Dr Daniel Laucirica, a research officer with the Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre, will undertake new research into potential treatment strategies to prevent lung damage in people with cystic fibrosis (CF), under the mentorship of Associate Professor Anthony Kicic - made possible by a Vertex Cystic Fibrosis Mentored Research Innovation Award.
This award provides $184,302 AUD in support of Dr Laucirica’s project entitled Assessing anti-inflammatory and neutrophil-modulating capacity of phage therapy for Pseudomonas aeruginosa infection.
Dr Laucirica’s research focuses on the interplay between airway bacteria, inflammation, and neutrophils - a white blood cell that releases a toxic substance in CF airways called neutrophil elastase, which is linked to airway damage.
In collaboration with associate investigators Dr Luke Garratt, Dr Kak-Ming Ling, Ms Renee Ng, and Dr Anna Tai, this new project will specifically assess whether phages (viruses that kill bacteria) can be used as an anti-inflammatory therapy targeting neutrophils in the lungs during infection.
“The last decade has seen many advances in CF clinical care, however airway infection and resultant inflammation remain a problem for people with this disease,” Dr Laucirica said.
The only anti-inflammatory drug currently used to treat airway inflammation in CF is ibuprofen, which has not been shown to successfully reduce markers of inflammation and neutrophil elastase activity in CF lungs. There is still an unmet need for effective anti-inflammatory therapies for people with CF.
“Phages have already been identified as a promising treatment for the antimicrobial resistant lung infections that occur in individuals with CF, and through this research we hope to demonstrate that phage therapy also has anti-inflammatory effects on airway tissue and reduces release of neutrophil elastase.
"This may guide antimicrobial and anti-inflammatory treatment strategies for CF lung disease, with phages as an additional tool to manage both infection and inflammation, which will help prevent progressive lung damage."
The results of this study could also provide rationale for the use of phage therapy in individuals with other chronic inflammatory airway conditions, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD) and bronchiectasis, who can also suffer from neutrophil-driven lung damage as a result of bacterial airway infections.
The Vertex CF Research Innovation Awards are highly competitive grants created to inspire and support the next generation of M.D.s and Ph.Ds. who are working to advance the understanding of CF. The Mentored Research Innovation Awards provide grants of up to $125,000 USD distributed over two years to support projects by early career researchers under the mentorship of established CF investigators.
Congratulations to Dr Laucirica for being awarded this highly competitive grant for this important research work!
The Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre is a powerhouse partnership between The Kids Research Institute Australia, Perth Children’s Hospital Foundation and Perth Children’s Hospital