The British Lung Foundation (BLF) recently crowned their ‘Young Investigator of the Year' at the annual British Thoracic Society's (BTS) winter meeting, a conference which sees scientists from around the globe come together to discuss current respiratory research. 

Dr Surendran Thavagnanam of Queen's University, Belfast, was awarded an £800 prize fund for his work, which investigated the use of nasal cells as surrogates for lung cells when studying inflammation in children's lungs.  

His work was significantly interesting as cells from the nose are easier to obtain for research than lung cells. Unfortunately, Dr Thavagnanam's team found significant differences between the nasal and lung cells both in normal and asthmatic children, and have therefore questioned the use of nasal cells for investigating asthma in the future. 

Dr Thavagnanam said: "I am delighted to be announced as Young Investigator of the year. I have been working on my research for the last two years and it was extremely interesting as there are not many studies that look into asthma in children. I'm very keen to pursue a career in academic medicine and so, by winning this award, I have proved that I can confidently work in this field. I'm now looking forward to building on the results that I have produced so far." 

In conjunction with the BTS and the British Association for Lung Research, the BLF organise the Young Investigator of the Year competition to find young researchers who have conducted innovative studies. Researchers are invited to submit applications, which are judged and narrowed down to just six. All six of these candidates present their work at the BTS winter meeting to a panel of scientific experts and a winner is picked on the day. 

Dr Noemi Eiser, Honorary Medical Director for the British Lung Foundation, said: "This year's entries were excellent. Congratulations to Dr Thavagnanam for his outstanding research. Asthma affects about five million people in the UK. We welcome any study which results in a better understanding of asthma and leads to improved treatment. This award is an ideal opportunity to showcase new talent and also for scientists to network with each other." 

The application process for this year's Young Investigator of the Year is open now and closes at midnight on Thursday 29 July 2010. Please see the following website for further information www.brit-thoracic.org.uk/education-hub/winter-meeting-2010/abstract-submission.aspx 

For more information on research into lung disease conducted through the BLF, please visit www.lunguk.org/research.