In the 1970s, Synairgen founder, British immunophysician Professor Sir Stephen Holgate, began investigating how respiratory viruses can cause serious illness, with the aim of translating these insights into effective clinical treatments. Joined by fellow University of Southampton professors Donna Davies and Ratko Djukanovic in the 1990s, together the three formed Synairgen in 2003 with the sole aim of bringing these advances to patients.