The Woolcock Institute of Medical Research

PhD candidates at the Woolcock Institute of Medical Research are involved in a wide range of research projects exploring emerging and complex areas of science and medicine. Among them is Lu Liu, a respiratory physician undertaking lab-based doctoral studies on the lung–brain axis, an expanding field that could uncover new ways to protect brain health and maintain cognitive function as we age.

Lu’s PhD project, being pursued with funding from the Woolcock’s Centre for Chronic Disease and Ageing (CCDA) and supervised by Distinguished Professor Brian Oliver, explores the emerging idea that chronic lung disease, inflammation and environmental exposures may have far-reaching effects beyond the respiratory system, including on brain health and cognitive ageing.

Her research sits at the intersection of respiratory medicine, neuroscience and environmental health, with a particular focus on how chronic lung conditions and inflammatory signals originating in the lung may contribute to neurological outcomes such as cognitive decline and dementia. This is an important area of investigation, as chronic respiratory diseases and environmental exposures such as air pollution are increasingly recognised as factors that may influence health across the whole body, not only the lungs.

Drawing on her clinical background as a respiratory physician, Lu brings a translational perspective to this work, connecting clinical observations in chronic respiratory disease with laboratory-based investigations into the biological pathways that may link lung health and brain health. A key focus of her PhD is the role of extracellular vesicles, which are small particles released by cells that can carry biological messages between tissues. Lu is investigating whether inflammatory signals from the lung may be packaged into these vesicles and contribute to communication between the lung and the brain.

Through a series of mechanistic and translational studies, including both cell-based experiments and preclinical mouse studies, Lu is examining how inflammatory mediators produced in the lung can influence the central nervous system, potentially helping to explain how chronic respiratory disease may contribute to cognitive impairment later in life. Her cell-based studies allow specific biological mechanisms to be investigated under controlled laboratory conditions, while her preclinical studies provide an opportunity to examine these processes in a more complex whole-body system.

By combining these approaches, Lu’s project aims to build a clearer picture of the lung–brain axis and its relevance to healthy ageing. Her work may help explain why people living with chronic respiratory disease, or those exposed to environmental insults over long periods of time, may be at greater risk of poorer brain health as they age. More broadly, the project highlights the importance of considering respiratory health as part of a whole-body approach to ageing, rather than viewing lung disease as an isolated condition.

As part of this work, Lu has presented abstracts at national and international conferences, including respiratory and neuroscience meetings, and is currently developing manuscripts arising from her PhD research.

Her project contributes to CCDA’s broader goal of understanding how environmental and biological factors interact to shape healthy ageing. It also reflects the Woolcock’s commitment to research that bridges clinical medicine and laboratory science, with the potential to inform future strategies for prevention, early intervention and improved quality of life in ageing populations.

Find out more

• Our Centre for Chronic Diseases of Ageing
• Our Respiratory Cellular and Molecular Biology research group
• PhD Opportunities at the Woolcock