- About
- Strategic Plan
- Structure
- Governance
- Scientific divisions
- ACRF Cancer Biology and Stem Cells
- ACRF Chemical Biology
- Advanced Technology and Biology
- Bioinformatics
- Blood Cells and Blood Cancer
- Clinical Translation
- Epigenetics and Development
- Immunology
- Infectious Diseases and Immune Defence
- Inflammation
- Personalised Oncology
- Population Health and Immunity
- Structural Biology
- Ubiquitin Signalling
- Laboratory operations
- Funding
- Annual reports
- Human research ethics
- Scientific integrity
- Institute life
- Career opportunities
- Business Development
- Partnering opportunities
- A complete cure for HBV
- A stable efficacious Toxoplasma vaccine
- Activating SMCHD1 to treat FSHD
- Improving vision outcomes in retinal detachment
- Intercepting inflammation with RIPK2 inhibitors
- Novel inhibitors for the treatment of lupus
- Novel malaria vaccine
- Precision epigenetics silencing SMCHD1 to treat Prader Willi Syndrome
- Rethinking CD52 a therapy for autoimmune disease
- Targeting minor class splicing
- Royalties distribution
- Start-up companies
- Partnering opportunities
- Collaborators
- Publications repository
- Awards
- Discoveries
- Centenary 2015
- History
- Contact us
- Research
- Diseases
- Cancer
- Development and ageing
- Immune health and infection
- Research fields
- Research technologies
- People
- Anne-Laure Puaux
- Associate Profesor Ian Majewski
- Associate Professor Aaron Jex
- Associate Professor Alyssa Barry
- Associate Professor Andrew Webb
- Associate Professor Chris Tonkin
- Associate Professor Daniel Gray
- Associate Professor Diana Hansen
- Associate Professor Edwin Hawkins
- Associate Professor Emma Josefsson
- Associate Professor Ethan Goddard-Borger
- Associate Professor Grant Dewson
- Associate Professor Isabelle Lucet
- Associate Professor James Murphy
- Associate Professor James Vince
- Associate Professor Jason Tye-Din
- Associate Professor Jeanne Tie
- Associate Professor Jeff Babon
- Associate Professor Joan Heath
- Associate Professor Justin Boddey
- Associate Professor Kate Sutherland
- Associate Professor Leanne Robinson
- Associate Professor Marco Herold Marco Herold
- Associate Professor Marie-Liesse Asselin-Labat
- Associate Professor Matthew Ritchie
- Associate Professor Melissa Davis
- Associate Professor Misty Jenkins
- Associate Professor Nawaf Yassi
- Associate Professor Oliver Sieber
- Associate Professor Peter Czabotar
- Associate Professor Rachel Wong
- Associate Professor Rhys Allan
- Associate Professor Rosie Watson
- Associate Professor Ruth Kluck
- Associate Professor Sandra Nicholson
- Associate Professor Sant-Rayn Pasricha
- Associate Professor Seth Masters
- Associate Professor Sumitra Ananda
- Associate Professor Tim Thomas
- Associate Professor Wai-Hong Tham
- Associate Professor Wei Shi
- Catherine Parker
- Chela Niall
- Deborah Carr
- Dr Alisa Glukhova
- Dr Anna Coussens
- Dr Ashley Ng
- Dr Ben Tran
- Dr Bernhard Lechtenberg
- Dr Brad Sleebs
- Dr Drew Berry
- Dr Gemma Kelly
- Dr Gwo Yaw Ho
- Dr Hui-Li Wong
- Dr Jacqui Gulbis
- Dr Joanna Groom
- Dr John Wentworth
- Dr Kelly Rogers
- Dr Lucy Gately
- Dr Margaret Lee
- Dr Mary Ann Anderson
- Dr Maryam Rashidi
- Dr Matthew Call
- Dr Melissa Call
- Dr Philippe Bouillet
- Dr Rebecca Feltham
- Dr Samir Taoudi
- Dr Shalin Naik
- Dr Sheau Wen Lok
- Dr Simon Chatfield
- Dr Tracy Putoczki
- Guillaume Lessene
- Helene Martin
- Joh Kirby
- Kaye Wycherley
- Keely Bumsted O'Brien
- Mr Joel Chibert
- Mr Simon Monard
- Mr Steve Droste
- Ms Carolyn MacDonald
- Professor Alan Cowman
- Professor Andreas Strasser
- Professor Andrew Lew
- Professor Andrew Roberts
- Professor Anne Voss
- Professor Clare Scott
- Professor David Huang
- Professor David Komander
- Professor David Vaux
- Professor Doug Hilton
- Professor Gabrielle Belz
- Professor Geoff Lindeman
- Professor Gordon Smyth
- Professor Ian Wicks
- Professor Ivo Mueller
- Professor Jane Visvader
- Professor Jerry Adams
- Professor John Silke
- Professor Ken Shortman
- Professor Leonard C Harrison
- Professor Lynn Corcoran
- Professor Marc Pellegrini
- Professor Marnie Blewitt
- Professor Melanie Bahlo
- Professor Mike Lawrence
- Professor Nicos Nicola
- Professor Peter Colman
- Professor Peter Gibbs
