Researcher profile: Dr Nathan Bartlett

Why is asthma so interesting as a research issue?

For a research scientist asthma is a real challenge.

Asthma is a complex and increasingly common condition and therefore represents an urgent need to understand better its many causes and develop more effective treatments.

I have also always been interested in viral diseases, and – as asthma attacks are most commonly caused by cold virus infections – investigating asthma allows me to continue working with viruses while tackling an important and widespread human condition.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

Of course I believe that continued research into asthma is urgently needed, so working on the condition is extremely rewarding. I am fortunate enough to be part of an excellent team lead by Professor Sebastian Johnston, widely recognised to be a world leader in asthma research.

Every day is an exciting challenge – the team-based working environment fosters enthusiasm for the science, which in turn facilitates progress.

How does Asthma UK help your research?

Asthma UK has helped my research by providing funding for myself and others in the group.

Currently Asthma UK is funding us to investigate mechanisms of mucus production in the lungs, focusing on the role of cold virus infections in this process. Blocking of the airways by mucus plugs, particularly during asthma attacks, severely reduces lung function.

A better understanding of how mucus production is increased during asthma attacks could allow the development of therapies to reduce airway blockage and symptom severity.

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

I aim to improve our understanding of how cold virus infections trigger asthma attacks causing the excessive mucus production that blocks airways.

I was one of the lead investigators that recently developed a new model of cold virus infection and asthma attacks that we are now using to understand this process better and develop/test new treatments.

In addition our group uses both cultures of human lung cells and people with asthma experimentally infected with viruses. Being able to use these different experimental models significantly enhances our ability to identify key molecular targets and develop new and improved therapies to help people with asthma.