Honorary Research Fellow
BSc PhD
Dr Ingrid Laing is a research scientist (BSc. PhD.) with a focus on understanding the mechanisms of childhood respiratory disease, identifying risk factors and biomarkers that predict the development of persistent respiratory exacerbations as well as trialling new treatments. Dr Laing has a comprehensive track record in paediatric respiratory research particularly in the areas of respiratory virology, childhood acute wheezing and asthma, lung development and immunogenetics.
During her PhD studying the genetics of asthma susceptibility, Dr Laing won numerous awards for her research from the Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand (TSANZ), the Australian Lung Foundation, the CRC for Asthma, the National Asthma Council and Princess Margaret Hospital for Children. This was followed by the Australian Respiratory Council Ann Woolcock Research Fellowship investigating acute lower respiratory infection in infants.
Together with Prof Peter Le Souef, Dr Laing leads a world-class study of children having wheezing and asthma attacks and has also undertaken clinical trials of new asthma treatments.
-
Projects
-
Publications
December 2023
Impaired interferon response in plasmacytoid dendritic cells from children with persistent wheeze
Impaired interferon response and allergic sensitization may contribute to virus-induced wheeze and asthma development in young children. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells play a key role in antiviral immunity as critical producers of type I interferons.
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology Airway Epithelial Research Subsite: Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccines and Infectious Diseases Children’s Respiratory Science Lung functionAugust 2023Rhinoviruses A and C elicit long-lasting antibody responses with limited cross-neutralization
Rhinoviruses (RVs) can cause severe wheezing illnesses in young children and patients with asthma. Vaccine development has been hampered by the multitude of RV types with little information about cross-neutralization. We previously showed that neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses to RV-C are detected twofold to threefold more often than those to RV-A throughout childhood. Based on those findings, we hypothesized that RV-C infections are more likely to induce either cross-neutralizing or longer-lasting antibody responses compared with RV-A infections.
Published research Infectious Diseases Human Immunology P4 Respiratory Health for Kids Children’s Respiratory Science Immune systemJuly 2023LPS binding protein and activation signatures are upregulated during asthma exacerbations in children
Asthma exacerbations in children are associated with respiratory viral infection and atopy, resulting in systemic immune activation and infiltration of immune cells into the airways. The gene networks driving the immune activation and subsequent migration of immune cells into the airways remains incompletely understood. Cellular and molecular profiling of PBMC was employed on paired samples obtained from atopic asthmatic children during acute virus-associated exacerbations and later during convalescence.
Asthma Published research Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology Human Immunology P4 Respiratory Health for Kids Subsite: Walyan Children’s Respiratory Science Immune systemJun 2023Genetic variants of TLR4, including the novel variant, rs5030719, and related genes are associated with susceptibility to clinical malaria in African children
Malaria is a deadly disease caused by Plasmodium spp. Several blood phenotypes have been associated with malarial resistance, which suggests a genetic component to immune protection.
Published research Infectious Diseases Pregnancy and Early Life Immunology ORIGINS MalariaDecember 2021Personal network inference unveils heterogeneous immune response patterns to viral infection in children with acute wheezing
Human rhinovirus (RV)-induced exacerbations of asthma and wheeze are a major cause of emergency room presentations and hospital admissions among children. Previous studies have shown that immune response patterns during these exacerbations are heterogeneous and are characterized by the presence or absence of robust interferon responses.
Published research Systems Immunology ORIGINS P4 Respiratory Health for Kids Children’s Respiratory Science Immune system Respiratory viral infectionsNovember 2021Viral Induced Effects on a Vulnerable Epithelium; Lessons Learned From Paediatric Asthma and Eosinophilic Oesophagitis
The epithelium is integral to the protection of many different biological systems and for the maintenance of biochemical homeostasis. Emerging evidence suggests that particular children have epithelial vulnerabilities leading to dysregulated barrier function and integrity, that resultantly contributes to disease pathogenesis.
Asthma Published research Airway Epithelial Research Children’s Respiratory ScienceOctober 2021Defining Age-specific Relationships of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Rhinovirus Species in Hospitalized Children With Acute Wheeze
Acute wheezing is one of the most common hospital presentations for young children. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (RV) species A, B and the more recently described species C are implicated in the majority of these presentations. However, the relative importance and age-specificities of these viruses have not been defined.
Asthma Published research Infectious Diseases Systems Immunology ORIGINS Children’s Respiratory Science BREATH Respiratory viral infectionsMarch 2021Increased nasal Streptococcus pneumoniae presence in Western environment associated with allergic conditions in Chinese immigrants
Chinese immigrants living in Australia experience increased allergic conditions: asthma, eczema, hay fever and wheeze. Recently we reported diminished innate cytokine responses in long-term immigrants, potentially increasing their pathogenic viral load and microbial carriage. We hypothesise that a Western environment changes the nasal microbiome profile, and this altered profile may be associated with the development of allergic conditions. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to examine the loading of viral and microbial respiratory pathogens in the upper airway.
Published research Children’s Respiratory Science BREATH -
Education and Qualifications
-
Awards/Honours
-
Active Collaborations