Asthma and allergy centre celebrates 30 years of pioneering research
Researchers at the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre on the Isle of Wight are celebrating the 30th anniversary of its dedicated centre building.
The centre has become a renowned home of pioneering research. Findings delivered in partnership through the NHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC): Southampton have transformed understanding, prevention and treatment of asthma, allergy and related conditions.
Professor Graham Roberts and Professor Hasan Arshad are directors of the centre. They are both key members of the BRC’s respiratory and allergy theme.
Three generations of the same families
While the centre’s building opened in 1996, its research started several years earlier.
Families have been taking part in the Isle of Wight Birth Cohort since it was first established in 1989. It is one of the world's longest-running studies of asthma and allergy.
Southampton researchers have been monitoring the health of over a thousand people in this cohort from when they were born. This is building understanding of allergies and asthma, and helping to identify new or improved treatments.
Many members of the cohort are now parents themselves, and have put their own children forward to be included in the cohort. This means three generations of the same families - parents of the cohort, their children and grandchildren - have provided valuable data for research.
The cohort has informed over 100 research publications. This is helping researchers to better understand asthma, eczema and food allergies. In particular, it is revealing more about how these conditions might change over someone’s lifetime.
An internationally recognised centre
Part of Isle of Wight NHS Trust, the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre has grown over time. Starting as a locally based research unit, it is now an internationally recognised centre of excellence.
The centre has helped shape clinical practice and influence national and international guidelines. This has improved the lives of countless people living with allergic diseases.
Its research has delivered significant advances in our understanding of how asthma and allergies develop. This has helped to identify factors that increase risk. It has also revealed how certain actions early in life may help prevent disease.
Professor Roberts is Professor of Paediatric Allergy and Respiratory Medicine at the University of Southampton. He is also an honorary consultant paediatrician at University Hospital Southampton.
“A lot of our current understanding of asthma and allergy comes from research based on the Isle of Wight, he said. “When I am at international meetings, it is noticeable how often experts quote results from studies run from the David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre.”
The centre remains committed to improving lives through research, education and clinical care. This will help to ensure discoveries have both a local and wider impact.
Professor Arshad is Professor of Allergy & Clinical Immunology at the University of Southampton. He is also an honorary consultant at the Isle of Wight NHS Trust.
“We have achieved a lot over the last 30 years, making a global impact from the studies that have been done at the centre,” he said. “We’re hoping that our studies will continue to have a big impact and improve the lives of those with asthma and food allergies.”