For children born to mothers with elevated or normal glucose, researchers found no statistically significant difference between the two groups of children in terms of their combined overweight and obesity, the study’s primary outcome. However, when obesity was measured alone, children of mothers with elevated blood glucose were significantly more likely to be obese.

The results are part of a published Sept. 11 in the Journal of the American Medical Association. Funded primarily by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK), part of the National Institute of Health, and conducted at ten study sites, including The University of 野狼社区 the or HAPO-FUS, followed mothers and their children 10-14 years after birth.

Professor Peter Clayton, who led the 野狼社区 research team, said: “Here in 野狼社区, we recruited more than 500 mother-child pairs from the original HAPO study, conducted when the children were born. Many of the mothers and their children had also helped us with studies through childhood, as part of the 野狼社区 Heart and Growth study.

“The work was carried out by our research team, which included Avni Vyas, Aysha Khan, Fiona Pritchard, Jane Howell and Andy Whatmore (from Developmental Biology & Medicine in the School of Medical Sciences), supported by the NIHR 野狼社区 Clinical Research Facility and the Greater 野狼社区 Clinical Research Network”.

The original HAPO study found that even modestly elevated blood glucose levels increased the risks of complications for the baby both before and shortly after birth. Based on these results many, but not all, organizations adopted a new definition of , a type of diabetes that occurs during pregnancy.

HAPO-FUS compared the long-term effects of blood glucose levels in mothers who would have met the new definition of gestational diabetes with those who did not. Researchers aimed to learn if modest increases in blood glucose increased the mother’s risk of developing type 2 diabetes or prediabetes and the risk of obesity in the mother’s offspring at least a decade after giving birth.

The study found the harms of even modestly elevated blood glucose for both mother and child extend more than a decade. Among women with elevated blood glucose during pregnancy, nearly 11 percent had at the follow-up study visit 10-14 years after childbirth and about 42 percent had . Of their counterparts who did not have elevated blood glucose during pregnancy, about 2 percent had type 2 diabetes and about 18 percent had prediabetes. The study examined 4,697 mothers for type 2 diabetes, prediabetes and other disorders of glucose metabolism.

Researchers analyzed 4,832 children for overweight and obesity, collecting data using body mass index (BMI), body fat percentage, skin fold thickness and waist circumference. They found that these measures all showed that children born to mothers with elevated glucose levels were more likely to be obese. For example, using BMI, 19 percent of children born to mothers with elevated blood glucose were obese, compared with 10 percent for children of mothers with normal glucose.

Adjusting for the mother’s BMI reduced – but did not eliminate – the differences between the groups.

“The differences in mothers and their children due to the mother’s higher blood glucose are very concerning. Even accounting for the mother’s weight, glucose had an independent effect,” said Dr. Barbara Linder, a study author and senior advisor for childhood diabetes research at the NIDDK. “Our findings add to the motivation to find ways to help women at high risk for gestational diabetes who are or plan to get pregnant to take steps to reduce their risk.”

The looked at 23,316 mother-child pairs and found that a mother’s blood sugar levels, even short of diabetes, were associated with her newborn’s birth weight and body fat. HAPO results led an international panel of experts to recommend new diagnostic criteria for gestational diabetes in 2010. However, not all professional groups adopted these proposed criteria.

“HAPO helped redefine gestational diabetes, and now its follow up continues to raise important alarms about the long-term danger of high blood glucose levels during pregnancy,” said study chair Dr. Boyd Metzger, emeritus Tom D. Spies Professor of Nutrition and Metabolism at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, Chicago. “This study shows that both mothers with elevated blood glucose levels and their offspring are at higher risk for adverse health effects later in life. More research is needed to find interventions to help both these women and their children.” None of the women in HAPO-FUS were diagnosed with or treated for gestational diabetes during their pregnancy. HAPO recruited an international, racially and ethnically diverse group. Limitations of the data in HAPO include that body mass index was obtained during pregnancy, not before. As well, HAPO-FUS did not collect data on the women or children’s lifestyles to evaluate other factors that could contribute to obesity or type 2 diabetes.

The results build on findings from other studies showing that type 2 diabetes in mothers during pregnancy is associated with obesity in that mother’s offspring and that elevated blood glucose increases risk of type 2 diabetes in the woman after pregnancy.

“HAPO and its follow-up study have shown the detrimental long-term effects of elevated blood glucose on both mother and child and the importance of early intervention for women at risk for gestational diabetes,” said NIDDK Director Dr. Griffin P. Rodgers. “We hope these results will be used to improve the health of generations to come.”

HAPO-FUS was conducted at 10 clinical centers around the world

Bereavement, bullying, exams and physical health conditions such as acne and asthma are some of the experiences linked to suicide in children and young people according to a new report by The University of 野狼社区’s National Confidential Inquiry into Suicide and Homicide by People with Mental Illness (NCISH).

Researchers studied the reports from a range of investigations and inquiries on 130 people under the age of 20 in England who died by suicide between January 2014 and April 2015, extracting information about their personal circumstances that the reports highlighted. This is the first time there has been a national study of suicide in children and young people in England on this scale.

The researchers found that 28% of the young people who died had been bereaved, in 13% there had been a suicide by a family member or friend. 36% had a physical health condition such as acne or asthma, and 29% were facing exams or exam results when they died. Four died on the day of an exam, or the day after.

Internet use related to suicide was found in 23% of the deaths. This was either searching for information about suicide methods, being a victim of online bullying or posting suicidal thoughts online. Bullying overall had occurred in 22% of cases, mostly face-to-face rather than online.

Over twice as many males as females died by suicide and there were five deaths in those aged under 14. Hanging was the most common method, accounting for 63% of deaths followed by jumping from a height or in front of a train - methods that show a strong lethal intent.

Excessive alcohol or drug use was more common in older teens, and 54% overall had previously self-harmed. In the week before they died, 10% had self-harmed and 27% had told someone of suicidal ideas. 43% had no contact with any services.

Professor Nav Kapur, NCISH Head of Suicide Research said: “Self-harm is strongly associated with increased future risk of suicide and is one of the main warning signs. It is crucial that there is improved help for self-harm and access to mental health care. However, with the variety of factors we found with this study, it is clear that schools, primary care, social services and youth justice all have a role to play.”

This study is the first phase, comprising people under 20 years of age in England and a linked academic paper is published on Thursday May 26th in The Lancet Psychiatry. A larger study widened to the UK and including those under 25 years of age will be published in 2017 and include recommendations for services.

British allergy sufferers are to turn citizen scientists in a bid to decode the poorly understood world of seasonal allergies thanks to a free new app.

The app – called #BritainBreathing – a collaboration between the Royal Society of Biology, the British Society for Immunology, and The University of 野狼社区, aims to help the one in four people in the UK who suffer from seasonal allergies like hay fever and asthma.

Experts say the triggers are often poorly understood and little is known about why the incidence of these allergies is increasing.

#BritainBreathing is the first nationwide project aiming to better understand where and when allergy symptoms are occurring, what exacerbates them and why they’re on the rise. It launches on Android today.

