Lea-Ann Kirkham Lorne Infection and Immunity 2022

Lea-Ann Kirkham

Lea-Ann Kirkham (PhD) is an infectious disease research microbiologist at the Telethon Kids Institute in Perth, Western Australia, adjunct Associate Professor at the University of Western Australia, and recent Co-Director of the Wesfarmers Centre of Vaccine and Infectious Diseases at the Telethon Kids Institute (2019-2022). She leads the Bacterial Respiratory Infectious Disease Group, with a mission to develop improved therapies to prevent and treat childhood ear and lung diseases. Lea-Ann and her team are developing Spritz-OM, a nasal live biotherapeutic product designed to prevent childhood ear infections, which they aim to have in a first-in-human trial by 2025. She is an investigator on a Phase 2 randomised control trial with an anti-biofilm therapy to prevent repeat ear infections and reduce the need for grommet surgery. Lea-Ann also leads an Industry-funded otitis media surveillance project to identify current aetiology and develop the best approaches to protect children from otitis media and associated hearing loss. Lea-Ann’s research has contributed to changes in Government policy and informed vaccine development. In 2010, Lea-Ann was part of an emergency response team to investigate the rise in febrile convulsions in children after Influenza vaccination. Their data contributed to nationwide cessation of a specific influenza vaccine in children under 5 years and the recommendation that children are given influenza vaccines from other manufacturers. Her PhD research at Glasgow University informed Industry development of a protein-based pneumococcal vaccine that was licensed by a global pharma company. Her team’s research on identifying the predominant cause of ear infections in Australian children contributed to introduction of a new vaccine onto the National Immunisation Program. Lea-Ann has been involved in pneumococcal vaccine trials (PCV10, PCV13, PPV) in Papua New Guinea and Australia, which have helped inform national vaccine policy and vaccine development. She continues to have an advisory role on ear and lung health studies in PNG. Lea-Ann has attracted continual NHMRC funding since 2011 (projects, ideas, fellowship), and in 2022 was awarded an inaugural 5-year fellowship from the Stan Perron Charitable Foundation.