A new study will look at the role respiratory infections play in persistently changing the immune system. The NCA-sponsored trial will investigate how the immune system recovers from acute infections and how this influences the evolution of chronic lung disease. It will also assess the impact of infections and pollution on respiratory disease.
The Principal Investigator for the ImRESP (Immunology of Respiratory Conditions) study is Clinical Research Fellow at Salford Royal, Dr Sean Knight. He said: “The pandemic has highlighted the devastating impact that respiratory viral infections can have. It is now clear that the immune system can be persistently changed after infection, but we do not know how this affects underlying chronic lung conditions.”
Jane Shaw is the Lead Research Practitioner for ImRESP, which has received funding from the British Medical Association Foundation, Wellcome Trust and the Medical Research Council. The five-year study will involve identifying infection-driven immune cell subsets that influence the progression of chronic lung disease.
Dr Knight is also the Lead Researcher for the Covid-19 collection within NCARC. This supported previous work on immune cell behaviour linked to specific symptoms of long covid.