Investigators: Anthony Bosco, Anthony Kicic, David Martino, Lidija Turkovic, Stephen Stick, Susan Prescott
We have been studying the importance of the epithelial cells lining the airways in the nose and lungs. We have discovered that the type of genes expressed in nose and the lower airway are extremely similar and that some are associated with asthma. This study will look at the epithelial cells in the nose at birth to determine if differences in gene signature patterns contribute towards the number and severity of viral infections in early life and the development of wheeze and allergy.