Two leading researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia received significant endorsements to advance their research at last night’s Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the Australian and New Zealand Society of Respiratory Science (TSANZSRS) Annual Scientific Meeting in Adelaide.
Dr Katherine Landwehr, Senior Research Fellow in the Respiratory Environmental Health Team at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, was awarded the Maurice Blackburn Grant-in-Aid for Early to Mid-Career Researchers in Occupational Lung Disease. The $50,000 grant will support her ongoing investigation into the impact of biodiesel emissions on respiratory health.
Meanwhile, Dr Pamela Laird, a Senior Research Fellow in the Airway Epithelial Research Team, received two separate awards totalling $32,500.
Dr Landwehr’s research resonated with this year’s TSANZSRS meeting theme, Sustainable Advances in Lung Health in a Changing Climate. Her work aims to build on emerging evidence that certain types of biodiesel emissions may be more toxic and accelerate lung disease progression faster than traditional diesel exhaust.
Preliminary data in Dr Landwehr’s studies indicate that biodiesel exhaust exposure causes more severe lung inflammation than diesel exhaust, which has been classified as carcinogenic to humans since 2012. In one experiment, mice exposed to tallow biodiesel fumes for just two hours showed increased lung inflammation, whereas those exposed to diesel did not.
When exposure was extended to two hours per day over eight days, biodiesel fumes triggered significantly greater inflammation, consistent airway hyperreactivity, and immune dysregulation – factors associated with increased disease risk, including cancer.
This work was supported by the Australian Research Council, Stan Perron Charitable Foundation, and Curtin University’s School of Population Health.
Dr Laird was awarded the TSANZ Robert Pierce Grant-In-Aid for Indigenous Lung Health, a $25,000 grant supporting research into improving lung health outcomes for Indigenous communities in Australia and New Zealand. This funding will further her investigation into the impacts of bronchiectasis – a chronic lung disease that disproportionately affects Aboriginal children. Dr Laird is collaborating with Indigenous communities, government health services, and key stakeholders to develop and implement evidence-based strategies for early detection and management.
She also received the TSANZ Chiesi Advancing Women in Respiratory Health Award, a $7500 grant designed to raise the profile of women in respiratory health and reduce barriers for women in STEMM fields. This funding can be used for professional development or training courses.
The Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre is a powerhouse partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and Perth Children’s Hospital.