Humans of health research

Cielito Caneja, Advanced Research Nurse Practitioner at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and Research Postgraduate at the National Heart and Lung Institute at Imperial College London, specialises in respiratory research.  

Cielito is part of a multidisciplinary team working on the RejuvenAir System clinical trial, funded by CSA Medical Inc, where patients with chronic bronchitis are treated with liquid nitrogen to freeze diseased lung tissue from the upper layer of cells in the airways. 

“At the start of my research career I was doing data collections for studies. Eventually over time I have designed/co-designed and carried out my own studies, including that of the team which have been published in journals. I also coordinate and support Fellows doing their PhDs.

"What I like about research is the pioneering aspect of it and how it can lead to improvements in care and quality of life for patients. The highlights in my research career always come down to how patients have benefited.

"One particular example that stands out for me is a patient who was 33 at the time with a toddler.  She was always breathless as a result of asthma.  She participated in one of our studies and when we finished the study she came back to me after five years with a note that said ‘you changed the life of my family.’”

Jilly Ellis was diagnosed with asthma, a lung condition that causes breathing difficulties, 15 years ago.

She took part in the Targets of Bronchial Thermoplasty in Severe Asthma (TASMA) clinical trial led by experts at Imperial College London, Chelsea and Westminister Hospital NHS Foundation Trust and the Royal Brompton NHS Foundation Trust. The trial was funded by the Academic Medical Center (Amsterdam).

Jilly has undergone a procedure where she was treated with bronchialthermoplasty – a heat treatment for diseased lung tissue from the upper layer of cells in the airways to improve her breathing.

“Living with asthma can be really challenging and it affected every area of my life. I was constantly puffing on inhalers, I couldn’t walk my dog, I was coughing for 24 hours at a time, I had major attacks and I was often in hospital. It was like living a nightmare.

 “I first heard about the bronchialthermoplasty treatment when it was being used in a clinical trial by the team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital and I decided to join to see if it could make my condition better. 

 “After two to three months following my first procedure I started to notice a difference in my condition and my breathing improved, which felt amazing.  

“Going on the trial was lifechanging as I am now able to do things that I couldn’t do before, like run up the stairs and run with my children. It feels liberating being able to breathe after such a long period of struggling.

“The team at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital were amazing. The whole team made me feel comfortable, supported and looked after. They always had time for me and made me feel like I was the only person they were looking after.”

Professor Hashim Ahmed is Chair of Urology in the Department of Surgery and Cancer at Imperial College London.  He is also a Consultant Urological Surgeon at Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust. 

His research focuses on prostate cancer diagnosis, imaging, biopsy and minimally invasive therapies.

“I first became interested in research when I was a junior doctor doing my PhD. 

“I was appointed a research clinical fellow where I started doing prostate cancer research. That was the moment when I knew that I wanted to get into academic work and I started to apply for grants and funding to support me doing this work. 

“I wanted to make a difference to not only the patients I saw, but for patients who you don’t see and generations to come.

“My research work focuses on prostate cancer – which is the most common cancer in men in the UK. The number of prostate cancer cases are increasing in the UK – the condition kills over 11,000 men every year.

"Currently, a lot of men with prostate cancer will usually be offered surgery or radiotherapy that treats the whole prostate, rather than just the areas that have cancer. Although this treatment can be effective it can result in side effects such as incontinence and erectile dysfunction.

“My research work has been focusing on more targeted treatments such as focal therapy. This non-invasive technique specifically target tumours and leave the rest of the prostate intact by using sound wave therapy to heat and destroy cancer cells in the prostate.

“We carried out a number of clinical trials over the last 10 years using this treatment and we saw a five to tenfold drop in side effects for patients. In 2021, we were able to show that after seven years the survival outcome and the chance of the cancer coming back was the same as current treatments (surgery or radiotherapy) in those patients. This was a really significant moment for treating this disease and one of the key milestones in my research career that I am proud of.

“Although we are making some progress, I would like to see in the next five years a national screening programme for men over 50.  This would allow us to pick up the disease at an earlier stage and screen more at risk men, such as those who have a family history and those from Black backgrounds.

“If I could offer some advice to new researchers is that you can have a great career in this field. You need real drive, hunger and lots of ideas to succeed. You can create a legacy and make a difference beyond your immediate patients through research.”