The role of prenatal diet- and microbiome- derived metabolome in childhood allergy development. Metabolic fingerprinting for allergy prediction
Research Project, 2020
– 2024
Allergy is the most common chronic disease of the young affecting one third of Swedish children. Allergy also increases globally in parallel with economic growth and development. The project combines leading competences in food science/nutrition, metabolomics, immunology, microbiology, obstetrics, systems biology and epigenetics aiming at identifying biomarkers and build a predictive model for allergy development. Goals: i) Investigate how the pregnant woman’s diet and microbial metabolites are reflected in her metabolome and that of the newborn child ii) Explore associations between maternal diet, newborn metabolome, immune parameters and allergy development. iii) Identify biomarkers in maternal/newborns blood predicting immune maturation/allergy development. iv) Investigate the role of placental gene expression on the transport of metabolites to the foetus. v) Explore whether effects of diet- and microbial-related metabolites on infant immune maturation are mediated by epigenetic modifications during foetal development. Methods:The NICE-cohort following mothers, fathers and infants from birth to 4 years while monitoring diet and immune development. Analyses of metabolomics, transcriptomics, and epigenomics in blood and placenta samples and relate to clinical allergy at 1 and 4 years. Significance: The project will lead to novel preventive strategies against allergy development and provide a firm scientific base for evidence-based advice to pregnant and lactating mothers.
Participants
Ann-Sofie Sandberg (contact)
Chalmers, Life Sciences, Food and Nutrition Science
Funding
Swedish Research Council (VR)
Project ID: 2019-01317
Funding Chalmers participation during 2020–2023
Related Areas of Advance and Infrastructure
Life Science Engineering (2010-2018)
Areas of Advance