Active studies!
We are looking for willing participants in the community to take part in our studies. If you would like to take part, please complete the form below.
Pollution in Pregnancy
This study aims to investigate if pregnant women make a different response to air pollution compared to non-pregnant women and men.
We require female volunteers over the age of 18 years who are pregnant. We also require healthy non-pregnant female and male volunteers between the ages of 18 and 40 years. All participants are required to be non-smoking and non-vaping.
Participants would be required to tell us a bit about themselves and their health and then donate a few samples of their choosing. This could include a nasal swab, some saliva, a skin sample collected with a sticking plaster, urine, and a few drops of blood from a finger prick. This will be carried out at Singleton Campus of Swansea University. Free parking is available, and participants will be reimbursed with a £10 amazon voucher.
This research has been given a favourable ethical opinion by Swansea University Medical School (SUMS) Research Ethics committee (RESC), project reference 2022-0099.
Menstrual Blood
We are conducting research to determine the feasibility of using menstrual flow for diagnostic tools, and I am contacting you to invite you or your friends or family members to participate in our study.
We require females with either a healthy regular cycle (under no investigation for any reproductive disorder) or a reproductive disorder such as endometriosis and PCOS.
The study aims to determine if we can use menstrual flow to determine any biomarkers that may be present in reproductive disorders such as endometriosis and PCOS.
Participants would be required to answer a few questions about themselves and their health. They would then be provided with a brand new mooncup® menstrual cup (which they would be able to keep after participation, worth £25) and asked to collect their flow on their heaviest day, and return it to the research team. On the same day, participants would be asked to donate up to 10 ml of blood taken by a phlebotomist, and one finger-prick sample (up to 1 ml).
This research has been given a favourable ethical opinion by Swansea University Medical School (SUMS) Research Ethics committee (RESC), project reference 2 2024 9064 8225.
Healthy Volunteers
Blood from healthy adult donors is required for many aspects of medical research. These include improving our understanding of how cells function in health so that we can better understand disease, and the development of new products (e.g. medical devices) and processes (e.g. early stage drug testing) for therapeutic use. Your blood might be used for one or more research projects.
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If you agree to help with this research, we will take some blood from you. The amount of blood we take from you will depend on the research study/studies for which it is to be used but it is likely to be around 1 – 8 tablespoonfuls (8 tablespoonfuls is about 120 ml or around one-third of a standard carbonated drink can). You might be asked to donate repeatedly to a study but the total volume collected from you will not exceed 500 ml in the 6 months since you give your first donation.
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You will receive a £5 Greggs voucher as a thank you for your time.
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This research has been given a favourable ethical opinion by Swansea University Medical School (SUSM) Research Ethics committee (RESC), project reference 2022-0029.
POETH
Peoples biological response to heat
Our POETH study aims to evaluate the impact of heat stress and heatwaves on levels of inflammation in men and women.
We are asking medical and physician associate students at Swansea University aged 21-40 and live in the Swansea region to partake in our study. Participation involves answering a few questions about yourself and your general health, followed by sampling before, during, and after a heatwave.
Sampling will be done by the participants in their own home and dropped off the following day to Singleton campus, Swansea University.
Measurements include blood pressure, temperature, peak expiratory flow and heart rate and will be done once in the morning and evening on each sampling day. This will be complemented by biological sampling in the evening of each sampling day and will include urine, sweat, saliva and a few drops of blood from a fingerprick.
Participants will receive a £20 shopping voucher, as well as keeping a selection of the bio-sampling devices, including a blood pressure monitor and thermometer.
This research has been given favourable ethical opinion by Swansea University Medical School Research Ethics committee, project reference 2 2024 9822 9856.
CYNNES
Changes in the immune system in response to heat waves
In CYNNES we are investigating the impact of heatwaves on the immune system across an adult population.
We require healthy adult participants living in Swansea, and wider Swansea area to provide a blood sample before, during and after a heatwave.
We will take approximately 40 mL (4 tubes) of blood at each sampling point and sampling will be done at Swansea University Singleton campus.
As a thank you, participants will receive a £5 Greggs voucher, a mini fan and a £10 shopping voucher.
This research has been given favourable ethical opinion by Swansea University Medical School Research Ethics committee, project reference 2 2024 10553 9703.
MAGENTA
Maternal and pregnancy health and elevated temperature
Coming Soon!
Breast milk
The study aims to investigate the function of the main cell type found in healthy breastmilk (macrophages) and understand how they contribute to the many benefits of breast feeding and development of the baby’s immune system. We also want to study the precursor cell of breastmilk macrophages that is found in the blood (monocytes) to better understand the processes that support movement of this cell from blood to breastmilk.
Participants would be required to answer a few questions about themselves, their health and their recent pregnancy. They can then donate a sample of breastmilk - anything from half a teaspoon to about four tablespoons depending on how recently you had the baby - and a small sample of blood (< half a teaspoon) collected by finger prick. This could be a one-off donation at a time after having the baby that suits you or, if you are happy to do so, this could be done on a number of occasions, again as suits you.
This research has been approved by Swansea University Medical School Research Ethics committee project ref 2020-0046.
Inflammation & Vaping
Coming soon!
Active studies in the NHS!
We also recruit patients to various studies in the NHS. Below are some of these studies with more information.
Raman Spectroscopy and Gestational Diabetes
Pregnant women sometimes undergo a glucose tolerance test at around 20 – 30 weeks of pregnancy to see if they have gestational diabetes. This test requires overnight fasting then attending hospital for a few hours the following morning. At hospital your blood is taken, you are given a glucose containing drink, and then another blood sample is taken after about two hours. Glucose levels in your blood before and after the glucose containing drink determine whether you have diabetes. We are developing what we hope will be a much simpler and quicker test. The purpose of this research study is to compare our test to the glucose tolerance test and to better understand why our test might be able to diagnose gestational diabetes.
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We think this study will help us to understand these important changes that ensure pregnancy is successful and this study might also provide insight into poor pregnancy outcomes such as miscarriage and premature delivery.
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This study has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by London - Westminster Research Ethics Committee
REC: 19/SW/0196LO/0722.
Pregnancy Metabolism in Multiple Sclerosis
More info coming soon!
Inflammation in Endometriosis
In the UK, the average time between onset of symptoms and diagnosis is 8 years, with this rising to 11 years in Wales. The current gold standard for diagnosis of endometriosis is a type of keyhole surgery called a laparoscopy. A small camera is inserted into the abdomen via a small incision to allow the surgeon to assess for any ectopic tissue. If tissue is present and accessible, the surgeon will remove it in the same procedure. The tissue is typically sent for further testing to check if it’s benign. We are developing what we hope will be a non-invasive, simpler, and quicker test that can be done in the blood. The purpose of this research study is to better understand how we might be able to diagnose endometriosis.
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This study also has been reviewed and given favourable opinion by Berkshire B Research Ethics Committee REC 23/SC/0332.
Get in Touch to participate
Swansea University, Singleton park, Swansea, SA2 8PP