Enhancing R&D to reduce lung disease in Ireland-Scotland cross-border region

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Chronic Pulmonary Lung Disease is the third-leading cause of death worldwide and is disproportionately prevalent in this cross-border region. The strength of the Breath project is that it harnesses the combined expertise of over 40 researchers from three institutions, on a cross-border/inter-regional basis, to tackle this debilitating condition.Professor Keith Thornbury, Breath leadCOPD is the third leading cause of death worldwide. The disease is considered a major health challenge in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and the West of Scotland, which have some of the highest rates of COPD in the world. In fact, COPD hospital admissions in Ireland are higher than any other developed country.The key to reversing this trend is to improve dedicated research and development (R&D) – which is exactly what the EU-funded Breath project set out to do. A collaborative effort between the Dundalk Institute of Technology in Ireland, the University of the West of Scotland, and Queen’s University Belfast, the project worked to increase R&D across the region by providing world class training to the next generation of COPD researchers.A cross-border research hubBy combining the region’s complementary clinical, scientific, innovation, and industrial skills, the project aims to identify novel diagnostic and therapeutic approaches to treating COPD. To accomplish this, the project has set up an innovative, cross-border, inter-regional research hub focused on the unmet needs of COPD. Research is looking at the three main causes of the disease: smooth muscle dysfunction, lung inflammation, and epithelial cell defects.The project is currently training 28 young scientists to PhD level or beyond. In addition to COPD-specific training, the students are trained via industrial interactions that combine transferable and complementary industry-relevant skills with traditional academic learning. Project coordinators say this feature adds substantial value to the PhD training and makes students more employable.Better togetherThe project has successfully combined complementary skills, experience, and facilities within the partner institutes into a unique cross-border/interregional research and innovation hub. This would not be achievable by any of the single institutions or in separate countries.Although still less than half-way through the PhD training, the project has already communicated some of its initial findings via conference presentations and research papers. The project is running a public outreach initiative to raise awareness about COPD among the most susceptible communities.VideosPhD Talking headsPenningham Primary school public engagementTotal investment and EU fundingTotal investment for the project “Breath – Border and Regions Airways Hub project” is EUR 8 506 928, with the EU’s European Regional Development Fund contributing EUR 7 727 271 through the “Interreg V-A - United Kingdom-Ireland (Ireland-Northern Ireland-Scotland)” Operational Programme for the 2014-2020 programming period. The investment falls under the priority “Health”.