Southampton researchers are part of an international team that has identified an immune cell responsible for some hard-to-treat asthma cases. The researchers uncovered a group of immune cells that may drive severe asthma. These cells gather in the lungs, and appear to cause the most harm in men who develop asthma in later life. Dr Ramesh Kurukulaaratchy and Professor Hasan Arshad at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre were involved in the study. It was led by researchers at The La Jolla Institute for Immunology (LJI) in California. Hundreds of volunteers They identified the immune cells thanks to volunteers enrolled in the NHS clinic-based WATCH study. They are called cytotoxic CD4+ tissue-resident memory T cells. The WATCH study is led by Dr Ramesh Kurukulaaratchy, Associate Professor at the University of Southampton. It follows hundreds of asthma patients of different ages, sexes and disease severities over many years. Researchers are using the study to make new connections between asthma symptoms and immune cell activity. It is supported by the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre and NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility. "Once you understand the role of cells like these T cells better, you can start to develop treatments that target those cells," says Dr Kurukulaaratchy. The researchers now hope to learn more about these cells and their role in asthma, to develop personalised therapies for patients. Unresponsive to treatment The new research is published in the journal Med. It suggests patients with these cells in their lungs may be more likely to have hard-to-treat, and potentially fatal, asthma attacks. Doctors usually give asthma patients a general therapy to dampen their immune response. But these cells don't respond to this treatment. Prof Pandurangan Vijayanand and Prof Gregory Seumois at LJI co-led the study. "If you are male and you develop asthma after age 40, there's a high chance this T cell population is in your lungs," says Prof Seumois. How harmful T cells drive asthma The T cells are called 'memory' cells because they react to molecules that the body has previously fought off. They help protect the body from viruses and bacteria. But this 'memory' is a big problem for asthma patients. Their misguided T cells trigger a dangerous inflammatory response to harmless molecules like pollen. Men who developed asthma later in life had an overwhelming number of these potentially harmful T cells. In this group, more than 65 percent of their CD4+ T cells were this type. Personalised asthma treatments The researchers used single-cell RNA sequencing to identify the cytotoxic CD4+ tissue-resident memory T cells. This method could help detect these cells in more patients going forward. This represents a 'paradigm shift' in asthma research, says Dr Kurukulaaratchy. Before now, scientists and clinicians separated asthma patients into just two groups: ‘T2 high’ and T2 low’. In a study published earlier this year, the team showed the importance of identifying more asthma patient subgroups. They found 93 percent of WATCH participants with severe asthma were in the T2 high category. Professor Hasan Arshad is Chair in Allergy and Clinical Immunology at the University of Southampton, and Director of The David Hide Asthma and Allergy Research Centre, Isle of Wight. He says: “We have to think of severe asthma as having different subtypes. The treatment has to be tailored according to these subtypes, because one size does not fit all." The researchers now want to use sequencing tools and other techniques to discover more asthma patient subtypes.

People across Wessex are hearing about research at virtual meetings run by University Hospital Southampton (UHS). Involving people in health and care research is about more than asking them to take part in a trial or study. Volunteers also help to shape our research activities – what we do and how we do it. We call this Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE). This helps to ensure our trials and studies provide maximum benefit to people’s health. Virtual coffee mornings are one way our researchers can connect with the public. They are run by our PPIE team at UHS in collaboration with the Wessex Public Involvement Network (Wessex PIN). Staff have shed light on the diverse and unexpected benefits of this approach in a new paper published in UCL Press. Building relationships Opportunities for public involvement were significantly reduced at the start of the pandemic. In response, our PPIE team invited three hundred public contributors to the first researcher coffee morning in April 2020. They hoped it would help them build and maintain relationships with members of the public. More than one hundred coffee mornings have taken place since, showcasing diverse health and care research across Wessex. They also promote opportunities to take part in research. Over time, the new paper shows they have become a “safe, trusted space” for members of the public to influence and shape research. There are also advantages for researchers who choose to take part. “Research coffee mornings allowed me to develop my own meaningful and trusted relationships with public contributors, supporting future public involvement,” one researcher explained. “Several people volunteered to work with me on my research programme, and this continues outside of the coffee mornings.” Get involved The virtual coffee mornings continue to go from strength to strength and are open to all. They take place once a week, and consist of a presentation by a guest speaker and an interactive Q&A session. Recordings of past coffee mornings are available here. If you would like to find out more, please email William.Jones@uhs.nhs.uk.

