| :: About Results | :: Publish/Update a Result | :: Technology Marketplace |
Periodic Report Summary 3 - EFRAIM (Mechanisms of early protective exposures on allergy development)
Quality validation date:2013-02-01
Abstract
Allergic illnesses have developed into a major health concern in Europe. They diminish patients' quality of life and have considerable socio-economic costs. The onset of allergies starts early in life, and there is increasing evidence that exogenous factors affecting the incidence of these illnesses exert their effect early in life, in part even prenatally. Children brought up on traditional farms are more protected from atopy and asthma than non-farm children. The EFRAIM project prospectively investigated protective factors early in life influencing the development of diseases in 5 birth cohorts (PASTURE cohorts) from rural environments. It focused on dietary exposures, lifestyle and other environmental (e. g. microbial) exposures which may be causal determinants of the illness. Understanding the components of protective exposures and the mechanisms by which they are mediated will allow the development of novel avenues for the combat of the allergy epidemic. One application referred to the protective farm milk effect, consistently identified in a large number of farm populations. Another application referred to the development of an allergy vaccine mimicking microbial farm exposures.
The EFRAIM project has completed the fourth and last year of operation. The assessment of the study cohort at age 6 had been finalised in January 2011. Only 12% of the initial cohort had dropped out before school age, another 7% quit participation at age 6. The central PASTURE/ EFRAIM data base has been updated with the field work data and is at the disposition of all EFRAIM beneficiaries doing statistical analysis.
Analysing laboratories working with year 6 samples, but also with samples from earlier PASTURE sample collections have completed their measurements and have also made their data available to all partners in the central data base. Given financial limitations, not all measurements were performed on the whole sample but in a nested case-control study, to find candidate exposures for asthma and allergy protection.
Transfection based bioassays to detect immuno-modulatory activity of raw versus pasteurised milk and of milk components had been set up to test the effects on CD14 expression and global genetic response on HT-29 cells. Active compounds analysis of milk samples from different milk production centres was undertaken with a view to comparing raw and pasteurised milk. The in vivo and in vitro analyses of candidate microorganisms for allergy protection by farm exposure have resulted in two strains, ready as product candidate for an allergy-protective approach for GMP-production for preclinical toxicology outside the EFRAIM project.
Collaboration sought:N/A
Related Programme(s)/Projects
| Programme | Project reference | Project title |
| FP7-KBBE | 211911 | Mechanisms of early protective exposures on allergy development |
Contact person
Organization:LUDWIG-MAXIMILIANS-UNIVERSITAET MUENCHEN
Name:
Position:Head Asthma and Allergy Outpatient Clinic
Address:
Munich University Children's Hospital
4, Lindwurmstrasse
D 80337
MUNICH
DEUTSCHLAND
Region:
Tel:+49-8951602709
Fax:+49-8951604452
Email:Contact
URL:http://www.efraim-online.com
Organization type:
Additional information
Subject index:Biotechnology, Medicine, Health, Life Sciences
Subject descriptors:Pharmacy, pharmacology, Cell biology, Genetics, Immunology
Subject class:Biology, Medicine
Remarks:Source: SESAM
Record control number:54433
