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The Kids Research Institute Australia researcher, Niamh Troy, has been named a joint winner of the Exxon Mobile Student Scientist of the Year award at the Premier’s Science Awards.

A project to uncover treatable traits to improve the lung health of people born preterm has been made possible thanks to a $1.99 million Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) grant. 

Respiratory disease remains one of the most significant complications of preterm birth, with lasting consequences.

Researchers developing a world-first treatment that targets an underlying cause of asthma have secured a $499,640 grant from the Future Health, Research and Innovation Fund – Innovation Seed Fund.

Each year, 11% (15 million) of the world’s babies are delivered before 37 weeks’ gestation.

Many survivors of preterm birth will have abnormal lung development, reduced peak lung function and, potentially, an increased rate of physiological lung function decline, each of which places them at increased risk of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease across the lifespan. 

Electronic cigarettes (e-cigarettes) lack regulatory status as therapeutic products in all jurisdictions worldwide. They are potentially unsafe consumer products, with significant evidence they pose a risk to human health. Therefore, developing rapid, economical test methods to assess the chemical composition of e-liquids in heated and unheated forms and the aerosols produced by e-cigarettes is crucial.

Microbiome science has been one of the most exciting and rapidly evolving research fields in the past two decades. Breakthroughs in technologies including DNA sequencing have meant that the trillions of microbes (particularly bacteria) inhabiting human biological niches (particularly the gut) can be profiled and analysed in exquisite detail.

Structural lung changes seen on computed tomography scans in persons with primary ciliary dyskinesia are currently described using cystic fibrosis derived scoring systems. Recent work has shown structural changes and frequencies that are unique to PCD, indicating the need for a unique PCD-derived scoring system.

High population density and tourism in Southeast Asia increase the risk of mpox due to frequent interpersonal contacts. Our wastewater surveillance in six Southeast Asian countries revealed positive signals for Monkeypox virus (MPXV) DNA, indicating local transmission. This alerts clinicians and helps allocate resources like testing, vaccines and therapeutics in resource-limited countries.