By using the #BritainBreathing app, sufferers will be able to track allergy symptoms they record about their eyes, nose and breathing, over time. This might help people to start thinking about what might be triggering their allergies.

Dr Sheena Cruickshank, from The University of 野狼社区 and British Society for Immunology, said: “Seasonal allergies are increasing in the West but we don’t know what is driving this. It could be pollution, super pollens, increased cleanliness, or a combination of factors. What has been missing to answer this question is wide scale human data about what is really happening. Because detailed information on pollen and pollution is available, we want to map Britain Breathing data onto that and perhaps come closer to understanding what really drives allergies, on both an individual and a national level."

The #BritainBreathing app will allow the public to record their allergy symptoms in a simple and straightforward way and then anonymously share that data with researchers. This large open data set, which will also capture information on timing and location, can then be combined with other publicly available data, such as weather, pollen or pollution statistics, to build a better understanding of allergies and their triggers. From these data, scientists can build a clearer picture of the pattern and frequency of allergy incidence across the UK.

The researchers will also create up-to-date visualisations of the national crowd data, for example maps of where particular allergy symptoms are most frequently reported on any given day, so that users can compare their experience to others in their region and beyond.

Jon Kudlick, director of communications at the Royal Society of Biology said: “This is a ground breaking project as it will give users the chance to record and monitor the frequency of their own allergy symptoms, as well as then adding their experiences to the wider data set. Does air pollution add to the misery of those suffering with hay fever? Are people having more asthmatic symptoms in 野狼社区 than in London, and if so why? These are the kind of questions we hope to help answer.”

“This is the Society’s fourth citizen science project. The Starling Survey, Flying Ant Survey and House Spider Survey have received tens of thousands of records over four years, and shown how effective people power can be in helping researchers to find answers to difficult questions.”

The #BritainBreathing app is available on Android at

Find out more on the #website

Follow the project on Twitter:

Researchers gathered in 野狼社区 for the Advances Against Aspergillosis international conference have had the first glimpse of new antifungal agents. Problems with toxicity and resistance limit treatment options currently for the millions of patients worldwide who need antifungal therapy each year.

Three new antifungals were profiled: CD101 from Cidara Therapeutics in San Diego, F901318 from F2G in 野狼社区 and PC945 from Pulmocide in London, as well as earlier stage peptides and new antifungal targets.

Dr Kasuhiro Ito from Pulmocide, working with researchers at Chiba University, Japan, demonstrated that inhaled PC945 was highly effective in early therapy of life-threatening invasive aspergillosis in mice. The compound is a novel azole with activity about 100-fold more against Aspergillus fumigatus than voriconazole, the leading treatment currently. PC945 also reduced inflammation in the lung. PC945 represents the first of a new generation of inhaled antifungals, primarily for fungal asthma, cystic fibrosis and prevention of invasive aspergillosis. Clinical studies of aerosolized PC945 are likely to commence in early 2017.

Dr Nicola Beckman from F2G presented work on the novel compound F901318 and its activity against resistant fungi. F901318 compound is an orotomide, with a new mechanism of action disclosed at ICAAC in September 2015. It is highly active against pan-azole resistant Aspergillus fumigatus, other Aspergillus species and multi-resistant and currently untreatable Scedosporium spp. With the rise in azole resistance across the world (also profiled at the conference), a new class of antifungal is clinically required. Clinical studies of intravenous and oral F901318 are likely to commence in late 2016.

Dr Miesel presented the efficacy of Cidara Therapeutics’ CD101, a novel long acting echinocandin, against invasive aspergillosis. CD101 was highly effective, similar to amphotericin B, in this survival experiment. CD101 will be an intravenous antifungal, with the potential for higher drug exposures than currently marketed echinocandins and once weekly treatment, enabling inpatient and outpatient use and earlier hospital discharge. Clinical studies of CD101 are scheduled to start in the first half of 2016. CD101 has received QIDP, Fast Track and Orphan Drug Designation from the FDA for the treatment of candidemia and invasive candidiasis.

The last new class of antifungal was launched in 2002 – the echinocandins caspofungin and micafungin. The last time a new class of oral antifungal was launched was the azoles – in 1985 with the launch of the now withdrawn ketoconazole. A new azole antifungal isavuconazole (Basilea Pharmaceutica) was launched in 2015. There are no licensed aerosolised antifungals.

Working with medical colleagues across the world, Professor David Denning has entered the history books by publishing 15 scientific papers on the same day – providing 15 countries with evidence to combat the burden of fungal disease.

野狼社区 leads the world in the fight against deadly fungal infections with the opening of new Centre - a powerful partnership between research, doctors and industry to help 300 million people across the globe.

The latest scientific research against the potentially deadly Aspergillus fungus was displayed today (9 September) as (MFIG) was officially opened by Professor Sir Robert Boyd.

From new antifungal drug opportunities to the genetic basis for aspergillosis, the quality of science in this topic has ‘improved immeasurably over the last decade’, according to Professor Keith Gull FRS from Oxford University who spoke at the meeting.

MFIG is a new international centre of excellence for fungal infection biology and translational antifungal research at The University of 野狼社区. It is integrating its research with that of clinicians and industry.

Fungal disease is much more common than many people realise as of The University of 野狼社区 pointed out, with around 300 million individuals affected annually and over 1.5 million deaths.

Aspergillus is responsible for many of these illnesses, a conservative estimate is 13 million. It is an airborne fungus that everyone breathes in daily. In those who are immunosuppressed such as those undergoing organ transplantation or treatment for leukaemia, it causes a disease called invasive aspergillosis.

In those with damage in their lungs such as tuberculosis or COPD, it can cause chronic pulmonary aspergillosis – a slowly progressive and destructive disease of the lungs. In those with asthma or cystic fibrosis it can cause fungal asthma with wheezing?, mucous plugging of the airways, poor asthma control and life-threatening asthmatic attacks. 

MFIG is focused on understanding the reasons for this range of disease and why Aspergillus is so commonly fatal.

Professor Sir Robert Boyd, previously Dean of the Medical School in 野狼社区 said: “The opportunity for major health improvements by high quality research crossing traditional boundaries has never been greater. MFIG exemplifies the range of skills and specialised resources necessary to bring out major breakthroughs in fungal disease. I am delighted to see such a strong multidisciplinary team hosted in 野狼社区.”

At the opening meeting, Professor Jack Edwards from the University of California, Los Angeles spoke on the trials and tribulations of developing a fungal vaccine, in this case for potentially fatal Candida infections.

Professor Gerald Bills of The Brown Foundation Institute of Molecular Medicine and Texas Therapeutics Institute, Houston spoke on the latest new class of antifungals, echinocandins, now selling nearly $1 billion annually.

Professor Keith Gull FRS summarised the state of fungal diseases, contrasted with other infections in the keynote lecture, ’Infectious Diseases in the 21st Century: The current state of our ignorance’.  

