The early-life microbiome in asthma development

Marie Claire Arrieta, PhD

Asthma is the chronic disease that affects most children around the world. Its incidence continues to increase rapidly, and cases are becoming more severe. Research from Drs. Arrieta, Finlay and collaborators has shown that changes in the gut microbiome very in early in life can increase a baby's risk to develop asthma. Our lab is interested in finding more bacteria and fungi involved in this association, exploring the immune mechanisms behind it, and finding ways to correct it. We're answering these questions using data from our human studies and modelling it in mouse models of airway inflammation.