- Professor Phil Hodgkin
- Professor Stephen Nutt
- Professor Suzanne Cory
- Professor Terry Speed
- Professor Tony Burgess
- Professor Tony Papenfuss
- Professor Warren Alexander
- Diseases
- Education
- PhD
- Honours
- Masters
- Undergraduate
- Student research projects
- A new regulator of stemness to create dendritic cell factories for immunotherapy
- Advanced methods for genomic rearrangement detection
- Control of cytokine signaling by SOCS1
- Defining the protein modifications associated with respiratory disease
- Delineating the pathways driving cancer development and therapy resistance
- Developing a new drug that targets plasmacytoid dendritic cells for the treatment of lupus
- Development and mechanism of action of novel antimalarials
- Development of a novel particle-based malaria vaccine
- Development of tau-specific therapeutic and diagnostic antibodies
- Discovering novel therapies for major human pathogens
- Dissecting host cell invasion by the diarrhoeal pathogen Cryptosporidium
- Epigenetic biomarkers of tuberculosis infection
- Essential role of glycobiology in malaria parasites
- Evolution of haematopoiesis in vertebrates
- Human lung protective immunity to tuberculosis
- Identifying novel treatment options for ovarian carcinosarcoma
- Interaction with Toxoplasma parasites and the brain
- Interactions between tumour cells and their microenvironment in non-small cell lung cancer
- Investigating the role of mutant p53 in cancer
- Microbiome strain-level analysis using long read sequencing
- Minimising rheumatic adverse events of checkpoint inhibitor cancer therapy
- Modelling spatial and demographic heterogeneity of malaria transmission risk
- Naturally acquired immune response to malaria parasites
- Predicting the effect of non-coding structural variants in cancer
- Structural basis of catenin-independent Wnt signalling
- Structure and biology of proteins essential for Toxoplasma parasite invasion
- T lymphocytes: how memories are made
- TICKER: A cell history recorder for longitudinal patient monitoring
- Targeting host pathways to develop new broad-spectrum antiviral drugs
- Targeting post-translational modifications to disrupting the function of secreted proteins
- Targeting the epigenome to rewire pro-allergic T cells
- Targeting the immune microenvironment to treat KRAS-mutant adenocarcinoma
- The E3 ubiquitin ligase Parkin and mitophagy in Parkinson’s disease
- The molecular controls on dendritic cell development
- Understanding malaria infection dynamics
- Understanding the genetics of neutrophil maturation
- Understanding the neuroimmune regulation of innate immunity
- Understanding the proteins that regulate programmed cell death at the molecular level
- Using cutting-edge single cell tools to understand the origins of cancer
- When healthy cells turn bad: how immune responses can transition to lymphoma
- School resources
- Frequently asked questions
- Student profiles
- Abebe Fola
- Andrew Baldi
- Anna Gabrielyan
- Bridget Dorizzi
- Casey Ah-Cann
- Catia Pierotti
- Emma Nolan
- Huon Wong
- Jing Deng
- Joy Liu
- Kaiseal Sarson-Lawrence
- Komal Patel
- Lilly Backshell
- Megan Kent
- Naomi Jones
- Rebecca Delconte
- Roberto Bonelli
- Rune Larsen
- Runyu Mao
- Sarah Garner
- Simona Seizova
- Wayne Cawthorne
- Wil Lehmann
- Miles Horton
- Alexandra Gurzau
- Student achievements
- Student association
- News
- Donate
- Online donation
- Ways to support
- Support outcomes
- Supporter stories
- Rotarians against breast cancer
- A partnership to improve treatments for cancer patients
- 20 years of cancer research support from the Helpman family
- A generous gift from a cancer survivor
- A gift to support excellence in Australian medical research
- An enduring friendship
- Anonymous donor helps bridge the 'valley of death'
- Renewed support for HIV eradication project
- Searching for solutions to muscular dystrophy
- Supporting research into better treatments for colon cancer
- Taking a single cell focus with the DROP-seq
- WEHI.TV
Asthma

Asthma is the most common chronic lung disease worldwide, affecting more than 300 million people including 1 in 9 Australians. The disease is debilitating and potentially life-threatening, rising in incidence and has no cure.
