Pathophysiological Correlates In Smokers And Smoking-related Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$283,500.00
Summary
Smoking-related chronic airway narrowing (COPD) is a common and major illness. Research on the characteristics of the actual pathological process in the airways in smokers and COPD using direct tissue sample is relatively new. Data is currently limited and rather contradictory. In this grant we will recruit a spectrum of smokers and COPD patients typical of those in the Australian community and will be undertaking a detailed analysis of the cellular and some vascular structural changes in the ai ....Smoking-related chronic airway narrowing (COPD) is a common and major illness. Research on the characteristics of the actual pathological process in the airways in smokers and COPD using direct tissue sample is relatively new. Data is currently limited and rather contradictory. In this grant we will recruit a spectrum of smokers and COPD patients typical of those in the Australian community and will be undertaking a detailed analysis of the cellular and some vascular structural changes in the airway wall. Both cellular and vascular changes will be related to the fixed and reversible component of airway obstruction. Reversible changes with smoking cessation will be studied. A very novel feature will be a preliminary assessment of the utility of proteomics for assessment of airway pathology.Read moreRead less
THE CHANGING PREVALENCE OF ASTHMA AND CHRONIC OBSTRUCTIVE AIRWAY DISEASE IN AUSTRALIA
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$737,817.00
Summary
Respiratory illnesses are common with asthma symptoms affecting up to 15% of adults and 30% of children in the Australian community. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is also common. The term encompasses emphysema and bronchitis and is mainly due to cigarette smoking. Although COPD is less common than asthma it causes more persistent disability especially in older people. Asthma is associated with faster decline in lung function with age and may also ultimately cause COPD. A diagnosis ....Respiratory illnesses are common with asthma symptoms affecting up to 15% of adults and 30% of children in the Australian community. Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is also common. The term encompasses emphysema and bronchitis and is mainly due to cigarette smoking. Although COPD is less common than asthma it causes more persistent disability especially in older people. Asthma is associated with faster decline in lung function with age and may also ultimately cause COPD. A diagnosis of asthma has become more common especially in children although this may be due to increased awareness and available treatments. Less is known about changes in the prevalence of asthma and COPD in adults over the last 10 years. These airway diseases are associated with inflammation in the airways and changes in airway structure. Tests of lung function and airway responsiveness have been used repeatedly in Busselton a coastal town in the south west of Western Australia since 1966 to provide information on changes in airway structure (calibre). Recently non invasive tests that can provide evidence of inflammation have been developed. Although treatment of asthma can control symptoms and improve lung function, airway inflammation tends to persist. The extent to which inflammation and abnormal structure are present in the airways of people in the community who do not complain of respiratory symptoms is not known. This study will determine if the frequency of asthma and COPD are actually increasing in the population of Busselton in comparison to previous estimates over the past 35 years. It will determine the degree to which unrecognised airway inflammation is present in the community and the best ways of detecting it. The results of the study will help to look for causes of asthma, determine how big a problem airway inflammation is in the community, and how it relates to abnormal airway structure, lung function, airway responsiveness and respiratory symptoms.Read moreRead less
Interleukin-17A Promotes Cigarette Smoke-induced Lung Inflammation And Damage
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$650,590.00
Summary
Emphysema is a major global health problem and has been predicted to become the third largest cause of death in the world by 2020. Cigarette smoking is the major cause of emphysema and accounts for more than 95% of cases in industrialized countries. Cigarette smoke triggers cells in the lung to release substances which cause inflammation and "eat away" lung tissue. The aim of this project is to identify therapies to prevent and treat emphysema.
Cigaratte Smoke Exposure Suppresses Alveolar Macrophage Responses To Lipopolysaccharide By Modifying The TLR4 Pathway
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$506,283.00
Summary
Long term cigarette smoke exposure is a major risk factor for cancer, heart disease and emphysema. A less known fact about smoke exposure is that it also leaves people susceptible to respiratory infections by i) physically damaging the lung lining and ii) suppressing cells responsible for coordinating the lungs defence system. This project will identify how smoke exposure blocks the early response to infection by the immune system and discovery novel ways of restoring normal lung defences.
The health effects of electronic cigarette use are virtually unknown. They have only recently been introduced into widespread use, and as such their effects on human health will not be known for many years. We will use our expertise in exposure models and health outcome measurement to provide timely hard-data on their potential to impact health – data that are urgently required to guide policy makers in this area.
Modulation Of Macrophage Function As A Therapy For Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$435,589.00
Summary
We have established that defective clearance of dying cells by phagocytes in the airway can a) perpetuate inflammation in smokers with-without COPD and b) be improved by administration of therapies (Mannose binding lectin and Procysteine) in a mouse model. The current proposal specifically addresses the role of phagocytes in the ongoing airway damage in our COPD patients, and more thoroughly investigates the mechanisms and effects of administration of relevant new therapies (in a mouse model).
Modifying Epigenetics As A Novel Treatment In COPD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$1,122,854.00
Summary
Smoking leads to inflammation that causes emphysema, which is a major health problem. Once induced there is a progressive decline in health, which continues even after stopping smoking. There are no treatments that halt this decline. Recently smoking-induced changes in genes have been discovered that control inflammation. We may be able to reverse these changes and stop the induction and progression of emphysema. This project may lead to a completely new way of preventing and treating emphysema.
Elucidation Of The Aetiology Of Airway Remodelling In COPD
Funder
National Health and Medical Research Council
Funding Amount
$626,979.00
Summary
This project grant aims to discover how cigarette smoking induces the development of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) by understanding how smoking drives the key pathological charges in the airways, airway remodelling. Our research to-date has found that cells from people with COPD have an hightened response to cigarette smoke and we aim to uncover the molecular basis of this aberrant response.
It has recently become apparent that we all make a substance in the lungs called nitric oxide. The amount that we make is increased in diseases such as allergic asthma. This project will study the connection between the allergen being inhaled and the excess nitric oxide being made by cells in the lung. From this research we will have a better understanding of the processess involved and develop better therapies for asthma.