Pioneering Research to Advance Pandemic Protection for Youth

A novel research initiative is set to lay the groundwork for vaccines and treatments aimed at protecting children and young adults during health crises.

Spearheaded by Associate Professor Kirsty Short and Professor John Fraser with funding support from the Wesley Research Institute, this project leverages historical lung tissue to understand disease severity in younger populations from a past health crisis.

Employing the cutting edge spatial biology tools at the Queensland Spatial Biology Centre (QSBC) inside the Wesley Research Institute, the team will embark on a mission to perform spatial phenotyping at an unparalleled scale. This new technology is pivotal for examining cellular functions and interactions, providing insights critical for this research.

Professor Fraser, who is the Director of Intensive Care at St Andrew’s War Memorial Hospital, Clinical Director of the QSBC and Director of the Critical Care Research Group at The Prince Charles Hospital, stressed the importance of leveraging current knowledge and technology to mitigate future pandemic risks.

Associate Professor Short emphasised the objective to deepen the understanding of cellular dynamics during historical health crises, aiming to improve outcomes for vulnerable groups in society.

Set to complete key milestones by 2025, this research promises to deliver actionable insights for shaping future health policies and enhancing pandemic preparedness for younger populations.

Associate Professor Kirsty Short

Article previously published by Wesley Research Institute, published here with permission.