Grant Winners 2026

Dr Garikai Kungwengwe, Swansea University

Development of Best Practice for the Surgical Treatment of Sexual Violence-related Injuries to Reduce Scarring and Improve Patient Outcomes

Around one million people in England and Wales have experienced sexual victimisation. Sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) can cause injuries to the perineum, genitals and anorectum that require surgery and leave life altering scarring. Nearly half of women examined after sexual assault have anogenital injuries.

UK services rightly focus on immediate crisis response, but far less on what follows: the pain, lost function and sexual difficulties that scarring can cause for years. The surgical evidence is strikingly thin: one review of reconstruction after SGBV found only sixteen papers, mostly single case reports.

The project is based at Swansea University’s Reconstructive Surgery and Regenerative Medicine Research Centre (ReconRegen), led by Professor Iain Whitaker. The team will map international surgical practice and work with survivors and clinicians to agree on a Core Outcome Set. This will define what should be measured after reconstructive surgery and will then be translated into simulation based training using models built at Swansea.

Around 44% of women seeking asylum in high income countries have experienced sexual violence. Drawing on ReconRegen’s collaboration with Panzi Hospital in the Democratic Republic of Congo, the project will demonstrate how expertise from resource-limited settings can strengthen UK care, so survivors are treated by better-prepared surgeons, against outcomes they helped define.

Dr Benjamin Zuckerman, King's College London

Multimorbidity Across Musculoskeletal Diseases: A Population Genomic Study

People living with conditions such as rheumatoid arthritis, psoriatic arthritis, axial spondyloarthritis and osteoarthritis often develop other physical and mental health conditions alongside their joint disease. However, it is not yet fully understood which conditions occur together, how patterns differ between groups of people, or whether some conditions directly contribute to the development of others. This study aims to understand these patterns and their underlying causes.

Using health and genetic data from the large UK Our Future Health study, Dr Zuckerman will investigate which health conditions commonly occur alongside these musculoskeletal diseases, when they develop, and how they accumulate over time. Genetic approaches will be used, including Mendelian randomisation, to investigate whether the relationships between diseases may be causal, rather than simply associations.

The findings could help clinicians identify who is most at risk of developing additional health problems, what to screen for and when. Ultimately, this could support more personalised and proactive care, targeting prevention and treatment before complications develop.

Dr Dermot Linden, Queen's University Belfast 

REVIVE: Restoring Antiviral Immunity Following EBV Suppression in COPD 

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is the third leading cause of death worldwide. Acute exacerbations of COPD are among the most frequent causes of hospital admission and are associated with accelerated lung function decline and increased mortality.

Approximately half of these episodes are linked to respiratory viral infection, most commonly rhinovirus. A consistent feature of COPD is impaired airway antiviral immunity, particularly dysregulated interferon responses, which may limit the ability of the airway epithelium to control viral infections. Epstein-Barr virus (EBV), a common virus that establishes lifelong persistence, is detected at unusually high levels in the airways of many patients during stable COPD. EBV may contribute to immune dysregulation through persistent antigenic stimulation 20260750 BMA Foundation 2026 Ceremony programme 2026 PROOF 3.indd 21 and modulation of interferon signalling. However, whether EBV directly contributes to impaired antiviral immunity in COPD remains unclear.

In a previous randomised clinical trial, EViSCO, the antiviral medicine valaciclovir significantly suppressed EBV in patients with COPD and was associated with reduced sputum inflammatory cell counts. The current study will use primary bronchial epithelial cells (PBECs) obtained from EViSCO participants who underwent bronchoscopy before and after eight weeks of valaciclovir. Using an established rhinovirus infection model, the study will determine whether EBV suppression modifies epithelial interferon responses and antiviral defences, and will measure viral replication, interferon-stimulated gene expression and epithelial barrier integrity.

Mr Christopher Grollman, University of Liverpool

Variation by Ethnicity in Clinical Trajectories and Outcomes Using Routine Records in Maternal and Perinatal Care (VECTOR-MAP) 

Maternal and newborn outcomes differ between UK ethnic groups. Groups may have different health, access to services, or willingness to seek care. Quality of care may also differ; people may receive different interventions or timing for the same clinical indications. Such differences may be clinically indicated, result from delays in care or care-seeking, or stem from racial, linguistic, social-class or other provider bias.

