The respiratory research teams at Aintree, Broadgreen and the Royal Liverpool sites, are a large department with a record of delivering high quality research for over 30 years and securing significant support from international funders. Working across respiratory medicine and in collaboration with other specialities, we are particularly active in the following areas:
- COPD
- Asthma
- Infection
- Pleural
- Lung Fibrosis
- Bronchiectasis
- Sleep studies.
COPD
This large UK study is testing whether aspirin can help prevent heart attacks and strokes in people admitted to hospital with pneumonia. Around 1 in 13 pneumonia patients experience these serious complications, and aspirin might help reduce that risk. Over four years, 22,600 patients aged 50 and over will be randomly given either aspirin or no aspirin for three months, alongside their usual pneumonia treatment.
PI Kim Barber kimberley.
This study is testing whether using home high-flow oxygen therapy, alongside usual care, can help people recover better after a severe COPD flare-up. Researchers aim to see if it improves health, reduces hospital readmissions, and enhances quality of life.
PI Dr Paul Albert paul.
Asthma
Patient characteristics, treatment patterns and outcomes of patients enrolled in the Tezepelumab Patient Access Programme. A retrospective, observational medical chart review conducted in UK Severe Asthma Centres
PI: Dr Hasan Burhan hassan.
This study is testing whether omega-3 supplements (from fish oil) can help people with a type of asthma called N-ERD, which is made worse by anti-inflammatory medicines like aspirin. People in the study will take either omega-3 or a placebo for six months. Researchers will check if the supplements improve asthma control, symptoms, and quality of life, and will also study how the supplements affect inflammation in the body.
PI: Dr Seher Zaidi seher.
This study is testing whether people with severe asthma who are treated with a medication, tezepelumab, can safely reduce their other asthma treatments while still keeping their asthma under control. Researchers will compare different treatment approaches across multiple centres to see if tezepelumab helps patients reach long-term asthma stability or even remission.
PI: Dr Livingston Chishimba Livingstone.
| A RAndomised Placebo Controlled Trial - to Explore the Efficacy and Mechanism of Action of Tezepelumab in Eosinophilic Granulomatosis with Polyangiitis (RACEMATE Trial). |
PI: Dr Christopher Webb Christopher.
This study is testing a new asthma treatment, AZD4604, to see if it can reduce inflammation in the airways. Adults with asthma will take the treatment or a placebo (dummy pill) for four weeks, and researchers will measure changes in inflammation and other health markers to see how well the drug works.
This study is testing how well benralizumab, a treatment for severe eosinophilic asthma, works to reduce inflammation and changes in the airways. Researchers will use scans, biopsies, and lung function tests over 48 weeks to see how the drug affects the lungs.
This study is testing a new tablet, AZD5718, to see if it can help adults with moderate-to-severe asthma that isn’t well controlled. Participants will take the drug once a day for 12 weeks, and researchers will compare different doses, a placebo (dummy pill), and an existing treatment to see how well AZD5718 works and how safe it is.
This study is testing how a new asthma medicine called AZD4604 works when inhaled using two different devices: the Genuair® and the Turbuhaler®. Researchers want to see how the body absorbs the medicine, how it affects inflammation in the lungs, and whether it is safe and well tolerated. The results will help guide future studies using the Turbuhaler® device.
This study is testing a new asthma treatment, itepekimab, to see how it affects gene activity in the lungs of former smokers with COPD. Participants will receive the drug by injection every two weeks and undergo lung and nasal tests before and after 12 weeks of treatment.
This international study is testing different doses of a new inhaled asthma treatment, AZD8630, in adults whose asthma is not well controlled. Over 12 weeks, researchers will assess how well the drug works and how safe it is, with some visits done virtually to reduce patient burden.
This study is testing a new oral drug called selnoflast to see if it’s safe and how it works in people with moderate to severe asthma already on standard treatment. Over 11 weeks, participants will take either selnoflast or a placebo, with samples collected to study how the drug affects inflammation in the lungs.
This study is testing a new inhaled asthma treatment, AZD4604, to see if it helps adults with moderate-to-severe asthma who are not well controlled on current medication. Around 320 participants worldwide will use the treatment or a placebo for 12 weeks to assess its safety and effectiveness.
Infection
In this study, participants will be randomly assigned to receive one of three different doses of a new treatment called verekitug (UPB-101), or a placebo (a dummy treatment), given as injections under the skin. To keep the study fair and blinded, everyone will receive two injections at each visit, even if only one contains the active drug. The injections will be given in different spots on the body, and participants will be monitored for at least 90 minutes afterward to make sure they are safe.
POS-ARI-ER is an observational study recruiting adults attending hospital or acute healthcare settings with an acute respiratory infection. The study is designed to provide data for characterisation of respiratory infections and to serve as an infrastructure for rapid implementation of randomised controlled trials (RCTs).
PI: Dr Manish Gautan manish.
Pleural
This UK trial is testing whether conservative (non-invasive) care for collapsed lungs (PSP) reduces the need for further procedures compared to usual treatment. It will involve 638 patients and could help change future NHS guidelines.
PI: Dr Patricia Yunger (Royal site) patricia.
PI: Dr Victoria Randles (Aintree site pending) Victoria.
Lung Fibrosis
This study is testing whether a common heartburn medicine, lansoprazole, can help slow down lung damage in people with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a condition that causes scarring in the lungs. Nearly 300 patients across the UK will take either the medicine or a dummy pill for 12 months, while researchers track their breathing, coughing, and overall health to see if the treatment makes a difference.
PI: Dr Lisa Spencer lisa.
Bronchiectasis
This UK-wide study is testing whether 7 days of intravenous antibiotics is as effective as the usual 14-day course for treating serious lung infections in people with bronchiectasis. Researchers will compare how long it takes for symptoms to return in each group, aiming to find the best treatment length while reducing side effects, hospital stays, and antibiotic resistance.
Coming up:
- DSTL (UK Military research) PI: Dr Dan Wootton dan.
wootton @liverpoolft.nhs.uk
