Frequently asked questions about research

Asthma UK is one of main funders of asthma research in the UK and runs a rolling programme of research. This provides support for expert scientists and clinicians around the country to carry out research into all aspects of asthma and related allergy.

There are two main strands to Asthma UK's research programme:
• Basic research, which includes investigations into the causes of asthma and disease mechanisms
• Clinical research into treatments and management of asthma. This includes the psychosocial aspects of asthma and non-drug approaches to managing asthma.

Yes. Asthma UK funds research into new ways that people can manage their symptoms, and new types of treatments. One of our research fellows is investigating how diet may influence the development of asthma; one project is looking at the benefits to people with asthma of breathing retraining; another is trying to pinpoint how to deliver the most effective asthma care.

Yes. Asthma UK also supports local initiatives through its Challenge Fund. This makes modest grants available for community-based projects that will demonstrably improve patient care directly, by identifying, developing and promoting good practice to improve life for people with asthma. The Challenge Fund is administered separately to the main basic and clinical research programmes.

Research funded by Asthma UK is carried out in university research departments, hospitals and GP surgeries.

Asthma UK funds research carried out by UK research groups. However, collaboration with overseas groups is valued if the results are likely to be important for people with asthma in the UK.

Each year Asthma UK invites proposals for research projects through its website and through the research professional press.

All applications for funding are assessed for scientific quality and relevance to asthma by an independent panel of scientists, clinicians and lay representatives, the Research Grant Committee. 
Asthma UK Research Committee (309 kb)

Research proposals of a high standard are subjected to further scrutiny by international experts with experience closely related to the subject area. Asthma UK's Council of Trustees then decides how many of the recommended research proposals can be funded, based on the projected income of the charity.

Although Asthma UK is one of the largest funders of asthma research in the UK, each year the charity has to turn away good quality research proposals due to lack of funds.

In previous years, Asthma UK has spent approximately £3 million each year on its research programme. To date, the charity has spent nearly £50 million on research to understand more about asthma, its causes and treatments. Whilst total amounts available for research funding from the charity can vary between years, our annual research spend continues to be a combination of capacity building and project-based grant support for asthma research.

This includes long-term support for two professorial chairs and related staff, medium-term support for exceptional individuals through the Research Fellowship scheme (link) and project support through an annual competition to fund the best research ideas from the asthma research community. We have also recently introduced funding for PhD studentships.

Asthma UK spends around a third of its charitable expenditure on its research programme.

Although we do have very good treatments for asthma, unfortunately they do not work for everyone. For about 10% of people with asthma in the UK, there are still no medicines that will adequately control their symptoms. We need to understand why this happens in order to develop alternative treatment approaches for these people.

In addition, although current treatments work very well for many people with asthma, they can lead to unwanted side effects, particularly when taken at high doses. Finding new biological targets that can specifically block parts of the asthma disease process can lead to new treatments with fewer side effects.

Asthma UK's research programme has a unique role in the UK, supporting early stage ideas into the bodily mechanisms involved in asthma - work that may not otherwise be funded.

An understanding of these key mechanisms is often the first stage in the identification of targets for drug development, a process which can often take more than ten years before a new treatment is on the market and available for patients.

You can donate money to support all of Asthma UK's charitable activities, including its research programme, in a number of ways.

Find out how you can help make our research relevant to you and what you can do to support Asthma UK. 

Any money which is donated specifically for research will be used to support the research programme in general. Asthma UK does not usually link donations to specific research projects.

Funding research into the causes of asthma is a priority for people with asthma, Asthma UK and our supporters because we still do not know exactly why some people develop asthma or how to prevent it. Our research programme reflects the views and experiences of people with asthma and the leading current opinions and knowledge in science and asthma care.

We know that asthma is a complex condition, and our researchers are still piecing together the information to answer important questions that will help to identify the underlying causes, and find new ways to diagnose, treat and prevent asthma. Under certain circumstances, some of this research cannot be done without involving animals. Asthma UK understands and appreciates that people do have concerns about medical research involving animals, and charities providing funding support for it, and shares people's concerns about the well-being of animals in medical research.

