Research profile: Dr Seif Shaheen

Dr Seif Shaheen is Senior Lecturer in Clinical Epidemiology at Imperial College, London. Asthma UK is supporting his current research into asthma epidemiology – studying the distribution and causes of the condition.

Why is asthma so interesting as a research issue?

We know surprisingly little about the root causes of asthma, and why the condition has become so common over the last 40 years in Britain and other westernised countries. The exciting challenge facing epidemiologists like me is to try to identify the changes in our environment and lifestyle that have been responsible for this epidemic. Epidemiology has revealed some intriguing clues, which suggest that childhood asthma has its beginnings while a baby is still in the womb.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

I enjoy the detective work involved - it's very stimulating hunting for new leads, coming up with an idea, and then designing and carrying out a research project to test a hypothesis. While it can take years to complete an epidemiological study, it's exciting when the data is finally analysed and you get to see whether the hypothesis was correct. Obviously it will be immensely satisfying and rewarding if, ultimately, we can discover ways to prevent asthma from developing in the first place.

How does Asthma UK help your research?

We are using an innovative approach to investigate the possible role of trace element and mineral exposure before birth in the development of childhood wheezing and asthma. This work would not have been possible without funding from Asthma UK.

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

If we find evidence to suggest that children with wheezing and asthma are less well nourished in the womb with specific minerals, compared to children without wheezing and asthma, we would hope to carry out a trial in pregnant women, in which we would supplement their diet with these minerals, to see if we can prevent wheezing and asthma in their offspring.