One in every five people will have a lung condition in their lifetime, such as asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The UK’s abundance of secure health data provides a unique opportunity to better understand causes, prevention, diagnosis and treatment of respiratory diseases, helping to improve outcomes for those affected.

At present, it is difficult for researchers to access and link datasets on lung health for large-scale healthcare innovation. Changes are needed to help enable the improvement of collection, storage and safe use of respiratory-related data by data controllers, to empower impactful research and inform policy.

What is the Respiratory Data Science Catalyst?

The Respiratory Data Science Catalyst is a unique partnership working to facilitate and accelerate health data research into chronic and acute respiratory conditions. It aims to improve respiratory health by enabling data-led research, and its work will encompass several themes, including:

  1. Developing near real-time dashboards
  2. Using population-level health systems data in research
  3. Defining respiratory disease and its consequences
  4. Defining opportunities in NHS Imaging, Spirometry data, and environmental data
  5. Using smartphones and wearables data in research
  6. Enhancing follow-up in respiratory data
  7. Developing data-driven clinical trials
  8. Training researchers and clinicians
  9. Involving people affected by respiratory health.

Watch our introductory webinar to learn more

“I feel that there is so much more that we can do to improve the lives of people with lung conditions and to prevent these illnesses in the first place. Initiatives such as this Respiratory Data Catalyst are so important for us to help break down obstacles to scientists making a real difference.”

Victor Cholij, Scientific Advisor and Trustee at Asthma + Lung UK

Programme team

Jennifer Quint Professor of Respiratory Epidemiology and Co-Director of HDR UK's Inflammation and Immunity Research Driver Programme
Sarah Ward Business Administrator

Scientific Advisory Group

The Respiratory Data Science Catalyst Scientific Advisory Group (SAG) provides strategic direction, independent scientific oversight, and expert support to the Programme team. It reviews progress, fosters collaboration with key partners, and helps connect the Catalyst with the wider respiratory research community.

Dr Elizabeth Sapey Director of PIONEER and Reader in Acute and Respiratory Medicine
Sir Aziz Sheikh Head of Department and Nuffield Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences
Headshot of Mark Juniper
Mark Juniper Medical Director
Steffen Petersen Interim Director
Sam Walker
Sam Walker Director of Research and Innovation
Tom Wilkinson
Tom Wilkinson Professor of Respiratory Medicine
Victor Cholij
Victor Cholij

Contact us

For the Catalyst to succeed and deliver the change that is needed in Respiratory Health, it is vital it listens to voices across the community, and involves them in its plans to succeed.

The Catalyst wants to engage with stakeholders who have an interest or expertise in improving Respiratory Health, including patients, researchers, clinicians, societies, and industry partners.

If you would like to get involved, please contact the Respiratory Data Science Catalyst on respiratorycatalyst@hdruk.ac.uk.

“Respiratory diseases remain some of the most debilitating conditions that our population faces, and we still don’t have the tools we need to tackle them.  The Respiratory Data Science Catalyst is a vital step towards changing this; providing the data, tools and expertise to make a real difference.  As Chair of the Scientific Advisory Group, I am very proud to be part of this important infrastructure.”

Elizabeth Sapey, Chair of the Respiratory Data Science Catalyst Scientific Advisory Group

Frequently asked questions

  • Respiratory data is crucial for several reasons:

    • Improving Health Outcomes – it helps in understanding the impact of respiratory diseases on health outcomes, enabling better diagnosis and treatment strategies
    • Driving Research and Innovation – Data analysis provides insights that can lead to new treatments, therapies and public health measures
    • Enhancing Policy and Resource Allocation – It aids in making informed decisions regarding public health policies and resource allocation
    • Monitoring Trends – Data analysis allows for monitoring health trends and trends in respiratory diseases which can inform future research and public health strategies
    • Supporting Clinical Governance – It supports clinical governance by providing evidence based outcomes and improving quality of care. By leveraging data analysis, healthcare professions can make more informed decisions, improve patient care, and contribute to the overall health of the population

  • The first step is to establish the research question you want to answer and then decide which data source has the information in it you need to answer your research question.

    Secure Data Environments (SDEs) enable approved researchers to access health and care data securely and there are many resources available which hold respiratory data you can request access to. The  HDR UK Gateway provides information on datasets available including the NHS Research SDE Network, SAIL, UKLLC, UK Biobank, Our Future Health and many more. Please see our useful links section for more information.

  • The TRE service provides approved researchers from trusted organisations with secure access to health and care data. Researchers are given access to their approved data (in accordance with their Data Sharing Agreements), enabling them to collaborate, possibly link data, share code and results within the same research projects.

    The service provides a secure data platform with the analytical and statistical tools to support researchers in conducting their work. Their findings can then be exported safely, ensuring the formats and analyses are approved and sent to authorised users.

    Using this option saves time for the researchers as they do not need to wait for the Host organisation to provide reports containing the required pseudo anonymised/anonymised data for the research project.

  • We provide a mix of training, community-building, and practical support to help researchers access, understand, and use respiratory health data at scale. We are able to support you with any respiratory research question you may have, this can include locating the appropriate datasets, helping you to plan analysis and help with data access and funding applications.

  • Yes, you need ethical approval before applying to access datasets, especially if the dataset involves human participants or their data. The specific requirements for ethical approval can vary depending on the type of research and the data set.