World Lung Day 2024: Clean air and healthy lungs for all
We speak to experts Prof Gary Anderson & Alastair Stewart about the impacts to lung health globally.
World Lung Day, observed annually on 25th September raises awareness about lung health and the global burden of respiratory diseases. The day emphasizes the importance of research in combating conditions such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and lung cancer. Leading experts and organizations, like the Global Initiative for Chronic Obstructive Lung Disease (GOLD) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS), drive advancements in understanding these diseases.
Key research areas include the impact of pollution, smoking cessation, and the development of innovative treatments and diagnostic tools to improve lung health. In the School of Biomedical Sciences our own research experts are at the forefront of lung health research.
Prof Gary Anderson: Pharmacologist, immunologist, COPD research expert
Prof Gary Anderson, Head of the Lung Disease Research Lab (DBP), has just returned from the European Respiratory Society (ERS) Congress - an annual event bringing together respiratory experts from around the world to showcase all the latest advances in respiratory medicine and science.
Gary says there are a number of big air quality issues which negatively impact lung health globally – these relate to smoking and vaping, indoor contaminates, pollution from vehicles and bushfires.
Personal air quality is affected by smoking and vaping with children being particularly vulnerable as their lungs are still growing and developing.
Things like emissions from gas top cookers and other sources of contaminants particularly in the home can impact indoor air quality, making ventilation crucially important. Gary recently featured on Channel 9 where he discussed the potential harm that could be caused by a malfunctioning refrigerator. Read more
Transport pollution is a huge contributor to air quality and Gary says we can do some practical things like choosing to drive less and being mindful of turning cars off when dropping children to and from school.
This is an unexpectedly high source of air contamination because there are so many cars each day idling engines during school pick-ups and drop off.
Bushfires, a result of climate change and land use are another contributing factor to air quality: “This is a huge problem going forward - we need to manage fire risk versus air quality and that’s a very complex trade off,” Gary says.
In terms of specific lung disease research, Gary has recently been focused on the CURE Asthma Initiative. Last week he presented at the SBS Research Initiatives Showcase and says we need to shift the paradigm and change the mindset that asthma is an incurable inflammatory disease.
The primary goal of treatment needs to be focused on inducing remission of the disease…
“Here in Australia we have a stellar record in asthma research...our innovation and development industry is ready to make the next transformational discovery...” Gary says.
Read more about the CURE Asthma Initiative
Prof Alastair Stewart - Respiratory and inflammation research expert
“The impact of airborne particulate and gaseous pollution is both pervasive and insidious... And its not just about the lungs. Some small particles get into the blood stream and increase the risk of cardiovascular disease," says Prof Alastair Stewart, Head of the Mechanopharmacology Laboratory, CSO of Tianli Biotech and Director of the ARC Centre for Personalised Therapeutics Technologies.
Alastair is leading research on a novel class of drugs for chronic lung diseases including asthma, COPD and lung fibrosis, with medicinal chemistry support from Prof Spencer Williams. The lead compound, TLB001 has recently progressed to a Phase 1 clinical trial in healthy volunteers. This University of Melbourne joint venture with Tianli Biotech is expecting to move forward to Phase 2 trials in 2025.
Poor air quality is a major risk factor for all lung diseases.
Prof Alastair Stewart
Read more about Alastair's latest research here
Alastair also featured in our Master of Biomedical Science Spotlight Series: Research Possibilities.
