Development of Alternative Treatment of Airway Diseases through the use of Probiotics

Professor Anders Cervin is a Professor in Otolaryngology (Rhinology) and a Senior Staff Specialist at the Department of ENT, Head and Neck Surgery, Royal Brisbane & Women’s Hospital. Prof Anders Cervin expertise includes endoscopic sinus surgery as well as endoscopic anterior skull base surgery. Research focus of our group is on the role of the microbiota in health and disease in chronic airway disease and the possibilityto modify disease expression by modifying the microbiome of the nasal cavity and the sinuses.

Dr Hanna Sidjabat is a Research Officer working within Prof Anders Cervin’s group, leading the microbiology work of microbiome of upper respiratory tract of chronic rhinosinusitis (CRS) study and healthy participant as well as the otitis media in the Australian Indigenous population. Hanna has been leading the in vitro development of probiotic strains that can be used to treat airway diseases.

Miss Amanda Bordin is a Honours student. Her honours project is on Genomic and proteomic features of Lactobacillus spp. and Staphylococcus aureus with applications to chronic rhinosinusitis.

Seminar Overview:  Probiotics have been recognised mainly as to be used for oral administration to maintain gut health. We have been characterising microbiota of upper airway to find commensal bacteria with ability to eliminate pathogens causing sinus and ear diseases. This seminar will provide overview of our research interest, findings from the project (pathogens and common commensals), and progress of alternative treatment strategy using probiotics.