23 July 2026
The Spotlight Series shines a light on the outstanding work of UK Health Data Research Alliance members who are driving progress in health data research. Through these stories, we showcase how members are advancing innovation, building trust, and delivering real-world impact for patients and the public.
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At Asthma + Lung UK, we exist to fight for everyone affected by lung conditions. Whether someone is living with asthma, COPD, pulmonary fibrosis, bronchiectasis or another lung condition our goal is simple: to improve lives through better prevention, diagnosis, treatment and support.
Lung conditions affect nearly 12 million people across the UK and remain a major cause of ill health, yet respiratory research has historically received less attention and investment than many other disease areas. We’re working to change that by championing research, convening partnerships and ensuring the voices of people living with lung conditions help shape the future of respiratory health.
Asthma + Lung UK funds pioneering research, supports the development of future research leaders, and works closely with people living with lung conditions to ensure their experiences help shape research priorities. By bringing together researchers, clinicians, policymakers and patients, we aim to accelerate discoveries that can make a meaningful difference to people’s lives.
A key part of this work is recognising the enormous potential of health data. High-quality, securely managed data can accelerate our understanding of lung conditions, identify opportunities for earlier diagnosis, support the development of new treatments and enable more personalised approaches to care. As a founding charity member of Our Future Health, the UK’s largest health research programme, our goal is to ensure that people living with lung conditions are represented in one of the most significant health data resources ever created.
Our collaboration with HDR UK through the Respiratory Data Science Catalyst reflects a shared ambition to improve respiratory health through data-enabled research. By strengthening connections between data scientists and researchers and securing better, clearly signposted access to respiratory data, we can unlock new opportunities to answer important questions that translates into real positive impact. The Catalyst’s work to update the definitions and coding of lung conditions, will also enable better comparability across studies, clinical practice, and clinical trials.
Realising the full potential of respiratory data will require collaboration across disciplines, organisations and sectors, making partnerships such as the UK Health Data Research Alliance more important than ever.
Asthma + Lung UK has driven the development of Lung Research Grand Challenges; three ambitious, decade-long goals designed to transform lung health in the UK. Developed by the Lung Research and Innovation Group (LRIG) in partnership with researchers, clinicians, funders and people with lived experience, the challenges aim to halve the number of people living with an undiagnosed lung condition, reduce preventable lung disease and hospitalisations, and drive the discovery of new cures and life-changing treatments.
By providing a shared vision for the respiratory community, the Lung Research Grand Challenges help focus collaboration and attract investment to drive and create momentum around the research priorities that will make the biggest difference to people living with lung conditions.
The enthusiasm, expertise and collaborative spirit across the UK Health Data Research Alliance reinforce the importance of working together to tackle some of the biggest challenges in respiratory health. By combining world-leading research, innovative use of data and the insights of people with lived experience, we can accelerate discovery, improve care and create a future where everyone has the opportunity to enjoy better lung health.
