This application will allow me to restructure my work to provide sufficient time to do full justice to the current and planned commitments of our Respiratory Research Group. Our research programme includes the immunopathology of chronic airway diseases; the epidemiology of respiratory disease (TAHS); clinical physiology technology to service these studies; respiratory clinical pharmacology; microbe-host interactions in CF and COPD; and EBM in chronic respiratory disease self-management .
Assessment Of Airway Smooth Muscle Hypertrophy In Asthma And Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$298,055.00
Summary
Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common in the Australian community. The cause of asthma is unknown and although COPD is most often due to smoking cigarettes it remains unknown why it develops only in some smokers and in some non-smokers. The pathology of asthma and COPD includes increased thickness of the airway smooth muscle layer. In asthma this is associated with relatively normal airway lumen size and intermittent, excessive airway narrowing whereas in COPD it is ....Asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are common in the Australian community. The cause of asthma is unknown and although COPD is most often due to smoking cigarettes it remains unknown why it develops only in some smokers and in some non-smokers. The pathology of asthma and COPD includes increased thickness of the airway smooth muscle layer. In asthma this is associated with relatively normal airway lumen size and intermittent, excessive airway narrowing whereas in COPD it is associated with fixed narrowing of the airway lumens. The increased smooth muscle layer might result from more or bigger smooth muscle cells or from more connective tissue (matrix) between the muscle cells. This project aims to determine which of these 3 factors causes the increased thickness of the smooth muscle layer in asthma and COPD. We hypothesise that in asthma there are more muscle cells and more matrix, and that in COPD there is only more matrix. These differences would account for the different behaviour of the airways in asthma and COPD. Currently there is no useful or practical method to measure the amount of matrix in the airway wall, especially in the smooth muscle. This project will study the amount of matrix and muscle in very thin airway sections (< 1 m) from a large number of cases of asthma and COPD to allow, for the first time, accurate assessment of the fractions of matrix and muscle in the smooth muscle layer, since they barely overlap on these thin sections. The results of this study are important because they will: differentiate between mechanisms of increased thickness of the airway smooth muscle layer in asthma and COPD and therefore identify different prevention and treatment strategies; help to develop a method of monitoring airway remodeling in airway diseases that can be applied to bronchial biopsies.Read moreRead less
Genetic And Environmental Risk Factors On Lifetime Risk Of Obstructive Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$351,414.00
Summary
Classification of lifetime phenotypes of obstructive lung disease allows investigation of the effect of environmental and genetic influences on specific phenotypes along with the interactions between them. Through improved phenotyping ,the currently inconsistent relationships between asthma and COPD and their associations with genetic and environmental factors may become clearer.
Investigating The Effects Of Macrolides On Excessive Synthesis And Secretion Of Airway Mucins Using Novel Ex Vivo And In Vivo Approaches
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$520,821.00
Summary
Many people have difficulty breathing because the airway tubes that move air in and out of their lungs are blocked by excessive amounts of sticky mucus. Our project will use new techniques developed in our laboratories to investigate whether a group of medicines called “macrolides” can prevent the excessive production and release of mucus in the airways, and thus be beneficial in treating asthma, and potentially other lung diseases.
Revolutionising The Diagnosis And Monitoring Of CF Lung Disease
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$818,391.00
Summary
Cystic fibrosis (CF) lung disease starts early in childhood and relentlessly progresses, with early death a common outcome. There is currently no method capable of detecting very early disease onset nor directly assessing the effectiveness of putative treatments. This project will apply our globally unique X-ray imaging tools, which are capable of imaging lung function at any point across the entire lung, for the very early detection of CF and assessment of clinically applicable treatments.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) causes airway narrowing and lung destruction resulting in breathlessness and cough. Earlier detection of acute attacks of breathlessness may improve treatment, prevent progression and reduce risk of death. The forced oscillation technique can detect attacks earlier and is easy to perform. It will be used in this study for home monitoring with application of time series analyses to accurately detect change so that acute attacks can be treated earlier.