Research profile: Dr Chris Corrigan

Dr Chris Corrigan is a reader in the Department of Asthma, Allergy & Respiratory Science at Guy’s, King’s & St. Thomas’ School of Medicine, King’s College, University of London. Dr Chris Corrigan is a reader in the Department of Asthma, Allergy & Respiratory Science at Guy’s, King’s & St. Thomas’ School of Medicine, King’s College, University of London.

He is also a researcher at the MRC-Asthma UK Centre in Allergic Mechanisms of Asthma

Asthma UK is supporting his current research into molecular mechanisms of steroid-resistant asthma.

Why is asthma so interesting as a research issue?

Asthma is a common condition that causes physical suffering and anxiety for thousands of people, including children. While current medicines greatly help the vast majority of people with asthma, there remains a group of people who suffer from terrible symptoms despite modern therapy. I think this is a fascinating and urgent problem that needs to be addressed.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

My first love is scientific research. I enjoy formulating new questions and addressing them with the use of the ever more versatile scientific techniques that we now have at our disposal. Understanding asthma requires understanding immunology and cell biology in their widest sense, and these are subjects that have fascinated me from an early age.

The other thing I enjoy about my work is that we cannot perform it without the help of people with asthma volunteering – people who are willing to give up their time to participate in our research projects. Most of the people I meet wish to participate not for personal gain, but the for the good of all people with asthma. Thus, asthma research is a very rewarding process both for me and for them. Working with real patients is a constant reminder of what the research is ultimately all about.

How does Asthma UK help your research?

Asthma UK is undoubtedly one of the leading funders of basic asthma research in this country. I have been very fortunate to receive research awards for various aspects of my work over the years. The research funding helps to address clinical and management issues, but is principally aimed at increasing our understanding of the basic immunological mechanisms of asthma and how anti-asthma drugs work.

Our current study is directed at furthering our understanding of why some people with asthma do not respond to steroids. We have been able to take biopsies from the airways of some people with asthma before and after steroid therapy, providing a direct indication of changes that occur in the cells of those who do and do not respond to steroids. By comparing these changes in each group, we will get clues about the critical features governing how people respond to steroids.

What do you hope to achieve as a result of your research?

If we can understand the molecular mechanisms controlling poor responses to steroids, this in turn will help us to understand what can best be done about it in terms of new approaches to therapy. Our research is aimed directly at those patients who suffer from severe symptoms of asthma on a daily basis and who therefore need our help most urgently.


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