Approved Research

Unraveling the Genetic and Molecular Basis of allergic diseases

Lay summary

Allergic diseases, including eczema, asthma, allergic rhinitis, and food allergy are a growing public health concern that can have serious health consequences and affect millions of people worldwide. Currently, clinical management is limited to symptom control using topical or systemic anti-inflammatory/immunosuppressive treatments. Thus, there is a large unmet need for the development of novel prevention and intervention strategies.

Genetic and environmental factors interact to determine disease risk, and heritability estimates from large twin studies were as high as 80%, rendering the genome the target of interest in order to identify the disease-causing biological mechanisms. The project will use a combination of genotype data, whole exome sequencing, whole genome sequencing, and metabolomics data from the UK Biobank to gain a comprehensive view of the underlying causes of allergic diseases. By integrating data from different sources, the project will identify potential biomarkers for diagnosis and targets for new treatments. The findings from this research project could have significant implications for a better understanding, prevention, diagnosis and treatment and will help to improve the quality of life of affected individuals.