Role of Peanut Allergen in Urban Schools and Preschools

描述(由申请人提供)：这项提案详细说明了一项五年计划，为候选人威廉·希恩医学博士提供成为过敏和免疫学领域的独立研究员的知识和专业知识。拟议的研究项目以一种新的策略为中心，评估在儿童环境中，如家庭、学校和学前班中可检测到的环境花生蛋白暴露的量。最近有理论认为，在很小的时候避免食物是导致食物过敏增加的原因之一，因为儿童反而会因为皮肤接触环境中的少量食物蛋白质而变得敏感。希恩博士提供了初步数据，证明在学校和家庭中可检测到花生蛋白(Arah2)的含量。候选人将利用他的导师Wanda Phipatanakul博士建立的基础设施(目前由NIAID资助的名为学校和内城哮喘研究的研究)；通过分析真空尘埃和餐桌擦拭样本，进一步探索环境中花生蛋白质的研究。除了评估家庭和学校，服务于年幼儿童的无花生学前班也将被评估。此外，希恩博士还将评估这种环境花生接触对健康结果的影响。具体地说，他将调查暴露在环境花生蛋白中对哮喘发病率的影响，特别关注被认为受到这种皮肤暴露影响的风险最高的儿童。处于危险中的群体将会是 由具有下列任何一种情况的登记受试者定义：(1)花生过敏，(2)湿疹，或(3)微丝蛋白基因突变。希恩博士将在菲帕塔纳库尔博士的指导下工作，菲帕塔纳库尔博士是环境暴露和过敏性疾病关系方面的专家。希恩博士还组建了一支杰出的研究团队，其中包括Diane Gold博士、Raif Geha博士和Brent Coull博士，他们投入了时间、资源和专业知识来促进他的职业发展和研究目标。在对候选人的支持期间，他将通过获得哈佛医学院临床科学学者计划的医学硕士(MMSc)学位，从事正式的临床研究教育。该项目将为他提供高级生物统计学、流行病学、临床研究设计、临床遗传学和科学写作方面的进一步技能。在他的主要导师和协作团队的指导下，在波士顿儿童医院理想的科学和临床环境下，研究项目和职业发展计划将使候选人获得独立的NIH资金，并在环境食品暴露和过敏性疾病领域确立自己的独立临床研究员地位，这是一个相对被忽视的研究领域。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal details a five-year plan to provide the candidate, William Sheehan, MD, with the knowledge and expertise to become an independent investigator in the field of Allergy and Immunology. The proposed research project is centered on a novel strategy of evaluating the amount of detectable environmental peanut protein exposure in childhood environments, such as homes, schools, and preschools. It has recently been theorized that avoidance of foods at a young age has contributed to the rise in food allergies, because children were instead becoming sensitized by cutaneous exposure to small amounts of food proteins in the environment. Dr. Sheehan presents preliminary data demonstrating detectable amounts of peanut protein (Ara h 2) in schools and homes. The candidate will use the established infrastructure of his mentor, Dr. Wanda Phipatanakul (current NIAID-funded study entitled School and Inner City Asthma Study); to further explore the study of peanut protein in the environment by analyzing vacuumed dust and table wipe samples. In addition to evaluating homes and schools, peanut-free preschools serving very young children will also be evaluated. Additionally, Dr. Sheehan will evaluate the effect of this environmental peanut exposure on health outcomes. Specifically, he will investigate the effect of exposure to environmental peanut protein on asthma morbidity with a particular focus on children considered to be at the highest risk of being affected by this cutaneous exposure. The "at risk" group will be defined by an enrolled subject with any one of the following conditions: (1) peanut allergy, (2) eczema, or (3) filaggrin gene mutation. Dr. Sheehan will work under the mentorship of Dr. Phipatanakul, an expert in environmental exposures and the relationship with allergic diseases. Dr. Sheehan has also assembled a team of extraordinary researchers, including Drs. Diane Gold, Raif Geha, and Brent Coull, who have committed their time, resources, and expertise to facilitate his career development and research goals. During the period of support for the candidate, he will engage in formal education on clinical research by obtaining a Master of Medical Sciences (MMSc) degree from the Scholars in Clinical Science Program at Harvard Medical School. This program will provide him with further skills in advanced biostatistics, epidemiology, clinical study design, clinical genetics, and scientific writing. Under the guidance of his primary mentor and collaborative team, in an ideal scientific and clinical environment at Boston Children's Hospital, the research project and career development plan will position the candidate to secure independent NIH funding and to establish himself as an independent clinical researcher in the field of environmental food exposures and allergic diseases, a relatively neglected area of investigation.