📣 #IDTRPseminar
Abstract:
Precision cut lung slices (PCLS), containing all resident structural and immune cells of the lung in their native extracellular environment, have emerged as powerful experimental tools for respiratory research. The diverse applications of PCLS exploit this cellular diversity, allowing visualization of intrapulmonary airway and artery reactivity and fibrogenesis in situ, as well assessment of inflammatory, immune and regenerative responses. Exposure of PCLS to disease-relevant stimuli or infectious agents ex vivo, their preparation from animal models of pre-existing disease and the increasing use of PCLS from human lung provides significant translational relevance.
Over many years, our laboratory has pioneered the use of PCLS to identify novel bronchodilators, vasodilators and anti-fibrotics to overcome the limitations of standard-of-care treatment in the context of asthma, pulmonary hypertension and IPF. Our emerging research interests apply PCLS to study viral exacerbations of COPD and bacterial infections with MRSA and TB. This seminar will provide an overview of established and innovative uses of PCLS as an intermediary between cellular and organ-based studies and focuses on opportunities to increase their application to investigate mechanisms and therapeutic targets to oppose excessive airway and artery contraction, fibrosis and infection in lung diseases.
Biography
A/Prof Jane Bourke (PhD, ATSF, FThorSoc) leads the Respiratory Pharmacology Group in the Biomedicine Discovery Institute, Monash University. Jane’s research over the past 20 years has focused on identifying improved therapeutic strategies in chronic cardiopulmonary diseases.
Her research is currently funded by grants from NHMRC and Dust Disease Board and has been published in multidisciplinary and respiratory journals including British Journal of Pharmacology, Allergy and European Respiratory Journal. Jane was recently made a Fellow of both Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand and the American Thoracic Society in recognition of her contributions to the field.
Jane has unique expertise in Australia with an innovative technique to integrate measurements of airway contractility and diverse cellular responses in precision cut lung slices from mouse models and human lung tissues. She has applied this approach in preclinical studies to assess novel therapies to limit excessive contraction, inflammation, fibrosis and responses to infection.
