Fresh Science

Detecting asthma in horses Using a face mask, Adelaide researchers have a new way to detect a major hidden equine health issue. Up to 80 percent of horses – including racehorses and showjumpers – suffer from a form of asthma that affects their performance and wellbeing. Researchers led by veterinarian Surita Du Preez from the…

Airway size in rats with a low birth weight is more varied than those born at a normal weight—which Western Australian scientists think may play a role in the development of asthma. Around 2.5 million Australians suffer from asthma, causing breathing difficulties when they’re experiencing an attack. But around 5-10 per cent of them suffer…

Asthma inhalers could soon become more effective thanks to a Melbourne scientist and his team who have developed a new method for making ultrafine particles to deliver the drugs. Dr Meng Wai Woo and his team at Monash University used ethanol vapour to dehydrate a droplet and create ultrafine uniform particles that could reach the…

Sydney researchers have discovered how a specific protein causes scar tissue to be made in the lungs of asthmatic patients. This finding could be used in the treatment of asthma by developing new drugs to target scar tissue formation and thereby assist asthmatics who have trouble breathing. “Scar tissue is a major contributor during an…