, Director of MFIG, stated: “Our intent is to transform the understanding of Aspergillus biology and disease. We anticipate identifying options for new antifungal drugs, the genetic basis of aspergillosis and a pathway to vaccine development.”

In a Perspective published in the journal today (27 March), 野狼社区 academics and , highlight the problems for doctors: poor responses, antifungal resistance, drug interactions and toxicity to many of the existing drugs.

Last week the US Food and Drug Administration approved a new azole antifungal, isavuconazole, from Basilea. The academics welcome this , but state that many of the existing problems such as resistance and poor responses to therapy in some patients will not be addressed. Completely new classes of antifungal drugs are required, say Denning and Bromley.

Professor Denning, who is a Professor of Infectious Diseases in Global Health at The University of 野狼社区, said: “In our clinics, we have large numbers of untreatable patients going downhill, and current therapy is ineffective or impossible to take for some patients. Many are really desperate and some die years earlier than they should through lack of treatment.”

Dr Mike Bromley, Lecturer at , also at The University of 野狼社区, is trying to identify new antifungals and define how they work on fungal cells. He declared: “New antifungals are tough to find, partly because the human cell machinery is quite similar in fungi, so killing a fungal cell without damaging a human cell is tricky. We have several promising leads however, which we are working on as fast as resources allow.”

The authors point out the very low numbers of funded positions in this area in the UK and USA (few grants awarded), which greatly impedes research in the area. High resistance rates in Candida and Aspergillus are very concerning.

On the plus side, several new development opportunities have opened up, such as chronic pulmonary aspergillosis ( which affects three million people) and fungal asthma (five to twenty million people), which combined with better diagnostics, will allow new clinical development pathways and very large commercial opportunities.

The full opinion piece can be read (a subscription may be required).

Notes for editors

Keep up with the latest news by following The University of 野狼社区 Media Relations team on

Their research was presented at the Winter Meeting yesterday (3 December).

A spacer device is a large plastic container - sometimes with a mask attached.  A dose of asthma medication is sprayed into it, which is then inhaled without needing to co-ordinate breathing and pushing down on the asthma inhaler canister.  It is particularly useful for babies and small children who do not have this level of co-ordination. 

But due to their size and unfamiliarity when first used,  getting young children to breathe into ‘spacers’ is not always easy and can cause distress for both children and adults. , a researcher from The University of 野狼社区 and Consultant at was faced with such a problem for his son, Rafi, who experienced repeated distressing wheezing attacks.

This led Dr Aslam to create a new way of using a spacer by mounting a smartphone onto it programmed to display an interactive game linked to the outflow valve of the mask.

Whenever a child breathes properly into the spacer they see themselves winning on a game played on the screen.  Specially designed on-screen characters respond to correct breathing technique as part of an ongoing game. For example – the child can ‘blow away’ unfriendly characters to the hero, or blow the hero’s boat across a river.

After seeing the beneficial effects on his own son, Rafi, Dr Aslam developed the new spacer with crucial help from a colleague, Dr Clare Murray, an expert in children’s breathing disorders.

Together they arranged for the game and module to be  tested on 14 children admitted to hospital with acute wheezing along with a survey to assess the child’s reaction - and gained both the parents’ and children’s assessment of the benefits of the device.

100% (13/13) of the children who filled in a survey enjoyed the activity and 91% (10/13) felt the spacer helped them take their medication.

Some of the benefits of the inhaler voiced by parents in the survey included – it was enjoyable, it made their child calmer and helped in their inhalation technique – and that it would be useful at home. The study was funded by a grant from Central 野狼社区 University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.

, Senior lecturer and Consultant in Respiratory Paediatrics at The University of 野狼社区 and Central 野狼社区 University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust - and member of the British Thoracic Society said: “As parents are well aware, children are not always the greatest fans of taking medicine or using new treatment devices. And we know some young children do feel anxious about taking their asthma medication through a spacer. 

“The good news is that the appliance of new technology, and the power of ‘fun’ really seemed to reap benefits in our study.  The interactive game encouraged many of the children to use the spacer effectively. And it also helped tackle the stress and anxiety in both parents and children.

“In our research the inhalers were used to deliver medication to help children with acute asthma problems in a hospital setting.  But we believe they also have the potential to work with more regular asthma medication at home as well.

“So in the future we hope the device might play a key role in supporting young children to breathe easier.”

Asthma is a condition that affects the airways – the small tubes that carry air in and out of the lungs. When a person with asthma comes into contact with something that irritates their airways (an asthma trigger), the muscles around the walls of the airways tighten and become narrower, and the lining of the airways becomes inflamed and starts to swell, causing difficulty in breathing and leading to symptoms of asthma.

The UK has among the highest prevalence rates of asthma symptoms in children worldwide, and there were 25,073 emergency hospital admissions for children in the UK in 2011-2012. That means on average there were 69 per day, or one every 21 minutes.

Notes for editors

For media enquiries:

Jamie Brown
Media Relations Officer
The University of 野狼社区
Tel: 0161 2758383
Email: jamie.brown@manchester.ac.uk

Experts have found that clothes put on drying frames or draped over warm radiators raise moisture levels in our homes by up to 30 per cent, creating ideal breeding conditions for mould spores – and one in particular called aspergillus fumigatus, which can cause potentially fatal lung infections.                                                                 

Father of three, Craig Mather from Bolton knows first-hand the damage it can do. For years he dried washing in his bedroom and thought nothing of it. But when he contracted TB in 1997, the disease left his lungs weak, and aggravated the problems he had been left with after childhood asthma.

Craig, who is 43 and a fast food manager, explains: “I only started to recover when my consultant diagnosed chronic pulmonary aspergillosis and prescribed me special drugs to fight the fungal infection. However, I noticed coughing fits and night sweats – particularly when I had wet washing drying on the warm bedroom radiator.

“He told me that it could be making my problems worse, so for the last 12 months I haven’t dried my clothes indoors and I’ve noticed a huge improvement in my health. I can’t do strenuous physical activity, but I am off the drugs and only have to go back to the clinic for check-ups every four months – and I’m able to ride my bike again.”

and his team at the , in 野狼社区, have issued the wet washing warning after treating a growing number of patients who have developed the condition from inhaling the Aspergillus fungal spores.

Dr Denning, who is Professor of Infectious Disease in Global Health at The University of 野狼社区 explains: “It’s estimated that as many as 87 per cent of us dry our clothes indoors in the winter. One load of wet washing contains almost two litres of water, which is released into the room.

“Most of us are either immune to the fungus which grows in these humid conditions, or have a sufficiently healthy system to fight the infection. But, in asthma sufferers it can produce coughing and wheeziness, and in people with weak or damaged immune systems, such as cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, Aids patients and people who, like Craig, have an auto-immune disease, the fungus can cause pulmonary aspergillosis – a condition which can cause irreparable, and sometime fatal, damage to the lungs and sinuses.

“My advice would be when in doubt, dry wet washing outside, in a tumble dryer or in a well ventilated indoor space away from bedrooms and living areas.

