Ontogeny of the airway smooth muscle layer in health and disease

在哮喘患者中，在生命早期甚至在医生诊断之前，气道平滑肌层(ASM)的厚度就会增加。一个耐人寻味的可能性是我们的首要假设，即ASM层从出生起就增厚，并代表着哮喘发展的独立危险因素。该项目致力于更好地了解ASM层从妊娠晚期到成年是如何成熟的，以及异常成熟是否有助于疾病易感性。

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.