Respiratory Research Group - Honours projects available in 2009
An Honours project undertaken in this lab would be administered by the Discipline of Pharmacology.
- How different are fibroblasts from various lung diseases?
Supervisor + contact details:
- Dr Brian Oliver
Fibroblasts are key cells in lung biology, and are vital for maintaining normal lung homeostasis. In this project you would investigate if lung fibroblasts from people with different respiratory diseases proliferate at different rates, and determine if the inflammatory profile of these cells are different. Once you have established the baseline characteristics of these cells you would then investigate if currently used respiratory drugs are effective at inhibiting these processes. This project will use a range of cutting edge cellular and molecular biological techniques (such as western blotting and real time PCR) located within our laboratories in the Discipline of Pharmacology.
- Can the common cold virus kill you?
Supervisor + contact details:
- Dr Brian Oliver
We all suffer from the common cold, but the viruses that cause the symptoms of the common cold can be potentially life threatening to certain people. The reason why the common cold virus, rhinovirus, is potentially life threatening is that it is responsible for the majority of exacerbations of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). The reason why rhinovirus-induced exacerbations occur is not known, however it is thought that rhinovirus-induced cytokine release contributes to this process. This project will assess if/and why lung cells from people with COPD have altered responses to rhinovirus (e.g. cytokine release). It will also assess if medications used to treat COPD can effect rhinovirus-induced changes.
