Currently in Australia asthma prevalence is high compared with other countries, affecting 10%–12% of adults and 14%–16% of children. This project will determine the contribution of mast cells to the altered function of airway smooth muscle cells and identify how non asthmatic airway smooth muscle inhibits mast cell localisation to it. The findings will provide new targets for asthma therapies and a pathway for prevention strategies, which up until now have been unsuccessful.
The Effect Of Heterogeneity And Airway Closure On Distensibility Measurements In Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$35,085.00
Summary
Long term asthma can result in stiffening of the airways, which cannot currently be measured with standard lung function tests. A new non-invasive technique, using sound, has been shown to measure airway stiffness, but this may be adversely influenced by other respiratory changes that occur with asthma (airway closure, heterogeneity). We are investigating the effects of these confounding factors to fully characterise this novel technique, so that it can be used in the clinical environment.