Existing ways of assessing asthma (such as peak flow meters) tell us about lung function and how well people are breathing but they don’t actually tell us how inflamed their airways are nor what the most appropriate treatment is. Every time a person exhales, they breathe out water vapour and various gases; dissolved in the water vapour are different substances that come from the lining of the airways. We hope that by capturing and examining these compounds during an asthma attack we can discover which ones provide the most reliable and useful information for guiding treatment and managing patients. There is a growing body of research in this field; this PhD study aims to determine the feasibility of such a study in the acute hospital setting.
About me
My research interests lie in the management of chronic disease; from issues around therapy adherence to the use of technology to guide treatment and management. My current focus is on breathomics – the analysis of volatile organic compounds in exhaled breath – for biomarker discovery, diagnosis and disease management. I hold undergraduate degrees in Social Sciences, Osteopathy and Nursing, and am a registered nurse practicing at the Norfolk & Norwich University Hospital.
Publications
Research activity (conferences, congress, annual scientific meeting)
Acknowledgements
Funded by Asthma UK