Respiratory infections are a leading cause of death globally and a major economic burden. The airway epithelial layer lining your nose and windpipe is your body’s first line of defence – a complex barrier of specialised cells, each with distinct structures and function, that are constantly exposed to inhaled microbes. Our research aims to understand how these cells resist and respond to infections, which determines whether you stay healthy or develop severe disease.
Impact
By uncovering these cellular defence mechanisms, this research explores ways to stop respiratory infections before they take hold, with the ultimate goal of protecting everyone against seasonal and severe illness.
reNEW research
In the Lung Disease Lab at reNEW Melbourne, we harness the power of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), cells that can be directed to become any cell type of the body. Unlike cells collected from donors, iPSCs can be gene edited like biological computers. This allows us to install molecular tools including synthetic biosensors and drug-inducible CRISPR before differentiating them into authentic airway epithelial cells. These engineered airway cells allow us to unravel cellular mechanisms of infection resistance and viral control impossible to study before.
Image description
In this microscopy image, iPSC-derived airway epithelial cells have been maintained in an air-liquid interface culture for 110 days. A sea of hair-like cilia beat tirelessly in coordinated waves, sweeping the protective mucus layer up the airway to remove entrapped pathogens.
Credits
Dr Declan Turner, Postdoc, Werder Lab, reNEW Melbourne.
