Researchers receive $2m asthma grant

A team of B.C.-based researchers has received a $2-million grant to look at the connection between a child’s upbringing and environment, and the development of asthma.

Childhood asthma is on the rise, but researchers are still learning what causes it and why it develops in some kids and not in others, said Dr. Stuart Turvey, lead investigator on the project and a professor at the University of B.C.’s faculty of medicine.

Traffic-related air pollution, green space in cities, gut bacteria and breastfeeding are just some of the factors Turvey and his team will be considering. “This research will help us learn about the changes that we can make to a child’s environment to reduce their susceptibility to the disease,” Turvey said.

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research and Genome B.C. are funding the work, which is a collaboration between UBC, B.C. Children’s Hospital, Provincial Health Services Authority and the Canadian Healthy Infant Longitudinal Development Study.