Funding for Long COVID research

An Honorary Consultant in Respiratory Medicine working within KHP has secured more than £37,500 in funding to help her research into Long COVID.  

Dr Caroline Jolley [pictured right], who along with her role at King’s College Hospital NHS Foundation Trust is a Reader in Respiratory Medicine & Physiology at King's College London, was awarded the J Moulton grant from the BMA Foundation. 

Speaking to KHP, Dr Jolley explained how the grant will progress her research. She said:

This funding will accelerate our understanding of the psychophysiological mechanisms of breathlessness and fatigue in Long COVID, and will inform development of much-needed clinical trials of targeted interventions. 

Dr Jolley’s clinical and academic research is part of the KHP Allergy and Respiratory Clinical Academic Group. She went on to explain the benefits of partnership collaboration:

Working within KHP brings us the unique opportunity to carry out complex physiological studies directly within clinical settings. This is essential to driving forward translational respiratory research. 

The BMA Foundation awards funds to encourage and further medical research. Grant categories include rheumatism and arthritis, end of life decision making, heart disease, and vaccine hesitancy. Dr Jolley secured the grant to assist her research into Long COVID. 

In information supplied to the BMA Foundation, Dr Jolley explained that fatigue and breathlessness are “common and highly distressing” symptoms of Long COVID, affecting personal and social function, and quality of life. She added:

The current lack of evidence-based interventions for Long COVID is explained in part by the complex and multidimensional nature of breathlessness and fatigue, and limited understanding of mechanistic underpinnings.  

We have designed a suite of detailed physiological tests of lung, muscle, and exercise capacity to investigate mechanisms of breathlessness and fatigue in Long COVID. In this study, we will explore the relationship between physiological, behavioural, and psychological responses and symptom burden (specifically, fatigue and breathlessness) in individuals with Long COVID, aiming to define mechanistic pathways.

The findings of this study will inform design of large-scale interventional studies for Long COVID, targeting the predominant mechanism(s) driving individual symptomatology and functional impairment, and enabling personalised rehabilitation programmes for affected individuals. 

To learn more about the KHP Allergy and Respiratory CAG, visit its webpage here. 

To view Dr Jolley’s biography on the King’s College London website, click here.