BreathEasy

Silicosis is an occupational lung disease caused by breathing in silica dust during the unsafe cutting of stone benchtops. People with silicosis find it hard to breathe due to scarring in their lungs.

Our project will measure silicosis-specific biomarkers from lung samples from exposed workers and develop a non-invasive breath test to detect early disease. We have developed a unique way to test novel drugs for silicosis in human lung tissue.

By improving the diagnosis of early disease alongside identifying new treatments, our research will offer hope to silica-exposed workers facing the prospect of poor quality of life and shortened life expectancy.