Upper Respiratory Medicine

Professor Stephen Durham, Head of Group

Upper Respiratory Medicine is studying the mechanism of action of subcutaneous allergen immunotherapy and the development of novel allergen-specific approaches. These include the combination of allergen with adjuvants (alum, monophosphoryl lipoprotein, bacterial DNA oligonucleotides (CpG), anti-IgE monoclonal antibody) and the use of the sublingual route for immunotherapy. We have a longstanding collaboration with Professor Hannah Gould on the local regulation of IgE synthesis in target organs and with Professor Douglas Robinson and Professor Clare Lloyd on mechanisms of local T Lymphocyte recruitment in rhinitis and asthma.

The group focuses on studying the basic mechanisms of allergic rhinitis and asthma and the influence of treatment. This involves the development of novel pharmacodynamic models of allergen challenge in the skin, nose and lung and studies of seasonal hayfever.

A particular focus is translational studies of allergen immunotherapy that elucidate mechanisms of human antigen-specific tolerance and inform novel treatment approaches.

Other research areas include the epidemiology of rhinitis and the development of evidence-based guidelines for management of rhinitis, sinusitis and the practice of immunotherapy.