Name:  Dr. Joshua Jervis-Bardy, PhD Candidate, TQEH.

Supervisors: Professor PJ Wormald & Dr Lor Wai Tan

Research Interest: “The role of S.aureus in Chronic Sinus Disease”

Aim of Research:  To gain a better understanding of the role of the bacteria S.aureus (staff-or-ee-us) in sinus disease, particularly in the early period after an operation. S.aureus is actually a common nasal coloniser in healthy disease-free patients, however patients who have chronic sinus disease AND nasal S.aureus often have poorer symptom control following sinus surgery. My specific interest is how the presence of this bacterium affects patients’ recovery in the early period after an operation so we can better develop targeted treatment for this organism.

What inspired you to work in this field?

In the general medical sphere and the general population, chronic sinus disease is relatively underappreciated. It is actually a very large global problem- we think around 10% of the population have chronic sinus disease, making it quite common. People with the disease have chronic infection in the nose and sinuses, which mean they suffer a variety of things such as a blocked nose and they generally feel pretty unwell. It has a significant impact on the sufferer’s quality of life.

What does your research include?

We are now realising that patients with nasal S.aureus (regardless of whether they have chronic sinus disease) are more likely to develop wound infections when they go in for other types of major surgery unrelated to the nose, such as a heart valve replacement for example.

In the chronic sinus disease population, we need to better understand the implications of having S.aureus in the nose so we can avoid infections and complications following sinus surgery through finding accurate treatments. This group of patients may be at risk of ‘extra-nasal’ infections too, such as the heart valve replacement example just mentioned. Specific treatments targeted at S.aureus are required not only for symptom control but to also balance their ‘extra-nasal’ infection risk too.

Our research, therefore, includes a clinical trial aimed at evaluating the problem of nasal S.aureus, a randomized control trial of a new treatment for nasal S.aureus, and also ongoing lab-based work evaluating the potential of other novel treatments.

How will patients directly benefit from your research?

Our research is very much patient orientated and we are working to translate our lab findings very readily into the patient population. We are currently running a randomized control trial for Bactroban nasal rinses in patients who have chronic S.aureus infections despite sinus surgery. Previously this group of patients had limited treatment options available where as these rinses are proving to be an effective treatment. We are also busy doing some in-vitro work with Manuka Honey as a nasal rinse with the hope that this might also be an effective treatment at removing S.aureus from the nose.

What do you enjoy most about your work?

The area I’m working in is fantastic in that it’s a combination of clinical and lab-based projects, involving medical treatments in a surgical population. It’s varied, which is really the type of approach that is needed to tackle this type of disease from every angle. As a researcher from a clinical background I am extremely lucky in the sense that I can also see the benefits of my research first-hand in clinic!

Why did you decide to study/work at TQEH?

It would be very difficult for me if I wasn’t at The Queen Elizabeth Hospital to do the effective sort of projects that I’m doing, because you need a research organisation attached to a hospital to be able to do the lab based research and then have access to the patients. This really is a best practice set up for the research I’m doing.

What do you think the area of medical research needs most?

I think that medical research needs a combination of enthusiastic and dedicated researchers at the front line, backed by funding, facilities and a solid clinical foundation for their work. Because we are at such an advantage of having the link between The Institute and TQEH, we should be trying to incorporate our research as close as we can to the patient population literally across the street; otherwise we are simple wasting a tremendous clinical resource.