Investigators: Andre Schultz, Anthony Kicic, Luke Garratt, Stephen Stick
The project aims to build capacity in regenerative medicine for children with respiratory diseases by integrating existing resources at The Kids Research Institute Australia into a single high profile program – ReGenWA to establish new tissue engineering capacity to implement “lung-on-a-chip” organoid technology and to use lung organoids in demonstration projects to:
- i. better understand individual variability in responses to expensive new drugs for cystic fibrosis; and
- ii. to develop new approaches to treat asthma.
This is the only program of its type in Australia focussed on childhood lung diseases and the only comprehensive paediatric program to include “lung-on-a-chip” organoid methodologies. This additional capability together with existing stem cell and genetic expertise will position WA as international leaders in the field that can use these cutting-edge platforms to investigate and develop novel treatments for lung diseases. The establishment of a single child-focussed regenerative medicine entity will allow WA researchers to investigate:
- The causes and treatments for diseases such as asthma, cystic fibrosis and rare genetic lung diseases;
- The use of cutting edge stem cell techniques to repair damaged lungs;
- The effectiveness of unique gene repair technologies being developed in Perth
- The feasibility of engineered tissue replacement therapy.
External collaborators:
- A/Prof Sean Murphy (Wake Forest Insitute of Regenerative Medicine)
- Prof. George Yeoh (Centre for Cell Therapy and Regenerative Medicine UWA)
- Dr. Susan Fletcher (Curtin University/Murdoch University)