Differences between groups in care or its timing may not be visible to service users or staff. Clinical records contain data on care and timing. Using a population-level view, patterns that cannot be discerned in practice may be observed. Using routine clinical data from Liverpool Women’s Hospital, the study will investigate variability in care trajectories for mothers with preeclampsia or intrauterine growth restriction and relate these to maternal and infant outcomes. Iterative patient and professional involvement will help identify the mechanisms driving observed differences.

Many upstream factors connect ethnicity with health outcomes, including material conditions, racism, stress and mistrust. Racially or culturally insensitive care is widely reported. What is missing in preventing disparities in frontline care is understanding the mechanisms through which they arise. It is hoped this work will improve understanding of how disparities develop clinically and how they can be prevented.

Dr Aideen O'Neill, University of Oxford 

Unravelling how Bone Marrow Stromal Inflammation Reshapes Immunity, as a Route to Addressing CAR T-cell Failures in B-lineage Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia 

B-lineage acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (B-ALL) is a blood cancer with poor outcomes when it relapses or does not respond to treatment. Outcomes have improved with chimeric antigen receptor T-cell (CAR T-cell) therapy, which can achieve remission in around 90% of patients. However, most patients relapse within two years because the CAR T-cells do not persist.

Efforts to improve CAR T-cell persistence have focused on the CAR T-cells themselves. This research asks whether the bone marrow environment, where B-ALL grows, also contributes to treatment failure. Dr O’Neill is a clinical haematologist and postdoctoral researcher at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, University of Oxford. As part of her PhD, she found that specialised supporting cells in the bone marrow undergo profound changes in B-ALL. These cells develop an inflamed profile and show altered expression of signals that may be involved in regulating the immune environment.

The project will investigate how these stromal changes influence the bone marrow immune environment, CAR T-cell persistence and anti leukaemia function. It will then examine bone marrow samples from patients with B-ALL to investigate whether the same changes occur in human disease.

By investigating the contribution of the bone marrow environment to CAR T-cell failure, this work could identify potential therapeutic targets, and inform future strategies aimed at improving the durability of CAR T-cell responses and reducing the risk of relapse.

Dr Bo Sun, University of Oxford 

Understanding Neurotoxicity to Improve Outcomes in CAR T-Cell Therapy: from Plasma and Immune Profiling to Actionable Early Risk Prediction in ICANS

CAR T-cell therapy is a powerful new form of cancer treatment in which a patient’s own immune cells are genetically reprogrammed to recognise and attack cancer. It has transformed outcomes for some people with otherwise difficult-to-treat blood cancers. However, a significant and common complication is a condition called immune effector cell-associated neurotoxicity syndrome (ICANS). People who develop ICANS can experience confusion, speech problems, seizures and, in severe cases, life-threatening brain swelling. It is not yet fully understood why ICANS happens or why some patients are more vulnerable than others. 

This research aims to understand why some patients develop ICANS and, importantly, whether patients at greatest risk can be identified before symptoms begin. The project will study blood samples collected from patients before and after CAR T-cell therapy and use advanced technologies to track changes in the immune system associated with neurotoxicity.

The goal is to identify a small panel of measurable factors that could be developed into a practical blood test. Earliexr identification of patients at risk could enable closer monitoring and earlier specialist treatment, while helping avoid unnecessary immune-suppressing therapies that might reduce the anti-cancer benefits of CAR T-cells.

Dr Kushalinii Hillson, Imperial College London

Feasibility, Acceptability and Utility of a Contactless Digital Home Monitoring Device in Predicting Attacks of Preschool Wheeze

Dr Hillson is a paediatric respiratory doctor at the Royal Brompton Hospital, completing her PhD at Imperial College London. She has cared for many young children with severe, recurrent wheeze attacks. This is one of the most common illnesses of early childhood, yet little has changed in how these attacks are managed. For families, the hardest part is the uncertainty: young children cannot explain or understand how they feel, and there is currently no reliable way to know when a serious attack is coming.

Dr Hillson’s PhD has already developed and validated a model that predicts which children are at higher risk of a wheeze attack within the next three months. This study goes further, aiming to warn of an imminent attack within days, giving parents time to seek help before their child becomes seriously unwell. It uses Albus Home, a small contactless device placed by the child’s bed, that quietly monitors night-time breathing and coughing while the child sleeps. This device has been validated in older children with asthma, where their cough and breathing rate changed up to five days before a wheeze attack. The study will follow up with high-risk children under the age of six over a six-month period. This will help to see whether the same early warning signs appear in the younger age group as well.