“Be safe rather than sorry,” he adds.

Notes for editors

For more information please contact Susan Osborne, Director of Communications at The Goodwork Organisation on 07836 229208.

More public health interventions, along the lines of the smoking ban, are needed to tackle Britain's devastating toll of ‘lifestyle’ diseases, including heart disease and cancer, according to academics.

A new paper, by Dr Stanley Blue, lecturer in Social Sciences at The University of 野狼社区, claims that there needs to be a shift in public health policy, with less focus on efforts to change individual behaviour and more attention on breaking social habits and practices that are blindly leading us into bad health.

Theories of practice and public health: understanding (un)healthy practices is published in the journal, Critical Public Health, and written by Dr Stanley Blue, lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, Prof Elizabeth Shove, of Lancaster University, Prof Mike Kelly, Director of the Centre of Public Health at NICE, and Chris Carmona, public health analyst at NICE.

The authors say new ideas are needed to tackle non-communicable - or 'lifestyle' diseases - such as heart disease, cancer, asthma and diabetes. They explain how some social practices reinforce each other, such as getting a takeaway and watching TV on a Friday night, whereas others, such as drinking a bottle of wine at home or going to the gym, compete for time in our busy days.

They cite the smoking ban as an example of a measure that effectively decoupled the relationship between going out for a meal or a drink and having a cigarette. A similar approach, with social practice at the heart of public health policy, could be taken to eating and exercise, rather than traditional methods which rely on persuading people to make the 'right' decision by going to the gym or eating their five a day – and which treat such decisions as matters of personal choice.

Dr Stanley Blue said: “Smoking, exercise and eating are fundamentally social practices, therefore we need to re-shape what is deemed socially acceptable and normal in order to change them.

“Current public health policy is dominated by the presumption that individuals are capable of making ‘better’ choices for themselves on the basis of information given to them by the government or other agencies. This does not account for the fact that practices like those of smoking and eating have histories of their own.

"Trying to get individuals to stop smoking or eat healthily overlooks the fact that these are fundamentally social practices. Public health policy will have to find the courage to break away from its traditional mould if it is to stand a chance of confronting the grim reaper of lifestyle diseases."

Notes for editors

Dr Stanley Blue is available for interview.

Theories of practice and public health: understanding (un)healthy practices is published in Critical Public Health and written by: Dr Stanley Blue, lecturer at the School of Social Sciences, The University of 野狼社区; Prof Elizabeth Shove, Director of the DEMAND research centre and Professor of Sociology at Lancaster University; Chris Carmona, Public Health Analyst at NICE and Prof Mike Kelly, Director of Public Health at NICE.

Media enquiries to:

Deborah Linton
Media Relations Officer
Faculty of Humanities
The University of 野狼社区
Tel: 0161 275 8257, 07789 948783
Email: deborah.linton@manchester.ac.uk

The researchers from 野狼社区 are joining colleagues from the Escola Paulista de Medicina-Federal University of São Paulo () to examine the prevalence and treatment of chronic pulmonary aspergillosis.

This infection is thought to affect over 17,850 people in Brazil, with 5,600 new cases every year. Follow up of patients with tuberculosis in Brazil in the 1980’s showed 21% to have evidence of Aspergillus infection, similar to the UK.

Yet chronic pulmonary aspergillosis is rarely diagnosed or treated in Brazil, because of a lack of awareness and diagnostic testing. As well as those with tuberculosis, patients with AIDS, asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are also susceptible to this infection, so actual numbers of sufferers may be twice what is currently recorded.

The University of 野狼社区’s is based at University Hospital of South 野狼社区 NHS Foundation Trust (UHSM) and will lead the UK side of the new initiative.

He said: “While we treat nearly 400 UK patients with this condition, across the world, there are estimated to be about 3 million. Currently very few are diagnosed or treated, and after five years about 75% have died. This international program will have an impact throughout Brazil and Latin America.”

Funded by with matching funds from The University of 野狼社区, the programme encourages scientific exchange between universities in São Paulo and 野狼社区, and will involve a study of patients from 17 hospitals in the Brazilian city.

Professor Arnaldo Lopes Colombo of (UNNIFESP) added: “This collaboration is of the utmost importance to Brazil in view of the huge number of undiagnosed fungal infections in the country. We aim to really understand who gets this long term, difficult to treat infection and improve our diagnostic techniques across the country.”

Notes for editors

For media enquiries, please contact Jamie Brown | Media Relations Officer | The University of 野狼社区 | +44(0)161 275 8383 | Jamie.brown@manchester.ac.uk |

Around 2% of school children in the UK are allergic to peanuts. Severe eczema in early infancy has also been linked to food allergies, particularly peanut allergy.

A major break-through in our understanding of eczema has been made with the discovery of the FLG gene which codes for the skin barrier protein, filaggrin.

Mutations in the FLG gene result in an impaired skin barrier which is thought to allow allergens to penetrate the skin and sensitise the body.

The study, published this month in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, was carried out in 557 children from the 野狼社区 Asthma and Allergy Study (MAAS) – a flagship study from the University of 野狼社区 and University Hospital of South 野狼社区 led by Professors Adnan Custovic and Angela Simpson – who have been followed from birth (1996/7) to the present day.

The children in MAAS, who are representative of the normal population, have been thoroughly assessed for peanut allergy with skin prick tests, blood tests and in some cases oral food challenge tests and peanut allergy was diagnosed in 3% of them.

They have undergone genetic tests and 9% of them carry mutations in the FLG gene. In addition, dust samples were collected from their home environment in early life, in which it was possible to quantify peanut protein.

Peanut protein is present on hands and in saliva for up to three hours after peanuts or peanut-based food has been eaten, and can persist on table surfaces and sofa or pillow dust even after routine cleaning.

By combining information on genetics and the environment, it was possible to gain insights on risk factors for peanut allergy. For children who did not carry an FLG mutation, the amount of peanut protein in the house dust had no significant effect on whether or not the child developed peanut allergy.

For children with an FLG mutation, higher levels of peanut protein in household dust in infancy increased the likelihood of peanut allergy in childhood. For example, a three-fold increase in house dust peanut exposure during infancy was associated with a three-fold increase in risk of peanut allergy.

Professor Angela Simpson, from The University of 野狼社区’s Institute of Inflammation and Repair, said: “This is yet another example of how both genes and the environment are important in determining whether or not individuals develop allergic diseases. It is only because we were able to follow these children from before birth and take samples from their home environment in early life that it was possible to identify these effects.

“Gaining a better understanding of risk factors for diseases is the first step towards developing methods of prevention that are targeted to individuals at risk, which can be tested in clinical trials.”

Notes for editors

For media enquiries, please call Jamie Brown | Media Relations Officer | The University of 野狼社区 | 0161 275 8383 | Jamie.brown@manchester.ac.uk

‘Peanut allergy: Effect of environmental peanut exposure in children with filaggrin loss-of-function mutations’ by Brough et al is published in the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology and can be accessed at .

