Assoc ProfessorEleanor Dunican

I am a translational clinician-scientist investigating the clinical and molecular pathways that drive severe asthma. My research focuses on understanding the molecular mechanisms underlying heterogeneity in asthma phenotypes and treatment responses, with the overarching goal of bridging clinical and molecular insights to advance precision medicine in asthma.

I am a co-investigator in the Severe Asthma Research Program (SARP-3). My work has shown that patients with mucus plugging exhibit distinct pulmonary impairments and inflammatory profiles, including severe airflow obstruction, type 2 inflammation, and suboptimal treatment responses. This research established chest CT imaging as a clinical biomarker to identify a subgroup of patients who may benefit from targeted therapies, such as mucolytics or type 2 inhibitors. I have further extended this approach to COPD through SPIROMICS, a large multicenter observational study designed to inform the development of future therapies.

From bench to bedside, I have contributed to the development of a novel inhaled thiol-saccharide mucolytic drug—tracing its trajectory from mechanistic studies of mucus formation in cystic fibrosis (Science Translational Medicine) and asthma (Journal of Clinical Investigation), through preclinical models and compound screening, to biomarker development in asthma and COPD (American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine). This work culminated in the ongoing phase 2b clinical trial, where CT imaging is being used for the first time as both a patient selection tool and a response biomarker in COPD.

Collectively, my research has reframed mucus plugs from passive bystanders to central, treatable drivers of disease. With over 2,000 citations and numerous derivative studies, my work has influenced the fields of asthma and COPD while catalysing clinical innovation—from biologics and bronchoscopic trials to the development of novel mucolytic therapies—bringing the concept of plug-targeted treatment into clinical reality.