Inflammation
Increasingly found to play crucial roles in the development of most major diseases, including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes, and tuberculosis.
Why inflammation is the key
Our belief is that understanding inflammation is the key to unlocking a new era of treatments and cures for many of the deadliest and prominent diseases effecting humanity. The Centenary Institute is at the forefront of this life-saving medical research. We are driven to understand the role of inflammation and the immune system how this drives the disease processes.
As a fundamental mechanism by which the body’s immune system reacts to injury, inflammation is critical in resolving infection or trauma. However, it also underlies a number of prevalent acute and chronic conditions, such as allergies and autoimmune diseases, and drives the initiation and progression of cancer and cardiovascular disease.
By placing inflammation research at the centre of our goals of understanding, we are seeking ways to heal inflammatory conditions (autoimmunity, allergy), cancer and cardiovascular diseases. We continue to study the chief cellular components of inflammation, the blood white cells and the lining of blood vessels and how they react to injury. Our research has defined new mechanisms and devised new drug candidates.
Our research programs and laboratories investigating inflammation
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Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation
Inflammation is increasingly being found to play crucial roles in the development of many major diseases, including Alzheimer’s, heart disease, cancer, respiratory diseases, diabetes, tuberculosis and COVID-19. The Centenary UTS Centre for Inflammation (CFI) is Australia’s first research centre dedicated exclusively to studying the mechanisms underlying inflammation, to understand how specific diseases develop and progress and can be treated.
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Liver Enzymes in Metabolism and Inflammation Program
The ongoing increase in all forms of liver disease is a large burden for our healthcare system. Especially the 350% increase in liver cancer in the last 30 years. Much of this increase is attributed to metabolic disease, often in conjunction with diabetes. Our focus in liver disease research is understanding the roles of a key enzyme family in progressive liver damage and cancer. -
Tuberculosis Research Program
Worldwide, Tuberculosis (TB) is the 13th leading cause of death and the second leading infectious killer after COVID-19. -
Alcoholic Liver Disease
The Alcoholic Liver Disease research program includes studies on genetics of alcoholic cirrhosis and molecular mechanisms underlying liver disease. By identifying biomarkers for alcohol use and liver injury, we utilise transcriptomics, lipid and miRNA profiling to find treatment targets and pathways.
Achievements
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Researchers find new target to combat lung disease
Research led by the Centenary Institute and University of Technology Sydney has identified a small RNA molecule called microRNA-21 as a therapeutic target and its inhibition as a potential treatment for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). -
Genetic risk test developed to predict alcohol-related cirrhosis of the liver
An international research group led by the Centenary Institute has developed a world first genetic risk score (GRS) test able to identify patients at high-risk of developing alcohol-related cirrhosis.
