Every person in the UK will experience a respiratory illness at some point in their life, yet the country’s world-leading health datasets remain too difficult for researchers to find, access, and use. This project, called BREATHE, aims to fix that by creating a central hub where trained, approved experts can securely access respiratory data from the NHS, pharmaceutical companies, charities, and other sources. The problem is not a lack of data—it is that the data are scattered, poorly organised, and hard to combine. BREATHE will build the infrastructure to make these datasets findable and usable, while keeping patient information safe. If it succeeds, researchers will be able to run high-quality studies and develop new treatments far more quickly than they can now. Patients and members of the public with respiratory conditions have been involved from the start, helping to shape what the hub does and how it works. The project does not itself develop new drugs or devices, but it creates the data-sharing system that makes such innovations possible.
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"What is the problem? Everyone in the UK will have a respiratory illness at some point in their life. We have the best datasets in the world – which should be used to improve respiratory health – but these are currently very difficult to find, access and use. What do we want to do? People in the UK deserve the best respiratory health. We want to make respiratory health better by changing the way the NHS, pharmaceutical companies, charities and researchers use data. How will we do it? We will create a Hub (called BREATHE) where trained, approved experts can access respiratory data to benefit patients and the public. We will make it easier for experts to use data in safe and secure ways. How will this benefit patients? BREATHE will support high quality research and cutting-edge innovation that will improve the lives of people living with respiratory conditions in the UK. It is important that patients and the public are involved with this project throughout, including from the very start. This is why there are patient and public members living with respiratory conditions who have worked with us on developing this proposal and who are committed to delivering BREATHE’s goals."
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