Breathing does not always come easy to the many Australians who suffer from conditions that can cause airway obstruction, such as allergies, asthma or emphysema but with capable researchers such as Winthrop Professor Phil Thompson investigating their conditions, their burden can only become lighter.
The Winthrop Professor in collaboration with a colleague spent ten years identifying a large number of the known house dust-mite allergens, research that is crucial in combating one of the most common allergens in the world.
Thompson, who in 2005 received the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand's highest award, the Wunderly Oration, is currently the director of the Asthma and Allergy Research Institute (AARI), Australia's only integrated scientific and clinical research institute dedicated specifically to investigating respiratory and allergic disease.
In its brief five year history the centre has grown from eight staff and $500,000 in funding, to a thriving research centre employing near fifty staff and attracting $2.5 million in funding ensuring that the battle against problems that affect the lungs is fought with vigour.
