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.
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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 Laboratory
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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New vaccine research aims to conquer TB
The Centenary Institute and the University of Sydney, together with collaborators, have been awarded an AU$19 million contract from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, part of the US National Institutes of Health (NIH), to develop the next generation of tuberculosis (TB) vaccines. -
New drug target identified for inflammatory lung disease
Researchers at the Centenary Institute and the University of Technology Sydney have identified a new drug target for the treatment and prevention of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), an inflammatory lung disease that causes airway blockage and that makes it difficult to breathe. -
World-first study reveals why people with COPD are more susceptible to COVID-19
Researchers from the Centenary Institute and the University of Technology Sydney have published the first study showing why people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are at higher risk of developing severe COVID-19.
