Research and Development

[Katie Bagshawe]

Hello everyone!

So this September I’m going to be starting a course in Radiography and pursuing a future in clinical research associated with respiratory disease (in the hope of sticking with Interstitial Lung Disease). I’ve already been scouting in my area to see what exciting things are happening as regards trials and research associated with Imaging and stumbled across some pretty tremendous things coming to light that could possibly revolutionise and alter the way we diagnose and effectively monitor lung disease, more specifically the impact of disease on lung capacity.

https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/polaris/research

I almost cheered at this tag on their homepage as to why they are looking at new methods of monitoring lung function as I know all too well with how my Dad struggled with breath tests. Also, the FVC results impact on whether someone can be prescribed Nintedanib and Pirfenidone here in the UK so this could once again, revolutionise how many people are given the appropriate treatment.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis: Traditional tests of lung function are insensitive in demonstrating disease progression. Our research looks at how novel MR imaging techniques may be used as microstructural and functional biomarkers of disease severity and progression.

Here is some more information on studies currently underway in pulmonary disease in Sheffield which is a city pretty close to me > http://www.lungsheffield.org/research/list-of-studies 

So, what are your thoughts on imaging becoming more prominent in diagnosing and monitoring PF? And have any of you had MRI scans?

[Mark Koziol]

Hello Kate, so happy you are going to pursue a career in research. You certainly have the passion and the writing skills to be an accomplished researcher. Now our forum will have a so called “in” for upcoming research possibilities. Kate, I hated those pft’s before my transplant and still hate them. Your father was not alone. I think people who are healthy wouldn’t really have a like for them either. I think the MRI scans would be vial alternative to having the VATS procedure. I personally did not have an MRI scan but I did have several CAT scans and the VATS procedure. Thank you for posting the links and your update. Mark

[Katie Bagshawe]

Thank you for your response Mark, and your kind words. I nearly cheered thin air reading that there are alternatives to FVC tests as they were awful for my Dad, and I never truly trusted how accurate the results would be. I’ll keep you posted, I’m hoping to gain some work experience in this area whilst I’m studying.

[Peter Goodwin]

Very interesting Katie.  I live in Sheffield and Dr Renshaw, listed as heading ILD research, is my consultant pulmonologist at NGH. Small world.

Yes. NGH gave me MRI and CAT scans as part of my diagnosis.

Hope your wish for a career in ILD research is successful.

Peter

[Katie Bagshawe]

Wow Peter, what a small world! Great news that you had these scans as part of your diagnosis. Have you had any follow up MRI or CT scans alongside the FVC breath tests or was that solely to enable a diagnosis in your early symptoms? How have you found the support at Sheffield? My Father was initially referred there but found some of the Consultants quite cold regarding the route of possible transplantation so stuck with the Chesterfield team who took care of him well considering their inexperience at dealing with PF patients.

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