Chronic lung disease researcher lands NHMRC Development Grant
Prof Gary Anderson (Dept of Biochemistry and Pharmacology) has been awarded a two year development grant to investigate ways to reduce mucus production in chronic lung disease.
The overproduction of mucus in our lungs is a common symptom of many chronic lung diseases such as asthma, Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and Cystic Fibrosis. Professor Gary Anderson, Director of the Centre for Lung Health Research in the Department of Biochemistry and Pharmacology, and collaborators identified the JAG-1 molecule as being responsible for the over-production of mucus. Together they will look to develop ways to target JAG-1 to be an effective therapy against muco-secretory diseases.
Through this NHRMC development grant funding, we will investigate the best ways to deliver molecules to bind and block JAG-1 activity, to reduce mucus production in patients with chronic lung diseases.
Please join us in congratulating Gary on this award.
Learn more about Prof Gary Anderson
Lung Disease Research Laboratory
Prof Anderson's research is focused on understanding the molecular basis of chronic degenerative lung diseases like severe refractory asthma, Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (COPD), Asthma-COPD Overlap, the COPD-lung cancer interface and fibrotic lung diseases.
The CURE Asthma Initiative
At the inaugural Major Research Initiatives Showcase in 2024, Gary spoke about the CURE Asthma initiative and the leading researchers, doctors and epidemiologists from across the country that have come together to initiate an Australia-wide research collaboration to cure asthma. Asthma is a disease that is largely viewed as an incurable inflammatory disease - Gary talked about the importance of shifting this paradigm to a primary goal of treating the disease to induce remission.