What we do

Our research areas in the Centre for Lifelong Health

Our members collaborate locally, nationally and internationally with other academic institutions, charities, hospitals and businesses, focusing on four main themes:

• Mechanisms of disease
• Prevention of disease
• Medicines use
• Integrated technologies

Research in all four themes is supplemented by colleagues in chemistry with expertise in analytical chemistry, electrochemistry, materials chemistry, protein chemistry, lipid chemistry and sensor design.

Many of our members belong to the BLAST network, which focuses on increasing scientific understanding of the mechanistic drivers of biological ageing that diminish health span and lifespan, and identification of predictive/diagnostic biomarkers of age-related poor health.

Research into the mechanisms of disease

We are proud of our multi- interdisciplinary approach to understanding the mechanisms underlying the initiation and progression of a range of diseases/disorders and the influence that the natural ageing process has on these conditions.  We have international expertise in the areas of Ageing, Cancer, Gastrointestinal disorders, Hearing, HIV and Musculo-skeletal disorders.

Of particular note in this area are:

• Mel Flint's work revealing and invesigating the relationship between stress and cancer 
• Andrei Lukashkin’s 'Bioengineering devices for the treatment of hearing loss', which led to a better understanding of hearing loss of different genesis and new treatment methods.

Research into the prevention of disease

Work in this theme is focused on the identification of predictive biomarkers of disease, with the aim that early interventions will delay or prevent disease initiation. Patel and Yeoman’s research is currently focused on generating novel sensors for predicting the progression of gastrointestinal ageing and the onset of CNS disorders.  Work by Staines is utilising the way in which the skeleton develops during adolescence as a predictor of future bone disorders such as osteoarthritis. Additionally, members are exploring the role of changes in the microbiome as a predictor of disease, and the role played by exercise and nutrition in disease prevention.

Notable projects in this area include:

• Imaging joint biomechanics in growth and osteoarthritis , which identifies ways in which the skeleton grows during childhood and adolescence in order to identify those at risk of developing osteoarthritis.
• The ESPRC-funded project 'Drug-eluting in vivo probe to monitor age-related lower bowel dysfunction', which led to the making of an electrochemical probe that can be inserted into the lower bowel to track the changes in the chemicals released from the mucosa and the muscle activity.

Research into medicines use

This theme focuses on three main areas of research:

The science of medicines

Utilises basic science research expertise and techniques to increase our understanding of medicines and inform how to use them safely and effectively.  Areas of research expertise include: Adverse drug reactions in older people, pharmacokinetics, pharmaceutical formulation; clinical bioanalysis and monitoring; pharmacogenetics and pharmacogenomics.

The clinical use of medicines

Examines human behaviours and psychology in health and disease.  Areas of research expertise include: behavioural medicine, health psychology, and the use of medicines in paediatrics.

Medicines related education, training and support

Identifies and tests new approaches to educate and assess the current and future workforce with regards to medicines use, and medicines use research.

Notable projects in these areas include:

• 'Does a loss of blood-brain barrier integrity in Alzheimer’s disease lead to changes in the pharmacokinetics of acetylcholinesterase inhibitors?'
• Evaluation of a pharmacist medicines optimisation clinic for high-risk patients following STEMI, a project which explored whether pharmacist-led clinic care could help to achieve the goal of optimisation of cardio-protective therapies for ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients after their hospital discharge.

Integrated technologies

The integrated technologies theme focuses on the capabilities and instrumentation available to the researcher in the Centre for Lifelong Health.

This strategy employs technology which underpins the research to improve interdisciplinary collaborations with the goal to produce groundbreaking findings. The overlap of technologies with their respective expertise delivers a unique advantage to the researcher, in terms of quality of outputs and improved outcomes and opportunity for funding.  The theme also provides valued training opportunity for post-doctoral research fellows (PDRFs).

Instrumentation and expertise under this theme:

• Dual energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) scanner (Dr Staines)
• High resolution mass spectrometry and bioinformatics, which can enable proteomics, lipidomics and metabolomic studies. (Dr Stewart, Dr Dymond)
• Laser capture microdissection (LCM) microscope. 
• Genomics high-throughput sequencing of exomes, whole genomes, and transcriptomes (A Hesketh)
• Biosensors (Prof. Patel)
• Fluorescence-activated cell sorting (FACS)
• Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy

Notable achievements in this area include:

• Understanding the heterogeneity of diseased tissue using state of the art omics technology for the prevention and treatment of disease, through which funding from the Medical Research Council brought about the purchase a laser microdissection microscope.

Our research impact and knowledge exchange

The Public Health Sector

In the short-term our increased understanding of the processes underlying a range of diseases will be utilised to further educate relevant healthcare professionals. In the longer term, the identification of key molecular targets, the development or re-purposing of drugs to target these sites, novel diagnostics and devices will direct clinical trials and therefore guide and direct clinical practices within the health sector. Our links to the NHS through the Brighton and Sussex Medical School and the local Health Research Partnership allow us to be well placed to maximise the impact of our work, for example in the development of sensor technology to help predict those at risk of developing chronic constipation/faecal incontinence.

The Commercial Private Sector

Several our members  have links with the commercial private sector and the centre encourages its members to forge new links where appropriate.  Links are facilitated by the professional services within the Research and Knowledge Exchange department, which has excellent links with regional industry and has a history of cooperation with the medical device, pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries, will support the research team. The department of will support all IP protection for all novel products associated with the proposal. For example, projects with Carbalive are exploring the development of artificial livers while those with Cooper Vision are developing novel accommodating contact lenses.

Third Sector

The centre has links with a range of charitable organisations and our work is regularly disseminated to local members.  Projects that involve working with charities include Breast Cancer Now, Rosetrees Trust, Big Lottery/Age Concern, Diabetes UK, ARUK with tangible local benefits and longer-term national influence.

Projects with links to charitable organisations include a grant with Age Concern/Big Lottery exploring the health benefits of attending the ‘Eastbourne Shed’ and a separate project exploring whether stress hormones can influence tumour recurrence.

General Public

The diseases that form the focus of the work in the centre occur across the life course. We constantly raise awareness of these conditions and explain how the findings from our research will tackle these challenges through a range of outreach events to patients, the public and to school children.

The information we provide has improved the understanding of a range of conditions of older people.  Those with diseases are more informed about their conditions and the medicines used to treat them. Carers become more familiar with the problems faced by those with a disease.  Finally, for the sufferer, we hope that our public lectures will help make this taboo subject less embarrassing to talk about and help them feel able to discuss their condition, with friends, carers and their GP more openly, thus improving care.

This work supports public engagement and outreach through STEM Sussex, who annually host STEMFest as part of the Big Bang Southeast. The School of Applied Sciences where the centre sits also has its own outreach programme which showcases current and topical science to over 800 school children per year and members of U3A.

Research outputs and projects from the Centre for Lifelong Health

Details of research publications and other outputs fostered by the centre and achieved by its members, along with funded projects delivered by the centre, can be accessed on the Centre for Lifelong Health's database of research.

• Visit the Centre for Lifelong Health's overview page on our research database
• Visit the record of the Centre for Lifelong Health's research publications and other outputs 
• Visit the record of the Centre for Lifelong Health's funded projects 

Our most recently funded projects