A University of Leicester medic will present his research findings on severe adult asthma at a free public lecture.
Dr Salman Siddiqui from the University of Leicester's Department of Infection, Immunity and Inflammation, will present his key PhD findings, 'Structure function Relationships in Adult Asthma' in a Doctoral Inaugural Lecture taking place on Wednesday 18 November.
The work to be discussed will challenge the widely held conception that the thickening of the airway wall is a key contributor to airway hyper responsiveness (AHR) in asthma, where severe asthma sufferers become more 'twitchy' due to environmental stimuli such as pollen or cold air. Dr Siddiqui has examined the relationship between airway structure and airway function in adult asthma, proposing that AHR is dissociated from structural changes within the airway wall.
PhD prize winner Dr Siddiqui commented:
"There is an urgent need to better understand the mechanisms of severe asthma and identify novel treatment strategies that improve quality of life and reduce hospitalisation. Some asthmatics develop irreversible obstruction of the airways similar to the narrowing seen in smokers.
"Only a small proportion of patients with asthma have severe disease that is difficult to control despite conventional inhaler therapy. This polar group of patients are an important healthcare target as they consumer around 40% of the asthma healthcare budget."
The hour-long event will take place on Wednesday 18 November at the Frank and Katherine May Lecture Theatre, Henry Wellcome Building at 5.30pm. Booking is essential; to confirm your attendance place please follow this link: http://www2.le.ac.uk/offices/ssds/sd/pgr/events/inaugural/dil-booking
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