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Genome-wide association study of vitamin D levels in children: replication in the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) study

This genome-wide association study (GWAS) utilises data from the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study for 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels...

Vitamin D deficiency at 16 to 20 weeks' gestation is associated with impaired lung function and asthma at 6 years of age

This paper examines whether a Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy affects the child's lung function predisposition towards lung disease such as asthma.

Low serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D concentrations associate with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in adolescents independent of adiposity

This paper examined the link between low serum Vitamin D levels and development of non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in adolescents between 14 and 17...

Defective respiratory tract immune surveillance in asthma : A primary causal factor in disease onset and progression

The relative importance of respiratory viral infections vs inhalant allergy in asthma pathogenesis is the subject of ongoing debate.

Prevention - what is the most promising approach?

This paper is an editorial comment by Professor Patrick Holt on the potential for developing early intervention strategies in children with allergies and asthma

Impaired interferon response in plasmacytoid dendritic cells from children with persistent wheeze

Impaired interferon response and allergic sensitization may contribute to virus-induced wheeze and asthma development in young children. Plasmacytoid dendritic cells play a key role in antiviral immunity as critical producers of type I interferons. 

European and multi-ancestry genome-wide association meta-analysis of atopic dermatitis highlights importance of systemic immune regulation

Atopic dermatitis is a common inflammatory skin condition and prior genome-wide association studies have identified 71 associated loci. In the current study we conducted the largest AD GWAS to date combining previously reported cohorts with additional available data.

Rhinoviruses A and C elicit long-lasting antibody responses with limited cross-neutralization

Rhinoviruses (RVs) can cause severe wheezing illnesses in young children and patients with asthma. Vaccine development has been hampered by the multitude of RV types with little information about cross-neutralization. We previously showed that neutralizing antibody (nAb) responses to RV-C are detected twofold to threefold more often than those to RV-A throughout childhood. Based on those findings, we hypothesized that RV-C infections are more likely to induce either cross-neutralizing or longer-lasting antibody responses compared with RV-A infections.

Whole-cell pertussis vaccine in early infancy for the prevention of allergy in children

Atopic diseases are the most common chronic conditions of childhood. The apparent rise in food anaphylaxis in young children over the past three decades is of particular concern, owing to the lack of proven prevention strategies other than the timely introduction of peanut and egg.

Professor Pat Holt

Emeritus Honorary Researcher