Research Areas

  • Systems biology of asthma and allergic diseases

  • Epidemiologic studies of asthma and allergic diseases in well-characterized cohorts

  • Genome-wide association studies of asthma, allergic rhinitis, and atopic dermatitis

  • Transcriptomic and network-based investigations of relevant immune system compartments

  • Gene-by-environment studies

  • Integrated analysis of genomic and multi-scale data

  • Microbiome studies of asthma and food allergy

 

Some of our work and findings include:

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Using machine learning and nasal RNA sequence data from our well-characterized asthma cohorts, we identified and tested a nasal brush-based classifier of asthma. Click here to read the article.

 
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We constructed causal networks using peripheral blood transcriptomes of peanut allergic children undergoing randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled oral challenges to detect key drivers and putative therapeutic targets of peanut allergic reactions. Read more here.

 
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Our research group has characterized how the nasal microbiome varies with asthma activity. Read more here.

 
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Through integrated genome-wide association study and network analysis of hay fever in over 5000 North Americans, we identified genetic loci linked to mitochondrial pathways. Click here to read the article.

 
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We examined applications of system-wide profiling to asthma and allergy and provided perspective on building network models to integrate multiscale data, including data from individually captured personal health profiles. Read more here.

 
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Our examination of early-life gut microbiota in milk allergic children from a longitudinal, multicenter observational study showed that Clostridia and Firmicutes are associated with resolution of milk allergy. Click here for more information.

 
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We found that food-based vitamin D -- but not supplemental vitamin D-- in maternal diets during pregnancy was associated with lower rates of hay fever in children at school age. Read more here.

 
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Our examination of maternal dietary habits during pregnancy in over 1000 mother-child pairs supports that pregnant women should not avoid specific foods during pregnancy to reduce the risk of their children developing asthma and allergies. Click here for the full text. 

 
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Our study of a large epidemiologic cohort showed that peanut allergy is highly prevalent among US school-age children. Read More.

 
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Our gene-by-environment studies demonstrated that exposure to environmental allergens such as dust causes airway hyperreponsiveness only in asthmatics harboring distinct genetic polymorphisms. Read More. 

 
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We examined the relative roles of genes and environment in early childhood asthma through a twin study of early life asthma. PLOS: "A Twin Study of Early-Childhood Asthma in Puerto Ricans"

 
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We found sex-specific effects for genetic variants associated with innate immune system function in allergic individuals. Click here for the full text. 

 

We identified distinct effects for indoor and outdoor allergens on hay fever. Click here to read the article.