Grant: Travel Awards - Institute Community Support

Allergic diseases remain an important economic strain on health care systems. In fact, the issue is predominant in northern areas since asthma and allergy cases are more numerous in countries which tend to lack sunlight. Since natural light is needed for the human body to produce vitamin D, some researchers have begun to speculate that there is a link between asthma, allergies and vitamin D deficiency. Furthermore, it may be related to the effect of vitamin D deritives on the human body's natural defenses such as white blood cells. The research project at hand tends to focus on a specific white blood cell which is often involved in allergic diseases: the eosinophil. This white blood cell type is known to be a 'hot tempered' toxic body which releases deadly compounds in response to various triggers. This study will investigate the direct effect of metabolized vitamin D on the viability of eosinophils. Blood will be taken from allergic and/or asthmatic donors in order to isolate eosinophils. These cells will be incubated with diverse survival factors either seperately or in combination with vitamin D. The eosinophils' viability will be measured at diverse time points. This study will allow for a better understanding of the beneficial role attributed to vitamin D in allergic asthma. It could also clarify the reasons behind lung tissue damage in asthma. The intent is to reveal a mode of action which can be utilized in a therapy against allergic diseases.