Pulmonary fibrosis is a lung disease that occurs when lung tissue becomes damaged and scarred. The debilitating and fatal disease ended the life of an Australian man 8 years ago.

His son led philanthropic efforts to establish the connection between 2 Australian organisations; Lung Foundation Australia and Centre for Research Excellence in Pulmonary Fibrosis and the US based, Three Lakes Foundation. The three organisations recently announced a collaboration to create a global network for PF research.

The arrangement creates opportunity to leverage expertise, resources and knowledge to accelerate diagnosis, treatment and delivery of life-saving therapies for PF.

“By joining forces, we will drive global awareness of PF and spur innovative solutions for people with PF,” added CRE-PF Chief Investigator Associate Professor Tamera Corte, BSc, MBBS, FRACP, PhD. “This partnership will also enable us to fast-track PF research and bring access to therapies sooner.”

“This partnership is the first step to establishing an international collaboration in the field of PF,” noted Mark Brooke, Chief Executive Officer of Lung Foundation Australia. “The pace of change in disease research is growing rapidly, thanks to new advances in drug development, artificial intelligence and unhindered communication. New discoveries transcend beyond borders and can only occur when there is a cross-pollination of ideas.”

Dana Ball, Executive Director at Three Lakes Foundation reflected on the opportunity, “We have a lot of work to better understand this disease and to develop new therapies and treatments that will actually stop fibrosis from progressing. We are very excited with the partnership with the Australian groups. The Australian philanthropist’s passion, with our passion really paved the way for this incredible partnership to begin and grow.”

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