• Asthma UK supports the Home Office's commitment to the 3Rs, which serves to refine experimental techniques and procedures, reduce the number of animals involved in research and replace animals in research wherever possible.
• All Asthma UK supported researchers whose research projects involve the use of animals require licenses from the Home Office for both themselves and the project itself.
• Each research project application is carefully screened and reviewed by Asthma UK’s Research Committee of scientific and medical experts, is also peer reviewed by other international experts and there is a dedicated section within the application addressing justification for the use of animals which must be completed satisfactorily.
• The research project must meet Asthma UK's strict criteria, including how it will help us to learn more about asthma, and adhere to the Home Office's guidelines for the welfare of the animals.
• Asthma UK is a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC) and we adhere to their guidelines on medical research involving animals.

There is currently no cure for asthma and around 1,200 people in the UK die every year from asthma. There are around half a million people whose asthma is still difficult to control even with current therapies. Many people would die and others would lead a more debilitating, restricted life if some of the major advances in medical understanding and asthma treatments had not been made through past research, some of which has involved the use of animals.

We would like to reassure our supporters that Asthma UK would only consider funding research involving animals if all other possibilities have been carefully and fully considered, the research is not an unnecessary duplication of previous work and it is likely to lead to essential information that could otherwise not be achieved by alternative methods.

Funding research into the causes of asthma is a priority for people with asthma, Asthma UK and our supporters because we still do not know exactly why some people develop asthma or how to prevent it. Our research programme reflects the views and experiences of people with asthma and the leading current opinions and knowledge in science and asthma care.

Asthma UK understands and appreciates that people do have concerns about medical research involving human embryos, and charities providing funding support for it. Asthma UK does not currently fund any projects that require human or hybrid human embryos but as a member of the Association of Medical Research Charities, backs their support of the use of human embryos and the creation of hybrid human embryos when the research has the potential to make significant medical advances.

Under strict regulations, human embryos may be created and maintained outside the body for no longer than 14 days to provide a source of stem cells. Stem cells are unspecialised cells that have the potential to become any type of cell within the human body. These cells can provide vital information on how conditions develop because they enable us to study how cells mature from the very early stages. In certain circumstances the shells of animal eggs may house human DNA taken from patients to produce hybrid human embryos. Human embryos or human hybrid embryos could be used in this way in asthma research to look at how the cells of the airways develop in the first place. Alternatively the stem cells might be used as a source of new airway tissue for people with asthma.

Asthma UK has not excluded the possibility of providing funding for this research area in the future but such research would take into consideration the views of people with asthma, healthcare professionals and researchers on this sensitive issue. Should the circumstances arise and Asthma UK were to agree to fund this research, proposed work would have to comply with the very strict legal requirements as outlined by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act (1990) following approval by the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority.

The annual call for research proposals, our research strategy and summaries of all funded research are made public on our website at asthma.org.uk, along with scientific publications arising from the research projects.

We would like to reassure our supporters that Asthma UK would only consider funding this research if it is likely to give essential information that could not be achieved by alternative methods.

Asthma UK is currently inviting people with asthma and parents and carers of people with asthma to volunteer and influence our research and policy work. There are five exciting opportunities that you can take part in:

• help shape the future of Asthma UK’s research into the cause, diagnosis, treatment and management of asthma
• share your experience of living with asthma to influence researchers and politicians as well as taking part in research studies and policy work yourself
• take part in focus groups to discuss topics relevant and important to you
• speak up about what matters to you in questionnaires, web-polls and interviews
• influence central, regional and local government and other key decision-makers about asthma.
  

To join our Research and Policy volunteer group, contact Asthma UK’s Supporter and Information Team (08456 03 81 43, info@asthma.org.uk).

Asthma UK is also always looking for volunteers to raise awareness about asthma and the work of the charity. Click here to find out more.

As an independent charity, Asthma UK's research programme is totally independent from pharmaceutical research. We aim to share information on all the latest developments in asthma research and drug treatments, through the website and in our publications, but we do not promote or endorse specific drugs.

As a charity dependent on voluntary donations, we do rely on support from individuals and industry bodies; approximately 2% of our income originates from pharmaceutical companies.

Asthma UK reviews its policies regularly and we will continue to work with industry where we believe it is in the interests of people with asthma.