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A ground-breaking global clinical trial to improve the lifelong lung health of children born extremely prematurely has been awarded a Medical Research Future Fund (MRFF) International Clinical Trials Collaborations Grant totalling almost $3 million.
Valuable support from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation will enable The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers to commence projects on topics ranging from disability, mental health and lung disease to diabetes, Aboriginal leadership, and the development of child-focused pandemic policies.
Respiratory disease is a leading cause of hospitalisations in children with cerebral palsy (CP). Over 40% of individuals with CP are born preterm; however, the relationship between prematurity, CP and respiratory disease is unknown.
Parents of children born prematurely have expressed concerns about their child’s lung health when they exercise, with symptoms such as breathlessness.
Respiratory disease remains one of the most significant complications of preterm birth, with lasting consequences.
Four The Kids Research Institute Australia researchers have received prestigious fellowships and four significant cohort studies led or co-led by The Kids have received key grants under two new funding programs supported by the State Government’s Future Health Research and Innovation (FHRI) Fund.
The bone marrow is a specialised niche responsible for the maintenance of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells during homeostasis and inflammation. Recent studies however have extended this essential role to the extramedullary and extravascular lung microenvironment. Here, we provide further evidence for a reservoir of hematopoietic stem and progenitor cells within the lung from embryonic day 18.5 until adulthood.
Early life is a key period that determines long-term health. Lung development in childhood predicts lung function attained in adulthood and morbidity and mortality across the life course. We aimed to assess the effect of early-life lower respiratory tract infection (LRTI) and associated risk factors on lung development from birth to school age in a South African birth cohort.
In obstructive airway diseases such as asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the extracellular matrix (ECM) protein amount and composition of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) is often remodelled, likely altering tissue stiffness. The underlying mechanism of how human ASM cell (hASMC) mechanosenses the aberrant microenvironment is not well understood.
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.