Objective
The hygiene hypothesis postulating the paradoxical protective role of infections on immune-mediated
diseases including atopy (i.e. atopic dermatitis, rhinitis, asthma) and more recently autoimmune diseases has
been the matter of extensive investigation. The aim of the present project is to validate this hypothesis
integrating epidemiological and experimental studies.
We will review in a meta-analysis published studies of direct and indirect markers of infections and atopic
diseases, and conduct a case-control study to analyse the association between infections and atopy using
atopic dermatitis as a prototypic model. This epidemiological study will assess the occurrence of different
infections and other risk factors related to the incidence of atopic dermatitis in children under age five in
Italy (300 cases and 600 controls).
This epidemiological study will be supported by experimental approaches addressing mechanistic questions
raised by the hygiene hypothesis. Experimental models will include induction of acute and chronic
bronchoconstriction/asthma, atopic dermatitis. In addition the project will aim at devising new mouse models
of atopy. The nature of infections providing protection against allergic diseases will be investigated to
characterise the difference at the molecular level between protective and non protective pathogens or their
derivatives. The underlying immune mechanisms notably homeostasis imbalance, antigenic competition,
stimulation of regulatory immune cells and Toll-like receptor involvement will be analysed. In addition to
developing integrated in vivo models, including the use of transgenic animals, efforts will be focussed on the
study of available synthetic pathogen-derived compounds showing a protective activity to better approach
their cellular and molecular mode of action. These studies may pave the way to novel and safe therapies that
could advantageously substitute for the “protective” immune stimulation induced by major infections.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: https://op.europa.eu/en/web/eu-vocabularies/euroscivoc.
- medical and health sciences clinical medicine pneumology asthma
- medical and health sciences health sciences public health epidemiology
- medical and health sciences basic medicine immunology autoimmune diseases
- medical and health sciences basic medicine physiology homeostasis
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
ERC-2009-AdG
See other projects for this call
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Host institution
75654 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.