University news

Researchers from the James Watt School of Engineering are playing a key role in a new healthcare research hub which aims to develop innovative technologies to help identify and monitor people with flu and other acute respiratory infections.
 
The Community Respiratory Infection Screening and Prognostics hub (CRISP) is led by the University of Southampton and backed by £10m from the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC).
 
Working in collaboration with the University of Cambridge, the UK Health Security Agency and 21 founding partners, CRISP will bring engineers, data scientists, clinicians, behavioural scientists, community groups and patients together to transform and understand the way acute respiratory infections (ARIs) are assessed and managed in the community.
 
CRISP will develop technologies including wearable sensors, smartphone tools and at-home tests to give patients and healthcare professionals earlier, clearer information about how an infection is developing. It aims to help those with mild illness recover at home while making sure those at risk of becoming seriously ill receive appropriate care sooner.
 
Patients may be given wearable sensors to monitor their breathing at home, take simple tests to track how their body is responding to an infection, or use a smartphone app to analyse their cough. By combining information from these technologies with health records and AI models, researchers hope to better predict how an illness is likely to develop, helping patients and clinicians understand more about how to manage the illness.
 
The University of Glasgow’s contributions to CRISP will be led by Professor Jonathan Cooper and Professor Julien Reboud. Their work will draw on expertise honed in research to support international collaborations like DIDIDA, which is developing faster and more affordable forms of digital diagnostics for disease management in sub-Saharan Africa. 

Professor Cooper said: “We’re pleased to be part of CRISP, which is set to deliver real benefits for both healthcare systems and patients. The COVID-19 pandemic showed how rapid diagnostics can help manage the spread and treatment of disease. CRISP will help apply the lessons learned, and technologies developed, during that period to a much wider range of respiratory conditions.”
 
Professor Reboud said: “Our research has focused on finding innovative ways to   deliver rapid diagnosis at the point of care, helping remote communities tackle the spread of serious diseases like malaria and hepatitis C with a single test. CRISP will draw on those insights to make new clinical breakthroughs, and we’re looking forward to contributing to the project’s outcomes.”
 
Professor Nick Francis, Professor of Primary Care Research at the University of Southampton, said: “One of the biggest challenges with acute respiratory infections is identifying those who are at risk of becoming seriously ill from the majority who will recover safely without treatment.
 
“People can move between care at home, pharmacies, GPs and hospitals, but decisions are often based on a snapshot of their symptoms and limited measurements.
 
“CRISP aims to change that by finding better ways to spot risk earlier, track how an illness is changing and connect that information to the right care.
 
“Instead of waiting until they feel much worse, patients could receive personalised guidance on whether to continue recovering at home, speak to a pharmacist or GP, or seek urgent help.”
 
Dr Al Edwards, Associate Professor in Biomedical Technology at the University of Southampton, added: “Advances in sensing, diagnostics and data science mean that it is now possible to assess and monitor ARI over time in community settings, but key engineering questions remain about reliable measurement, and translation into recommendations for action.”
 
ARIs, including flu, COVID-19, bronchitis and chest infections, are the leading cause of acute illness worldwide. In England alone, they account for more than 850,000 hospital admissions each year.
 
While most infections are mild, the sheer number places significant pressure on patients, families and the NHS, particularly during winter. Uncertainty about whether an infection will resolve without treatment can also contribute to unnecessary healthcare visits and antibiotic use, increasing the risk of antimicrobial resistance.

CRISP is one of five new research and partnership hubs announced today which are being backed by more than £52m from the UK Government through UK Research and Innovation.

Professor Charlotte Deane, Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (UKRI), said: "These five new hubs will improve the lives and livelihoods of people and patients right across the UK.

"They build on the proven success of our previous hubs, which are already translating cutting-edge research into real benefits, advancing healthcare innovation, including the world’s first AI-assisted brain tumour surgery.

"By working closely with patients, the NHS and industry, we’re helping people live healthier lives and preventing ill health before it starts."

Rather than study each new device or test in isolation, CRISP will assemble and evaluate complete systems across the home, community healthcare and health services, allowing different combinations of sensing, prediction and decision support to be tested under realistic conditions before large-scale clinical deployment.
 

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First published: 6 November 2026