Grant: Operating Grant: ECI grants in MRC&Y Health - Infection and Immunity

We know that the environment influences our health, and that babies are particularly sensitive to environmental exposures in the womb. When babies are exposed in the womb to pollutants like tobacco or cannabis smoke, health effects that can arise years or decades beyond the exposure itself. In 2018, over 11% of women of child-bearing age in Canada smoked cannabis, and nearly 20% of men. Both first- and second-hand tobacco smoke during pregnancy puts babies at risk of developing asthma, but much less is known about the risks of prenatal exposure to cannabis smoke. Research shows that many believe cannabis smoke to be less harmful than cigarette smoke to developing children. However, many of the inhaled products of combustion are similar between cannabis and tobacco smoke, and to date there is no evidence that cannabis smoke has different effects on developing offspring than tobacco smoke. This project uses epigenetics to try and understand what marks are being left behind in the cell by tobacco and cannabis smoke exposure. Epigenetics is a kind of cellular memory, that helps cells remember what kind of cells they are, but also what environments they have been exposed to. If we understand what cellular memories are left behind by specific environments, we may be able to reverse them, or even prevent them from being laid down in the first place, to ensure that every child in Canada gets the best possible start in life.