If successful, this device could give families a few days’ notice of an attack, speeding up adoption of digital technology to shift care towards early intervention and the prevention of wheeze attacks.

Dr Lawrence Hutchinson, University College London

Clinical Phenotype in Chronic Pelvic Pain and Neuromodulation

Bladder Pain Syndrome (BPS) is a debilitating chronic pelvic pain condition characterised by persistent bladder pain, altered bladder function, and substantial impairment in quality of life. BPS is often resistant to conventional treatments, which struggle to account for the unique mechanisms driving an individual’s pain. There is increasing evidence that differences in symptoms and treatment response between individuals with the same chronic pain diagnosis may reflect differences in contributing mechanisms.

Quantitative sensory testing is a technique that allows researchers to isolate and map the distinct mechanisms contributing to pain, whilst putting the subjective experience of the individual at the centre of its evaluation. By combining this with validated questionnaires exploring psychological wellbeing and overall quality of life, the study aims to better understand the sensory and psychosocial profiles of people suffering with BPS, how these profiles group together, and the similarities and differences between these groups.

The funding provided by the Kathleen Harper grant will help to establish a dedicated quantitative sensory testing suite at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery Pain Management Centre. This will enable crucial research, expanding understanding of BPS, and informing its mechanism-based management. The findings of this work will also inform the design of future pilot studies and large-scale interventional research into electrical stimulation therapy (neuromodulation) in the management of Bladder Pain Syndrome.

Dr Tamim Akbari, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Disease Trajectory and Predictors of Risk in DCM Using Machine Learning

Heart failure affects approximately 64 million people worldwide and costs the NHS about £6 billion each year. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM), in which the heart’s main pumping chambers become enlarged and weakened, is a major cause of heart failure and the leading reason for referral for heart transplantation among young adults. Although treatments have improved substantially, up to 40% of patients remain symptomatic. Predicting how DCM will progress, who is at risk of poor health outcomes, and who will respond to treatment remains difficult because patients differ in their clinical features, genetics, and imaging findings.

Using state of the art machine learning methods, this research aims to integrate diverse sources of information to 1) improve understanding of DCM progression 2) predict who is at risk of major health events, and 3) delineate who is most likely to benefit from treatments. The results of this research aim to support more personalised care, better follow-up planning, and more efficient use of healthcare resources

Dr Tamim Akbari, Guy’s and St. Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust

Personalised Risk Score for Sudden Death in DCM: DCM-RISK

Patients with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) can experience exhaustion, shortness of breath, leg swelling, and life threatening heart rhythm disturbances leading to sudden death. Implantable cardiac defibrillators (ICD), which work by applying an electric current to the heart to restore a normal heartbeat, can be a lifesaving treatment for patients. Identifying which patients are most likely to benefit from ICDs is not fully understood.

Dr Akbari’s research focuses on developing an algorithm for predicting the need for ICDs more accurately. Using data from one of the largest multi-centre databases for DCM in the world, factors will be identified which can be used to form a risk score. Accuracy of the score will be validated in other large datasets using statistical tests. Results from the research are expected to guide patient clinician decisions, enabling ICDs to be targeted to those most likely to derive benefit while avoiding unnecessary implantation in those at low risk.

Dr Momina Yazdani, Imperial College London

Probing Mechanisms Underlying Genetic Predisposition to Acute Myocarditis

Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, the inflammation is usually related to a recent viral infection. For some patients it can become very serious, causing dangerous heart rhythms or severe heart failure. Doctors still cannot easily predict who is most at risk of these complications, which can make the condition difficult to explain to patients and families.

Recent studies, including major work performed by Dr Yazdani’s group, suggest that some people with myocarditis are more likely to carry genetic changes usually linked to inherited heart muscle disease.

This project aims to understand why myocarditis affects people so differently, and whether a person’s genes can make them more vulnerable to serious heart damage. Dr Yazdani will grow “mini-hearts” from patients’ cells, in the laboratory, allowing her to safely study how heart tissue responds to infection and inflammation. She will look at how these genetic changes affect the structure and function of heart muscle cells after injury.

