior clinical lecturer at the University of Manchester. She has a particular interest in how our body clock can affect asthma symptoms. In this blog, our Head of Research and Innovation, Erika takes a closer look at what Hannah’s work has uncovered and how she hopes it could help people with asthma in the future.

Asthma has a disproportionate effect on women. Globally, the incidence of asthma, the frequency of asthma attacks and asthma mortality rates are higher in women than men. In the most recent analysis of asthma deaths in the UK, 70% of deaths were in women. Dr Yarunnessa Khan, who works in our Research and Innovation team, explains why we’re fighting to change this.