Associate Professor Cristan Herbert jointly leads the Pulmonary Inflammation Research group in the School of Medical Sciences at UNSW Sydney and is recognised for his work investigating chronic inflammatory diseases affecting the lungs including asthma, COPD and sarcoidosis. He has extensive experience developing and working with murine models of chronic asthma and acute exacerbations and with the use of these models to evaluate disease mechanisms and the potential of novel anti-inflammatory agents in vivo. A/Prof. Herbert has expertise with in vitro culture of primary cells and cell lines, immunoassays and analysis of gene expression and post-transcriptional regulation of inflammatory responses.
A/Prof. Herbert has over 20 years’ experience investigating the pathogenesis of chronic inflammatory diseases using clinically relevant in vivo models and in vitro culture systems. Significant contributions include the development of a novel murine model of childhood asthma which enhanced understanding of how early life exposure to environmental factors, including viral infections or airborne particulate pollutants, can promote the development of childhood asthma. A/Prof. Herbert has investigated genetic and environmental factors that influence the development of either a Th1 or Th2 biased immune response in patients with sarcoidosis and has evaluated the role of novel anti-inflammatory cytokines in pulmonary sarcoidosis. In addition A/Prof Herbert has an interest in the identification of non-invasive biomarkers for sarcoidosis, including cytokines and microRNAs in serum and exhaled breath, for diagnosis of sarcoidosis, evaluation of disease progression and response to treatment.
In collaboration with Professor Paul Thomas, a Senior Consultant Respiratory Physician at the Prince of Wales’ Hospital, A/Prof Herbert has worked on numerous studies into the mechanisms underlying pulmonary sarcoidosis and has jointly supervised 18 undergraduate research (Honours) students and 2 PhD students. Ongoing sarcoidosis research projects aim to identify the causes of the aberrant immune response in pulmonary sarcoidosis, characterise the cellular and molecular mechanisms that drive the signs and symptoms of the disease and identify non-invasive biomarkers that could be used to diagnose and monitor patients, and importantly, predict the likely outcomes.
Email: c.herbert@unsw.edu.au