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The Airway Epithelial Research Team is investigating the role of the epithelium in the development of airway diseases including asthma, cystic fibrosis and lung transplant rejection.
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Targeting the mucosal immune system in a pregnant mouse model to prevent experimental allergic airways disease in the offspringStudies in Europe show exposure of pregnant women to high levels of microbial products stimulate immune function maturation in their offspring
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The cellular effects of estrogen on allergic asthmaThe study aims to identify the mechanism for this so that this knowledge can be used to better treat asthma and allergies in both males and females.
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Mechanisms of IgE sensitizationThis project investigates how cells of the immune system respond to substances to cause allergies to help develop new treatments.
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Association between pertussis vaccination in infancy and childhood asthma: A population-based record linkage cohort studyAsthma is among the commonest noncommunicable diseases of childhood and often occurs with other atopic comorbidities. A previous case-control study found evidence that compared to children who received acellular pertussis (aP) vaccines in early infancy, children who received one or more doses of whole-cell pertussis (wP) vaccine had lower risk of developing IgE-mediated food allergy. We hypothesized that wP vaccination in early infancy might protect against atopic asthma in childhood.
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Maternal diet modulates the infant microbiome and intestinal Flt3L necessary for dendritic cell development and immunity to respiratory infectionPoor maternal diet during pregnancy is a risk factor for severe lower respiratory infections in the offspring, but the underlying mechanisms remain elusive. Here, we demonstrate that in mice a maternal low-fiber diet led to enhanced LRI severity in infants because of delayed plasmacytoid dendritic cell recruitment and perturbation of regulatory T cell expansion in the lungs.
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Dysregulated Notch Signaling in the Airway Epithelium of Children with WheezeThe airway epithelium of children with wheeze is characterized by defective repair that contributes to disease pathobiology. Dysregulation of developmental processes controlled by Notch has been identified in chronic asthma. However, its role in airway epithelial cells of young children with wheeze, particularly during repair, is yet to be determined.
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Defining Age-specific Relationships of Respiratory Syncytial Virus and Rhinovirus Species in Hospitalized Children With Acute WheezeAcute wheezing is one of the most common hospital presentations for young children. Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) and rhinovirus (RV) species A, B and the more recently described species C are implicated in the majority of these presentations. However, the relative importance and age-specificities of these viruses have not been defined.
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Innate Immune Training for Prevention of Recurrent Wheeze in Early ChildhoodPat Deborah Holt Strickland PhD, DSc, FRCPath, FRCPI, FAA PhD Emeritus Honorary Researcher Program Head, Immunobiology and Immunotherapeutic Program
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Airway Epithelial Cell Immunity Is Delayed During Rhinovirus Infection in Asthma and COPDWe propose that propensity for viral exacerbations of asthma and COPD relate to delayed expression of epithelial cell innate anti-viral immune genes