Professor Stuart Elborn

Professor Elborn is a well-established international leader having driven major changes in healthcare delivery in the field of cystic fibrosis and bronchiectasis.

Prior to taking up his current post at Queen’s University Belfast, Professor Elborn was Clinical Professor of Respiratory Medicine/Consultant Physician and Director of Adult Cystic Fibrosis and Chronic Lung Infection at the National Heart and Lung Institute, Imperial College and Royal Brompton Hospital London.

He has spent decades researching Cystic Fibrosis (CF) and his work has led to major breakthroughs in treating the condition. In all his research, Professor Elborn endeavours to bring scientists and clinicians together to promote inter-disciplinary research. He has been successful in developing programmes of research across disciplines, hospitals and universities in Northern Ireland as well as across the UK and Europe.

Professor Jose Bengoechea

His research focuses on boosting host defences to fight against infections caused by antibiotic resistant bacteria. He is a world leader in the fight against Klebsiella pneumoniae, one of the deadliest hospital superbugs, with mortality rates of 25-60 per cent. Klebsiella infections are typical secondary infections that occur following influenza infection.

Professor Frank Kee

His research focuses on life-course epidemiology and methods, complex public health interventions and decision sciences. He is currently leading a study on “health systems” responses to Middle East respiratory syndrome (MERS), a viral respiratory disease caused by a novel coronavirus that was first identified in Saudi Arabia in 2012.

Professor Ultan Power

In partnership with Professor Mike Shields, of the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine he is engaged in research into one of the biggest causes of severe acute lung disease (bronchiolitis) in young infants worldwide – respiratory syncytial virus (RSV). Following the award of a UKRI grant for nearly £300,000, Professor Power and his team will now direct their expertise to screen existing drugs for activity against COVID-19.

Professor Ken Mills

His research has focused on improving diagnosis, prognosis and prediction of therapeutic responses for blood cancers. He is part of a cross-disciplinary research team that is testing whether current drugs can be “repurposed” to treat COVID-19. 

Professor Danny McAuley

Professor Danny McAuley is a Professor of Intensive Care Medicine at the Wellcome-Wolfson Institute for Experimental Medicine at Queen's University, and a Consultant in Intensive Care Medicine at the Royal Victoria Hospital, Belfast. His other roles include Co-Director of Research for the UK Intensive Care Society and Director for MRC / NIHR Efficacy and Mechanism Evaluation programme

A key aim of his research work is to translate early research findings to improve patient outcomes. His major interest is the Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome (ARDS).

Professor Cliff Taggart

His research focuses on evaluating mechanisms of excessive inflammation in lung disease and how this may predispose to bacterial and viral infection in the lung. Primary disease interests include Cystic Fibrosis, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease and Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome.

His work focuses on how the innate immune response becomes dysregulated during excessive inflammation as a result of elevated protease activity.

Dr Lindsay Broadbent

She is currently working on a Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) Fellowship to investigate the immune responses to respiratory viruses, such as influenza, and how this can cause damage to the lungs.

Dr Connor Bamford

His work is currently supported by a Wellcome Trust Institutional Strategic Support Fund (ISSF) Fellowship. He is researching immunity to viruses and bacteria in the lung and the role that specific cytokines, known as 'interferons,' play, with the hope of identifying novel ways to block infections. Of note for combating  COVID-19, Connor has significant experience in working with human pathogens.

Professor Liam Heaney

He founded and co-ordinates the UK Severe Asthma Registry which aims to standardise UK specialist severe asthma services and facilitate research into the assessment and clinical management of severe asthma.

Professor Heaney's award-winning research focuses on digital technologies to identify and manage poor adherence to therapy, use of biomarker based assessments to optimise corticosteroid treatment and understanding the mechanism of poor corticosteroid response in severe asthma.

Dr Timothy Shaw

Dr Timothy Shaw is an MRC Clinical Research Fellow and a specialty registrar in medical microbiology. He is interested in new strategies to boost the immune response against complex lung infections. Currently he is investigating the potential for a cell therapy, using mesenchymal stromal cells, in the fight against mycobacterial respiratory infections.

Professor Cecilia O'Kane

Her research focuses on understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms driving alveolar inflammation and injury in ARDS (acute respiratory distress syndrome), a devastating illness causing respiratory failure in the critically ill, and the classical pattern of injury in the lungs of patients with COVID infection. Another research focus is exploring new therapeutic interventions for ARDS in clinically relevant human models through to clinical trials.

Her research group at Queen's works in both wet lab and clinical research, and has a particular focus on human models of the lung environment. The group is currently working on the therapeutic potential of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs) to reduce injury and promote repair in lungs in the presence of infection and ARDS, in both laboratory models and clinical trials.