This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. COAST (Childhood Origins of ASThma) is a prospective birth cohort study designed to address the interactions among age, patterns of cytokine secretion, and virus infections with respect to the subsequent development of asthma and allergic diseases. The study enrolled 312 children at high risk of developing atopic diseases (one or both parents have allergies and/or asthma.) Studying childhood asthma is complex because (a) wheezing can occur without the correlated symptoms of asthma, (b) obtaining relevant biologic specimens for analyses is difficult, and (c) the immune and lung system need to be studied in the context of both genetic and environmental interactions which contribute to this complex disorder. To address these important issues, the investigators have used a Program Project Grant (PPG) format (3 projects and 3 cores) to implement an integrated approach to conducting immunological, microbiological, epidemiological, physiological, molecular, and genetic evaluations that involve in vitro and in vivo models in human subjects. The hypothesis is that immune dysregulation is a pivotal component in the start of childhood asthma, and that this development may be further influenced by viral respiratory tract infections and by gene-environment interactions that begin in utero and continue throughout infancy and early childhood. The correlations among environment, gene-expression, viral illness and immune development are being examined to understand the expression, progression, exacerbation and/or regression of various childhood allergic diseases and asthma.
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