Asst. Prof. Julie Renwick

Research Description:

My research focuses on chronic respiratory infections, with a particular interest in Cystic Fibrosis (CF). In recent years the airways of people with CF have been found to harbour a diverse community of microorganisms. These finding are forcing a paradigm shift in how we view airway infections. To date the clinical significance of the presence of these microbial communities in the CF airways is still poorly understood. I currently have numerous basic science and clinical studies underway exploring the microbial communities present in the airway and how they contribute to chronic airway disease progression. I co-founded the Airway Microbiome in CF (AIM CF) project which is an arm of the larger Study of Host Immunity and Early Lung Disease in CF (SHIELD CF) longitudinal project. I also have an interest in advancing diagnostic techniques and improving detection of common airway pathogens such as Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Aspergillus fumigatus. My research is multidisciplinary and relies on a high level of communication between clinicians and scientists to apply the most advanced, cutting-edge sequencing and molecular techniques to the clinical setting.