SEMINAR: Into the deep - understanding small airway dysfunction in lung disease

The Seminar: Small airways in the distal lung were long considered a "silent zone", accounting for less than 10% of total airway resistance and contributing little to standard lung function measures. However, increasing evidence suggests that they are an important but relatively neglected target in the search for alternative approaches to improve treatment for inflammatory lung diseases. Dr Bourke will present results utilising a novel lung slice technique, unique to Australia, in which changes in intrapulmonary airway lumen area and calcium signalling can be visualised in situ as in the whole lung. Insights obtained from mouse models of asthma, COPD and bronchopulmonary dysplasia have revealed small airway dysfunction and impairment of bronchodilator responsiveness, providing validated settings to assess novel treatments targeting the small airways.

The Speaker: Dr Jane Bourke is a Senior Lecturer in Pharmacology at Monash University, where she leads the Respiratory Pharmacology Group. She received her undergraduate BSc (Hons) and PhD degrees from the University of Melbourne (1986, 1993).

Jane has long-standing research interests in the regulation of smooth muscle function in chronic lung diseases. She currently holds an NHMRC Project Grant, focused on targeting small airways. Jane is also actively involved in both education and research training of students at undergraduate and postgraduate levels, and currently supervises 3 PhD students and one Hons student.

Jane is a current Board member of the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ), the peak professional body representing respiratory clinicians and scientists in the region. From 2004-2008, she chaired its Education and Research Subcommittee, and she is the current Chair of its Central Programming Committee, with responsibility for organizing the TSANZ Annual Scientific Meeting to be held in Perth in April 2016.