On 20 March 2013 my twin sister Beckie and I will be trekking to Everest Base Camp!  We are volunteering as part of a medical research expedition organised by Xtreme Everest, who are looking at the effects of low oxygen on the human body to develop better care for the critically ill in intensive care units (ICU). Hypoxia - lack of oxygen reaching the body's vital organs - is a common problem for ICU patients.

In the UK 1 in 5 of us will end up in intensive care at some point in our lives. Of those, 40% will die. Despite intensive care being one of the most sophisticated areas of hospital care, there is still limited understanding of why some people survive and some die, and this research will help understand how our bodies cope when deprived of oxygen with the aim of applying what is learned to help save the lives of patients in intensive care units.  

Xtreme Everest is a dedicated team of intensive care doctors, nurses and scientists, led by Dr Daniel Martin. They conduct experiments on themselves and other volunteers like Beckie and I, at high altitude to develop therapies to improve the survival rates of their ICU patients. Because it is very difficult to study ICU patients, not least because they are so ill, the team need to simulate the critical conditions of intensive care and use volunteers like us.

In 2007 the research team went to Everest, the world's highest mountain, where oxygen levels on the summit are a third of those at sea level - similar to those experienced by patients in intensive care. In addition over 200 volunteer subjects joined the expedition trekking to Base Camp so that they could provide invaluable data about how they adapted to the low levels of oxygen found at this altitude.

In 2013 they are doing a follow up study and advertised for more volunteers to be studied, including identical twins. They approached the Department of Twin Resarch (DTR), based at Kings College London http://www.twinsuk.ac.uk/ to help find twins. We have both volunteered for over 6 years and it is our experience volunteering at the DTR that made us realise how valuable twin research really is.

So why are twins so valuable in research? Identical twins share identical genes yet they exhibit subtle differences. Some of these arise from the way in which genes are translated and this emerging field of human biology is called epigenetics. Understanding how our DNA code can change throughout life may explain the interactions of nature and nurture. Epigenetics can alter the way we respond to certain circumstances and adaptation to hypoxia may be influenced in this way. A greater understanding of the influence of epigenetics on acclimatisation could pave the way for artificially influencing it in critically ill patients.

All volunteers undergo an array of medical tests (26 clinical tests resulting in over 60 clinical measurements!) ranging from collection and analysis of basic blood through to advanced organ imaging and micro measurement. We even had a muscle biopsy - our least favourite! All of these were carried out at Sea Level in London, then we will have the same tests and measurements taken at different altitudes during the trek: Namche Bazaar (3440m/11, 283ft),  Everest Base Camp (5380m/17, 575 ft) where the oxygen levels in the air are half what they are at sea level, and back down at Kathmandu (1400m/4,600ft). We will also be required to exercise to exhaustion at each altitude to be tested (the dreaded exercise bike test) - though that may not take too long in my case!

Xtreme Everest is a not for profit organisation, led by doctors and scientists from UCL, University of Southampton and Duke University in the United States, conducting this innovative, cutting edge research. They need £1.5 million to fund the research. It is being raised by the UCLH Charity.

Please note that we are paying all our expedition costs, so that all the money we raise goes direct to the charity. Even a small gift will help immensely and we are extremely grateful for all your support.

More information can be found at
http://www.xtreme-everest.co.uk/
http://www.facebook.com/Xtreme.Everest
http://www.twitter.com/XtremeEverest
You may have seen the Horizon Programme on the 2007 expedition. If not you might find the following interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JHtu7Ix_d8s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=relmfu&v=1kDmBWNO4Oc

Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure.  Your details are safe with JustGiving – they’ll send your money directly to the charity and make sure Gift Aid is reclaimed on every eligible donation by a UK taxpayer. 

 

Thank you so much!

Beckie and Jain