World's first for UHSM
“Over the past few decades the incidence of invasive apergillosis has risen steadily. It is now the most common invasive mould infection worldwide. Mortality is almost 100% if the disease is left untreatedIt occurs in up to 25% of all leukemia patients and is the leading infectious cause of death in many transplant centres."
Professor David Denning
Department, UHSM
“I was delighted when Professor Denning asked me to be involved. I am still recovering from a virus which would have claimed my life had it not been for the treatment and care I recieved at Wythenshawe Hospital, so I know first hand the medical expertise that services delivered by UHSM offer."
Dr Chris Steele
Resident doctor, This Morning
The first centre in the world to help hundreds of thousands of people in the UK and around the globe who suffer from a little known but devastating fungal disease that effects the lungs, nose and sinuses officially opened on May 1st 2009 at UHSM's Wythenshawe Hospital.
Aspergillus is a family of fungi, extremely common in the air we all breathe. But, while most people kill the fungal spores rapidly others are sensitised to them. This produces allergic symptoms including asthma, life threatening pneumonia in leukaemia, lung cancer and organ transplant patients.
The national aspergillus centre will focus on another form of the disease - a chronic pneumonia which leaves cavities on the lung - and link specialists consultants, nurses, surgeons, radiologists and researchers to reduce deaths and deliver a better quality of care for patients.
Here at UHSM research carried out on Aspergillus is looking at the many ways we can grow our knowledge of the disease, from genomics to studies of new drugs we have collaborations all over the world including the Public Health Research Institute in Newark, New York and multiple leading medical centres in Europe and India.