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Advancing Innovation in Respiratory Health

The Advancing Innovation in Respiratory (AIR) Health Team is a multi-disciplinary group with skills in clinical medicine, physiology, psychology, and in cellular and molecular biology, that are committed to improving the lives of children with respiratory diseases and their families.

Through local, national and international collaborations, the team will accelerate innovation in child respiratory health and translation of these discoveries into clinical practice and policy.

A major area of focus for the team is Cystic Fibrosis (CF), the most common chronic, life-shortening genetic condition affecting Australians. Our team leads the Australian Respiratory Early Surveillance Team for Cystic Fibrosis (AREST CF), a collaborative group of over 30 doctors, allied health professionals and researchers dedicated to improving the respiratory health of children with CF by translating scientific research into tangible clinical outcomes. Research by our group and others has shown that infants and children with CF exhibit reduced lung function and evidence of inflammation and infection at a very early age. This highlights the need for new treatments that can be given from time of diagnosis to prevent and/or reverse the damage.

Learn more about the AREST team here.

Team leader

Head, AIR Health Team

Advancing Innovation in Respiratory Health projects

Featured projects

SYNERGY CF: Getting the best start to life - preventing early cystic fibrosis lung disease by solving the host-inflammation infection conundrum

Cystic fibrosis related progressive lung disease characterised by inflammation and infection commences soon after birth.

SHIP CT: A Phase 3 randomised, double-blind, controlled trial of inhaled 7% hypertonic saline versus 0.9% isotonic saline for 48 weeks in patients with Cystic Fibrosis at 3-6 years of age in parallel with the North American SHIP clinical trial.

SHIP-CT, led by Professor Stephen Stick, Director of the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre at The Kids, is a unique study in preschool-aged children (from 3-6 years of age) with CF using images of the lung from chest CT scans as the main outcome measure.

Reports and Findings

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Innate epithelial and functional differences in airway epithelium of children with acute wheeze

Early childhood wheeze is a major risk factor for asthma. However, not all children who wheeze will develop the disease. The airway epithelium has been shown to be involved in asthma pathogenesis. Despite this, the airway epithelium of children with acute wheeze remains poorly characterized.

Impact of climate change on diarrhoea risk in low- and middle-income countries

Diarrhoea remains a leading cause of mortality among children under five years of age, with over 99 % of deaths occurring in low- and middle-income countries. Poor water quality, inadequate sanitation, poverty, undernutrition, and limited healthcare access contribute to this lingering problem, together with emerging environmental stressors driven by climate change.

Clinical Predictors of Longitudinal Respiratory Exacerbation Outcomes in Young Hospitalised Children

Respiratory infection and wheezing illness are leading causes of hospitalisation in childhood, placing a significant burden on families and healthcare systems. However, reliably distinguishing children at risk of developing persistent disease from those likely to outgrow their symptoms remains a clinical challenge. Earlier identification would allow clinicians to focus care and resources on those most likely to benefit from long-term management, while reducing anxiety and uncertainty about the future for families.

tesG expression as a potential clinical biomarker for chronic Pseudomonas aeruginosa pulmonary biofilm infections

Pseudomonas aeruginosa infections in the lungs affect millions of children and adults worldwide. To our knowledge, no clinically validated prognostic biomarkers for chronic pulmonary P. aeruginosa infections exist. Therefore, this study aims to identify potential prognostic markers for chronic P. aeruginosa biofilm lung infections.

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