Lee Koh

Project: Monitoring air pollution exposure and its impact on asthma management in children – a feasibility study.

Despite efforts of controlling air pollution emissions, the target levels are routinely exceeded in the UK. While the government is urgently required to address this issue, children are currently being exposed to high levels of air pollution, which in turn is impairing their respiratory health. For my research project, I aim to assess whether or not personal actions, such as changing routes to school, can help children with asthma to mitigate their exposure to pollution and lead to an improvement in their asthma control. In addition, I aim to examine whether certain indoor activities, such as cooking, contributes significantly to a child’s personal exposure and therefore may be amenable to individual action. Information from both indoor and outdoor exposure to air pollution will be analysed and shared with the participants.

About me

I am interested in finding ways that can help children with asthma to improve their asthma control, by understanding the effects of air pollution on the respiratory health.

Publications

• Grigg J, Whitehouse A, Pandya H, Turner S, Griffiths CJ, Vulliamy T, T Walton R, Price DB, Sanak M, Holloway JW, Noimark L, Lesosky M, Brugha R, Koh L, Nwokoro C. Urinary prostanoids in preschool wheeze. Eur Respir J. 2017 Feb 2;49(2). pii: 1601390. doi: 10.1183/13993003.01390-2016.
• Walton RT, Mudway IS, Dundas I, Marlin N, Koh LC, Aitlhadj L, Vulliamy T, Jamaludin JB, Wood HE, Barratt BM, Beevers S, Dajnak D, Sheikh A, Kelly FJ, Griffiths CJ, Grigg J. Air pollution, ethnicity and telomere length in east London schoolchildren: An observational study. Environ Int. 2016 Nov;96:41-47. doi: 10.1016/j.envint.2016.08.021.
• Nwokoro C, Pandya H, Turner S, Eldridge S, Griffiths CJ, Vulliamy T, Price D, Sanak M, Holloway JW, Brugha R, Koh L, Dickson I, Rutterford C, Grigg J. Parent-determined oral montelukast therapy for preschool wheeze with stratification for arachidonate 5-lipoxygenase (ALOX5) promoter genotype: a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Southampton (UK): NIHR Journals Library; 2015 Nov.
• Nwokoro C, Pandya H, Turner S, Eldridge S, Griffiths CJ, Vulliamy T, Price D, Sanak M, Holloway JW, Brugha R, Koh L, Dickson I, Rutterford C, Grigg J. Intermittent montelukast in children aged 10 months to 5 years with wheeze (WAIT trial): a multicentre, randomised, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Respir Med.2014;2(10):796-803.
• Brugha RE, Mushtaq N, Round T, Gadhvi DH, Dundas I, Gaillard E, Koh L, Fleming LJ, Lewis DJ, Sanak M, Wood HE, Barratt B, Mudway IS, Kelly FJ, Griffiths CJ, Grigg J. Carbon in airway macrophages from children with asthma. Thorax. 2014;69(7):654-9.
• Grigg J, Walters H, Sohal SS, Wood-Baker R, Reid DW, Xu CB, Edvinsson L, Morissette MC, Stämpfli MR, Kirwan M, Koh L, Suri R, Mushtaq N. Cigarette smoke and platelet-activating factor receptor dependent adhesion of Streptococcus pneumoniae to lower airway cells. Thorax. 2012;67(10):908-13.

Research activity

• Poster: Koh, l., et al., Reduction in personal exposure to black carbon during commuting in London- A feasilibty study. ERS Thematic Poster Session 2015.

Acknowledgements

Co-sponsored by Barts and the London School of Medicine and funded by Queen Mary University of London