Increased Airway Smooth Muscle Mass As An Independent Determinant Of Asthma Pathogenesis And Severity
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$409,966.00
Summary
Asthma is a major health burden to the community. The most common form of the disease is allergic asthma and it is thought that allergic inflammation drives associated airway abnormalities including increased airway smooth muscle (ASM) mass. This study tests a new hypothesis that airway abnormalities and allergy have separate origins but combine to produce allergic asthma, and it’s the individuals with the greatest amount of ASM who develop clinically severe asthma.
Heterogeneity Of Airway Smooth Muscle Remodelling In Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$623,078.00
Summary
Increased smooth muscle in the airways causes excessive narrowing and asthma symptoms. The distribution of the increased muscle in the lung varies between people with asthma and may determine how severe the asthma is and what treatments are best. This project will use tissues from many cases of asthma to map this distribution and will use laser scanning in the airways to develop a test to safely examine the smooth muscle in living people, in order to better treat or prevent asthma.
Asthma causes wheeze and shortness of breath via airway narrowing, with asthma attacks commonly caused by virus infections. We plan to investigate how airway narrowing during an asthma attack decreases the body’s ability to fight off a viral infection, causing prolonged infection, worse asthma symptoms, more airway inflammation and long-term damage within the airways. We will attempt to use current and novel treatments to reverse these problems, and improve treatment for asthma.
The Central Role Of Connective Tissue Growth Factor In Remodelling Of Asthmatic Airways
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$689,019.00
Summary
In the asthmatic airway an increase in the number of blood vessels can affect an asthmatic's ability to breathe. We have recently found that growth factors which can promote vessel growth are increased in the airways of asthmatics. We want to understand how these growth factors act together to possibly control the blood vessels and how their behaviour is different in the asthmatic airways compared to the nonasthmatic airways.
Impaired Respiratory Tolerance In Obesity - The Link With Asthma?
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$667,294.00
Summary
Australia has one of the highest obesity rates in the world, placing a major strain on health budgets. Obesity increases the risk of numerous diseases, including asthma. Asthma is prevented in healthy people by the immune system. This project will investigate whether obesity-related dietary factors and/or gut microbes impair this immune-mediated mechanism. Outcomes will increase understanding of the effects of diet and obesity on asthma development, and lead to novel asthma therapies.
Novel Strategies To Boost Tristetraprolin Function: A Critical Anti-inflammatory Protein In Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$547,216.00
Summary
Asthma is a chronic disorder where airways are remodelled, resulting in poor lung function. Airway remodelling is a consequence of long-term inflammation. As current treatments halt some, but not all, aspects of airway remodelling, new therapeutic approaches are urgently required. In this grant, our aim is to devise novel strategies to boost the function of a critical anti-inflammatory protein - TTP - to reduce inflammation in asthma.
The uneven way that airways narrow (heterogeneity) would seem to be an important factor affecting the natural history, clinical expression and response to treatment in patients with severe asthma. In this study we will be looking at the mechanism for heterogeneity in sufferers of severe asthma in relation to how stiff the lung is and the type of inflammation seen in these patients.
Targeting Remodelling In Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), Chronic Asthma And Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$386,634.00
Summary
Lung diseases (emphysema, asthma & pulmonary fibrosis) are major burdens on Australian community and economy. Airway remodelling/wounding is a key feature of all these diseases. Patients experience severe breathlessness seriously impacting quality of life and frequently leading to death. We will assess the potential of new targets (including IL-33), & therapy in suppressing wounding in experimental models. This may lead to a new treatment to reverse or prevent lung diseases.
Fetal Growth Restriction, Low Birth Weight And The Development Of Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$397,003.00
Summary
Asthma is a common disease in Australia that causes breathing difficulties. Studies have shown that restricted growth in the womb may be linked to developing asthma in childhood and adulthood. The reason for this isn't clear but we believe that restricted growth may alter the normal development of the baby's airway and lungs. Changes to the normal structure of the lungs leads to a higher risk of developing asthma.
Urokinase Is A Key Mediator Of Airway Inflammation And Tissue Remodelling In Asthma
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$556,425.00
Summary
The scarring of airway tissue in asthma increases the difficulty of breathing. There is no effective treatment for airway scarring in severe asthma. This study looks at how proteins involved in dissolving blood clots influence wound healing and scarring in the airways. A better understanding of airway tissue scarring will lead to possible treatments for more serious forms of asthma which remain a major health and economic burden to our community.