Our Research Areas

National Asthma Research Program (NARP)

Asthma Australia’s National Asthma Research Program (NARP) is the only dedicated asthma research program in Australia. It has been running since the 1960’s and over this time has supported the careers of many internationally renowned researchers and led to discoveries that have changed practice and policy for the better.

In 2021, we set out to understand the research priorities that matter most to people with asthma and those who care for them – creating the National Asthma Research Agenda (NARA). This identified the top 10 research priorities for asthma in Australia, aiming to focus researchers and maximise investment into the questions that matter most.

Asthma Australia has now incorporated these priorities into our updated National Asthma Research Program Strategy.

Vision

To find solutions to reduce the impact of asthma.

Mission

Based on sound consultation and prioritisation, we will invest in progressive approaches to discover, translate and implement real solutions with people with asthma, their loved ones and the community.

Principles

Asthma Australia has identified four guiding principles that we will apply at all times during the execution of this program strategy.

1. Lived experience
   We put the voice and lived experience of the community at the centre of what we do.
2. Progressive
   We enable all methods promising to be effective at addressing the community driven priorities.
3. Equitable
   We enable equity of participation and seek equity of impact.
4. Integrity
   We honour the trust of those we serve and hold ourselves to account to always act with integrity.

Priorities

Asthma in children

Prevention, treatment, impacts and causes of asthma remission in children. Measures to address the impacts and unmet support needs for carers of children with asthma.

Asthma care and self-management

Interventions to improve access to and delivery of services, patient-clinician partnership, self-management strategies and patient empowerment.

We will have a secondary focus, amplifying funding through investing in partnerships, to address the following priorities:

Diagnosis and medication

New and improved diagnostic tools for asthma. Evidence for incorporating diagnosis of common co-existing conditions as part of the standard assessment.

Medication side-effects and prevention of them, and more personalised medication options to suit different people with asthma.

Causes, prevention, and features of asthma

Better understanding of the causes and prevention of asthma, including the role of genes and diet.

Better understanding of the intergenerational impacts of asthma, development of severe asthma and prevention of irreversible lung damage.

Asthma and ageing

Better understanding of what causes the development of late-onset asthma.

Evidence of strategies to better manage asthma in older populations, and how this differs to management in other population groups.

Click here to read the full Research Program Strategy.

Any questions? Contact  research@asthma.org.au