Summary

Dr Patrick Asare is a translational respiratory researcher and Team Leader of the Chronic Inflammatory Lung Disease Laboratory at Adelaide University. A pharmacist by training, his research focuses on chronic respiratory diseases including chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), cystic fibrosis (CF), interstitial lung disease and environmental lung injury.
His work integrates clinical trials, human biospecimens, molecular and cellular models, proteomics and biomarker development, with a focus on translating mechanistic discoveries into clinically relevant interventions and tools. He currently supervises two PhD students and leads multidisciplinary research involving clinicians, laboratory scientists, consumers and external research partners.

Research experience

Dr Asare has developed an independent translational research program spanning COPD, CF and related inflammatory lung diseases. He conceived and leads an MRFF-funded randomised controlled trial investigating zinc supplementation in COPD and its linked biomarker program, with responsibility for scientific direction, clinical coordination, recruitment, laboratory workflows, governance and consumer engagement.
He has also established a CF research program arising from paediatric airway proteomics and extending into biomarker development, airway stress and remodelling, ageing-associated biology and mechanistic epithelial studies. His research has involved collaborations across Adelaide University, CALHN/Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute.
Dr Asare has secured more than AUD $2 million in competitive research funding as CIA/PI/CI, including more than AUD $1.1 million as lead investigator. His broader academic contribution includes postgraduate supervision, multidisciplinary team leadership, national grant assessment through NHMRC and MRFF, editorial and peer-review service, and consumer-engaged research.

Areas of expertise

Chronic respiratory disease | Translational respiratory research | Clinical trials | Biomarker development | Proteomics | Human biospecimen research | Molecular and cellular respiratory biology | Preclinical models | Multidisciplinary research leadership | Consumer-engaged research.

Research and technical capabilities

Clinical trial design and management | Participant recruitment and clinical research coordination | Flow cytometry | Cell culture and airway epithelial models | Western blotting | RT-qPCR | ELISA | Proteomics | Microscopy | Molecular biology | Animal/preclinical studies | Data analysis and interpretation | Scientific writing | Grant development | Project management | Stakeholder engagement

Research outputs

20 published journal articles and 1 accepted manuscript, together with 8 conference outputs. Two further manuscripts are currently under revision. His research has received more than 750 citations, with an h-index of 14.

Evidence of success and emerging reputation in the field:

• 2025 - MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant – CI, AUD $980,783
• 2024 - Derek Frewin Early Career Research Fellowship – PI, AUD $5,000
• 2024 - Adelaide Medical School Equipment Grant – PI, AUD $9,311
• 2023 - MRFF Early to Mid-Career Researchers Grant – CIA, AUD $990,064
•  2023 - QIMR Berghofer/CALHN environmental lung-health project funding – PI
• 2022 - Dean’s Commendation for Doctoral Thesis Excellence, University of Adelaide
• 2020 - TSANZ South Australia New Investigator Award
• 2020 - Royal Adelaide Hospital Medical Staff Society Research Prize

Collaborations

Dr Asare has established multidisciplinary collaborations across Adelaide University, CALHN/Royal Adelaide Hospital, the Women’s and Children’s Hospital and QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute. These collaborations bring together expertise in respiratory medicine, paediatric CF, proteomics, mass spectrometry, environmental exposure biology and translational biomedical research, enabling access to clinically characterised biospecimens, advanced analytical platforms, publications, preliminary datasets and competitive grant development.

Consumer and community engagement

Dr Asare integrates consumer perspectives into the design and delivery of his translational respiratory research. He established and chairs a COPD Advisory Group comprising respiratory clinicians and people living with COPD, providing a structured mechanism for clinical and lived-experience input into research implementation.
He has also established engagement with Lung Foundation Australia to support participant recruitment and community engagement and is extending consumer involvement into his cystic fibrosis research through engagement with people living with CF and Cystic Fibrosis South Australia. This approach supports the development of research that is clinically relevant, feasible and responsive to the priorities of people affected by chronic respiratory disease.

Contribution to research, training and the profession

Dr Asare currently supervises two PhD students and has previously supervised or co-supervised undergraduate and Master’s research students. He provides research direction, experimental design support, data interpretation, scientific writing guidance and career development to students and junior researchers.
He contributes nationally to research assessment, having reviewed 33 NHMRC Ideas Grant applications across 2025 and 2026 and served in leadership roles on MRFF Grant Assessment Committees, including Chair and Assistant Chair. He also serves as a Review Editor for Frontiers in Oncology and undertakes peer review for journals in inflammation, respiratory and cellular biology.
His contribution to research culture includes leadership of multidisciplinary research activities, mentoring of junior researchers, development of reusable research resources and integration of clinicians and consumers into translational respiratory research.

Society memberships and affiliations

• 2018-present: Thoracic Society of Australia and New Zealand
• 2019-present: American Thoracic Society
• 2022-present: University of Adelaide Alumni