Shafagh Waters

I develop human organoid models and regenerative epithelial therapies to enable precision medicine and translational treatment strategies for cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and related chronic airway diseases. I am a Scientia Associate Professor in the School of Biomedical Sciences at UNSW Sydney and Head of the Regeneration and Stem Cell Translational Research Laboratory. My research program focuses on developing human stem cell and organoid systems that allow direct investigation of disease biology and therapeutic response in human tissue. I serve as Academic Lead of the UNSW node of the NSW Organoid Innovation Centre and hold a leadership role in the Non-Animal Technologies Network (NAT-Net), a NSW Government–supported initiative advancing human-relevant biomedical research systems across Australia. My laboratory develops patient-derived organoid models from airway, gut, liver and other epithelial tissues to investigate the mechanisms underlying chronic respiratory disease. These systems enable mechanistic investigation of cystic fibrosis, bronchiectasis and primary ciliary dyskinesia using advanced functional assays, genome engineering and multi-omics approaches. A major focus of the program is the development of precision medicine platforms capable of predicting individual therapeutic response and identifying biomarkers of disease progression. A central objective of my research is to translate stem cell technologies into clinically relevant therapies. My group is developing regenerative airway epithelial transplantation strategies and biomaterial-supported epithelial repair approaches aimed at restoring airway function in chronic respiratory disease. These studies integrate stem cell biology, biomaterials engineering and clinical collaboration to advance regenerative airway therapies toward clinical implementation. Through national and international collaborations with clinicians, research institutes and industry partners, my work contributes to advancing organoid-based precision medicine, regenerative respiratory therapeutics and the adoption of non-animal technologies for biomedical research. My research has been recognised through awards including the Tall Poppy Science Award and the UNSW Faculty of Medicine & Health Innovation Award. disease models, adult stem cells, cystic fibrosis, gene therapy, respiratory disease, paediatric, airway biology