TOPIC: Understanding pathogenesis to develop new treatments for respiratory diseases
SPEAKER: Philip Hansbro, PhD
Professor Hansbro is chair in immunology and microbiology, and an NHMRC Principal Research Fellow at the Hunter Medical Research Institute and University of Newcastle, Australia. He is Associate Director of the Priority Research Centre for Lung Health there. He has established research programs in COPD, asthma and infection. His group has developed several novel mouse models of the important diseases (COPD, severe, steroid-insensitive asthma, early life infection & lung cancer). He has interrogated them (immune, histological, pathological, lung function & molecular analysis) to further our understanding of pathogenesis and develop novel therapies. He performs complimentary collaborative clinical and multi-disciplinary studies and collaborates widely. He publishes extensively (~150 pubs) in influential journals and is regularly invited to present internationally including as plenary and to chair sessions. He has a substantial funding record of obtaining nationally competitive grant that support his group. He undertakes substantial mentoring and supervision activities of junior researchers, regularly sits on grant review panels and is on the editorial board of 4 journals. He is an active advocate for respiratory research in lobby groups and is regularly in the press promoting research and funding.