Future of asthma research and benefits to patient health

50 years of pioneering asthma research which has benefited patients and sufferers throughout the UK will be celebrated at an event on Wednesday 20 June hosted by Leicester.

The Midlands Asthma and Allergy Research Association (MAARA) will be celebrating its 50^th anniversary with a lecture titled ‘The Future of Asthma', which will reflect on the research to have emerged from the charity over the years and consider what developments will occur in asthma and respiratory research over the next 10-15 years.

MAARA is a local charity that has funded a substantial amount of respiratory health related research projects in Leicester and in the Midlands. Its research has greatly contributed to the benefits of patients by funding projects in a new precision medicine, biomarker directed approach.

During the lecture on Wednesday 20 June, Professor Ian Pavord, who was a Consultant Physician at Glenfield Hospital in Leicester from 1995-2013 and is now Professor of Respiratory Medicine at the University of Oxford, will review this work before providing a personal view on the future of airways disease.

One current research project taking place at the University of Leicester is led by Drs Deepa Patel, Erol Gaillard and Catherine Pashley and will examine the role of fungi in cystic fibrosis and how changes in the bacterial diversity in the sputum of cystic fibrosis patients is linked to fungal airway colonisation. 

MAARA has a long standing association with the University, which has received a number of grants from the charity. MAARA currently funds the provision of pollen and spore counts from Leicester to add to its archive which is the longest running in the country.

This event is supported by the Respiratory Health and Wellbeing campaign of the Health Matters team at the University of Leicester and focuses on the respiratory health within Leicester’s community by creating fun and informative events for anyone and everyone.

‘The Future of Asthma’ lecture will take place at the University of Leicester in the Frank and Katherine May Lecture Theatre on Wednesday 20 June between 5:30 – 7:30PM. To register for the event visit the website.