What is the CRC for Asthma and Airways?

The CRC for Asthma and Airways (CRCAA) was established in 2005 and is one of over 71 cooperative research centres established under the Australian Government’s Cooperative Research Centre Program. It is a joint venture between two medical research institutes, four universities and two pharmaceutical companies. The Centre is funded by the Government and the joint venture partners who have committed to provide resources of almost $55 million over seven years.

The CRCAA had its origins in 1998 when the late Prof Ann Woolcock brought together a team of leading Australian asthma researchers and industry partners to bid for funding under the 6th CRC round. This bid was successful and the CRC for Asthma was established in late 1999. Ann Woolcock passed away shortly thereafter, however her passion for intellectually rigorous asthma research has been a uniting force in our CRC.

The CRC has built a network of highly effective interdisciplinary research teams and has established strong industry linkages. It has a proven corporate structure with highly effective governance. Within the first term, the CRC for Asthma achieved all major milestones and had excellent 2nd and 5th year reviews.

Mission

By integrating the world class research and commercial skills of our partners we will discover and develop novel therapeutics and diagnostics for the benefit of all people with Asthma and the Australian economy.

Research Objectives

The CRCAA will contribute significantly to commercial, industrial, economic and health outcomes in Australia and globally by addressing asthma and other airway diseases. Asthma is one of the most prevalent chronic diseases and Australia has one of the highest incidences of asthma in the world. Despite this high prevalence, asthma remains a poorly understood disease, and there is a recognised need for more definitive diagnosis and more effective and safer asthma treatments.

The CRCAA’s objectives are:

• To combine world-class science with leading pharmaceutical companies to address a major health priority.
• To discover and develop novel therapeutics and diagnostics for the benefit of all asthmatics and the Australian economy.
• To generate significant revenues and establish robust biotechnology companies.
• Provide significant economic returns to Australia.

The CRCAA will identify key pathways in asthma mechanisms involving unique sets of genes, inflammatory molecules and proteins that will underpin a rational commercial approach to the better use of existing treatments and the development of novel, improved therapeutic strategies for asthma. This includes the development of diagnostics to identify subsets of patients who are likely to respond to specific treatments, to detect those who are at risk and those who will progress to chronic severe disease, and to assess disease activity and monitor drug therapy. In addition, the CRCAA will improve our understanding of the environmental factors that influence the high and increasing rates of asthma with the goal of developing air quality guidelines and policies that will be implemented through state government partners. This will improve the health of asthmatics and will have a significant economic impact.

The CRCAA’s research program has 3 components:

New and Superior Treatments. This is the largest program and focuses on the identification and validation of targets for new therapeutics, and the development of immunotherapies for asthma and allergic disease

Advanced Diagnosis and Monitoring. This program develops diagnostic products and devices based on novel biochemical and physiological measures.

Consequences of Adverse Air Quality. This program studies the adverse health consequences of poor air quality and provides the scientific basis for the development of validated air quality standards and the associated impacts on the economy in terms of standards for community and industry.

Areas of Research Expertise
Allergen immunotherapy, genomics, proteomics, immunology, pharmacology, animal models, physiology, epidemiology and public health.