Research Group

Digital Health

Professor Age Chapman examines some proteomics data analytics

Our researchers are examining and developing information and communication technologies to help address the health problems and challenges faced by patients.

About

With a rising population across the globe, many societies are struggling to meet healthcare demand.   Digital health care interventions are key to tackling this issue and help to enhance the efficiency, delivery and security of services to patients, and supporting care in the community. 

But with so many new digital technologies available and the immediate access to massive data sets how can we harness this information to ensure it makes a real difference to society?  And how do we overcome the challenges of privacy and personal data protection? 

Southampton scientists across medicine and electronics and computer science are combining machine learning,  genome sequencing and other computational methods to develop new digital health interventions to help healthcare professionals and patients to manage illness and promote health and wellbeing.   This includes both hardware and software solutions including using Internet of Things smart devices, wearable devices and monitoring sensors.    

Our teams are also using digital health technologies to analyse already available data sets to establish trends of behaviour and decision patterns with the aim of predicting future healthcare needs as well as examining the role data protection plays in this ever-expanding research field. 

People, projects and publications

People

Professor Raimund Ober

Prof of Imaging & Biomedical Engineering
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Dr Ralph Gordon BSc, MSc, PhD, FHEA

Postdoctoral Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Thermal and Exercise Physiology
  • Heat Acclimation/Acclimatization
  • Skin Cooling

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Ratko Djukanovic

Professor of Medicine

Research interests

  • Professor Djukanovic has a lifelong interest in asthma, especially its severe forms. where his focus is on: 1) underlying pathobiological mechanisms of asthma, 2) stratification of asthma into clinical phenotypes and mechanism-based endotypes, 3) unmet needs of severe asthma management. He also has an interest in the mechanisms and treatments of severe viral infections of the lung.
  • Underlying mechanisms of asthma: Professor Djukanovic has conducted pioneer studies into the pathology of asthma, applying research bronchoscopy  (with endobronchial biopsy and bronchoalveolar lavage) and sputum induction. He led the initial task forces which defined the use of these two techniques, thereby paving the way for standardised research approches that enabled in-depth descriptions of the roles of various inflammatory cells and their mediators. He developed an explant model, consisting of bronchial biopsies placed into tissue culture, that could be stimulated ex vivo with relevant triggers, applying as needed, novel agents not yet approved for in vivo use in humans volunteers. 
  • Stratification of asthma into clinical phenotypes and mechanism-based endotypes: Professor Djukanovic led the discovery of biomarkers using omics technology (transcriptomics, proteomics, lipidomics, breathomics). After the first ever study of transcriptomics biomarkers in the epithelium of patients with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), together with a colleague from Amsterdam and two colleagues from Imperial College, London, he created a large (€27 milllion) programme for severe asthma (U-BIOPRED), funded by the EU Innovative Medicines Initiative. This has resulted in more than 100 publications, providing insight into novel phenotypes and endotypes of asthma.
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Professor Rebecca Hoyle

Assoc Vice-President Interdisc Research

Research interests

  • Multimorbidity across the lifecourse
  • Cooperation in social networks and evolution of cooperation
  • Quantitative genetics of transgenerational effects

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Reuben Pengelly PhD, SFHEA

Principal Teaching Fellow

Research interests

  • Student attitudes towards academic integrity
  • Splicing regulation of metal binding proteins

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Dr Richard Cook

Associate Professor

Research interests

  • Mechanical and tribological testing of hydrogels for orthopaedic and tissue engineering
  • The tribology of tooth brushing.
  • Efficacy testing of products for dental hypersensitivity management.
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Dr Richard Meek

Senior Research Fellow

Research interests

  • Eukaryotic Glycobiology
  • Carbohydrate-active Enzymes
  • Post-translational Modifications

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Richard Watson

Professor
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Professor Rob Ewing

Professor

Accepting applications from PhD students

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Professor Robert Read

Chair of Infectious Diseases
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True interdisciplinary research, in which collaborators share the challenges and strengths of different domains is more than just applying one domain’s techniques to another area’s problems. Interdisciplinary research opens up new and exciting research opportunities in both domains by changing the shape of the problem and highlighting why existing approaches are not fit for use.
Professor of Computer Science

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