Nikki Reyne

I am a PhD student working with the Adelaide Cystic Fibrosis Airway Research Group based in the Women's and Children's Hospital.

My research goals have focused around reducing or preventing CF lung disease using genetic therapies. In 2019, I undertook an honours project where I was awarded First Class Honours. This project successfully showed for the first time CFTR correction in vivo in the nasal airway epithelium of CF rat models, after the delivery of lentiviral vector.

My current work involves using XV imaging to study the lung function and structure of animal disease models in high detail. I have used this technology to identify lung function differences in CF rats, B-ENaC mice, and obstructive lung models. I also have an interest in Pseudomonas aeruginosa respiratory infections in CF and has developed and characterised a CF rat pseudomonas model.

I am responsible for breeding and managing the only two CF rat models in the Southern Hemisphere.