An ambitious venture out of Perth could see the end of childhood asthma.
A team of scientists at a new world-class respiratory research centre, called The Wal-van Respiratory Research Centre, are working on therapies that would function like an asthma vaccine.
The therapies would train the immune system and protect the lining of the airways to prevent the development of childhood asthma.
Centre director Professor Stephen Stick said the development had the potential to save billions of dollars from the national healthcare budget as well as improve the lives of millions of children.
“Eliminating asthma – which affects around ten per cent of Australian children – will be a key priority for the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, with our researchers pursuing a vaccine-like approach to solve this problem,” Professor Stick said.
“We are looking at training the immune system in young people who are identified as being predisposed to asthma, through genetic or environmental factors.
“You can look at it like a switch lever on a train track – if we can train the immune system during the first year of life, a vaccine-like therapy can act as a switch to change the track and instead of following the pathway to asthma, the immune system is re-directed to a healthier outcome.”
The centre is a partnership between the Telethon Kids Institute, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and Perth Children’s Hospital.
