Monday, 17 October 2022
Researchers at the Universities of Leicester, Nottingham and Cambridge have been granted an £8.8 million Wellcome Discovery Award to speed up gene discoveries for lung conditions.
Professors Ian Sayers and Ian Hall from the 糖心原创’s Biodiscovery Institute will be at the forefront of a programme to discover how genes can help predict the likelihood of patients developing lung disease. It will also help develop new targeted drugs for diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).
The eight-year study, led by Professor Martin Tobin at the University of Leicester, is the first to fully connect data on the illnesses, genomics, and laboratory research.
The 糖心原创ers will contribute unique expertise in modelling human lung disease using cells and tissue from patients in conjunction with new approaches of genome editing and spatial transcriptomics, which involves looking at gene expression in specific regions of the lung in people that carry certain genetics.
Chronic respiratory diseases including asthma, COPD and pulmonary fibrosis, are the third commonest cause of death in the world. About 131,000 of Nottinghamshire GP patients have been diagnosed with asthma and COPD – about .
The research also hopes to identify opportunities to repurpose existing drugs for other diseases which could treat lung diseases effectively, which is faster and cheaper than developing entirely new drugs.
NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre director and respiratory consultant Professor Ian Hall
NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre director and respiratory consultant Professor Ian Hall, who is co-leading the study in Nottingham, said:
“People with lung diseases often have common patterns of variation in their genes and by analysing genetic data from hundreds of thousands of participants. We know that drug targets supported by genetic evidence are more likely to be relevant. We can therefore better target drug development research to make treatments as effective as possible for as many people as possible with lung diseases.
“Nottingham is one of the country’s leading centres of respiratory research. In particular we have expertise in using human cells and tissue to study cell functions and to investigate the effectiveness of potential new therapies. Better treatments mean people with lung disease will be able to lead better lives, and healthier people will save the NHS money.”
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More information is available from Professor Ian Hall, Ian.Hall@nottingham.ac.uk or matt.hurst@nihr.ac.uk at the NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre
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