Support our COVID-19 research

Your support could help treat millions of people suffering severe COVID-19 symptoms.

Our coronavirus research

Our scientific teams with expertise in inflammation, infection and immunity hold vital clues to help tackle deadly virus outbreaks like COVID-19, or coronavirus.

Many critical COVID-19 patients develop dangerous levels of inflammation, leading to acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and organ failure. This state is thought to be driven by pro-inflammatory proteins called cytokines, creating a ‘cytokine storm. Our researchers are working on treating chronic and hyper-acute inflammation, and ways to better understand the disease.

Your support will help us save lives and protect everyone from the lasting effects of COVID-19.

Australia’s largest group of inflammation researchers

Hudson Institute, based in the Monash Precinct, houses the largest group of inflammation researchers in Australia. This group has more than doubled in the past three years to over 100 scientists, attracting significant commercial, federal and philanthropic funding.

The Institute is recognised nationally and internationally for research and innovation in understanding the impact of inflammation on human health and the delivery of new treatments for a range of infant, child and adult health conditions.

Normally, inflammation is the body’s natural reaction to infection and the first critical step in activating the body’s full immune response. However, if uncontrolled, inflammation can lead to a range of debilitating and life-threatening conditions—acute respiratory syndromes, sepsis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, inflammatory bowel disease, lupus, pneumonia, endometriosis, infertility and even cancer.

In addition, 50 per cent of all deaths worldwide can be attributed to chronic destructive inflammation in a wide range of diseases such as cancer, stroke, diabetes, heart, kidney and liver disease, and infectious diseases.

Inflammation is at the core of life-threatening severe COVID-19 cases. The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted that the expertise of our more than 100 researchers is now more important than ever.