Grant: Doctoral: Vanier Canada Graduate Scholarships

The immune system plays critical roles in protecting us against a wide range of diseases. However, the dysregulation of the immune system not only makes us more susceptible to infections, but it can also lead to the development of allergic diseases. My research aims to identify and understand the genetic changes which cause the immune system to become dysregulated and result in severe and rare allergic diseases in humans. By collaborating with clinicians across Western Canada, I will be recruiting individuals with severe and early onset allergic disorders into our study and sequencing their DNA to look for genetic changes (mutations) that could explain their allergic symptoms. By using cells directly isolated from these patients, I will assess the impact of these mutations on the functioning of their immune system. I will also look for and test existing treatments which can restore proper immune system functioning and alleviate their allergic symptoms. Lastly, I will determine if milder forms of these genetic changes are associated with less-severe, more common allergic diseases in the greater population. Understanding the genetic causes of these severe and rare allergic diseases will not only be life changing for the affected individuals and their families, but it also has the potential to help other similarly affected individuals worldwide. Additionally, with a better understanding of how these allergic diseases are caused, we can develop new treatments that can precisely target the affected parts of the immune system, resulting in significantly better outcomes for the patients.