MAAS 25

• Research type

  Research Study

• Full title

  Manchester Asthma and Allergy Study (MAAS) Age 25 plus follow up

• IRAS ID

  351417

• Contact name

  Clare Murray

• Contact email

  clare.murray@manchester.ac.uk

• Sponsor organisation

  University of Manchester

• Duration of Study in the UK

  2 years, 7 months, 31 days

• Research summary

  Asthma is the most common long-term condition of childhood, the cause of which is unknown. It runs in families, but genetic studies have shown it is not due to a defect in a single gene, and the genetics of asthma is highly complex. Environmental factors are also important, and include pollution, allergens, tobacco smoke and viruses, but precise causes remain elusive.

  Most asthma starts early in life, and probably arises because of interactions between genetic and environmental factors. Population based birth cohort studies are the ideal study design to understand causes of asthma as information is collected prospectively before disease develops, facilitating longitudinal analysis. There are several birth cohorts in the UK, including the Manchester Asthma and Allergy Study (MAAS), around which this application is based. This cohort was recruited from 1995 from Wythenshawe and Stepping Hill Hospitals (n=1184) and sequential clinical follow up (a combination of questionnaires, lung function and blood tests) occurred at ages 1, 3, 5, 8, 10-12, 13-16 and 18+years. Data and clinical samples from these follow ups have been adopted by a research tissue bank, to facilitate longitudinal analysis; the findings have contributed to many published papers.
  The aim of the current study is to invite the MAAS cohort participants to attend for a further follow up visit at age 25 years plus, to complete questionnaires, lung function and blood tests. This will be a single visit lasting approximately 2 hours, conducted either at Wythenshawe Hospital, or as a home visit, postal or online if preferred. It is expected it will take 2 years to complete the study. The data collected will be analysed to identify the predictors of and risk factors for persistence of childhood asthma (including environmental exposures, biomarkers and genetic factors).
  Funding has been secured from the North West Lung Centre Charity
  

• REC name

  South Central - Oxford B Research Ethics Committee

• REC reference

  25/SC/0291

• Date of REC Opinion

  17 Sep 2025

• REC opinion

  Favourable Opinion