Meet the IRFLUVA research team doctor….

Lucy is a medical doctor and spends most of her working week leading clinical research trials. She was born in Wales and grew up in the Valleys, before heading to University of Oxford to complete her medical training and then her doctorate in research. Having returned to live in Wales with her family, she loves meeting people from all walks of life through her research and has a specialist interest in clinical trials in the field of infection and immunity. Recently her research has focused on immune responses to infection and vaccines in older people and in people who have immune systems that do not work as well as they could. She says ‘ We are an ageing population and it is great that we are living longer and predicted to do so moving forwards. However, living well is so important and we know that older people are more likely to become unwell with infections such as COVID and flu and this can really affect our emotional, social and physical health. From our previous research we have found that immune cells in older people are not as good as recycling themselves as we age and this leads to them ‘misbehaving’ and being less good at fighting infection. They often also cause inflammation where it is not wanted e.g., in our joints. IRFLUVA is a research trial I am leading that aims to study the effects of a dietary supplement made of wheatgerm. We want to learn if it can improve recycling of old parts of immune cells and rejuvenate them in people who are 65 years and older. We are really excited about offering this research opportunity to people in Wales and are looking for volunteers who are aged 65 years or over. Our study starts in September and we are looking for volunteers to join the study’.  Here is a link to learn more about her research Dr Lucy Jones – People – Cardiff University

Anyone interested in taking part can email JonesL147@cardiff. If you like social media you can follow us on Facebook, X and Instagram @IRFLUVAStudy