New research shows that being active is good for children’s self-esteem and friendships. Insights from an international study suggest that an active lifestyle can enhance children's health-related quality of life. This is a measure of their overall health and wellbeing. Prof Keith Godfrey from the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) was part of the study team. It also involved researchers from Singapore, France, Finland and Germany. Their analysis has been published in The Lancet Regional Health – Western Pacific. Measuring activity The NHS recommends that children and young people aged 5-18 do at least 60 minutes of moderate or vigorous intensity physical activity a day. Keeping fit from a young age can reduce the risk of major illnesses in later life. It also helps us stay a healthy weight and protects our mental health. This study analysed physical activity data from 370 children aged 8 years. They are all taking part in a birth cohort study in Singapore. Further physical activity measurements were made at age ten years. They each wore an accelerometer – which is like a smart watch – to assess their activity levels. It measured sleep, inactivity, light and moderate-to-vigorous intensity physical activity. The children also completed a questionnaire on quality of life during the follow up visit at age ten. Better quality of life Children who were more physically active had higher self-esteem and stronger friendships. Those who slept for longer also reported a higher quality of life and were more likely to do well in school. The analyses suggested that children’s quality of life was lower if sleep was replaced with inactivity. This wasn't the case when replaced with physical activity. The researchers suggest that this finding could be due to increased screen time. Previous studies have shown excessive screen time can have a negative effect on children’s health and wellbeing. The children’s movement behaviours were not, however, associated with their physical and emotional well-being. Prof Godfrey is a Professor of Epidemiology and Human Development at the University of Southampton and lead for Nutrition, Lifestyle and Metabolism in the NIHR Southampton BRC. He said: “Children’s quality of life is an area of wide concern. “The Good Childhood Report 2023 from the Children’s Society looked at how children’s wellbeing is changing over time. The analysis painted a ‘worrying picture’ for girls, as their happiness scores were significantly lower in 2020-21 than in 2009-10." Previous reports have also shown that children in the UK, especially girls, are among the most unhappy in Europe. Prof Godfrey added: “The findings from our new research point to the importance of promoting physical activity and healthy sleep. This can help improve children’s self-esteem and friendships.”

Professor Philip Calder has been awarded an international fellowship to expand the study of fatty acids. The Hagler Fellowship, awarded by Texas A&M University, will allow him to set up a new collaborative research programme in the USA. Prof Calder works within the Nutrition, Lifestyle and Metabolism theme at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. He was awarded one of only fourteen Hagler Fellowships for 2023-24. The fellowship will fund a research programme at Texas A&M, in collaboration with researchers in its School of Medicine. This will investigate handling and metabolism of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids by the human body. Maximising the health benefits Eating more omega-3, found in oily fish, has been linked to various health benefits and a reduced risk of disease. Yet most people eat a diet high in omega-6, but low in omega-3. Humans can make the type of omega-3 found in fish, but most people are not able to do this very well. Understanding more about why people are not able to make these types of omega-3 themselves and identifying ways to overcome this will decrease reliance on fish. A prestigious fellowship The Hagler Fellowship programme has been running for 12 years, and has supported over 125 fellows. Fellowships for 2023-24 were awarded in a wide range of research fields. These covered medical research areas, such as nutrition and metabolism. They included scientific fields, such as biology, physics, chemical engineering and computer science. Some fellowships were also awarded in statistics, veterinary science, economics and educational policy. This round’s fellows include two Nobel Prize winners, Eric Maskin and Konstantin Novoselov. Both won the Nobel Prize in Physics, in 2007 and 2010 respectively. A great opportunity Apart from Prof Calder and Konstantin Novoselov, all new fellows were from the US. Prof Calder says, “I am staggered by this unsolicited award, that recognises the excellent research done by people in my team over many years. "The fellowship provides a great opportunity for me to develop new collaborations. I intend to use it to investigate the metabolism and handling of omega-3 fatty acids and to try to identify ways to promote production of these healthy fatty acids in the human body. "This will very much complement our work here in Southampton.”