Our researchers are investigating how immune cells contribute to the development of asthma. This work will lead to new ways of controlling immune cells to treat the disease.
Our asthma research
Our researchers are:
- Investigating the role of immune cells in causing airway inflammation.
- Targeting an epigenetic pathway to switch off harmful immune cells.
- Developing ways of thinning mucus to treat airway disease.
- Determining why women are more susceptible to asthma.
- Investigating the causes of thunderstorm asthma.
- Working with clinicians and industry partners to find better ways of treating asthma.
What is asthma?
Asthma is a common inflammatory disease of the airways.
Normally the airways are open and relaxed, allowing air to easily move in and out. People with asthma have sensitive airways that are primed to react to triggers in the environment, leading to an asthma attack.
The triggers that bring on an asthma attack vary between different people. Asthma is often triggered by the immune system responding to inhaled substances such as pollen, house dust mites and mould spores. Asthma attacks can also be triggered by the common cold, exercising, or by environmental irritants like cigarette smoke and pollution.
During an asthma attack, the airway lining becomes swollen, inflamed and thick with mucous. The muscles in the airways tighten, narrowing the airways. These changes restrict airflow, making it difficult to breathe.
Asthma attacks can come on gradually or quickly. When asthma occurs as an acute attack, the airflow restriction can be life threatening. Each year approximately 400 people in Australia die from asthma.
Symptoms of asthma
Most people with asthma only show symptoms when they are exposed to their trigger, bringing on an asthma attack. Symptoms of asthma include:
- Tight chest
- Shortness of breath
- Wheezing
- Coughing
Symptoms are often worse during exercise, at night or in the early morning when the weather is cool.
Risk factors for developing asthma
The precise cause of asthma is unknown. Factors that are associated with an increased risk of asthma include:
- Family history of asthma, eczema, hay fever or other allergies
- Exposure to tobacco smoke, especially as a baby or young child
- Exposure to environmental hazards
- Obesity
- Sedentary lifestyle
In adults, asthma is two times more prevalent and more severe in women than men, despite being more common in boys than girls before puberty.
Indigenous Australians are nearly twice as likely to have asthma compared with non-Indigenous Australians.
Thunderstorm asthma
Thunderstorm asthma is a form of asthma triggered by grass pollen released into the air during some thunderstorms. In these conditions large numbers of people may suffer severe asthma attacks, even if they have never had asthma before.
The frequency of thunderstorm asthma events is predicted to increase, but the risk factors are poorly understood. Our researchers are investigating the environmental and patient factors that put people at risk of thunderstorm asthma. This work will lead to better warning systems and urban planning advice to keep people safe from thunderstorm asthma.
How is asthma treated?
There is no cure for asthma but with appropriate therapy the disease can be well controlled. Common medications include:
- Relievers: drugs that give rapid relief of symptoms during an asthma attack by opening up the airways to make breathing easier.
- Preventers: drugs, usually anti-inflammatory steroids, taken every day to reduce the likelihood of asthma attacks. These drugs reduce the redness and swelling in the airways and help to dry up the mucous.
- Combination preventers: drugs combining a long-acting airway relaxer and an anti-inflammatory steroid preventer, which work together to help control asthma symptoms.
- Severe asthma treatments: an injectable treatment given every 2-4 weeks for people with severe disease that is not controlled by maximal preventer therapy.
Alongside these medications, people with asthma should ask their medical practitioner to write an Asthma Action Plan that explains how to manage their condition and what to do during an asthma attack.
For more detailed information on asthma treatment, visit Asthma Australia or the National Asthma Council of Australia.
Researchers:
Super Content:
Researchers have found a potential new treatment for asthma that works by targeting the cause of the disease, rather than just masking its symptoms.
An international research team has discovered that testosterone protects males against developing asthma, helping to explain why females are two times more likely to develop asthma than males after puberty.
Institute researchers are searching for new ways to treat thunderstorm and chronic allergic asthmas by targeting the immune cells that drive asthma.