We are part of the clinical academic and research facility at the National Heart & Lung Institute, Imperial College London. Please find more information by visiting our specific staff pages.
More information about active projects is below.
- Johanna Feary and Paul Cullinan
Jo Feary and Paul Cullinan were developing a protocol for a multi-centre, case-control study of the aetiology of CHP; 50% or more of cases had no identified cause. The focus was on mould exposures but other exposures, and genetic determinants, were considered.
Jo Feary is conducted pilot work which includes ‘fungome’ analyses of bronchoalveolar lavage samples for patients with CHP.
- Jate Ratanachina, Sara De Matteis, Paul Cullinan and Peter Burney
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. While smoking is the main cause of the disease, the first findings of the multinational BOLD study found that low income countries with a low smoking prevalence are prone to higher than expected "COPD" mortality. As farming is a common occupation in developing countries and has been associated with chronic lung disease, farming exposures, particularly to pesticides, could be an important cause of chronic lung disease in these countries.
To test the relationship between chronic lung disease and agricultural exposures with a specific focus on low- and middle-income settings, this PhD project:
- undertook a systematic review of the association between pesticide exposure and lung function
- developed a new instrument for assessing risks to respiratory health in farming settings
- analysed occupational effects on lung function in the BOLD study
- conducted a cross-sectional survey of farming communities in north Thailand in the remaining 18 to 24 months.
- Carl Reynolds, Paul Cullinan, Chris Barber (Northern General Hospital, Sheffield) and Sara De Matteis
IPFJES is a UK based multi-centre case-control study that aimed to find out if job exposures are an under-recognized cause of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF).
Men with IPF and hospital controls were interviewed to collect information about previous job exposures; blood was drawn to investigate genetic susceptibility.
The study was supervised by Prof Paul Cullinan and funded by a Wellcome Trust Clinical Research Training Fellowship awarded to Dr Carl Reynolds. See http://ipfjes.org/ for further information.
- Asaad Ahmed Nafees, Paul Cullinan, Peter Burney and Sara De Matteis
The MultiTex RCT study (Multifaceted intervention package for protection against cotton dust exposure among textile workers – a cluster randomized controlled trial), run by Asaad Nafees, aims to determine the effectiveness of an intervention package for reducing cotton dust levels in textile mills and improving the respiratory health of workers.
Measurements for cotton dust level will be taken, in addition to interviews and spirometry for approximately 1700 workers across 28 textile mills in Karachi, Pakistan. Baseline assessment will be followed by the implementation of the intervention in the intervention arm; comprising occupational health training of workers and managers and strategies for reducing dust exposure, including wet mopping and provision of facemasks. Key outcome measures including dust levels and lung function will be assessed at each follow-up over a period of 2 years.
- Justie Mak, Johanna Feary, and Paul Cullinan
While the London Underground (LU) provides 2.8 million journes a day (pre-COVID) and hires over 19,000 staff, the health effects associated with exposure to dust on the LU are not fully understood.
Dust on the LU is physically and chemically different to outdoor dust. Studies that have looked at the cardio-respiratory health effects from exposure to dust on other subway systems have thus far been inconclusive and inconsistent.
This study takes advantage of the extensive records from Transport for London to measure the rates of sickness absence and mortality caused by chronic exposure to particulate matter on the LU.
