The Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust has been successful in its application for £2m of funding from the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) to carry out research into respiratory disease, aiming to shed light on a health condition that adversely affects the lungs. 

The first of its kind globally, the study will explore treatment for a condition known as fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis (FHP). The condition affects 11 in 100,000 people, with approximately 2000 new cases diagnosed in the UK each year. People with the condition experience difficulty breathing, weight loss, and a hacking cough.

As an NHS trust with a reputation for outstanding research and innovation, the Royal Devon is dedicated to achieving better health and care outcomes for its patients through investing in high quality research with the University of Exeter and the NIHR.

Professor Adrian Harris, Chief Medical Officer at the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust, said:

 “We are delighted to have achieved this funding award from the NIHR, which will fund essential research that will transform the lives of patients with respiratory disease.

This £2m research study is an exciting step forward for our world-leading research into respiratory conditions, delivered in partnership with the University of Exeter, the NIHR Exeter Biomedical Research Centre, Clinical Trials Unit, and department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences.

We welcome opportunities to pioneer ground-breaking research, and would like to congratulate our expert teams and supporting partners for the successful bid.”