2025 UTS Donor Impact Report

Everyone knows someone with asthma. It affects 1 in 9 Australians and around 260 million people worldwide. And there is no cure. Most asthma treatments focus on the lungs, but my research looks at the gut. We've discovered that fatty acid receptors appear in the gut, lungs and immune cells, suggesting there could be a shared pathway we could target to reduce inflammation or even stop asthma developing. These early findings give us hope that we may be able to develop new treatments for severe asthma and reduce lifelong dependence on medication. Around 600 million people globally live with painful joints. My research in regenerative medicine aims to help people stay mobile, healthy and pain free as they age. By combining stem cell biology and nanotechnology, we're turning stem cells into bio-factories to produce natural healing molecules that reduce inflammation and stimulate repair. We're also using nature's materials, like those derived from plants, to deliver treatments directly into diseased joints. With the foundation’s support, we can give people hope that better treatments are on their way to slow stop or even reverse joint damage. I study one of the most devastating lung diseases idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, or IPF. It causes permanent scarring in the lungs that makes the breathing increasingly difficult. Most people live only 2 to 5 years after diagnosis and around a thousand Australians die from IPF each year. I have discovered certain proteins and enzymes that play a major role in how fibrosis develops, opening the door to a completely a kind of new therapies. It is my hope that this will pave the way for more effective and life extending treatments for IPF, and to offer hope to people and families who urgently need it. UTS is a powerhouse for impact driven research, investing in a healthier future for everyone. Partnerships make this possible. Philanthropic support for research accelerates discovery. It enables us to advance the next generation of prevention, treatment and patient care. Because behind every statistic is a person who is waiting for a breakthrough.