PVDU Research

The Pulmonary Vascular Disease Unit (PVDU) research team works very closely with the PVDU service partners to provide an environment for the delivery of innovative research with an emphasis on the integration of basic science into clinical medicine as a vital part of delivering best patient care by improving the range of treatments available.

Patient-centricity in clinical trials is incredibly important here at Royal Papworth and involves designing and participating in studies that consider the perspectives, experiences, and needs of our patients. 

Papers published from the PVDU Team have raised awareness and improved our understanding of the epidemiology and risk factors for pulmonary hypertension (specifically in PAH/CTEPH). Our research into advanced PH technologies (investigator driven Phase 2 and 3 trials) and biological markers (investigator driven original research), have directly improved patient outcomes.

The PVDU collaborates closely with the University of Cambridge, and particular with Dr Mark Toshner - Associate Professor at the University of Cambridge Group, on projects related to, pulmonary vascular cell and molecular biology, genetics and digital monitoring of PAH and CTEPH patients.

As part of the National Cohort Study of Idiopathic and Heritable PAH - IPAH Cohort, Royal Papworth researchers together with other National PH centres, have established a world-leading collaboration to understand the genetics, epidemiology and factors influencing clinical outcomes in PAH. This collaboration continues with The UK National Pulmonary Hypertension Clinical Studies Network, often referred to as UNIPHY. It serves as a national platform for research and patient access to clinical trials.

Published article
The following article was presented at the 2024 ERS Congress, in session “Innovative perspectives on cellular mechanisms in lung diseases.

• The UK National Cohort Study of Idiopathic and Heritable Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension ten years on: an Overview and its Future. | European Respiratory Society |  Eur Respir J 2024; 64: Suppl. 68, PA2496  

We have established the first International CTEPH consortium (6 European &1 US centres), to build biobanking and a collaborative network for clinical research. This capitalises on the unique structure of the UK PH centres network, allowing for the systematic collection of clinical data and collection of blood samples as a biorepository.

Royal Papworth's PVDU has a very active research programme both Commercial and Investigator Led. Trial patients are often seen in the state of the art Clinical Research Facility located in the Victor Phillip Dahdaleh Heart & Lung Research Institute (VPD-HLRI).

We collaborate actively with several other National, European and American pulmonary hypertension units and research institutes. Our translational research programmes provide the environment to foster young researchers to investigate basic science questions with clinical impact. This provides a unique opportunity for scientific breakthroughs, technological advances and new treatments in the field of pulmonary hypertension with a specific focus on Chronic Thromboembolic Pulmonary Hypertension and Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension This interactive and friendly atmosphere has also encouraged a generation of doctor trainees to apply for higher educational degrees e.g. MPhil, MD, PhD.  

Useful links:

• About ICA - International CTEPH Association
• Pulmonary Hypertension Global Patient Survey (PHGPS) | The Pulmonary Vascular Research Institute (PVRI)
• Research | PHA
• Be Part of Research