By revealing why some patients progress from myocarditis to long-term heart muscle disease, this work could help doctors identify those at greatest risk and support the development of more personalised monitoring and treatment.

Mr Aidan Hurst, University of Oxford

Investigating N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT) as a Model of Ménière’s Disease

Ménière’s disease (MD) is an incurable disease with a devastating impact on human lives. Its main symptoms are vertigo, tinnitus, pressure in the inner ear, and diplacusis. Diplacusis leads to distortions to pitch, and voices sounding robotic and distorted. Most often, diplacusis causes a downward shift in pitch perception. This can ruin a musician’s career, diminish the appreciation of music, and affect the interpretation of tonal languages (such as Mandarin or Yoruba).

N,N-diisopropyltryptamine (DiPT) is a serotonergic compound that induces a bilateral, downward shift in pitch perception, alongside sensations of pressure in the inner ear when ingested by humans. 5-MeO-DET, a chemically related compound, has been reported to induce vertigo and tinnitus in humans. Both of these compounds induce these effects transiently and reversibly, and neither have been investigated biochemically.

As these compounds produce effects that strongly overlap with symptoms of MD, the project will investigate whether they can be used to model key features of the disease, and whether their unique effects arise from the same biochemical processes involved in MD. Developing DiPT and 5-MeO-DET as MD models could enable researchers to screen potential treatments and improve understanding of the biochemical causes of vertigo and diplacusis in MD.

Dr Adil Rashid, Royal College of Surgeons of England

Tackling International Inequalities in Early-onset Colorectal Cancer

Dr Adil Rashid’s research seeks to generate novel insights into the trends in early-onset colorectal cancer (EOCRC), focused on tackling inequalities and identifying targets for improvement in the early diagnosis of colorectal cancer.

While colorectal cancer incidence has declined among adults over 50 years of age, largely attributed to the expansion of screening programmes, the incidence of colorectal cancer among adults under 50 years of age (early-onset colorectal cancer, EOCRC) is increasing globally. 

Stage at diagnosis is a key determinant of prognosis, with five-year survival exceeding 90% for stage I cancer but falling to approximately 10% for stage IV cancer. The contribution of geographic and sociodemographic factors on the incidence of EOCRC, and stage IV EOCRC, remains unclear.

The findings aim to identify specific population groups and geographical areas at highest risk of advanced stage EOCRC, providing evidence to inform targeted public health interventions and improvements in diagnostic capacity.

Dr Sanjay Budhdeo, University College London

Large Language Models to Analyse CNS Tumour Inequalities

Dr Sanjay Budhdeo is a neurologist whose research sits at the intersection of artifi cial intelligence and medicine. Following a PhD at University College London applying machine learning to drug repurposing, an NHS England InnovateMD Fellowship at the London AI Centre has given him experience in large language models (LLMs) and their application to clinical data.

CNS tumours have a devastating impact, causing the death of more children and adults under 40 than any other cancer in the UK. Socioeconomic deprivation is associated with poorer survival in glioma, but it is not yet known which areas in the clinical pathway contribute most to these poorer outcomes. The NHS already holds extraordinarily rich information about patients’ cancer journeys, but much of it is trapped in millions of clinical documents rather than available as structured data for research. OncoLlama is an NHS-developed LLM based system that can extract cancer type, stage, biomarkers, treatments and outcomes into analysable data. This research project proposes to create a tailored OncoLlama schema, to identify datapoints specific to CNS tumours. Application to electronic health record data can then identify inequalities at individual steps in care. The research aims to identify where services could intervene to make care more equitable.

Dr Rhys Dore, University of Cambridge

Targeting PTEN Regulation in Brain Development and Neurological Disorders

PTEN hamartoma tumour syndrome (PHTS) is a rare disease associated with variants in the PTEN gene. Patients can experience variable neurological problems including developmental delay, autism, epilepsy, abnormal brain development, and an increased risk of cancer. There are currently no targeted treatments to improve neurological outcomes in PHTS.

PTEN is important in the developing brain, where small changes in its activity can affect how neurons grow, connect and function. However, we still do not fully understand how PTEN levels are regulated in human brain development. This project will investigate two related non coding RNA molecules, PTENP1 and PTENP1 AS, which may help control PTEN activity.

