Reinventing the fight against chronic lung infections
May 28, 2026
For people living with cystic fibrosis (CF), chronic lung infections are a constant challenge. Bacteria trapped in the lungs can cause progressive damage, reducing lung function and shortening life expectancy. Respirion is working to change that.
The company is developing a combination inhaled therapy to better treat persistent infections in CF patients, particularly those caused by Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a bacterium that thrives in the thick mucus of CF lungs. While existing treatments have helped manage these infections for decades, they have limitations and don’t address the inflammation in the lung. Respirion’s approach aims to treat infections more effectively and reduce that inflammation to maintain healthier lungs for longer.
To better understand the science and the story behind the company, we sat down with Respirion’s founders Dr Barry Clements and Matt Callahan, as well as Brandon Capital investment manager Helga Mikkelsen to discuss how the idea came to life and what it could mean for patients living with cystic fibrosis.
The challenge with current treatments
For many cystic fibrosis patients, inhaled antibiotics such as tobramycin have been a cornerstone of treatment since the late 1990s. While these drugs help suppress bacterial growth and relieve symptoms, they rarely eliminate infections entirely.
Over time, bacteria like Pseudomonas adapt, developing resistance and forming protective biofilms that shield them from antibiotics and the immune system. This allows infections to persist in the lungs for years. Respirion’s therapy is designed to directly target this challenge.
Bridging science, medicine and investment
At the heart of Respirion is the partnership between Dr Barry Clements and Matt Callahan. Barry, a respiratory physician who spent more than 35 years treating children with cystic fibrosis at Perth Children’s Hospital, saw first-hand the limits of existing treatments and began researching ways to improve inhaled antibiotics. Matt, a seasoned life sciences executive with more than 25 years of experience across biotech, venture investment and IP, brought the commercial, regulatory and development expertise needed to turn Barry’s clinical insight into a drug development company.
Together, Barry’s deep clinical understanding and Matt’s strategic and commercial experience have helped shape Respirion’s mission to bring a new therapy to cystic fibrosis patients.
For Barry, the motivation to find a better solution came from witnessing children with cystic fibrosis endure hour-long daily nebulised antibiotic treatments with little to no improvement. Determined to enhance the effectiveness of these therapies, he set out to identify a treatment booster that could improve antibiotic performance. Laboratory research led to a promising candidate, which demonstrated strong potential in an early pilot study and Respirion was born.
From a commercial perspective, it was the strength of the clinical data that convinced Matt of Respirion’s investment potential. “Testing in humans is really the holy grail of drug development,” he says. “Barry had the opportunity to conduct an early study in a small group of patients, and the results showed significant benefits for bacterial infection and potentially lung function. That was incredibly compelling.”
Moving toward the next milestone
Looking back, the turning point that transformed the project from an academic concept into a company with the potential to change patient outcomes was the realisation that sometimes you need to take a step back in order to move forward. FDA requirements demanded rigorous manufacturing and preclinical studies before development could continue, so after the initial clinical study, the team paused to strengthen and complete the supporting data package.
The success of the Phase 1b study ultimately confirmed that the product was safe and ready to progress into Phase 2a efficacy studies. “That was the moment we knew we had the opportunity to make a real difference for both CF and non-CF patients,” Matt says.
Respirion has progressed into a Phase 2a clinical trial, comparing the new therapy directly against the current standard treatment and recently treated their final patient.
The trial is being conducted across 21 sites in the trial, of which 12 were in the US and 9 in Australia, supported by the US Cystic Fibrosis Foundation’s clinical trial network. The trial represents a critical step for the company and results from the study are expected in the coming months, which will help determine the efficacy of and potentially move Respirion’s therapy closer to becoming a new treatment option for people living with cystic fibrosis worldwide.