The 野狼社区 Asthma and Allergy Study was supported by Medical Research Council grants, JP Moulton Charitable Foundation, North West Lung Centre Charity and National Institute for Health Research Clinical Research Facility at the University of South 野狼社区 NHS Foundation Trust. The Centre for Dermatology and Genetic Medicine at the University of Dundee is supported by the Wellcome Trust.

The study was funded by Action Medical Research and supported by the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) Clinical Research Facility at Guy’s & St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and the NIHR Biomedical Research Centre based at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust and Kings College London.

Notes for editors

Professor David Ray is available for interview in the UK. Professor Andrew Loudon is available for interview in Asia. 

Notes for editors

For more information pleased contact Susan Osborne, Director of Communications at The Goodwork Organisation, on 07836 229208 or Alison Barbuti Media Relations Officer, Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences 0161 275 8383 alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk

The , a research project run by The University of 野狼社区 and the University Hospital of South 野狼社区 (UHSM) was designed to investigate risk factors for the development of asthma and allergies and has tracked over a thousand babies from their birth to age 18 since it began in the mid-nineties.

Notes for editors

 For further information, please contact Alison Barbuti | Media Relations Officer | The University of 野狼社区 | 0161 275 8383 | alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk

Notes for editors

Contact Susan Osborne, Director of Communications, The Goodwork Organisation on 07836 229208.

Children who receive antibiotics before their first birthday might be at a slightly increased risk of developing asthma. However, new research by The University of 野狼社区 suggests that it is impaired viral immunity and genetic variants on a region of chromosome 17 that increase the risk of both antibiotic use in early life and later asthma rather than the antibiotics themselves, as previously thought.

Notes for editors

Notes for editors

(Image courtesy of Arvind Balaraman / FreeDigitalPhotos.net)

For interviews with spokespeople, please call the Asthma Centre Media Office on 020 7786 4949 or email mediaoffice@asthma.org.uk. Please call 07951 721393 out of hours.

Notes for editors

Globally and annually, over 300 million people suffer from serious fungal infections, resulting in 1,350,000 deaths – many of which are unavoidable.

Most serious fungal infections are hidden, occurring as a consequence of other health problems such as asthma, AIDS, cancer or organ transplants. Delays or missed diagnosis often lead to death, serious chronic illness or blindness.

Now, the newly formed multidisciplinary 野狼社区 Fungal Infection Group (MFIG) hopes to make a difference with the recruitment of three leading experts from Edinburgh and London.

Professor Nick Read has moved from Edinburgh University and leads the group, while Dr Elaine Bignell from Imperial College, London, has been appointed as a Reader, and Dr Mike Bromley as a lecturer. 野狼社区 senior lecturers, Dr Paul Bowyer and Peter Warn will also join the MFIG and will work alongside the already thriving research and teaching teams of Professors David Denning and Malcolm Richardson, and Dr Riina Richardson, to form this pioneering Group.

Professor Nick Read is an internationally-renowned fungal cell biologist with over 30 years of research experience and has pioneered the use of advanced live-cell imaging techniques with many fungi, including human pathogens.

Professor Read said: “The opportunity to develop cutting-edge, multidisciplinary science in the relatively neglected but extremely important topic of fungal infection will be internationally unique and I am very excited to be able to join and lead this team of talented scientists in 野狼社区.”

The focus of the MFIG going forward is developing a profound understanding of the biology of the mechanistic basis of * fungal infection, identifying new antifungal drugs and human genetic risk profiling. The team will also work with the a partnership between The University of 野狼社区 and six NHS Trusts which helps health care organisations reap the benefits of research and innovation to drive improvements in care.

Professor Ian Jacobs, University of 野狼社区 Vice President and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Human Sciences added: “I am excited by the combination of strong clinical leadership, exemplified by the National Aspergillosis Centre, and internationally competitive science, which these new appointments bring. This fits perfectly with the strategy of our Faculty to develop outstanding science in to health benefit. MFIG can have an impact in the UK and internationally in a neglected area which is responsible for enormous suffering and over a million deaths every year.’’

ENDS

Notes for editors

For more information please contact Alison Barbuti | Media Relations Officer | Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences |The University of 野狼社区 Tel. +44 (0)161 275 8383| Mobile 07887 561 318 |Email: alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk>

Their work, published today in the journal Medical Mycology, has also re-estimated the total number of asthmatics worldwide – to reveal a staggering 193 million sufferers. Twenty-four million asthma sufferers live in the United States, 20 million each in India and China, and seven million in the United Kingdom.

Clinical studies have shown that oral antifungal drugs significantly improve symptoms and asthma control in asthmatics with ABPA, treatment endorsed by the Cochrane Collaboration. This is the first time that a global estimate of ABPA numbers has been made.

In national league tables of asthma rates in adults, only Australia and Sweden have a higher prevalence than the UK. In global league tables of ABPA occurrence, New Zealand tops the list with a 3.5% rate in new patients attending chest clinics at hospitals. The rates were 2.6% in Cape Town, 2.3% in Saudi Arabia, 2.5% in China and 0.7% in an older study from Ireland. No population-based studies have been done.

In addition to standard asthma therapy, the antifungal therapy used is itraconazole – now a generic, inexpensive antifungal – with a response rate of 60%. The researchers also found that antifungal therapy also benefits patients with severe asthma sensitized to fungi, called SAFS.

Alternatives include voriconazole and posaconazole, which have 75-80% response rates. In a recent assessment of voriconazole and posaconazole for both ABPA and SAFS, 75% of patients were able to stop taking oral corticosteroids, a major benefit, and 38% of patients had their asthma severity downgraded on antifungal therapy.

Professor David Denning, Professor of Medicine and Medical Mycology at The University of 野狼社区 and Director of the University Hospital of South 野狼社区’s National Aspergillosis Centre, led the study into the total number of asthmatics worldwide. He said the study results implied that asthma admissions and deaths could be avoided with more extensive use of antifungal therapy.

“We were surprised by the number of patients with ABPA, and by the lack of community based studies done,” he said. “Our National Aspergillosis Centre treats hundreds of these patients each year, generally with major improvement, and so a conscious program to seek out ABPA from all asthmatics is required.”

Notes for editors

Image and case studies available.

Image shows an example of severe ABPA with bronchiectasis and lung inflammation.

For further information contact:
Alison Barbuti
Media Relations Officer
Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences
alison.barbuti@manchester.ac.uk
0161 275 8383

To view the paper entitled, Global burden of asthma in adults and ABPA, click .

For further information, also see:

The 野狼社区 Collaborative Centre for Inflammation Research (MCCIR) is a unique partnership between The University of 野狼社区 and the two major pharmaceutical companies GlaxoSmithKline and AstraZeneca. It's hoped this new way of working will deliver more effective treatments for a range of conditions such as asthma, arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease. The MCCIR is officially launched on Monday 11 March.

