Child Health

Dr Ross Langley is Paediatric Respiratory and Sleep Consultant, NRS career research fellow and Honorary clinical senior lecturer based at the Royal Hospital for Children in Glasgow.  Ross's doctoral thesis examined the use of novel antimicrobial agents, including bacteriophage, in the treatment of multi-resistant infections in cystic fibrosis.   His main clinical interests are paediatric sleep disorders, technology dependent children and chronic suppurative lung disease. Research interests include the lung microbiome in health and disease, effects of vaping in adolescents, novel technologies in sleep diagnostics and viral/bacterial respiratory infections in children as well as the use of bacteriophage as novel antimicrobial agents.

Ross Langley (researchgate.net)

Sean holds a BSc (1st class ) in Pharmacology from Glasgow Caledonian University (GCU) and MRes (Distinction) in Biomedical Sciences: Integrative Mammalian Biology from The University of Glasgow.  He subsequently worked in Industry as a Research Technologist at Reprocell Europe in a GLP-regulated laboratory performing various experiments on ethically obtained fresh human tissue and/or organs before joining the BINGO and Paediatric Respiratory Research Group at The University of Glasgow as a PhD candidate.

ORCID ID : https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3268-9805

Research Title: The Gut-Lung Axis in Paediatric Respiratory Disease

Research Summary: Sean's research investigates the potential links between the gut and lung microbiome, called the gut-lung axis, and their constituent metabolites and immunological factors that may mediate this communication in children with gastrointestinal and respiratory conditions compared to healthy children at the Royal Hospital for children, Glasgow. The project is funded by the Glasgow Children's Hospital Charity.

Review article : The lower airway microbiome in paediatric health and chronic disease / ScienceDirect

Supervisory team: Dr Ross Langley, Professor Konstantinos Gerasimidis, Professor Simon Milling

Updated 4/7/25

Original papers:

European Respiratory Society 2024: Evaluation of novel respiratory sensor in neonatal respiratory monitoring.

https://publications.ersnet.org/content/erj/64/suppl68/pa2101

British Thoracic Society 2024:
PARS Study: paediatric advanced respiratory service study- an observational diagnostic feasibility study of novel accelerometer-based respiratory sensor for sleep diagnostics, https://thorax.bmj.com/content/79/Suppl_2/A64

Feasibility of a novel accelerometer-based respiratory sensor in neonatal respiratory monitoring. https://thorax.bmj.com/content/79/Suppl_2/A169.2.abstract

J Jones, H Stacey, A Brailey, RJ Langley (2023). Managing patient and clinical expectations of phage therapy in the United Kingdom. Antibiotics 12:502.

V Holdstock, J Twynam-Perkins, T Bradnock et al. RJ Langley (2023). National case series of group A streptococcus pleural empyema in children: clinical and microbiological features. Lancet Infectious Disease (online published 9th Jan 2023).

K Macleod, A Bush, J Coutts, R Langley (2022). Protecting children from harms of vaping. BMJ (online December 2022).

J Coutts & R Langley (2022). Toxic and addictive effects of nicotine on children and adolescents: are we sleepwalking into a public health disaster? Archives of Disease in Childhood (online August 2022).

GL Saint, MR Thomas, NZ Abidin, RJ. Langley et al (2021). Treating non-tuberculous mycobacteria in children with cystic fibrosis: a multi centre retrospective study. Archives of Disease in Childhood. (In press).

A Thomas, RJ. Langley, R Pabary (2021). Feasibility and efficacy of active remote monitoring of home ventilation in pediatrics. Pediatric Pulmonology 56; 3975-3982.

TC. Williams, C. MacRae, O. Swann, et al *RJ. Langley (2021). Indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on paediatric healthcare use and severe disease: a retrospective national cohort study. Archives of Disease in Childhood 106; 911-917. *Corresponding author.

RJ. Langley, C. Dryden, J. Westwood, E. Anderson, et al (2019). Once daily combined inhaled steroid and ultra long acting bronchodilator prescribing in pediatric asthma: a dual centre retrospective cohort study. Journal of Asthma, published online 17 Dec 2019. https://doi.org/10.1080/02770903.2019.1702674.

K. Taylor, B. McCulloch, DJ. Clarke, RJ. Langley et al. (2007). Covalent dimer species of betadefensin Defr1 display potent antimicrobial activity against multidrug-resistant bacterial pathogens. Antimicrobial agents and Chemotherapy 51; 1719-1724

RJ. Langley, D. Kenna, J. Bartholdson, DJ. Campopiano, JRW. Govan, (2005). Temperate bacteriophages DK4 and BcepMu from J2315 are identical and closely associated with the ET12 lineage. FEMS Immunology and Medical Microbiology, 45: 34.

PE. Barran, NC. Polfer, DJ. Campopiano, DJ. Clarke, RJ. Langley, et al., (2004). Is it biologically relevant to measure the structures of small peptides in the gas-phase? International Journal of Mass Spectrometry, 240; 273-284.

DJ. Campopiano, DJ. Clarke, NC. Polfer, PE. Barran, RJ. Langley, JRW. Govan et al. (2004). Structure-activity relationship in defensin dimers. Journal of Biological Chemistry 279, 48671-48679.

RJ. Langley, D. Kenna, P. Vandamme, R. Ure, & JRW. Govan, (2003). Lysogeny and bacteriophage host range within the Burkholderia cepacia complex. Journal of Medical Microbiology 52, 483-490.

