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Unravelling the respiratory health path across the lifespan for survivors of preterm birth

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. 

The airway smooth muscle layer is structurally abnormal in low birth weight infants: implications for obstructive disease

Citation: Wang KCW, Elliot JG, Saglani S, et al. The airway smooth muscle layer is structurally abnormal in low birth weight infants: implications

Five researchers from The Kids awarded Early Career Child Health Researcher Fellowships

Five researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia have been awarded three-year fellowships with the aim of keeping more WA-based PhD graduates involved in child health research.

Respiratory researcher named joint winner of prestigious Premier’s Science Award

Congratulations to respiratory health researcher and clinician Dr Pam Laird, who was last night named joint winner of Early Career Scientist of the Year at the 2024 Premier’s Science Awards.

Government grants to support valuable new child health research

Eight The Kids Research Institute Australia-led projects will benefit from the latest round of WA Child Research Fund (WACRF) grants, announced this week by Medical Research Minister Stephen Dawson.

The potential of antisense oligonucleotide therapies for inherited childhood lung diseases

Antisense oligonucleotides are an emerging therapeutic option to treat diseases with known genetic origin. In the age of personalised medicines, antisense oligonucleotides can sometimes be designed to target and bypass or overcome a patient's genetic mutation, in particular those lesions that compromise normal pre-mRNA processing. Antisense oligonucleotides can alter gene expression through a variety of mechanisms as determined by the chemistry and antisense oligomer design.

Partial amelioration of a chronic cigarette-smoke-induced phenotype in mice by switching to electronic cigarettes

Electronic cigarettes ("e-cigarettes") are often marketed as smoking cessation tools and are used by smokers to reduce/quit cigarette smoking. The objective of this study was to assess the health effects of switching to e-cigarettes after long-term smoking in a mouse model and compare these effects with continued smoking, or quitting entirely. 

Diaphragm Function in Very Preterm Infants at 36 Weeks' Postmenstrual Age

Understand how bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and antenatal and postnatal factors influence diaphragmatic functional effectiveness in very preterm infants.

In utero and early-life nitrate in drinking water impacts lung function of weanling rats

Consumption of nitrate in drinking water has previously been associated with a range of adverse health effects, including methemoglobinemia and potentially cancer. In animal models, it has been shown to impact respiratory structure and function, however, there is a paucity of data of the effects of in utero exposure on the respiratory health of offspring.

Transcriptomic analysis of primary nasal epithelial cells reveals altered interferon signalling in preterm birth survivors at one year of age

Many survivors of preterm birth (<37 weeks gestation) have lifelong respiratory deficits, the drivers of which remain unknown. Influencers of pathophysiological outcomes are often detectable at the gene level and pinpointing these differences can help guide targeted research and interventions. This study provides the first transcriptomic analysis of primary nasal airway epithelial cells in survivors of preterm birth at approximately 1 year of age.