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A new research project – the WA Paediatric Bronchiectasis Cohort Study – officially commenced this month with the aim of looking at children with bronchiectasis in Western Australia, like nine-year-old Holly (pictured), to better understand how this disease develops during childhood.

Determine the optimal antibiotic choice for lower respiratory tract infection in children with neurodisability. 

Allergic sensitization and reduced ability to respond to viral infections may contribute to virus-induced wheeze and asthma development in young children. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDC) are rare immune cells that produce type I interferons (IFN-I) and play a key role in orchestrating immune responses against viruses. 

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.

Preterm birth is increasingly recognised as adversely influencing lifelong lung function. This Series paper on prematurity-associated lung disease reviews studies reporting longitudinal lung function measurements in individuals who were born preterm. Evidence suggests that preterm birth alters lung function trajectories from early life onwards, with implications for future respiratory morbidity. We propose that this population needs rigorous follow up that should include systematic monitoring of lung function across the lifespan, starting in childhood.

Representing a 30-year interdisciplinary collaboration between The Kids, Perth Children’s Hospital, and WA Universities, the combined global impact of work from this Centre over the last 10 years has equalled some of the most influential paediatric centres around the world.

The Respiratory Physiology Platform at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre offers access to specialist equipment housed within the outpatient research department at Perth Children’s Hospital, dedicated for research use.

The Respiratory Physiology Platform at the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre offers access to specialist equipment housed within the outpatient research department at Perth Children’s Hospital, dedicated for research use.

Please contact the team early (at the stage of project design and budgeting) to ensure the most appropriate physiological test is selected with adequate funding.

Our Children’s Respiratory Science team is currently seeking research buddies to provide a community perspective on research into childhood asthma attacks.