The Director of the MCCIR is Professor Tracy Hussell: “Bringing together academia, industry and clinicians in one centre creates the real possibility of innovation. The ideas that spring from this partnership will fuel the treatments of the future and provide the ideal platform to transfer scientific progress into clinical benefit.”  

Inflammatory diseases affect millions of people worldwide, leading to pain, disability and, in some cases premature death. Inflammation is a process by which the body combats infection, diseases such as cancer or trauma and heals itself. However, ongoing inflammation can be very harmful and a feature of patients with a range of conditions.  

The centre will be collaborating with clinical and industrial colleagues to identify groups of patients with asthma, arthritis or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease that either spontaneously get better or continue to suffer from severe inflammatory disease. This is with the aim of identifying new avenues for treatment for those with chronic inflammatory diseases.  

Professor Hussell was recruited from Imperial College London last year and has been working hard to ensure the centre has world class scientists at its heart: “I am hugely excited by the focus of the centre on maintaining immune health and defining why some people get better spontaneously. Those that get better hold the clues for restoring immune health and, more importantly, ways in which to prevent disease progression".  

A good example of some of the work being done at the centre is the research being carried out by Dr James Fildes. His work focuses on understanding the mechanisms involved in repairing injured tissue, primarily in heart and lung transplantation. Up to 80% of lungs that are donated for transplantation are so damaged that they can’t be used. Working with Professor Nizar Yonan’s team at Wythenshawe Hospital, lungs can be successfully repaired to the point where they’re fit for transplantation. Dr Fildes is attempting to understand this process, with the aim of developing new drug targets for the future.    

Talking about the MCCIR Dr Fildes says: “Working directly with the pharmaceutical industry will hopefully mean our research can be translated into treatments at a much earlier stage. We believe this will have a real benefit for patients.”   

46 year old Sean Bell was born with Cystic Fibrosis. He had a double lung transplant six years ago and has welcomed the launch of the centre: “Being told you need a lung transplant is a frightening experience. The average wait for a donation can be two years or more and up to half of those on the waiting list might die before the operation can take place due to the lack of suitable donor organs available. I was incredibly lucky and the transplant has given me and my family a new lease of life. The work being done at the MCCIR is simply amazing. It’s very likely their research will lead to fewer people dying whilst waiting for donor lungs. We are very lucky to have such a world class facility in 野狼社区.”   

It’s this drive for the development of new and better treatments that has seen two of the world’s biggest pharmaceutical companies invest in the MCCIR. Researchers from GSK and AstraZeneca will be working in the centre alongside academic staff.  

Talking about the collaboration Dave Allen, Senior Vice-President of Respiratory Research at GlaxoSmithKline says: “The translation of basic research discoveries into new medicines is challenging, but we believe we improve our chances of success through collaborative science. The MCCIR will embody this approach, and I am delighted that GSK has been able to contribute to its development.”  

Maarten Kraan, Head of the Respiratory and Inflammation Innovative Medicines Unit at AstraZeneca adds: “The creation of this centre is indicative of a new era of pre-competitive sharing within the pharmaceutical sector and with academic scientists. By working together, we hope to enable a better understanding of inflammatory processes and ultimately achieve faster delivery of new medicines to patients.”  

The MCCIR is funded with an initial investment of £5 million from each partner over a three year period. The centre is based at The University of 野狼社区 and will initially house eight principal investigators and their research teams in custom built, state of the art laboratories.

Notes for editors

Interviews: Professor Hussell, Dr James Fildes and Sean Bell are all available for interviews. 

Images of the centre, including the laboratories are available from the press office.  

Media are welcome to attend all or part of the launch event at The Midland Hotel in 野狼社区 on Monday 11 March between 10:30 and 18:00. This must be arranged through the press office.  

Alternatively journalists are welcome to arrange visits to the MCCIR to see the research in action and carry out interviews. This must be organised through the press office.  

Professor Hussell is joined by Professors Daniel Davis (from Imperial College London), Andrew MacDonald (from the University of Edinburgh) and Mark Exley (from Harvard), Dr James Fildes, Dr Mark Travis, Dr Amy Saunders and Dr Gloria Lopez-Castejon. All have been recruited for their expertise in areas of innovation with regards to inflammatory disease.

This team will work together to develop concepts and create medicines relevant to a wide variety of inflammatory diseases.   GSK is one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For further information please visit  

AstraZeneca is a global, innovation-driven biopharmaceutical business with a primary focus on the discovery, development and commercialisation of prescription medicines for gastrointestinal, cardiovascular, neuroscience, respiratory and inflammation, oncology and infectious disease. AstraZeneca operates in over 100 countries and its innovative medicines are used by millions of patients worldwide. For more information please visit:  

Sean Bell is a trustee of the New Start Charity which provides financial assistance to the heart and lung transplantation programme and future clinical developments in heart and lung surgery at Wythenshawe Hospital. More information can be found at

For interview and image requests please contact:  

Morwenna Grills
Media Relations Officer
Faculty of Life Sciences
The University of 野狼社区  

Tel: 0161 275 2111
Mob: 07920 087466
Email: Morwenna.Grills@manchester.ac.uk 

University of 野狼社区 researchers, working with colleagues in Newark, USA, have developed a new test that can not only better diagnose Aspergillus infection, but can also spot signs of antifungal resistance to azoles – the class of drugs used to treat patients with aspergillosis.

Using the new test, which uses direct molecular detection rather than culturing the fungus in a Petri dish, the team found that 55% of aspergillosis patients had telltale signs known as ‘markers’ that indicated they had developed resistance to azoles. The findings compare to resistance rates of 28% carried out by the team just two years ago using traditional culturing methods.

Furthermore, the study – published in the prestigious US journal Clinical Infectious Diseases – discovered azole-resistance markers in three-quarters of the small number of aspergillosis patients (eight) whom had never been treated with an azole, suggesting widespread dissemination of resistance.

“Aspergillus significantly worsens asthma symptoms and causes life-threatening infections in those with long-term lung infections or damaged immune systems, such as chemotherapy and transplant patients or people with HIV,” said David Denning, Professor of Medicine and Medical Mycology at The University of 野狼社区 and Director of the National Aspergillosis Centre at the University Hospital of South 野狼社区 NHS Foundation Trust.

“Using an ultrasensitive, real-time test for Aspergillus, similar to the method used to diagnose HIV, MRSA and influenza, we have directly detected azole resistance in people with aspergillosis, without first culturing the fungus in a dish. The presence of Aspergillus was detected in many more samples than using traditional culture methods, and 55% were found to contain azole-resistance markers.

“This is an extraordinarily high rate of resistance, possibly related to fungicide use in agriculture – more than a third of ‘pesticides’ used by UK farmers are azoles – and long treatment courses in patients, so the findings have major implications for the sustainability of azoles for human antifungal therapy.”

The azoles itraconazole (Johnson & Johnson), voriconazole (Pfizer) and posaconazole (Merck) have annual sales of more than $1bn annually. Conventional diagnosis of aspergillosis is limited by poor culture yield, and so the true frequency of azole resistance has been unclear.

