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Research project

Dr P Howarth: 'Wessex severe asthma cohort'

Staff

Other researchers

Emeritus Professor Donna Davies

Research interests

  • Mechanisms of lung diseases
  • Viral-induced exacerbations of lung disease
  • Asthma
Connect with Donna

Email: [email protected]

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.
Connect with Ratko

Email: [email protected]

Research outputs

Peripheral airways type 2 inflammation, neutrophilia and microbial dysbiosis in severe asthma
Adnan Azim, Ben Green, Laurie Lau, Hitasha Rupani, Nivenka Jayasekera, Kenneth Bruce & Peter Howarth, 2021, Allergy: European Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 76(7), 2070-2078
DOI: 10.1111/all.14732
Type: article
Small RNA species and microRNA profiles are altered in severe asthma nanovesicles from broncho alveolar lavage and associate with impaired lung function and inflammation
2019, Noncoding RNA, 54(1)
DOI: 10.3390/ncrna5040051
Type: article
Nocturnal temperature-controlled laminar airflow device for adults with severe allergic asthma: the LASER RCT
Melissa Kapoor, Will Storrar, Lara Balls, Thomas P. Brown, Adel Mansur, Emma Hedley, Tom Jones, Claire Roberts, Beverly Shirkey, Susan Dutton, Ramon Luengo-Fernandez, Matthew Little, Ann Dewey, Sue Marshall, Carole Fogg, Keith Boughton, Najib Rahman, Ly-Mee Yu, Peter Bradding, Peter Howarth & Anoop J. Chauhan, 2019, Health Technology Assessment, 23(29), 1-140
DOI: 10.3310/hta23290
Type: article
Epithelial IL-6 trans-signaling defines a new asthma phenotype with increased airway inflammation
Zala Jevnikar, Jörgen Östling, Elisabeth Ax, Jenny Calvén, Kristofer Thörn, Elisabeth Israelsson, Lisa Öberg, Akul Singhania, Laurie Lau, Susan Wilson, Jonathan Ward, Anoop Chauhan, Ana Sousa, Bertrand Meulder, Matthew Loza, Fredereric Baribaud, Peter Sterk, K.F. Chung, Kai Sun, Yike Guo, I. Adcock, D. Payne, Barbro Dahlén, Pascal Chanez, Dominick Shaw, Norbert Krug, Jens Hohlfeld, Thomas Sandström, Ratko Djukanovic, Anna James, Timothy Hinks, Peter Howarth, Outi Vaarala, Marleen van Geest, Henric Olsson & Paul Skipp, 2019, Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 143(2), 577-590
DOI: 10.1016/j.jaci.2018.05.026
Type: article
Moderate-to-severe asthma in individuals of European ancestry: a genome-wide association study
Nick Shrine, Michael A Portelli, Catherine John, María Soler Artigas, Neil Bennett, Robert Hall, Jon Lewis, Amanda P Henry, Charlotte K Billington, Azaz Ahmad, Richard J Packer, Dominick Shaw, Zara E K Pogson, Andrew Fogarty, Tricia M Mckeever, Amisha Singapuri, Liam G Heaney, Adel H Mansur, Rekha Chaudhuri, Neil C Thomson, John W Holloway, Gabrielle A Lockett, Peter H Howarth, Ratko Djukanovic, Jenny Hankinson, Robert Niven, Angela Simpson, Kian Fan Chung, Peter J Sterk, John D Blakey, Ian M Adcock, Sile Hu, Yike Guo, Maen Obeidat, Don D Sin, Maarten Van Den Berge, David C Nickle, Yohan Bossé, Martin D Tobin, Ian P Hall, Christopher E Brightling, Louise V Wain & Ian Sayers, 2019, The Lancet Respiratory Medicine, 7(1), 20-34
DOI: 10.1016/S2213-2600(18)30389-8
Type: article