Research For The Future: Newsletter #13 [Summer 2022]

Research for the Future #13 [Summer 2022]

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Issue #13
Summer 2022

Four smiling volunteers waving at the camera

Long COVID research

Most people infected by Covid-19 feel the effects for about two weeks, but others experience lingering health problems – known as long Covid.

Now respiratory consultant Professor Nawar Bakerly, who is leading long Covid research in Greater Manchester, is encouraging people to get involved in research to help the NHS understand long Covid and other ongoing issues caused by the pandemic.

The new Help BEAT Coronavirus campaign is part of Research for the Future and has been developed following the incredible public response to vaccine research trials, where more than 700,000 people in England have already taken part in Covid-19 research.

Professor Bakerly said: “We need to find better ways to help those affected by long Covid symptoms – which include breathlessness, fatigue and brain fog that lasts longer than four weeks after being infected with coronavirus. We also want to understand what causes these symptoms and why some people are more likely to experience ongoing health issues.

“Since the start of the pandemic, the NHS has played a key role in the discovery of new treatments, as well as the vaccines which now offer a high level of protection from hospitalisation and death. That research would not have been possible without the volunteers who took part, and we hope that others will now come forward to actively help the NHS to improve long COVID care and treatments.”

If you have symptoms of long COVID, or want to help with research into the ongoing problems caused by coronavirus, please update your details:

If you have any difficulties using the online update or want to tell us about any other changes to your details, please contact the office on 0161 206 3636.

News and updates

Expansion across the North West

Earlier this year, we partnered with colleagues from the NIHR Clinical Research Network North West Coast to support research involvement, engagement and participation in their area.

We are excited to be able to help the people of Cheshire, Merseyside, Lancashire and South Cumbria, as well as those in Greater Manchester, to discover opportunities to take part in health and care research.

Increasing the area we cover means we can support researchers from an additional 41 NHS partners as well as several research-active academic institutions. This will increase the variety and number of research opportunities we can invite people to take part in.

For up-to-the minute information about studies you can take part in, keep an eye on the ‘Recruiting studies’ section of our website or follow us on social media:

Boosting diversity in kidney research

We are delighted to be part of a new project looking to help increase representation of marginalised groups in kidney research.

The project is a collaboration between the Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust and the UK's largest kidney research charity, Kidney Research UK.

It will focus on those groups who have been identified as being most at risk of developing kidney disease including people from poorer areas of Salford, Pakistani communities in Oldham and Bangladeshi communities in Rochdale.

The project will use the charity's award winning 'peer educator' initiative to engage with the communities to break down misconceptions and fears around taking part in research, and encourage people to register with Research for the Future to receive information about future research.

Study round-up

MND-Smart

Looking for people living with motor neurone disease (MND) to take part in a study to understand if certain medications can help slow down the progression of the disease.

MoNoPly

Looking for healthy volunteers to take part in a study to understand how the brain processes pain and how it learns to adapt to sensory experiences over time.

Orchid

Looking for people diagnosed with COPD, IPF or asthma to take part in a study to understand why people with different chest conditions develop a cough and how it compares to people without a chest condition.

Anxiety in older adults

Looking for people aged over 65 to take part in a study to understand how older people from different culture backgrounds understand anxiety and how this affects their experiences.

Double vision

Looking for people with double vision to understand their experiences to inform further research to develop new treatments for ocular cranial nerve palsy.

Outreach

Looking for people diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure) to take part in a study funded by The British Heart Foundation to assess the effectiveness of medication reviews on blood pressure control.

Parkinson's family project

Looking for people who developed Parkinson's Disease or another movement disorder before the age of 45 to take part in a study investigating the genetic causes and help develop new and improved treatments.

Asian woman, post-mastectomy with giant pink ribbon

KUPPD: 3D scanning post-mastectomy

Looking for people who have had surgery for breast cancer to take part in a study hoping understand their experiences and preferences of breast prostheses.

ADAMS: Multiple sclerosis study

Looking for people with multiple sclerosis to take part in a study to understand how genes cause multiple sclerosis in people from different ethnic backgrounds.

View all opportunities currently
recruiting on our website.

Learn more about research we have supported in our Case studies.

Update your safe senders list

Our email address has changed to research.future@nca.nhs.uk - please add this to your safe senders list.

Thank you for your continued interest in Research for the Future.