Reducing Risk and Infections

About

This theme will address the prevention and early self management of respiratory infections. The scope will be very wide ranging, and could include, for example: improving the impact and uptake of vaccination; addressing environmental causes of infection; the use of nasal sprays; outbreak and pandemic infection transmission reduction; community testing for infection; and behavioural approaches to boosting immunity (such as stress reduction and physical activity).

How will this help CARRii to achieve its missions?

Aim: to investigate and implement interventions for addressing the prevention and early management of respiratory infections.

By preventing infections, or reducing their severity by very early management, this will reduce annual NHS winter pressures

The research will address inequalities by involving key under-served groups in designing interventions, addressing any barriers to engagement, and demonstrating the impact interventions have in these groups.

Approach

Theme 1 will apply for grant funding in key areas of prevention (likely to be predominantly NIHR funding, but also UKRI, Wellcome, DHSC). These will include proposals focusing on nasal sprays, vaccination, outbreak and pandemic infection transmission reduction, community testing for infection, environmental causes, and behavioural approaches to boost the immune response (e.g. through stress reduction and physical activity).

Patient and Public Involvement

Collaborating with Patient and public members with diverse characteristics (including membership of underserved groups).  These members will be involved at all stages of the research, and EDI will be standing item for all meetings of the theme.

Collaborating with a very wide range of individuals with varied expertise, including quantitative / qualitative researchers from both primary and secondary care. These individuals will be invited to regular stakeholder meetings which will stimulate wide ranging discussion about concrete proposals to fulfil Theme 1's aims, including plans for implementation of research findings. Methodologists in Theme 1 will also be available to help with other themes, interfacing with the stakeholder meetings in the other themes where appropriate. Theme 1 shall engage with university business offices to ensure that research is conducted to support the eventual commercialisation of IP where appropriate. 

Early and Middle Career Researchers

Early and middle career researchers will be given prominent roles in any research proposals and mentored by senior academics; where possible PhDs will be funded as part of any grant application. Where relevant, this theme shall work to make the wall between clinical research and industry permeable, including supporting clinicians and researchers to work with industry to co-fund fellowships or PhD studentships. 

- Theme 1 will interface widely with both self care and clinical care themes - and the leaders of each of the other themes will be invited to all stakeholder meetings.

- Impact plans will be coordinated with the CARRii leadership, with a contribution to both leaders’ salaries and the costs of stakeholder meetings funded as part of  any grant submission.

Outputs, Outcomes and Impact

- Intervention to prevent infections, or reduce their severity by early management, if proven to be effective, and implemented widely, will reduce annual NHS winter pressures

- To reduce respiratory health inequalities we will ensure that the research both involves key under-served groups in designing interventions, addresses any barriers to engagement, and demonstrates what impact interventions have in these groups

- We anticipate we will most impact those who are particularly at risk of respiratory infections (e.g. those with chronic lung disease, and comorbidity)

Financial stability building 

- the main source of income will be NIHR funding given the highly applied nature of the research but we anticipate other sources of funding may be used (UKRI, DHSC, ESRC, MRC, Wellcome, other charities). We will also request co-funding from collaborating institutions (esp. universities and NHS partners).

Innovation & Commercialisation

Many of the topics this theme will concentrate on will not have a significant commercial element, but where relevant we will:

Most recent research paper:

1.​Little P, Vennik J, Rumsby K, et al. Nasal sprays and behavioural interventions compared with usual care for acute respiratory illness in primary care: a randomised, controlled, open-label, parallel-group trial. Lancet Respir Med 2024.

Theme Lead

University of Southampton

Theme Lead

University of Bristol

Sarah Denford

Associate Lead

James Scales

Associate Lead

2 September 2025
University of Southampton

On 2 September 2025, the University of Southampton hosted the first CARRii Reducing Respiratory Infection Risk and Infections workshop, bringing together researchers, and experts from across healthcare, DEFRA, Policy, UKHSA and the Met Office to establish priority areas for preventing infections and reducing risk.

 The event was a resounding success, with interesting speed introductions, breakout groups, and whole-group multidisciplinary discussions sparking innovative collaborations and shaping the foundation for future research proposals.

Theme 1 now have a pile of feedback to work through and will provide a summary to CARRii, however immediate successes include:

·        New members joined CARRii

·        Data was promised and shared

·        A new natural experimental design was registered with Clinicaltrials.gov!

Thanks to the leadership of Prof Paul Little, Prof Lucy Yardley, Dr James Scales, and Dr Sarah Denford, participants left the workshop energised, with new networks formed and promising ideas emerging for grant development.

This workshop marked an important first step forward in the CARRii theme’s mission to understand and reduce infection risk through prevention, collaboration and innovation.

Most recent research paper:

1.​Little P, Vennik J, Rumsby K, et al. Nasal sprays and behavioural interventions compared with usual care for acute respiratory illness in primary care: a randomised, controlled, open-label, parallel-group trial. Lancet Respir Med 2024.