Grant winners

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR HEALTH RESEARCH

Award winner: Anita Simonds

Institution: Royal Brompton Hospital

Value: £39,478

Evaluation of droplet dispersion during non-invasive ventilation, oxygen therapy and nebulised drug delivery in clinical practice

NIHR HEALTH TECHNOLOGY ASSESSMENT

The NIHR's Health Technology Assessment programme produces independent research information on the effectiveness, costs and impact of healthcare treatments and tests for those who plan, provide or receive National Health Service care. Listed here are the October-November 2009 research grant awards.

Award winner: Raj Rai

Institution: Imperial College London

Value: £1,205,006

First trimester progesterone therapy in women with a history of unexplained recurrent miscarriages: a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled, multicentre trial - the PROMISE (PROgesterone in recurrent MIScarriage) trial

Award winner: Jacqueline Anne Cassell

Institution: Brighton and Sussex Medical School

Value: £1,500,738

The relative clinical and cost-effectiveness of three contrasting approaches to partner notification for curable sexually transmitted infections: a cluster randomised trial in primary care

Award winner: Paula Ghaneh

Institution: University of Liverpool

Value: £1,0,055

The impact of combined modality positron-emission tomography with computerised tomography scanning (PET/CT) in the diagnosis and management of pancreatic cancer

Award winner: Ian Goodyer

Institution: University of Cambridge

Value: £2,570,916

Randomised controlled trial of brief psychodynamic psychotherapy, cognitive behaviour therapy and treatment as usual in adolescents with moderate to severe depression attending routine child and adolescent mental health clinics

Award winner: David John Beard

Institution: University of Oxford

Value: £2,700,878

Total or Partial Knee Arthroplasty Trial (TOPKAT)

ARTS AND HUMANITIES RESEARCH COUNCIL

Award winner: Sophy Rickett

Institution: Kingston University

Value: £,359

Wavescape

Award winner: Julian Maynard Smith

Institution: Central School of Speech and Drama, University of London

Value: £16,048

Accessible technology in telematic theatre

Award winner: Patrick Sutherland

Institution: University of the Arts London

Value: £31,737

Disciples of a crazy saint: the Buchen of Spiti

Award winner: Caroline Bergvall

Institution: University of Southampton

Value: £16,030

Speaking pool: writing a multi-vocal surround-sound installation

IN DETAIL

MUSCULAR DYSTROPHY CAMPAIGN

Award winner: Steve Winder

Institution: University of Sheffield

Value: £24,265

Investigating the role of the dystroglycan protein

Funding for this award will go towards carrying out research into incurable neuromuscular conditions. Professor Winder, from Sheffield's department of biomedical science, will investigate treatments into Duchenne muscular dystrophy, a muscle-wasting disease that occurs mostly in boys and limits their ability to walk and affects their heart and respiratory muscles in later life. By examining the dystroglycan protein - which functions incorrectly in boys with the condition - Professor Winder hopes to establish whether making small changes to the protein in muscle cells may help to prevent the weakness experienced by people with particular muscle diseases.