Southampton researchers are developing an app to help spot signs of a respiratory infection getting worse. Respiratory tract infections (RTIs) affect parts of the body involved in breathing. This includes the nose, throat, airways and lungs. The new app will support remote monitoring of people with these illnesses by recording their coughs, breathing and speech. It uses machine learning to analyse these sounds and check if they need to see a doctor. The project is funded by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and led by the University of Cambridge. In Southampton, the team includes medical researchers and the Institute of Sound & Vibration Research (ISVR). Common cause of illness RTIs range from the common cold to more serious conditions, such as Pneumonia. Most get better without treatment, but some patients may need to see a GP. Prof Nick Francis is Head of School of Primary Care, Population Sciences and Medical Education at the University of Southampton. He is also part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. “RTIs are the most common cause of illness, resulting in around half of all antibiotic prescriptions,” Prof Francis explained. “Most people get better quickly, but we need to notice quickly when people are getting seriously ill. If we don’t, the effect on them and on healthcare services can be large. “We have tests that help doctors identify patients who are more likely to need treatment. But these do not work well for every patient and are not useful for helping patients manage their own illness.” There are some signs, such as breathing faster, that suggest a RTI is getting worse. The infection may also affect the sound of speech and trying to breathe when speaking. Prof Francis added: “We hope to develop an app that will assess all these signs and give warning when someone with an RTI should see their doctor. It will also rate its own confidence in its prediction, which will help doctors trust machine learning in healthcare.” AI in healthcare The study has received a £590,000 grant from UKRI. It is titled RELOAD (REspiratory disease progression through LOngitudinal Audio Data machine learning). Prof Anna Barney, from the university’s ISVR, said: “Using acoustic data is an underexplored application of machine learning. The AI in this application will reassure patients when an infection is self-limiting and direct patients to a GP when it is not. This will help to ensure that GP appointments are available for those that need them.” The UKRI funding was part of a £13 million investment to boost use of AI in healthcare. Another Southampton project received funding to improve the analysis and interpretation of newly discovered variations in people’s DNA.

A new scoring system can predict how likely young children with symptoms such as wheezing are to have asthma in later life. Asthma symptoms, such as wheezing, are common in early childhood. Yet predicting which children will go on to have asthma as an adult is difficult. Prof Hasan Arshad is a Professor and Consultant in Allergy and Clinical Immunology in Southampton. He has led the development of the new scoring system, with results published in the journal Allergy. He is part of the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). Our BRC’s Prof Graham Roberts and Dr Ramesh Kurukulaaratchy were also involved in the research. Based on children’s symptoms The new scoring system is known by the acronym ASPIRE. Symptoms that can be identified by a doctor - such as wheeze, allergies, eczema and chest infections - are used to generate a score. Each symptom is given a different weighting to indicate its importance. A higher overall score indicates an increased risk of the child having asthma at ages 10, 18 and 26 years. They developed ASPIRE using data from the Isle of Wight Birth Cohort. This is a group of 1,456 people living on the island and had visits at ages one, two, four, 10, 18 and 26 years. These visits included a detailed assessment of any allergies or asthma they had. Testing the scoring system The researchers created four versions of ASPIRE, using different symptoms and weightings. Two were then tested using data from participants in The Manchester Asthma and Allergy Study (MAAS) and The Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC). They showed that ASPIRE is better than the current front-runner, known as PARS. The most effective version was ASPIRE-1, which only uses recurrent wheeze and a positive skin prick test for allergies. As their previous research showed four allergies - house dust mites, cats, grass pollen and a type of mould - are most relevant to asthma, they suggest testing for these. Prof Arshad said: “We hope that ASPIRE will be used by primary care physicians, paediatricians and allergists across the world to improve the management of wheezy children, by providing a reliable risk assessment of later asthma development.” “In collaboration with Dr Zhang, Professor and Head of Biostatistics at the University of Memphis, we are now in the process of developing a webtool and mobile app to assist doctors in the use of ASPIRE in clinics.”

Southampton researchers are working with Stablepharma Ltd to trial vaccines that don’t need to be kept cold. The partners have been awarded a joint grant by Innovate UK to develop a fridge-free vaccine, SPVX02, to prevent tetanus and diphtheria. Tetanus remains an important public health problem where immunisation coverage is low. Several countries in the world still do not provide booster shots to protect their populations throughout life. One barrier that can limit some vaccines’ reach is the complex logistics of an international, temperature-controlled supply chain. Professor Saul Faust, Director of the NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, will lead the clinical trials for the fridge-free vaccine. Prof Faust, Co-Lead for Microbiology, Immunology and Infection in the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre, said: ‘’This project’s success has tremendous potential for eradicating vaccine wastage and moving away from the need for the cold-chain. This will have huge benefits that will ultimately provide greater safety and effectiveness for vaccines.’’ Expanding the reach of vaccines Stablepharma uses its novel technology to convert existing approved vaccines to fridge-free versions. The vaccines they create are ‘stable’ and do not degrade at room temperature. This prevents the need for cold-chain transport, distribution and storage. The company have identified up to 60 vaccines that could be made fridge-free in this way. They hope this will dramatically increase the number of people across the world who can access these vaccines, protecting them against a wide range of preventable diseases. Responding to the new funding success, Özgür Tuncer, Stablepharma CEO & Executive Director, said: “This is a great endorsement of the work our R&D team are doing to achieve Stablepharma’s vision of making fridge-free vaccines a reality. As we know, there are vast challenges within the global cold chain, which hinder the efficient distribution and storage of vaccines.” Stablepharma recently announced plans for a pre-initial public offering (IPO) bridge-funding round later in 2023. This will progress the launch of SPVX02 (Td), a second fridge-free vaccine SPVX06 (Tetanus mono) and their mRNA research programme.

