Impact of Physical Activity on Clinical Remission in Severe Asthma

Project summary:<br /> <br /> Asthma affects over 350-million people worldwide and remains a major source of economic and societal burden. It is estimated that up to 10% of adults and 2.5% of children with asthma have severe disease, which is associated with life-threatening acute exacerbations, debilitating symptoms, activity limitation, and impaired health-related quality of life. With recent advances in effective biological therapies targeting specific pathways of inflammation, there has been renewed interest in achieving clinical remission for people with severe asthma. However, whilst biological therapies are highly effective at improving clinical outcome measures, in most cases, not all clinical remission criteria are met. It remains apparent that conventional strategies and guideline-based treatments in isolation are ineffective for some people with severe asthma, and therefore it is important that future studies incorporate lifestyle intervention and behaviour change strategies alongside pharmacological intervention to maximise and specifically target non-clinical outcome measures that are considered highly important to patients (i.e., the ability to undertake exercise and complete daily activities). This AstraZeneca funded PhD scholarship aims to evaluate the impact of a physical activity promotion intervention on clinical remission in adults with severe asthma receiving tezepelumab. A secondary objective will be to employ novel clinical exercise testing techniques to elucidate mechanisms of activity-related breathlessness and exercise intolerance in the same cohort. <br /> <br />

<p>(if you want to make any changes to the process below, please contact your Graduate School admissions team first):</p> <p>To apply for this scholarship opportunity applicants should complete an online application form and attach the following documentation to support their application. </p> <p>o    Full academic CV<br /> o    Personal statement<br /> o    Degree certificate and transcripts of marks<br /> o    Evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (if applicable)</p> <p>To help us identify that you are applying for this scholarship project please ensure you provide the following information on your application form;</p> <p>o    Select PhD in Biomedical Sciences as your programme of study<br /> o    Give the full project title and name the supervisors listed in this advert<br /> o    For source of funding please state you are applying for  (Impact of Physical Activity on Clinical Remission in Severe Asthma )</p> <p>If English is not your first language, you must provide evidence that you meet the University's minimum English language requirements (below).</p> <p>As an international research-intensive university, we welcome students from all walks of life and from across the world. We foster an inclusive environment where all can flourish and prosper, and we are proud of our strong commitment to student education. Within the we are dedicated to diversifying our community and we welcome the unique contributions that individuals can bring, and particularly encourage applications from, but not limited to Black, Asian, people who belong to a minority ethnic community, people who identify as LGBT+; and people with disabilities. Applicants will always be selected based on merit and ability. </p>

Applicants to this scholarship in the School of Biomedical Sciences should normally have an Undergraduate degree of 2:1 or above (or international equivalent) in a relevant subject area. A Master’s degree is desirable, but not essential. Applicants who are uncertain about the requirements for a particular research degree are advised to contact the School or Admissions Team prior to making an application.

The minimum English language entry requirement for research postgraduate research study is an IELTS of 6.0 overall with at least 5.5 in each component (reading, writing, listening and speaking) or equivalent. The test must be dated within two years of the start date of the course in order to be valid. Some schools and faculties have a higher requirement.

<p>PhD scholarship in pulmonary exercise physiology, covering academic fees, scientific training and tax-free maintenance grant at the standard UKRI rate (£20,780 per year for 4-years) is available in the School of Biomedical Sciences. The scholarship provides an exciting opportunity to pursue postgraduate research in fields related to exercise physiology and respiratory medicine commencing in the academic year 2025/26. The award is open to full-time candidates who meet the eligibility criteria. We are particularly interested in candidates with prior experience of conducting pulmonary function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing and/or physical activity assessment in health and disease. </p>

<p>For further information please contact the Graduate School Office<br /> e: fbsgrad@leeds.ac.uk</p>