H/H-ASTHMA HGC

点击翻译按钮获取中文摘要

This subproject is one of many research subprojects utilizing the resources provided by a Center grant funded by NIH/NCRR. The subproject and investigator (PI) may have received primary funding from another NIH source, and thus could be represented in other CRISP entries. The institution listed is for the Center, which is not necessarily the institution for the investigator. Asthma is a complex, multifactorial disease resulting from biologic interaction between multiple gene products and environmental factors. The current thoughts that genetics play a major role in asthma pathophysiology and published reports of higher incidence of asthma and assoicated morbidity and mortlity in African American, it sems imperative that more studies are needed to identify genetic factors attributable to asthma development. The purpose of this study is to identify genetic risk factors contributing towards development of asthma. We plan to recruit 100 asthma patients in the Washington, D. C. area for this study. With our collaborators at Johns Hopkins University, we aim to identify allelic variants that confer susceptibility towards a specific IgE immune response to cockroach allergen in humans. Identification of asthma susceptible alleles will help in better understanding of its pathogenesis, with the ultimate goal of improving preventive strategies, diagnostic tools, and therapies for this disease which is now a major health and economic burden for peoples especially in African Americans.