Patients living with conditions like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease are set to benefit from a new data research centre, to be coordinated from Edinburgh, that experts say will position the UK at the forefront of what is known as digitally-enabled respiratory health.

The data research hub for respiratory health at the University of Edinburgh, known as BREATHE, will advance the development of new treatments and innovations in care delivery for a range of respiratory conditions.

BREATHE is one of seven new hubs led by Health Data Research UK (HDR UK) and part of a four-year £37m investment from the UK Government’s industrial strategy challenge Fund (ISCF), led by UK Research and Innovation.

The aim is to create a UK-wide network for the safe and responsible use of health-related data on a large scale.

More than 100 organisations across health and care, patient groups, universities, charities and companies will be involved.

“The hub will support high-quality research and cutting-edge innovation that will improve the lives of people living with respiratory conditions in the UK,” says Professor Aziz Sheikh, director of BREATHE.

“We are delighted to be working with HDR UK to kick-start the responsible use of respiratory rich datasets in research and innovation to transform respiratory health in the UK.”