125th Anniversary Scholarship for Black British Researchers - Examining the Impact of Physical Activity and Sedentary Behaviour on the Clinical Health of People with Lupus

This PhD programme will examine how physical exercise and sedentary behaviour impacts the clinical presentation and underlying immune profile of people with systemic lupus erythematous (SLE). SLE is a chronic autoimmune disease that has higher incidence and prevalence rates in females of Black Caribbean ethnicity. SLE affects multiple organs and results in higher levels of fatigue, joint pain and comorbidities that predict a 2.6-fold higher mortality rate compared to the general population. Furthermore, this is even greater in Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) populations. The disease has a huge impact on patients’ capacity to work, sleep and perform daily activities. Despite a range of medications focused on reducing disease activity, preventing disease flares and reducing organ damage, there is no cure for SLE. Recent data indicates that self-reported sedentary behaviour time was associated with greater disease activity and incidence of flares in people with SLE.

Our team are currently completing analysis on the ‘EXamining the feasibility of exerCisE to manage symptoms of Lupus’ (EXCEL) project – a pilot study conducted in people with stable SLE disease activity. Individuals randomised to a 12-week exercise intervention supported by a mobile health digital platform achieved an average of 103 minutes of structured exercise per week vs. 3 minutes in the control group. This equated to 67% of the SLE cohort meeting UK physical activity guidelines of 150 minutes, which was substantially higher than a previous report of 10%. People in the exercise group also reported reduced fatigue and improved physical health compared to those in the control group. These findings are encouraging; however, the underpinning clinical and immunological mechanisms are unclear.

This PhD programme will be composed of 3 chapters involving 2 original investigations and secondary analysis from the EXCEL project. The student will benefit from a breadth of training in clinical, biomedical and behavioural research, which will be provided by the interdisciplinary supervisory team. Supervision on contemporary biological techniques (flow cytometry, extracellular flux analysis and proteomics) will be provided by Dr Alex Wadley, and this will be coupled with clinical support from Dr John Reynolds, who is the academic lead of the Lupus UK Centre of Excellence at City Hospital. In addition, Dr. Sally Fenton will provide expertise and training on the application of device-based assessments of physical activity and sedentary behaviour for people with SLE. An award-winning research nurse team will support the project, which will provide an outstanding environment to support the candidate’s development. The candidate will be encouraged to contribute to quarterly team meetings, which will promote regular interaction with all supervisors, clinical support staff and members of our patient volunteer network. This will maximise the impact of the student’s research. The working environment will provide a platform for the candidate to gain unique scientific and transferable skills to purse a variety of future career opportunities in academia, healthcare and/ or industry sectors.

For more information and to apply on-line, please click the above “Apply” button.

Funding Details

The University of Birmingham is proud to celebrate its remarkable 125-year journey and announce the launch of a groundbreaking scholarship initiative designed to empower and support Black British researchers in their pursuit of doctoral education.

These newly established 3.5-year scholarships aim to address underrepresentation and create opportunities for talented individuals from diverse backgrounds to excel in academia. You can find out more here: https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/study/postgraduate/research/funding/black-british-researchers-scholarship

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