In this latest study, the researchers analyzed phlegm from patients with allergic and chronic lung disease caused by Aspergillus and found that almost twice the proportion of individuals tested had resistance markers in their sample compared to a Petri dish (or culture) study carried out by the team in 2008/9.

Professor Denning added: “Not only is molecular testing much more sensitive than conventional culture for diagnosis, but it enables testing for resistance, which until now has been impossible if cultures are negative. Given the rising frequency of resistance in Aspergillus in northern Europe, China and the United States, this study provides key data for doctors to shift antifungal therapy in the face of resistance."

Ends

Notes for editors

A copy of the paper, Denning DW, Park S, Lass-Florl C, Fraczek MG, Kirwan M, Gore R, Smith J, Bueid A, Bowyer P, Perlin DS. High frequency triazole resistance found in non-culturable Aspergillus fumigatus from lungs of patients with chronic fungal disease. Clin Infect Dis 2011;52:1123-9, is available on request.

A copy of the 2009 study, Bueid A, Howard SJ, Moore CB, Richardson MD, Harrison E, Bowyer P, Denning DW. Azole antifungal resistance in Aspergillus fumigatus - 2008 and 2009. J Antimicrob Chemother 2010;65:2116-8, is also available.

The primary molecular detection test is Myconostica’s MycAssay Aspergillus, commercialized through Myconostica, a University of 野狼社区 spin-out company, founded by Professor David Denning.

Further information concerning Aspergillus and aspergillosis can be found on

For further information contact:

Aeron Haworth
Media Relations
Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences
The University of 野狼社区

Tel: 0161 275 8383
Mob: 07717 881563
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

The creation of the 野狼社区 Centre for Nuclear Hormone Research in Disease is the first time academics, the NHS and industry have collaborated in a three-way approach to finding new therapies for inflammatory conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive lung disease (COPD), and rheumatoid arthritis.

The centre will be jointly managed by Professors David Ray and Andrew Loudon from The University of 野狼社区 and the National Institute for Health Research 野狼社区 Biomedical Research Centre (MBRC), and Dr Roberto Solari of GSK.  It will focus research efforts on understanding the role of nuclear hormone receptors in inflammatory diseases and seeking to identify compounds that could help lead to new treatments.

Leading the research teams will be Visiting Professor Stuart Farrow, the newly appointed Chair in Experimental Therapeutics at The University of 野狼社区 and the MBRC.  Professor Farrow will also continue his current role at GSK, where he has been developing new medicines for lung diseases such as asthma and COPD since 2000. 

An external advisory board with industrial and academic representatives will also provide guidance on research strategy. 

Initial work will focus on several specific projects which together address the broader aim of understanding the biology of chronic inflammation, what causes it to persist and the best options to develop new therapies.

“This is a tremendously exciting development, bringing together industry expertise in drug discovery with local research and clinical expertise and access to clinical research facilities,” said Stuart Farrow.  “Harnessing the capabilities of outstanding researchers, the expertise within the NHS and GSK’s considerable resources creates a very powerful collaboration.  Our aim is to speed up the discovery and development of new medicines to treat these major inflammatory diseases.”

David Ray, Deputy Director of the MBRC, added: “Having already worked with Stuart – who is a widely respected researcher in this field - we’re delighted he’s involved in the programme.  The free interchange of ideas, facilities and research staff between the various GSK sites world-wide and the 野狼社区 BRC will also maximise training opportunities for young researchers, and the rapid implementation of new ideas.  Ultimately we hope this will translate into major benefits for patients affected by these debilitating conditions.”

The new programme will initially run for three years, and the team is also applying for additional industrial and Medical Research Council funding to extend the scope of the collaboration.

Ends

Notes for editors

• The NIHR 野狼社区 Biomedical Research Centre was created by the National Institute for Health Research in 2008 to effectively move scientific breakthroughs from the laboratory, through clinical trials and into practice within hospitals to improve patient care. As a partnership between Central 野狼社区 University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust and The University of 野狼社区, the Biomedical Research Centre is designated as a specialist centre of excellence in genetics and developmental medicine. www.cmft.nhs.uk/brc
• The University of 野狼社区, a member of the Russell Group, is the largest single-site university in the UK. It has 22 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance. According to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, The University of 野狼社区 is now one of the country’s major research universities, rated third in the UK in terms of ‘research power’. The University has an annual income of £684 million and attracted £253 million in external research funding in 2007/08.
• GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer.  For further information please visit

For further information contact:

Kate Henry
Communications & Public Relations Manager
MBRC

Tel: 0161 276 3281/07825 142219
Email: kate.henry@cmft.nhs.uk

Aeron Haworth
Media Officer
The University of 野狼社区

Tel: 0161 275 8383
Email aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

The team is developing a series of drugs based on novel chemical compounds known as Allergen Delivery Inhibitors (ADIs). Unlike existing medicines, these compounds target the substances that can trigger allergies and asthma attacks directly. This means that they have the potential to provide relief to people already suffering with allergies, as well as reducing the risk of minor allergies escalating into more serious conditions.

In 2009, the researchers were awarded a £4.3million Seeding Drug Discovery award to investigate ADIs as a potential treatment for asthma and allergy. In the course of that project, they have identified a novel chemical series that shows promise as a preventative treatment. The new funding will be used to explore this further with a view to identifying a lead compound that could be developed into a drug.

Asthma and allergic conditions such as rhinitis, conjunctivitis and dermatitis are escalating problems expected to affect more than 100million people globally by 2011. In the UK, 5.2million adults and 1.1million children currently receive treatment for asthma, creating a significant social and healthcare burden for the NHS. 

The first ADI drug being developed by the team – in collaboration with the expert medicinal chemistry partner Domainex – targets house dust mites, globally one of the commonest causes of domestic allergy and a key trigger of asthma attacks.

Dust mites excrete particles, amongst which are powerful enzymes that, when inhaled, can cause an inappropriate immune reaction in people who are prone to allergy, causing damage to the lining of the airways. These allergenic enzymes are abundant in the environment, so they cannot be avoided and susceptible people are constantly at risk.

The team has developed ADIs that bind to the dust mite particles and block their enzymatic activity. Experimentally, these inhibitors reduce the intensity of reactions in established allergy and can even prevent allergy from occurring.

“Millions of people worldwide are allergic to the tiny house dust mites that live in our homes, cars and other building that we frequent,” said Professor David Garrod, in 野狼社区’s Faculty of Life Sciences. “ADIs attack the root cause of the allergy by preventing the inhaled mite enzymes from starting the allergic response. Currently available treatments alleviate symptoms but do not prevent them from occurring. This new grant from the Wellcome Trust will increase our potential to develop ADIs, which will provide a new dimension in the treatment and prevention of allergy.”

Lead researcher Professor Clive Robinson from St George’s, University of London, added: “A compelling feature of the ADI approach is its attack on the pinnacle of the cascade of events that leads to an allergic reaction. Existing medicines target the allergy cascade at a lower, more complex level where success in the discovery of new drugs that modify allergic diseases is notoriously hard to achieve. At present, patients have to rely on therapeutic approaches which have seen no fundamental advances in the past 20 years.

