What are some of the key findings, progress and discoveries you have made with your research to date – and how will this make a difference to patients with this disease?
In my opinion, a key finding with the greatest potential to benefit patients with Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis (IPF) is that fibroblasts from different patients show differences in responsiveness to Pirfenidone, one of the two available drug therapies for IPF. The implication of this is that we may be able to identify fibroblast-derived biomarkers which may identify particular patients who would be most likely to benefit from treatment with Pirfenidone.
What do you hope to achieve with this research project?
I hope to better understand clinical differences between patients whose fibroblasts responded to Pirfenidone and those whose fibroblasts did not.
How important was the funding from Lung Foundation Australia to your work?
Funding from Lung Foundation Australia helped to provide the very first bits of data, which were presented at national and international conferences to great interest. The pilot data generated through this award is being used to support further funding applications.
Do you have a message for Lung Foundation Australia’s supporters?
My message for Lung Foundation Australia’s supporters is: thank you for your contributions to this great society. I’m grateful for the opportunity to pursue my research interests and look forward to continuing to advance our understanding of IPF and other lung diseases.