CRF Supported Research Shows How Smokers are More Vulnerable to Tuberculosis Infection

Professor Joe Keane and his team have just published pioneering research findings that demonstrate how smokers are more vulnerable to Mycobacterium Tuberculosis infection. These findings have been published in the prestigious American Journal of Respiratory Critical Care Medicine.

Broncoscopy samples collected from hospital patients were fundamental to the research undertaken. The Clinical Research Facility facilitated the recruitment and consenting of patients and worked with hospital respirologists to collect lung tissue samples using a specially adapted bronchial lavage procedure.  Ms. Colette Morrow from the CRF was a key part of the research team in this regard and has been recognized in the paper as one of the authors.

Smoker's macrophages                              

Nonsmoker's macrophages