Pioneering research at our hospitals this year has contributed to global efforts to understand more about COVID-19 and treat patients who become seriously ill with the virus.
When the pandemic started, the focus quickly shifted to delivering COVID-19 research projects, some of which were identified as urgent public health priorities by the Department of Health.
‘Regular’ research studies were put on hold, but as the number of patients with COVID-19 began to fall and services began to resume, so did research programmes. Over 2,000 patients were recruited to research projects and there are now almost 200 active projects running.
During 2020-21 Trust researchers and their collaborators were awarded just under £15m of grants by a variety of funding bodies including the National Institute for Health Research (NIHR), UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and the British Heart Foundation.
COVID-19 programmes included:
- Discovering a clear link between COVID-19 and blood clotting, by using hi-tech CT (computerised tomography) scans to take images of lung function in patients most seriously affected by the disease.
- Using similar scan techniques to establish a link between blood vessel disease and severe COVID-19.
- Showing inhaled nitric oxide given to patients with severe COVID-19 pneumonia, significantly improved oxygen levels.
The researchers also worked with our clinical engineers to design and produce an inlet adapter to modify ventilators. This innovation would enable ventilators to capture wasted oxygen, allowing for the delivery of more oxygen-enriched air – compared with standard use of the devices.
Despite the pandemic, our researchers produced over 800 peer-reviewed publications, ensuring our expert teams remain at the forefront of cardiovascular, critical care and respiratory research.
Research highlights over the past year include:
A study led by Professor Pallav Shah, consultant respiratory physician, demonstrated that a 30-minute lung ‘freezing’ procedure can improve symptoms in patients with chronic bronchitis.
A record-breaking five pre-doctoral clinical academic fellowships (PCAFs) were awarded by NIHR in a programme which supports early career researchers. This amounted to 10 per cent of the PCAFs awarded nationally.
Dr Sandra Scott, the cystic fibrosis team’s lead research nurse, won an outstanding achievement by an individual award at the North West London Clinical Research Awards. Her work during 30 years as a research nurse has been instrumental in improving outcomes for people with cystic fibrosis.
Dr Anand Shah, consultant respiratory physician, led a study that showed an increased risk of hearing loss in people with cystic fibrosis as a result of antibiotics needed to treat infections.
The Trust’s adult intensive care unit research team won a special award in recognition of outstanding COVID-19 research at the North West London Clinical Research Awards.
The clinical outcomes of patients with coronary heart disease who undergo invasive interventions (stents or surgery) are not any better than patients who take medications only, according to a study led by Professor Roxy Senior, senior cardiologist.
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