Record-breaking investment fuels life-changing research.
In recent years, research has discovered treatments that help to slow the progression of Pulmonary Fibrosis (PF). With access to life-changing treatment through a clinical trial, Linda, who was diagnosed in 2016, is enjoying precious time with her grandchildren.
“I am so grateful for those who have been involved in research over many years and pray that as research continues, the hope of a better, brighter and longer future for all us who live with PF will become a reality,” Linda said.
In September, Lung Foundation Australia provided the nation’s single-biggest philanthropic investment in PF research to our partner, the Centre of Research Excellence in Pulmonary Fibrosis (CRE-PF). This $1.1 million investment – made possible thanks to the generosity of a family who lost their father to PF – will support further world-leading discoveries to tackle the disease.
CRE-PF Chief Investigator, Associate Professor Tamera Corte, says this funding boost is critical to build on the significant progress made in recent years.
“We are looking at ways to identify which patients are likely to progress quicker than others. Some of the exciting new results have shown that there are blood and CT scan biomarkers which help us in that, and this will allow us to provide targeted and personalised treatment as early as possible,” A/Prof Corte said.
“This is amazing given just a few years ago we had no treatment at all for this condition. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to see our understanding of a condition progress to a point like we’re at today, where there is so much hope for the future. With the support of generous donors like this, and the support of the community, we’re able to continue this research that will ultimately change and save lives.”
Linda says with very limited government funding for dedicated PF research, community support is imperative.
“The heartfelt appreciation I feel for donors, be they corporate or private, is because they are showing that we matter. That our lives deserve the same attention as the more well-known conditions.”
Through our research program, we’re working to improve diagnosis and treatment by funding cutting-edge research projects. Through our partnerships with organisations like the CRE-PF, we support researchers across the country who are working to provide hope for a brighter future. To find out more, visit lungfoundation.com.au.
Hope through clinical trials
The Pulmonary Fibrosis Australasian Clinical Trials Network (PACT) is excited to announce a partnership with HealthMatch. The online clinical trial matching platform will help reduce barriers and connect people living with PF to clinical trials quickly and easily. PACT’s passionate clinicians and researchers design and implement clinical trials and studies to discover dvances in the diagnosis, treatment and management of PF. The network formed when a group of expert clinicians from the CRE-PF recognised that PF research lagged other serious lung conditions. Since inception just a few years ago, PACT has become a powerful force for change that has made life-changing impacts. “It’s an incredibly exciting time for PF research as I know some of the technologies that have been brought to bear on this condition
are going to defeat it,” PACT Chair, Professor Dan Chambers said.
For more information about PACT and getting involved in the latest clinical trials via HealthMatch, visit pact.lungfoundation.com.au.