MEDIA RELEASE                                                                                                 15 June 2011

McCuskers join efforts to solve chronic rejection issues in lung transplant patients

WA researchers looking to understand why small airways in the lungs following transplantation do not heal properly have received a welcome boost through funding from the McCusker Charitable Foundation.

Run by the WA Governor Malcolm McCusker and his wife Tonya, the MCF has approved $60,000 in funding for the project as part of the Heart & Lung Transplant Foundation’s (HLTF) long-standing program of supporting research into cardiovascular disease.

Damage to the airways in lung transplant patients almost always leads to the development of Bronchiolitis obliterans syndrome (BOS) – the major cause of death post transplantation. Researchers hope the project, which is part of a wider national study, will help prolong the lives of transplant patients across the country.

Chief investigator Dr Anthony Kicic, senior research officer and lecturer at the School of Paediatric Child Health at UWA, said the funding would allow PhD student Balarka Banerjee to continue his long-term study into chronic rejection and infection issues, providing him with a 12-month salary for his work.

Co-investigators in the study include respiratory medicine doctors based at Princess Margaret Hospital and lung transplant doctors from Royal Perth Hospital.

HLTF executive director Yvonne Bali, herself a double-lung transplant recipient in 1999, has welcomed the partnership with the MCF.

“We are thrilled that the McCusker Charitable Foundation has come on board as a funding partner,” she said. “The HLTF has always relied on the generosity of prominent business people and the general public in implementing our programs.

“In the past, the HLTF has provided scholarships and funding for physiotherapy, lung disease and heart disease students investigating ways to improve cardiovascular function in transplant patients both before and after receiving their life-saving organs.

“We have provided financial support and guidance from our medical sub-committee, which includes leading cardiothoracic surgeon Robert Larbalestier and lung physician Michael Musk.”

Over several years, Dr Kicic has played an integral role in putting forward PhD projects which have subsequently received funding from the HLTF through principal sponsor the Alcock Brown-Neaves Group. Mr Banerjee has achieved outstanding results over three years in his investigations into chronic rejection.

His thesis won an international award in 2010, beating entries from 33 universities in the Trans-Tasman Three Minute Thesis challenge. He beat other students from Australia, New Zealand and the South Pacific, who competed to deliver the most compelling, comprehensive and easy to understand presentation of their thesis.

PIC OPPORTUNITY: MCF administrator Tonya McCusker will host Dr Kicic, Balarka Banerjee and HLTF board members at Government House on Monday, July 4 when she hands over the $60,000 cheque.

For media enquiries, call Heart & Lung Transplant Foundation WA Communications Coordinator, Connie Clarke on 0434 547 845 or info@heartluntransplantfoundation.org.au.

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