People from across our communities are having their say on how we can improve the way we work with patients and the public. Involving people in our clinical research is about more than asking them to take part in a trial or study. Volunteers also help to shape our clinical research activities. We call this Patient and Public Involvement and Engagement (PPIE). This includes working with researchers to shape what research is done, how it’s carried out and how the results are shared. These people are often referred to as ‘public partners.’ Gathering insights Our PPIE team organised a series of workshops this summer to explore co-producing research with the public. Co-production is a way of working together in equal partnership and for equal benefit. This means people who can benefit from research should be involved in shaping it from the very start. There was extremely high interest in the subject – with extra sessions required for everyone to have their say. A report on the key outcomes will be shared with event attendees in the next few weeks. Hear from people who were at the events in this blog. Get involved Opportunities to help shape our research are varied and will depend on your interests. If you would like to find out more, please email PublicInvolvement@uhs.nhs.uk.

Southampton researchers are testing a shorter course of antibiotics to treat cellulitis. Cellulitis is a deep skin infection that’s treated with antibiotics. However, antibiotics can cause side effects - and levels of resistance are rising. This means doctors are looking at ways to cut any unnecessary use. The COAT study is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). It will help determine if a five-day course of antibiotics for cellulitis is as effective as the standard seven days. Professor Nick Francis from the University of Southampton and the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) is leading the study. It is being run by the Southampton Clinical Trials Unit (CTU). Reducing antibiotic use Cellulitis is a bacterial infection that affects the deep layers of the skin. The infection is most common in older people and those with poor circulation or a weakened immune system. Any area of the body can be affected but the legs are the most common place. The infection can spread if it’s not treated quickly. Current guidelines suggest that people with cellulitis should be given a five to seven-day course of oral antibiotics. “At the moment, almost all patients who come to their GP with cellulitis will be initially treated for the full seven days,” said Prof Francis. “This is not because of evidence from research, but more due to years of warnings to doctors about stopping treatment too soon. “However, there is increasing evidence that shorter courses are as effective. Longer courses may increase risks for individual patients, as well as the entire healthcare system as we see increases in antibiotic resistance.” Previous research has shown that shorter courses of antibiotics can be just as effective for other infections. These include pneumonia, tonsillitis and urinary infections. But there is currently very little evidence for this approach for people with cellulitis. Prof Francis continued: “This lack of evidence means GPs are reluctant to prescribe shorter courses for these patients. Our study will test whether five days of antibiotic treatment works as well as seven days to see if the guidelines can be changed.” Gathering the evidence Researchers are recruiting 350 patients with cellulitis in their legs. They will do this through GP surgeries across the UK. Half will be given the standard seven-day course of the oral antibiotic flucloxacillin. The other half will take antibiotics for five days, followed by a placebo pill for two days. “The patients will be randomly assigned to each arm of the trial and will not know whether they are having the full course of antibiotics or the shorter course and placebo,” said Sophie Varkonyi-Clifford, Trial Manager at the Southampton CTU. “Patients will report pain and other symptoms related to cellulitis before they start treatment and for a month afterwards. Their local GP surgery will also note any additional treatment or complications for the next year.” Prof Francis added: “We hope the outcomes of this trial will definitively show whether cellulitis can be effectively treated with a five-day course of antibiotics. “If the results are positive, it could lead to an update in the guidelines and a reduction in the amount of these drugs being routinely prescribed by GPs across the UK. This would be beneficial for patients and the entire health service.” Visit the COAT study website for more information.

