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Diseases of the lower and upper airways are very common causes of respiratory morbidity and mortality worldwide. We work with our clinical departments to conduct research into common airways diseases.
Smartphone tech that responds to breathing could benefit patients
People with respiratory problems such as asthma, COPD and long COVID could benefit from new technology that uses smartphone sensors to recognise and respond to breathing. Created by a UCL researcher, the app uses nature-inspired graphics that respond to breathing in real-time, enabling people to learn breathing exercises.
Principal Investigators
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) / Alpha-1-antitrypsin
COPD is caused by smoking or exposure to other environmental agents which cause inflammation of the lung airways. This eventually results in persistent airflow limitation, chronic bronchitis, and emphysema, which leads to reduced lung function, breathing difficulties and potential respiratory failure. John Hurst investigates COPD using translational methodology ranging from interventional drug trials via experimental clinical investigation to laboratory science. The focus is on exacerbations, cardiovascular co-morbidity, and case-finding in non-Western countries.
Alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency is a genetic defect that massively increases the chances that smoking will cause emphysema. David Lomas' group uses a range of cell and advanced structural biology techniques to characterise why alpha-1-antitrypsin deficiency causes emphysema and to identify new treatments.
Airway diseases cause specific changes in the structure of the lungs that can be increasingly accurately assessed and measured using CT scans. Joe Jacob uses complex computer analysis to evaluate the relationships between CT signs of airways diseases, disease severity and progression over time. In the future, this technique could predict which patients are most likely to develop severe disease and would benefit the most from early intervention.
Selected Publications
- Elneima O, Hurst JR, Echevarria C ... Brown JS, et al (2024). Long-term impact of COVID-19 hospitalisation among individuals with pre-existing airway diseases in the UK: a multicentre, longitudinal cohort study - PHOSP-COVID. ERJ Open Res. 2024 Jul 15;10(4): 00982-2023.
- Imtiaz A, King J, Holmes S ... Hurst JR, et al (2024). ChatGPT versus Bing: a clinician assessment of the accuracy of AI platforms when responding to COPD questions. Eur Respir J. 2024 Jun 20;63(6): 2400163.
- Singh D, Han MK, Hawkins NM, Hurst JR, et al (2024). Implications of Cardiopulmonary Risk for the Management of COPD: A Narrative Review. Adv Ther. 2024 Jun;41(6):2151-2167.
- Polman R, Hurst JR, Uysal OF, et al (2024). Cardiovascular disease and risk in COPD: a state of the art review. Expert Rev Cardiovasc Ther. 2024 Apr-May; 22(4-5): 177-191.
- Althobiani MA, Ranjan Y, Russell AM, Jacob J ... Hurst JR, et al (2024). Home monitoring to detect progression of interstitial lung disease: A prospective cohort study. Respirology. 2024 Jun;29(6): 513-517.
- Patrick T, Hurst JR (2024). Transforming recruitment to clinical trials in COPD. Respirology. 2024 May;29(5): 428-429.
- De Soyza A, Mawson P, Hill AT ... Brown J, Hurst JR, et al (2021). BronchUK: protocol for an observational cohort study and biobank in bronchiectasis. ERJ Open Res. 2021 Apr 19;7(2): 00775-2020.
- Quan K, Tanno R, Shipley RJ, Brown JS, Jacob J, Hurst JR, et al (2019). Reproducibility of an airway tapering measurement in computed tomography with application to bronchiectasis. Journal of Medical Imaging, 6(3).
AI, Smartphones and Lung Health: Breathless with Excitement
Over 600 million people worldwide live with long-term lung health problems such as asthma and COPD. We urgently need better ways to diagnose and treat them. Prof. John Hurst and Dr Luke Hale review how artificial intelligence can improve the care of those living with asthma and COPD, including a smartphone platform under development for patients with these conditions.