D. Kenna, V Barcus, RJ. Langley, P. Vandamme, JRW. Govan, (2003). Lack of correlation between O-serotype, bacteriophage sensitivity and genomovar status in the Burkholderia cepacia complex. FEMS Immunology and Microbiology Letters 35, 87-92

National Guidelines:

BTS Paediatric Sleep Guideline - Thorax 2023

Conferences:  

King John Price 2025
Role of overnight oximetry in assessing the severity of obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Down syndrome: a dual-centre study

Updated 9/7/25

PARS Study

Respiratory monitoring and apnoea detection in paediatric and neonatal patients using a wearable accelerometer-based chest sensor: The paediatric advanced respiratory service study (PARS study)

Accurate evaluation of respiratory rate and pattern is important in health and disease, however, can be challenging in children and babies due to small size and poor tolerability of existing monitoring equipment. This protocol outlines a study evaluating the feasibility of collecting respiratory data using a chest worn accelerometer-based motion sensor in paediatric patients at risk of apnoea, respiratory failure and sudden unexpected death.

The study is taking place at the Royal hospital for children in Glasgow over a 2-year period. We are recruiting children and babies attending for cardiorespiratory polygraphy studies, neonatal inpatients and children with epilepsy attending for video telemetry evaluation. 151 children and babies have been involved in this study to date with promising early findings showing potential for accurate evaluation of respiratory metrics in these patient populations.

The PARS study spans multiple paediatric specialities and involves collaboration between multiple departments including paediatric respiratory team, neonatal department and the paediatric neurology department.

Innovation within paediatric respiratory monitoring is required to address the unmet need that existing devices are poorly tolerated by many children resulting in high rates of incomplete and inconclusive investigations. Development of more user-friendly and cost-effective devices offers additional opportunities to increase the duration and frequency of investigative periods. Wearable devices provide opportunity for longitudinal monitoring for the detection of life-threatening respiratory deterioration in real-time and alerting of carers to improve survivability. Data from this feasibility study will be used to evaluate the potential integration of the biosensor within clinical pathways and collect health economics and outcomes data.

Additional work is ongoing to evaluate the potential role of oximetry in predicting obstructive sleep apnoea in children with Down Syndrome. Children with Down Syndrome are at increased risk of sleep disordered breathing. This work involves a collaboration between the Royal Hospital for Children, Glasgow, Southampton Children’s Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital, London.

Microbiome

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/staff/konstantinosgerasimidis/

https://www.gla.ac.uk/schools/medicine/research/humannutrition/thebingogroup/

Prof Simon Milling, The Milling Lab, University of Glasgow https://dendritic-cell.com

Pneumowave & Innovate UK

Dr Neil Patel (Consultant neonatologist NHS GG&C)
Dr Bruce Henderson (Pneumowave Ltd)

Updated 9/7/25

CF Research 

The paediatric Cystic Fibrosis (CF) team at RHC Glasgow have developed their research portfolio since joining the UK CTAP (Clinical Trials Accelerator Platform) in 2019 and the European CF CTN (Clinical Trials Network) in 2020. Dr Louise Thomson is CF research lead and works closely with Dr Gordon MacGregor, adult CF Consultant and Annie Husband, CTAP research nurse/coordinator. The team have recruited to high profile phase 3 pharmaceutical trials of highly effective CFTR modulators as well as to registry based studies evaluating current treatments such as CF START and CF STORM and quality of life studies. We have also recruited patients to a large European study looking at Covid antibodies in CF patients (CAR-CF) and are due to start recruitment to the NIHR Bioresource project.

Updated 9 7 25

Review Articles:

JD. Jones, D. Varghese, R Pabary, *RJ. Langley (2022). The potential of bacteriophage therapy in the treatment of paediatric respiratory infections. Paediatric Respiratory Reviews (In Press) *Corresponding author.

RJ. Langley & S Cunningham (2017). How should oxygen supplementation be guided by pulse oximetry in children: Do we know the level? Frontiers in Pediatrics 4:138.

RJ. Langley & DI. Rowley (2009). Is infection inevitable in some patients? Orthopaedics and Trauma vol. 23 issue 2 April, 117-121.

Case reports: 

K Wallace, A Devenny, T Azam, RJ Langley (2023). Novel cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) variant in a patient with Ghanaian parentage. Pediatric Pulmonology.

R Bhatt et al. *RJ. Langley (2021). Paediatric pulmonary Langerhans cell histiocytosis: ECMO as a bridge to Chemotherapy. Journal of Paediatrics and Child Health (September 2021). *Corresponding author.

RJ. Langley, L Hill, E Hill & DS Urquhart (2017). The curious incident of groaning in the night time. Breathe 13; 123-126.

RJ.Langley, J McFadzen, J McCormack (2016). The presumed central nervous system effects of rocuronium in a neonate and its reversal with sugammadex. Pediatric Anaesthesia 26; 109-111.

Images in paediatrics:

RJ. Langley, D Hufton, J Freeman, M Jackson, DS Urquhart (2016). The ‘pitfalls’ of intubation: airway complications following trachea-oesophageal fistula repair. Arch Dis Child Fetal Neonatal ed 101: F500-F501.

Letters:

RJ. Langley (2020). “I’ve never heard of anyone die of measles…”.Archives of disease in childhood doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319348.

RJ. Langley, R . Pabary, F Trucco, A Bush (2020). Stop respiratory support? - we will take some convincing! eLetter - Thorax (online).

RJ. Langley & DS Urquhart (2018). Macrolides and Mycobacterium abscessus abscessus: A good idea? International Journal of Mycobacteriology 7:394.

RJ. Langley, DS Urquhart, S Bowhay, C Peters (2018). Macrolides and Mycobacterium abscessus – time for a rethink? eLetter - Thorax http:// thorax.bmj.com/content/72/Suppl_2/ii1.responses.

RJ.Langley (2014). Towards evidence based medicine - At the threshold. Archives of disease in childhood - eLetter. http://adc.bmj.com/content/99/7/694.2/ reply#archdischild_el_18948

Updated 9/7/25