Autophagy as a novel therapeutic target for fibrotic airway remodeling in asthma.

Start year: 2015

Summary: Asthma affects 1 in10 Australians. Although health gains have been recently made in mild to moderate asthma, this has not translated to severe asthma. The high morbidity, mortality, and excessive economic burden of severe asthma persist and Australian death rates remain among the highest in the world. Adverse structural changes, broadly termed "airway remodelling", are arguably one of the most intractable problems in asthma. There is increasing evidence that autophagy plays a role in many pulmonary diseases, including asthma. However, significant knowledge gaps remain as little is known about the role of autophagy in asthma, including the cell types involved and mechanisms affected. While our preliminary data leads us to examine the causal and novel link between autophagy and fibrosis in asthma, we will pursue these questions with the goal of developing novel targeted therapies to achieve meaningful impact on patients.

Keywords: Asthma

FOR Codes: Respiratory System and Diseases (incl. Asthma), Respiratory Diseases, Respiratory diseases , Clinical health

Acknowledgement of Country

UTS acknowledges the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, the Boorooberongal people of the Dharug Nation, the Bidiagal people and the Gamaygal people, upon whose ancestral lands our university stands. We would also like to pay respect to the Elders both past and present, acknowledging them as the traditional custodians of knowledge for these lands.