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News & Events
New treatment option for West Australians with cystic fibrosis one step closer thanks to generosity of Conquer Cystic FibrosisAccess to phage therapy, a treatment option for antibiotic resistant superbugs, is now one step closer for people with CF in WA thanks to a $500,000 donation from Conquer Cystic Fibrosis to the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre.

News & Events
Research to explore promising new RSV treatment supported by innovation seed fundingResearchers from the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre are collaborating with Virex Pharma to undertake vital research into a potential breakthrough treatment for RSV infections in young children, thanks to a $499,241 grant awarded by the WA Department of Health Innovation Seed Fund.

News & Events
New trial aims to nip chronic lung disease in the bud for First Nations kidsWA researchers will use a $1.97 million Medical Research Future Fund grant to develop a strategy for better follow-up of First Nations children after they’ve been hospitalised for respiratory infections, in a bid to halt the slide into more severe lung disease.

News & Events
Fellowship to support research into ways to improve the lung health of people born pretermWal-yan Respiratory Research Centre researcher Ms Denby Evans has been awarded one of four inaugural fellowships supported by the State's Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund and Brightspark Foundation, enabling her to further her research into ways to improve the lung health of people
Research
Combination of curcumin or chitosan with photodynamic therapy as an effective alternative therapy for overcoming wound infection associated with multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumanniiThe increasing prevalence of multidrug-resistant Acinetobacter baumannii as an opportunistic pathogen in wound infections raises significant concerns due to its antibiotic resistance and biofilm-mediated antibiotic tolerance. This underscores the urgent need to explore an alternative approach to effectively managing wound infections caused by MDR A. baumannii.
Research
In utero and early-life nitrate in drinking water impacts lung function of weanling ratsConsumption of nitrate in drinking water has previously been associated with a range of adverse health effects, including methemoglobinemia and potentially cancer. In animal models, it has been shown to impact respiratory structure and function, however, there is a paucity of data of the effects of in utero exposure on the respiratory health of offspring.
Research
Comment on Karthikeyan et al. Concordance between In Vitro and In Vivo Relative Toxic Potencies of Diesel Exhaust Particles from Different Biodiesel Blends. Toxics 2024, 12, 290Dr Katherine Alexander Landwehr Larcombe BSc(Hons) BScEnv (Hons) PhD Senior Research Officer Honorary Research Fellow Katherine.landwehr@
Research
An infant mouse model of influenza-driven nontypeable Haemophilus influenzae colonization and acute otitis media suitable for preclinical testing of novel therapiesNontypeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi) is a major otitis media (OM) pathogen, with colonization a prerequisite for disease development. Most acute OM is in children <5 years old, with recurrent and chronic OM impacting hearing and learning. Therapies to prevent NTHi colonization and/or disease are needed, especially for young children. Respiratory viruses are implicated in driving the development of bacterial OM in children.
Research
Epigenetics of the non-coding RNA nc886 across blood, adipose tissue and skeletal muscle in offspring exposed to diabetes in pregnancyDiabetes in pregnancy is associated with increased risk of long-term metabolic disease in the offspring, potentially mediated by in utero epigenetic variation. Previously, we identified multiple differentially methylated single CpG sites in offspring of women with gestational diabetes mellitus, but whether stretches of differentially methylated regions can also be identified in adolescent GDM offspring is unknown.