Ontogeny of the airway smooth muscle layer in health and disease

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In asthmatic patients the thickness of the airway smooth muscle (ASM) layer is increased early in life and even before doctor-diagnosis. An intriguing possibility is our overarching hypothesis that the ASM layer is thickened from birth and represents an independent risk factor for the development of asthma. This project strives to understand better how the ASM layer matures from late gestation to adulthood and whether abnormal maturation contributes to disease susceptibility.