Australia funds $10.4m RNA lung therapy trials at Monash

Researchers aim for the drug to slow functional decline.

Australia is providing more than $10.4m (AU$15m) to Monash University and Atisama Therapeutics to advance clinical development of an inhaled RNA medicine targeting chronic lung disease, including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

COPD affects at least 1 in 20 adults and 1 in 10 Indigenous Australians over age 40. More broadly, over 9 million people in Australia live with lung disease, and one in three Australians has a chronic lung condition.

The therapy is delivered via nebuliser and works by suppressing the inflammation and scarring that drive disease progression, rather than only managing symptoms as current treatments do.

Researchers aim for the drug to slow functional decline, prevent disease exacerbations, and improve long-term outcomes.

The funding is part of 81 grants recently awarded through the Medical Research Future Fund, totalling almost $187m (AU$270m) across research areas including First Nations health, Alzheimer's detection and treatment, adolescent mental health, and stem cell therapies.