“Used alone or in combination with existing treatments, our investigations indicate that they should improve the quality of life for many patients with allergic disease and may enable some to manage without any other form of treatment. Additionally, ADIs may provide relief for some patients who do not respond well to existing medicines.”

Dr Rick Davis, Business Development Manager at the Wellcome Trust, said: “Allergy is a source of misery for millions worldwide and represents an area of huge unmet medical need. The St George’s-野狼社区 collaboration has made excellent progress in this area and we are pleased to provide continued support for this project.”

Once a lead compound has been identified, the next phase of work will be to refine the drug candidate to take forward into human clinical trials to assess its safety, tolerability and efficacy.

Ends

Notes for editors

The University of 野狼社区, a member of the Russell Group, is the largest single-site university in the UK. It has 22 academic schools and hundreds of specialist research groups undertaking pioneering multi-disciplinary teaching and research of worldwide significance.

According to the results of the 2008 Research Assessment Exercise, The University of 野狼社区 is now one of the country’s major research universities, rated third in the UK in terms of ‘research power’. The University had an annual income of £755 million in 2008/09.

St George’s, University of London provides education and training to a wide range of more than 4,000 medical and healthcare students. As well as providing courses in medicine and biomedical sciences, the College also offers courses in midwifery, nursing, paramedic science, physiotherapy, radiography and social work in conjunction with Kingston University. St George’s is dedicated to promoting the prevention, treatment and understanding of disease through excellence in teaching, clinical practice and research. It has a strong reputation for research in areas such as infection and immunity, diseases of the heart and circulation, cell signalling and epidemiology. Other areas of expertise include genetics, health and social care sciences and mental health.

The Wellcome Trust is a global charitable foundation dedicated to achieving extraordinary improvements in human and animal health. It supports the brightest minds in biomedical research and the medical humanities. The Trust’s breadth of support includes public engagement, education and the application of research to improve health. It is independent of both political and commercial interests.

Domainex Ltd. is a UK located Contract Research Organisation committed to excellence in drug discovery. It provides its clients with a range of services, from drug target expression through in-silico hit finding and medicinal chemistry, resulting in eventual candidate drug. It has one of the best track records in the drug discovery CRO industry and has supported a number of Wellcome Trust funded drug discovery programmes. For more information see: www.domainex.co.uk

For further information contact:

Aeron Haworth
Media Relations
The University of 野狼社区

Tel: 0161 275 8383
Mob: 07717 881563
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

The research, by clinical psychologists at The University of 野狼社区, is based on findings that over-protective or overly lenient parenting can make asthma worse.

The study will provide 120 parents of children with asthma with information and guidance on how to manage bad behaviour when it happens and how to prevent problems with asthma.

The research team hope to help parents avoid what they call ‘parenting traps’.  Lead researcher Dr Sally Clarke said: “A parenting trap is, for example, letting a child throw a tantrum in a supermarket just because they are unwell.

“This can teach the child to act sick even when they are well and encourage them to use their illness to get out of things they don’t want to do.”

The research team is using a parenting programme recommended by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) called ‘Triple P’, which stands for Positive Parenting Programme.

Triple P, which has previously improved the lives of children with behavioural problems and young people with learning disabilities, is being developed specifically for use with children with asthma.

“Triple P is an excellent programme that has already helped improve the lives of many families,” said Dr Clarke. “This new study will test whether the same principles can also improve the quality of life of children with asthma and their families.”

The parents will have access to asthma ‘tip sheets’ and eight weeks’ worth of short video clips, as well as their own self-help booklet. They will be able to participate online or by post.

More information about the study (which has now ended) can be found at

Ends

Notes for editors

This research is being overseen by two of the world’s leading proponents of Triple P, Professor Matthew Sanders, Professor of Clinical Psychology at the University of Queensland, Australia, and Dr Rachel Calam, Reader in Clinical Psychology at The University of 野狼社区.

Dr Sally Clarke is leading the research as part of her Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at The University of 野狼社区.

For further information contact:

Aeron Haworth
Media Relations
Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences
The University of 野狼社区

Tel: 0161 275 8383
Mob: 07717 881563
Email: aeron.haworth@manchester.ac.uk

In a partnership between the University of 野狼社区, the NIHR 野狼社区 Biomedical Research Centre and GlaxoSmithKline (GSK), a team of scientists will investigate how our biological clock controls inflammation in lung diseases such Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD). It is hoped that this project, worth more than £500,000, will lead to the development of new drugs which will target how the internal body clock regulates the severity of inflammation. The 野狼社区 team is headed by Professors Andrew Loudon, David Ray and Kath Else, and they will work closely with colleagues in the Discovery Biology group at GSK.

Inflammatory diseases of the lung are a major cause of mortality world-wide. In the case of COPD, the progression of this inflammatory disease is irreversible once commenced. In the UK 27,478 people died as a result of COPD in 2004. Other diseases with an inflammatory aspect include asthma, which is a predisposition to chronic inflammation of the lungs in which the airways are reversibly narrowed. This disease affects 7% of people in the US, 6.5% in the UK and 300 million people worldwide, and causes 4,000 deaths a year in the US.

In order to develop the drugs, the team will first study the mechanisms whereby the circadian clock controls the magnitude of the local inflammatory response; that is, the genes and pathways that connect the clock to the cells responsible for the immune response in the lungs.

Professor Loudon, of the Faculty of Life Sciences, explains: “Many inflammatory diseases are highly rhythmic in presentation and often worse at night.”

“We believe there is also a strong rhythmic control. It has long been speculated that asthma and other inflammatory conditions have an underlying clock mechanism controlling the severity of the disease. These clocks are all over the body, including in cells responsible for the immune response in the lung. In addition the way we metabolise drugs is highly rhythmic.

“Our aim is to gain a sufficient understanding of this process so we can target key parts with specific new drugs.

“We are working with GSK not only to develop new drugs to alleviate symptoms but also reveal optimal timing of therapy, known as chronotherapy. This is a new and exciting area of research. It is being taken very seriously in France, for example, where researchers have for some time been studying the importance of timing of chemotherapy in cancer.”

He adds: “After a decade of research into the area you don’t have to explain to anyone what the circadian clock is these days, which is a very good thing. But in the last three years we have gone further, developing very strong links between the basic science and its clinical application.

“We have detailed insight into how the molecular cogs of the clock work, drive cells and physiology. We have been looking at it organ by organ, cell by cell, unraveling how the clock drives the biology of the organism. Many diseases are rhythmic, so it’s no surprise that when the circadian rhythm is disrupted it is associated with altered physiology.

“This study is just one at the beginning of an exciting new phase in circadian rhythm research.”

Notes for editors

For more information or an interview with Professor Andrew Loudon contact Media Relations Officer Mikaela Sitford on 0161 275 2111, 07768 980942 or Mikaela.Sitford@manchester.ac.uk.