New research suggests boys who smoke in their early teens risk damaging the genes of their future children. Researchers from the University of Southampton and University of Bergen examined the long-term consequences of teenage smoking. The collaboration was supported by the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre (BRC). They found boys who smoke at an early age may alter the DNA of their future children. These changes put them at greater risk of developing asthma, obesity and low lung function. Researchers say the study highlights the need for more action to tackle teenage vaping. Their findings are published in Clinical Epigenetics. Studying changes to DNA The researchers analysed data from 875 people aged 7-50. They looked at the participants’ epigenetics - how a person’s environment affects the way their genes work, for example by switching them ‘on’ or ‘off’. They also looked at the smoking behaviours of their fathers. The team found epigenetic changes at 19 sites mapped to 14 genes in the children of fathers who smoked before the age of 15. These changes are associated with asthma, obesity and wheezing. Prof Cecilie Svanes is a Professor at the Centre for International Health, University of Bergen. She said: “Previous research has shown that the health of future generations depends on the actions and decisions made by young people today. This is true long before they are parents – particularly for boys in early puberty.” She added: “It is really exciting that we have now been able to identify a mechanism that explains our observations in the cohorts.” “A critical window” The study suggests starting to smoke as a teenager is particularly dangerous. Dr Negusse Kitaba, Research Fellow at the University of Southampton and co-lead author, said: “Changes in epigenetic markers were most pronounced in children whose fathers started smoking during puberty. “Early puberty may represent a critical window of physiological changes in boys. This is when stem cells are being established which will make sperm for the rest of their lives.” The team also compared the paternal preconception smoking profiles with people who smoked themselves and those whose mothers smoked before conception. The University of Bergen’s Dr Gerd Toril Mørkve Knudsen, who was the co-lead author of this study, explained: “Interestingly, we found that 16 of the 19 markers associated with fathers’ teenage smoking had not previously been linked to maternal or personal smoking. “This suggests that these new biomarkers may be unique to children whose fathers have been exposed to smoking in early puberty.” Teenage vaping The number of young people smoking has fallen in the UK in recent years. However, the researchers are concerned about children taking up vaping. Prof John Holloway is a Professor of Allergy and Respiratory Genetics at the University of Southampton. He is also part of the Respiratory and Allergy theme at the NIHR Southampton BRC. He explained: “Some animal studies suggest that nicotine may be the substance in cigarette smoke that is driving epigenetic changes in offspring. “So, it’s deeply worrying that teenagers today, especially boys, are being exposed to very high levels of nicotine through vaping. He added: “The evidence from this study comes from people whose fathers smoked as teenagers in the 60s and 70s, when smoking tobacco was much more common. “We can’t be sure vaping will have similar effects across generations, but we shouldn’t wait to find out. We need to act now.” Working with young people The new findings have significant implications for public health. They suggest a failure to address harmful exposures in teenagers today could damage the respiratory health of future generations. This could also increase health inequalities for decades to come. Southampton’s LifeLab programme engages with young people to show how lifestyle choices at an early age can drastically their health and the health of their future children. They hope to empower young people to make healthier choices. The programme is a partnership between the University of Southampton, the NIHR Southampton BRC and University Hospital Southampton. Dr Kath Woods-Townsend, LifeLab Programme Manager said: “Parents, teachers and young people themselves have concerns about the impact of vaping. “We’re working with a youth panel to understand the role vaping plays in their lives and to co-create resources that will help inform young people about the risks.”

