Researchers from the Universities of Nottingham, Sheffield and Manchester will collaborate as part of a £1.4m funding initiative from the Cystic Fibrosis Trust and the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, which will see the creation of two new Strategic Research Centres (SRCs).
The Lung Magnetic Resonance Imaging for cystic fibrosis SRC will investigate whether an exciting new type of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) could be used to track subtle changes in lung health over time that can be used in care and clinical trials.
Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a lifelong, life limiting condition with a median age of death of just 38 years old. Despite recent treatment breakthroughs, CF remains a cruel condition with no cure.
SRCs are virtual centres of excellence bringing together researchers from within and outside of the field of CF, supporting scientists and other specialists around the world to work together to address specific issues arising from cystic fibrosis. Since 2013, Cystic Fibrosis Trust has funded 25 SRCs, assembling over 140 scientists and specialists from over 15 countries around the world – tackling everything from joint pain to gene editing.
Working with a team of clinicians, physicists, scientists, mathematicians and people with CF, we aim to make lung MRI a normal part of managing CF and reviewing new treatments in the future.
Dr Laura Howells, senior research fellow in the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences at the University of Nottingham, said: "New technologies in cystic fibrosis are offering us better ways to assess the condition, offering huge potential for improving care. It is important that if new technologies are adopted into practice that provide new insight into their condition, patients are given the tools they need to make sense of these results and be involved in decision making about their care."
Professor Wild comments: "MRI offers many advantages over current methods of assessing lung disease and is especially well suited to the new era of CF medicine – for those able to benefit from current life-changing medicines and those who are not. Working with a team of clinicians, physicists, scientists, mathematicians and people with CF, we aim to make lung MRI a normal part of managing CF and reviewing new treatments in the future."
Dr Lucy Allen, Director of Research and Healthcare data at Cystic Fibrosis Trust, added: "We're so proud to be funding the research that matters most to people with CF. We hope that these two new centres, funded jointly with the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation, will help find new treatments, and stop CF damaging and shortening lives."
Professor Jim Wild at the University of Sheffield will lead the SRC whilst Dr Andrew Prayle and Dr Laura Howells from Nottingham's Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences, will co-supervise the SRC alongside a PhD student. For their part, they will explore the potential consequences of adopting this new MRI technology and develop a toolkit to mitigate against this risk and help people interpret the test results.
