The CHEP Laboratory Science team

Innate immune response in respiratory epithelium

Lower respiratory illnesses in the first year or two of life, especially those associated with wheeze and/or fever, are major risk factors for poor respiratory health. Recent data suggests that bacteria and viruses commonly found in the nose in early life may increase the risk of subsequent disease.

This project will take advantage of a unique, community-based birth cohort (Early Life Lung Function and Respiratory Health Study - ELLF), in whom the presence of respiratory viruses and bacteria in the upper airway and respiratory symptoms during the first 2 years of life have been determined from weekly nasal swabs and a daily symptom diary. This project will determine how nasal cells obtained from either adults (asthmatic or healthy) and the children birth cohort respond in laboratory-based culture when infected with bacteria, in addition to assessing the cell response when co-infected with respiratory viruses.

Innate immunity and response to oxidative stress in the airway epithelium

The airway epithelium provides the first line of innate immune protection to defend against environmental stressors and infections. A decline in airway epithelial innate immune system functionality is associated with many medical conditions and can result in chronic inflammation and compromised immunity of the lung. Oxidative stress can be generated by environmental exposure. Increase in oxidative stress cause airway and lung damage, which may initiate or worsen respiratory disease. Redox regulation maintains the equilibrium of pro-oxidant/anti-oxidant reactions but can be disturbed by environmental exposures. How this impacts on respiratory disease and whether anti-oxidants can provide protection is unknown.

This project aims to investigate the innate immune responses in environmental exposure; how the airway epithelium response to oxidative stress; and examine the utility of antioxidants to restore redox homeostasis.