Wal-yan Respiratory Research Centre

18/11/2025

Jack Canning, a PhD researcher in Wal-yan’s Phage WA team, has discovered a new species of bacteriophage (phage)- a microscopic organism that can help fight bacterial infections.

The newly identified phage, Karil-mokiny 1, targets Burkholderia cepacia complex, a rare but serious infection that’s especially dangerous for people with cystic fibrosis and difficult to treat with antibiotics.

What makes Karil-mokiny 1 special is its clean safety profile, making it a strong candidate for future use in phage therapy - a promising alternative when antibiotics no longer work.

The Phage WA team are building a biobank of safe, targeted phages to offer new hope to patients with few remaining options.

Learn more:

Jack Canning, a PhD researcher in the Wal-yan Respiratory Centre’s Phage WA team, has made a significant finding in the search for alternative treatments to antimicrobial-resistant (AMR) bacteria.

14/11/2025

We've officially wrapped up the 2025 Wal-yan Scientific Retreat!

Day two closed with:
✔ Wal-yan strategy planning – setting priorities for the year ahead
✔ Genius bar part 2 – more big ideas and problem-solving in action
✔ Travel award pitch session – staff pitched for a $1,000 travel award in just 4 minutes

👏 Congratulations to the winners from the Retreat's Scientific Communication, New Investigator, and Travel Award sessions (pictured here).

This has been a jam-packed Retreat with two days full of ideas, collaboration and strategy that will shape our next year of research.

You can learn more about the Wal-yan Respiratory Centre here: https://walyanrespiratory.thekids.org.au/

14/11/2025

💡 Impact session highlights at the Wal-yan Scientific Retreat:

🐸 Catching Frogs
A fun campaign turned sputum sampling into a game, with frog costumes, videos for kids, passports, and prizes. The result? 73% more samples and better engagement with families.

🦠 Phage therapy case study
The first child in WA received phage therapy when nothing else worked. Within days, the infection cleared. Phages can offer exciting advantages over antibiotics, such as minimal disruption to normal flora, low resistance risk, and strong safety profiles.
Our Phage WA facility is dedicated to manufacturing phages for compassionate use and future trials.

💼 Research impact through commercialisation
Why does translation matter? Today’s session explored the mechanics of turning research into real-world solutions, why some efforts fail, and how industry trends shape success.

👀 Spot the sputum samplers!

14/11/2025

Day two at the Wal-yan Scientific Retreat has kicked off with a presentation on respiratory health in children with cerebral palsy.

Respiratory illness is one of the biggest health challenges for kids with cerebral palsy, often leading to repeated emergency department visits and hospital stays.

Dr Andrew Wilson, Head of Respiratory and Sleep Medicine at Perth Children’s Hospital, shared how his team developed RESP-ACT: a proactive model of care designed to reduce hospital admissions and improve quality of life.

RESP-ACT focuses on:
✔ Early risk identification
✔ Individualised care plans
✔ Integrated support across hospitals, GPs, and community providers

13/11/2025

We’re wrapping up the first day of Wal-yan's Scientific Retreat with a thought-provoking debate: “Is the use of AI in medical research ethical?”

Both sides have brought powerful arguments that challenge how we think about technology, responsibility, and how AI will be utilised in the future of healthcare.

Thanks to our speakers for sparking such a thought-provoking conversation!

13/11/2025

Up next at the 2025 Wal-yan Scientific Retreat:

🗣 Scientific Communication Session
Our researchers are taking on the ultimate challenge: explaining complex science in plain language. Each speaker had just 10 minutes to present their work in a way that is understandable to everyone.

⚛️ Genius Bar
This is where our team brings work-in-progress and fresh concepts to the table for open discussion and collaboration. Anything goes, from solving curly problems to sparking new ideas!

These sessions are all about sharing knowledge, breaking down challenges, and innovation.

📸 Pictured are our super science communicators

13/11/2025

Our next generation of researchers took the stage this morning at the Wal-yan Centre Scientific Retreat to share their exciting work.

Here’s what they’re exploring:
🌟 Preterm birth & lung repair – Why babies born very early may have trouble repairing their airways, and how this affects breathing later in life.
🌟 Pre-term barrier integrity in the lungs – Investigating whether preterm birth makes the lung lining weaker, which could lead to long-term breathing problems.
🌟 Phage therapy for cystic fibrosis – Discovering new viruses that can fight dangerous bacteria when antibiotics fail.
🌟 Exercise after preterm birth – How being born early changes the body’s response to physical activity in adulthood.
🌟 Neutrophil biology – Revealing surprising differences in immune cells after migration and between sexes.
🌟 COVID-19 & age – Understanding why older adults have worse outcomes and how immune responses differ by age.

These projects show the creativity and passion driving the future of child health research!

13/11/2025

In the first session of our Annual Scientific Retreat, we welcomed Professor Scott Bell, Chair of Research at Gold Coast Health and Griffith University, for an insightful session on infection control in cystic fibrosis.

His research highlights that:
🌿 Environment plays a role in infection
🦠 Person-to-person spread can occur
😷 Masks significantly reduce risk, especially for adults
💊Modulators improve lung function but don’t eliminate infection

Professor Bell also reminded us that large-scale national studies demand strong collaboration and funding.

Thank you, Professor Bell, for sharing decades of expertise and innovation with us!

13/11/2025

Kaya from Wadjemup! We are very excited to be back at Rottnest Island for the annual Wal-Yan Annual Scientific Retreat.

This morning, we were honoured to be joined by Noongar guide Walter McGuire, who shared a Welcome to Country in language, some beautiful songs, and stories of this special place.

We're looking forward to two days of connection, collaboration and big ideas for improving respiratory health for children.

11/11/2025

New hope is on the horizon for people living with cystic fibrosis, with three Wal-yan researchers receiving funding through the WA Cystic Fibrosis Research Collaborative Program 2025.

From AI-powered phage matching to identifying promising new antibiotics, our researchers are leading bold, innovative projects to transform treatments and care for people with cystic fibrosis.

Congratulations to Dr Yuliya Karpievitch, Dr Renee Ng, and Dr Kak-Ming Ling.

Read more:

New hope is on the horizon for people living with cystic fibrosis.

07/11/2025

Registrations are now open!

Join us for the next webinar in the FINGERPRINT series, presented in partnership with Lung Foundation Australia.

Discover how reflective practice and quality improvement can enhance care for people born preterm with respiratory symptoms across all ages.

📅 Wednesday 26 November, 2025
🕒 3pm – 4pm AWST
💻 Online event
🔗 Register now: https://bit.ly/43LYZCh

Lung Foundation Australia Asthma Australia TSANZ - Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand The Kids Research Institute Australia

07/11/2025

Two Wal-yan researchers have received funding from the WA Child Health Research Fund to tackle critical respiratory challenges facing WA children.

Dr David Hancock aims to progress the development of a diagnostic test that can help predict asthma risk early in life.

Dr Katherine Landwehr is working to determine whether the use of OM85 treatment can be safely and effectively used during bone marrow transplant treatment in children to provide recipients with greater protection against infection.

This funding supports bold, translational research that could lead to better outcomes for some of WA’s most vulnerable children.

Learn more:

Researchers from The Kids Research Institute Australia will share in almost $4 million in grants to continue groundbreaking research to tackle childhood cancer, asthma, respiratory viral infections and more.