Asthma affects over 300 million people and preventive measures are needed. Early-life environments with naturally rich microbiota, such as in animal farms, have been shown to reduce the risk of asthma and allergies probably by promoting the development of immune tolerance. We aim to facilitate the translational utilization of these promising findings by identifying the compositional features that make such microbial exposures protective. For this we will use microbiological and epidemiological data from 6 different prospective birth cohorts or cross-sectional studies representing different global regions and over 3500 children and their homes. We will also utilize experimental in vitro and in vivo models to study the causal relationships and the immunomodulatory effects of the protective exposures. We expect this joint effort to fulfill data gaps that until today have prevented the development of early-life microbial exposure modifying treatments for asthma prevention.

2022

2026