A University of Tasmania Faculty of Health researcher’s work into the links between smoking and lung cancer may help prevent the disease.
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For 12 years Dr Sukhwinder Sohal, better known as Romy, has investigated a process called Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in the airways of people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
The process sees the airway lining or epithelium reprogrammed by smoking to do lethal damage, including scarring and narrowing of the airways, as well as promoting malignant change.
Dr Sohal’s dedication to researching Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition in smokers and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease saw him recently recognised by the American Thoracic Society as an outstanding young investigator.
“It is a great honour being recognised for research and for it to bring recognition to the university and Tasmania,” Dr Sohal said.
“We’ve found the mechanism and we do know it’s responsive to current therapeutics in at least 50 per cent of cases. We now wish to focus especially on teasing out what are the key drivers of these changes, what aspects are amenable to current therapy and which will require new therapeutic modalities.”
Dr Sohal paid tribute to the support of Tasmanians as key to his research’s success.
The nation has the nation’s highest smoking rates and has served as the perfect place to conduct his research.
“I have felt that in the community in Launceston and Tasmania is right behind me and my research colleagues, helping to drive our enthusiasm and outcomes,” Dr Sohal said.
“I have had really good support from the Clifford Craig Medical Research Trust and respiratory clinicians and pathology scientists at the Launceston General Hospital especially.
“When I came down here it was the right place to help people and the health system.”
The recognition from the American Thoracic Society follows similar young investigator awards earlier this year by the Japanese Respiratory Society and Asian Pacific Society of Respirology for 2016.
Dr Sohal was also recognised as a Fellow of the Asian Pacific Society of Respirology for his contributions to the field of Chronic Lung Disease. Dr Sohal is a lecturer in Histopathology in the School of Health Sciences.