Integrin-growth factor interactions in the development of airway wall remodelling

Funded Activity Summary

Asthma is a clinically and socio-economically important disease with prevalence in the Australian population of approximately 13% for adults and approaching 25% for children. Currently, glucocorticoids (GCS) are first line prophylactic therapy for the disease. Despite a wide diversity of precipitating factors, the mechanisms underlying its pathogenesis remain unclear. A marked thickening of the airway wall bought about by excessive deposition of extracellular matrix is a prominent pathological feature but why this occurs and how it can be prevented is equally unclear. Recent studies have suggested that interactions between cells and the extracellular matrix influence the airways response to inflammation and modulate the effectiveness of currently available therapies. Indeed, there is mounting evidence to suggest that GCS fail to modulate and indeed in some cases even contribute to structural changes in the remodeled airway wall. The aim of this study is to assess the mechanisms by which cells and the extracellular matrix interact to promote remodelling of the airway wall and to determine whether this association influences the responsiveness to traditional asthma therapies.

Funded Activity Details

Start Date: 01-01-2003

End Date: 01-01-2005

Funding Scheme: NHMRC Project Grants

Funding Amount: $405,300.00

Funder: National Health and Medical Research Council

Research Topics

ANZSRC Field of Research (FoR)

Respiratory Diseases

ANZSRC Socio-Economic Objective (SEO)

There are no SEO codes available for this funding activity

Other Keywords

Airway Inflammation | Airway Remodelling | Airway epithelium | Asthma | fibroblast | growth factor | integrin

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