Molecular Epidemiology/Genetic Epidemiology of Respiratory Diseases
Asthma is a chronic inflammatory disease involving complex interactions between environmental and genetic factors. The nationwide increase in asthma and allergies over the last 40 or 50 years suggests a strong environmental influence, but patterns of asthma in families also suggest a strong genetic influence.
In this study, researchers are trying to understand more about the chemical and genetic ways in which environmental factors can influence the development of asthma. They're doing so in part by studying the effects chronic and acute inhalation of a common substance called LPS, which is produced by certain widespread bacteria. LPS can cause airflow obstruction and lung inflammation. It also influences the severity of asthma. It does so by binding with certain sites in the body, which then trigger the release of substances that cause inflammation, particularly IgE.
Through this study, researchers hope to show that genetic variation in the LPS binding sites may influence a person's responsiveness to environmental LPS-the first step on the road to predicting the severity of asthma and other inflammatory respiratory diseases. |
