National Institute for Health and Care Research

21/07/2025

Our colleagues have been out and about promoting Be Part of Research at Pride events across the country!

📍 Places we've visited include:

Bristol
Bournemouth
Birmingham
Stockport

👀 Have you seen us at your local Pride event? Let us know in the comments!

18/07/2025

Over a third of adults in the UK are affected by long-term chronic pain. For some who have to live with this condition, standard treatments like pain medication may only have limited benefits.

The impact of chronic pain goes beyond the intensity of the pain itself. It affects quality of life and someone’s ability to engage in work or social activities.

🧪 Research is helping to understand the causes of chronic pain better and find new treatments.

💬 Professor Lesley Colvin, a pain researcher at the University of Dundee, said: "Personalising treatment plans for chronic pain could make a big difference. But we still need to find the right mix of drugs or non-drug therapies that best work for each patient.”

Read a blog by Professor Colvin about how research is helping people with chronic pain and find out how you can take part in the comments below 👇

17/07/2025

Content creator and author Hannah Witton sat down with Prof Matt Brookes, an NIHR researcher and consultant gastroenterologist, to chat about inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) research and how everyone can get involved by signing up to Be Part of Research.

📹 Watch the full video on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/D0nAsYc9p1s

17/07/2025

Our annual report has been published today, showcasing how NIHR funded and supported research is changing lives across the UK and globally 🎉

Read the report and find out more about how 👇
🏠 Virtual wards could support bringing healthcare into our homes
🧽 A small sponge could help detect cancer earlier
🚚 Research vans are bringing research to coastal and rural communities

And much more. Read the full report by following the link in the comments 👇

16/07/2025

Eating disorders are complex and often misunderstood conditions that affect almost 4 million people in the UK.

There’s still so much that clinicians need to learn about eating disorders - including why some people are more affected than others.

That’s why research into eating disorders is vital.

We are supporting studies such as EDGI UK, which is building one of the largest datasets in the world to explore why some people develop eating disorders. 🧬

💬 Professor Gerome Breen, who leads the initiative, said: "By joining, you’ll be enabling discoveries that could lead to new treatments for everyone with eating disorders."

Click the link in the comments below to read more and find out how you can get involved in research 👇

There is much that we still don’t know about eating disorders and why some people are affected more than others. That’s why research is vital.

15/07/2025

Mary’s motivation to take part in research is deeply personal.

🧠 She saw her mother, and before that her grandmother, suffer the devastating effects of dementia. It was an experience that strengthened her determination to help with research.

🩸 Her involvement began with a study at Maudsley Hospital in south London looking at blood biomarkers for Alzheimer’s. Since then, she has taken part in further research include multiple online brain tests and lifestyle questionnaires.

💬 She said: “We all need to get interested in research because it affects our lives. The most important thing to say is that prevention is better than cure. Don’t wait until you get ill, let’s find out how to stop you getting ill.”

Want to take part in research like Mary? Find out how by clicking the link in the comment below!

14/07/2025

The use of artificial intelligence (AI) is growing across healthcare, particularly in the diagnosis of diseases.

Research shows that AI can help doctors with clinical decision-making, freeing up time for other work.

New AI tools, developed thanks to research we supported, have helped:

💊 Predict patients’ responses to cancer drugs
🏥 Reduce COVID-19 spread in hospitals
👩‍⚕️ Continually improve patient care

Read about how AI is improving the way diseases are diagnosed and how you can get involved in research in the comment below 👇

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12/07/2025

After being successfully treated for skin cancer, Bea from Reading was keen to give something back.

💻 She signed up to to find out about suitable studies she could take part in and was matched to MyMelanoma. This major skin cancer study aims to answer the most important questions about the cancer and its treatment.

❤️ Discussing her decision to take part, Bea said: “Health is the best commodity that we have; it's our biggest wealth. It's important that we learn more and more about this disease for future generations - to improve their chances if they get diagnosed.”

Read her story in the comments below 👇

39-year-old Bea, from Reading, signed up to Be Part of Research after being treated for melanoma. She share her experience of being matched to a health research study.

11/07/2025

If you’re of Bangladeshi or Pakistani heritage your help is needed to support health researchers to understand and tackle higher rates of disease in these communities.

The Genes & Health study wants to better understand the link between a person’s genes and diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, mental health and cancer. It is hoped this will lead to better ways to prevent, identify and treat disease in the future. 🧬

Taking part is easy. All you need to do is provide a small saliva (spit) sample through the post or at selected GP practices and hospitals. We also ask you to complete a short questionnaire about your health and agree for researchers to securely link to your NHS health information.

To take part search for Genes & Health. There you’ll find details of how to request a kit be sent to you in the post so you can return the saliva (spit) sample with the freepost envelope provided. ✉️

The website linked in the comment below also provides details of where you can take part in person 👇

10/07/2025

❌Research is dangerous, as it involves new and risky drugs
❌People are used as ‘guinea pigs’
❌If I take part in research, I won’t get the treatment I need

✅Without research there would be no new treatments, or ways to diagnose and prevent disease

Taking part in research can seem quite daunting. And it’s natural to have questions about how it works and how you’ll be treated.

In this article, we take a look at the most common myths about health and care research, and the reality behind them.

So you can decide if taking part is right for you.

Click the link in the comment below to read it and find out how you can get involved in research 👇

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09/07/2025

Shelley and Naila from Essex took part in the Genes & Health study. 🧬

This is looking at British Pakistani and British Bangladeshi communities to better understand how genetics affect the high rates of heart disease, diabetes and poor health in these groups.

Naila decided to take part because of a strong family history of various health conditions. Her mother lived with asthma, lupus, and diabetes, and her niece died of breast cancer at a young age.

💬 She said: “If you take part in research, you're helping future generations.”

Could you take part in research like them? Read Naila's story and find out how you can get involved in the comment below 👇

08/07/2025

A dad who has lived with psoriasis for more than a decade has described taking part in research into a new treatment as a 'turning point in my life'.

💊Gopikrishna Ponnapalli is taking part in the ICONIC-LEAD trial into whether a drug is safe and effective for people with moderate to severe psoriasis, a condition that causes flaky patches of skin which form scales.

Gopikrishna said: “Living with psoriasis for over 11 years has been a challenging journey, one that has deeply affected both my personal and professional life. This chronic skin condition has not only altered the way I interact with the world but has also placed a considerable burden on my family."

Gopikrishna said the opportunity to take part in a clinical trial at the Royal Berkshire Hospital ‘felt like a glimmer of hope’.

For Gopikrishna, the results were ‘astonishing’. He said “For the first time, I found myself with clear skin, allowing me to engage in my daily activities with new-found confidence. The speed at which the trial intervention worked was nothing short of miraculous. I could finally attend social gatherings without anxiety and enjoy moments with my family without the constant worry of my condition.”

Read Gopikrishna’s inspirational story in the comments below 👇