The Vera Down grant will enable Dr Dore to research this hypothesis. He will use long-read RNA sequencing to identify previously unrecognised PTEN-related transcripts in developing human brain tissue. He will then use CRISPR-edited stem-cell derived neurons to model different PTEN variants and test whether altering PTENP1 and PTENP1-AS changes PTEN levels and neuronal function.

By understanding how this regulatory system contributes to differences in neurological outcomes, the project could identify new biomarkers and therapeutic targets for people with PHTS. The findings could also provide insights relevant to other neurological conditions in which PTEN and related signalling pathways are disrupted.

Dr Laura Convertino, King's College London 

Synaptic Connectivity in Schizophrenia: A MEG Investigation of SV2A Modulation

Schizophrenia affects how people think, perceive the world and function in everyday life. While effective treatments are available to control psychotic symptoms, cognitive difficulties and negative symptoms remain poorly understood and managed, with major impact on quality of life and long-term recovery. One leading theory is that, in schizophrenia, balance between excitatory and inhibitory activity in the brain is disrupted. Recent brain-imaging studies have also found reduced levels of SV2A, a protein involved in communication between brain cells. However, it is not yet known whether this change contributes to abnormal brain function.

This study, supported by the BMA Foundation Margaret Temple award, will address that question by combining magnetoencephalography (MEG), which measures brain activity, with levetiracetam, a licensed epilepsy medicine that temporarily alters SV2A function. By comparing its effects in people with schizophrenia and healthy volunteers, the study will test whether SV2A contributes directly to disrupted brain signalling and cognitive processes. Understanding this mechanism could ultimately identify new treatment targets for the cognitive symptoms that remain poorly treated today.

PrEP Bundled Pathways

This 18-month pilot, funded by the Elton John AIDS Foundation, aims to expand access to HIV pre exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) among underserved communities using a place based model. Led by sexual health services in Liverpool, Brighton & Hove and West Sussex, the project is being delivered in partnership with community organisations, primary care providers and local authority commissioners.

The pilot tests innovative approaches to improving PrEP access. PrEP discussions have been embedded within women’s health hubs, with on-site prescribing available in one setting. An outreach initiative combining menstrual health products with sexual health information and PrEP offers has increased STI screening and PrEP uptake among women in community and complex-needs settings. For asylum-seeking, refugee and migrant communities, outreach in migrant hotels and holistic health clinics has provided culturally competent, trauma-informed access to PrEP.

Digital innovations include Liverpool’s direct-to consumer PrEPDirect service and expansion of the PrEP EmERGE mobile app in Liverpool and West Sussex, improving access, releasing capacity and increasing overall PrEP activity.

Community co-design underpins the programme, ensuring services reflect lived experience and address barriers to access. Delivery is supported by organisations working with trans and non binary people, sex workers, women experiencing homelessness, students, LGBTQ+ ethnically minoritised communities, Black African women, and asylum-seeking and migrant women. Ongoing evaluation will inform future commissioning and potential national scale-up.

Hey Bruce

Hey Bruce is a co-produced digital health initiative designed to improve access to HIV prevention, sexual health information and wellbeing support for male sex workers, a population that often experiences stigma, marginalisation and barriers to accessing traditional health care services.

The project combines a trauma-informed AI chatbot, Bruce, with a dedicated website hosting evidence-based resources, peer-led content and signposting to sexual health and support services. Developed through a partnership between men with lived experience of sex work, sexual health clinical specialist Dr Kevin Turner (Dorset Health Care NHS Foundation Trust), health psychologist Dr Jane Meyrick (University of the West of England, Bristol), and human-computer interaction researcher Dr Matt Tatwood (Northumbria University), Hey Bruce offers a safe, anonymous, and non-judgemental space where users can access trustworthy information tailored to their circumstances. The platform covers HIV prevention, STI testing, vaccination, emotional wellbeing, workplace safety and harm reduction, while promoting dignity, autonomy and informed decision-making.

By combining innovation in digital healthcare with meaningful community involvement, Hey Bruce helps address longstanding inequalities in sexual health provision and strengthens connections between underserved communities and healthcare services. The project exemplifies the values of partnership, inclusivity and evidence-based practice that underpin high-quality HIV and sexual health care.

For more information, please get in touch:

People & Corporate development, British Medical Association, Tavistock Square, London, WC1H 9JP

Tel: 0207 383 6341 

Email the team: researchgrants@bma.org.uk