Grant: Doctoral Award - Frederick Banting and Charles Best Canada Graduate Scholarships

Environmental factors, such as air pollution and environmental tobacco smoke, are increasingly linked to the onset and exacerbation of respiratory diseases. In particular, a growing number of studies have identified traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) as contributing to the onset of childhood allergic rhinitis, although the results are not always consistent. In fact, the question still remains as to why TRAP increases the risk of allergic disease development and exacerbates symptoms only in certain susceptible subgroups. One prominent hypothesis is that TRAP may interact with certain genes involved in the defense mechanism of the body to toxins (principally, pathways for metabolism of oxidative species), thereby decreasing or increasing the risk of developing allergic rhinitis. However, it remains unclear which genes are most influential and how these genes interact with the environment to modify their effect. This project aims to improve our understanding of whether TRAP affects the onset of childhood allergic rhinitis and how the genetic makeup of an individual can influence this association. We will utilize a unique international collaboration in which we will assimilate information on air pollution, genetics, lifestyle, and disease previously collected by studies in Canada, England, The Netherlands, Germany and Sweden. These data will be strategically combined and used to determine whether children who live in urban areas with high traffic density are more likely to develop allergic rhinitis than those who do not. Finally, we will investigate whether individuals with specific genetic compositions are more susceptible to the effects of TRAP. The results of this study will yield insight as to how early-life environmental factors can affect the development of respiratory diseases during childhood, especially among genetically susceptible individuals.