A new study will see if virtual sessions by trained volunteers can help older patients regain their strength after they return home. At least a third of older people are estimated to be at risk of ‘deconditioning’ due to inactivity while in hospital. This causes their muscles to weaken, making them frail and more at risk of falls. Exercising and eating healthily when they go home could help these patients get their strength back. Consultant Geriatrician Dr Stephen Lim is leading research at University Hospital Southampton to determine whether online support from trained hospital volunteers could help them do this. The study is part of the Perioperative and Critical Care theme at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Preventing frailty People in the UK aged over 65 spend at least 10 hours each day sitting or lying down. This makes them the most inactive age group. A stay in hospital can reduce their physical activity even further, as people usually spend most of their time sitting or lying down in bed. While necessary for their recovery, this causes their muscles to weaken and can mean they leave hospital frail. “The hospital process itself can often contribute to a decline in the trajectory of the patient’s frailty,” explained Dr Lim. “We feel it is important to address that to prevent a further decline.” Training volunteers The Frail2Fit study is investigating whether our hospital volunteers can help these patients. The research team are training six volunteers to run virtual sessions for groups of up to 10 patients. Each session lasts 40-60 minutes. They start with 20–30 minutes of seated exercises using resistance bands, developed by an NHS physiotherapist. Then they discuss ways to eat a healthy diet. The study could therefore not only benefit patients, but also allow volunteers to develop new skills. “I think the novelty of the study is that we are upskilling hospital volunteers we already have to offer them something new,” Dr Lim says, “to gain skills leading exercise classes and talking to patients about nutrition.” Forming healthy habits The researchers aim to recruit around 30 people over the age of 65 who leave hospital frail. Participants attend virtual sessions three times a week in the first month, twice a week in the second month, and once a week in the third month. Those unfamiliar with the technology are given a tablet and instructed how to use it before they leave hospital. The hope is that, by tapering off the support, participants gradually form healthy habits that they will continue to follow afterwards. This could prevent them needing to return to the hospital in future. Raymond’s experience Raymond Jones, 85, was admitted to Southampton General Hospital with back pain and had surgery to remove gallstones that were blocking a duct in his gall bladder. After his operation, Samantha Meredith, a Research Fellow in Dr Lim’s group, asked if he would like to take part in a 12-week study. Since a previous operation on his knee five years ago, Raymond has been unable to drive and had to give up golf, which he used to do three times a week. He was therefore keen to maintain as much strength and independence as possible this time, and so agreed to take part. The hour-long online sessions started at 11am. He did them in a room upstairs in his own home. He says he enjoyed taking part, particularly as it was not only a chance to exercise but also to socialise. “I felt much better when I got up there with them, because there were about four or five of us at a time, and we’d all have a giggle,” says Raymond. “There was an old lady, she found it hard to walk. I said ‘Hold on, haven’t I seen you before? Weren’t you in the Southampton Marathon – you won it, didn’t you?’ And of course, everybody laughed.” In his last session, Raymond spoke to his instructor about problems he’d been having with his balance when he was walking. The instructor asked him to try a particular exercise for it. “It surprised me what happened,” he says. “I managed to get my balance.” Raymond has now finished taking part in the trial, but continues to stay active. He enjoys gardening, walks to the shop every day with a stick, goes on his exercise bike regularly, and continues to do the exercises he was taught during the sessions. “I’m doing everything they’re telling me to do, which I think is a good thing,” he says. Raymond recently became a great grandad. As we end the call, he says he’s off to go and meet his new great grandson.

Researchers in Southampton will develop Artificial Intelligence (AI) tools to improve the analysis and interpretation of newly discovered variations in people’s DNA. The project has been awarded £596,000 by UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). It is titled ‘Artificial intelligence methods applied to genomic data for improved health’, or AGENDA. The funding was part of a new £13 million investment by the government into projects aiming to transform health using AI to assist and refine diagnostics and procedures. Professor Sarah Ennis, Professor of Genomics at the University of Southampton, will lead the project. It forms part of the Data, Health and Society theme at the NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre. Investigating the genome The genome is the entire set of DNA found in our cells. This includes all our genes, but also covers additional instructions required for these genes to function properly. It’s a huge amount of data to analyse and interpret. The AGENDA project will use AI to investigate newly discovered variations in the genome and their potential impact on patients’ health. The team will develop AI algorithms and modelling approaches to analyse genomic data. They aim to develop approaches which map genomic data to biological pathways, and improve the computational modelling of proteins. They will also investigate whether machine learning can be used to predict outcomes for patients. Prof Ennis said: “This grant provides the opportunity to develop novel solutions for the analysis of genomic data. By incorporating an automated AI-based toolkit, we aim to maximise data usage, significantly speed up the return of molecular diagnoses, and identify biologically relevant targets for personalised therapies. “In the future, this will reduce hospital and treatment costs and provide digital systems, minimising the need for manual curation.” Experts from many different areas The team includes Sarah Ennis, Ellie Seaby, James Ashton and Guo Cheng from the Faculty of Medicine, Paul Skipp and Andy Shapanis from Biological Sciences, Jon Essex and Steven Turner from Chemistry and Jagmohan Chauhan from Electronics & Computer Science. This latest funding follows the recent announcement of £31m to the University of Southampton to lead the Responsible AI UK consortium. “Our diverse, interdisciplinary team highlights the ever-increasing value and importance of interdisciplinary science working on ‘big data’ to deliver better health,” said Prof Ennis. “The team will directly benefit from working alongside the growing cadre of expertise in AI-related research in Southampton, and is testament to our position at heart of AI health research in the UK.”