Overview
- The Medical Research Council has awarded about £1.55 million to a University of Birmingham team leading the EVALUATE study with clinical lead Professor David Thickett and chief investigator Dr Aaron Scott.
- Around 200 smokers seeking to quit will be randomised to either nicotine replacement therapy or e‑cigarettes, with an additional 40 people who have never smoked or vaped serving as a comparison group.
- Participants will be followed for 12 months with repeated sampling to assess airway epithelial and immune cells, inflammatory markers, the airway microbiome, gene and protein expression, and accumulation of toxicants, including procedures such as bronchoscopy.
- Investigators say the study aims to clarify the safety of using vapes as a short-term quitting aid and to inform decisions on how long people should continue vaping after stopping smoking.
- Health officials reiterate that vaping is less harmful than smoking for smokers but not for children or non-smokers, as charities press for the Tobacco and Vapes Bill, with separate conference reports of possible stroke risk described as preliminary.