Asthma + Lung UK has become a Founding Charity Member of Our Future Health, the UK’s largest health research programme. The programme is building a community of volunteers to create a detailed picture of the nation’s health.
As one of the leading health charities providing valuable support to Our Future Health, Asthma + Lung UK wants the millions of people with lung conditions to be better represented in health research. They were previously an affiliate charity of the programme and have been contributing to Our Future Health since it first launched in 2022.
With their new Founding Charity Membership, Asthma + Lung UK will play a larger role in the programme, including sitting on the Our Future Health Founders Board, an integral part of its governance that brings together charity and industry partners who are co-funding the programme.
The Founding Charity Members (including Cancer Research UK) will work collaboratively, sharing knowledge, expertise and resources to accelerate progress in improving health outcomes for the entire UK population, including under-served communities who historically have not been well represented in research programmes of this nature.
1 in every 5 people will have a lung condition in their lifetime 5.4 million people in the UK are living with asthma. Working together with partners like Asthma + Lung UK, the project will reach and engage scientific and clinical communities, along with people living with asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), other lung conditions and the wider public, to contribute to the scientific vision of the programme and to maximise the use of Our Future Health.
Dr Samantha Walker, Director of Research and Innovation at Asthma + Lung UK, said: “We’re thrilled to be joining the UK’s largest research programme, which has the potential to change the lives of people living with lung conditions. In the past twenty years there has been little improvement in how we diagnose and treat lung conditions, despite the fact they are the third biggest killer in the UK.
“We’re fighting for increased funding for research and innovation that could transform and save millions of lives in the UK and across the world. Working together with Our Future Health is an unmissable opportunity to use health data for research to take a huge step forward for lung health, helping us to understand early development and progression of lung disease, ultimately leading to better diagnosis, treatment and management.”
Dr Raghib Ali, Chief Executive and Chief Medical Officer of Our Future Health, said: “We’re delighted that Asthma + Lung UK has signed as one of our first Founding Charity Members. They have supported Our Future Health since the beginning and we look forward to more exciting opportunities to work together to help the thousands of people living with lung conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).”
Asthma + Lung UK is the nation’s lung health charity dedicated to helping create a world where good lung health and the ability to breathe freely are a basic right enjoyed by all. From research and campaigning to advice and support, they are on a mission to change the way that lung health is perceived.