EU funds study on genetics/environment and asthma

German and English scientists will lead a Europe-wide study into the role of genetics and the environment in the development of asthma. Previous investigations have fallen short of proving cause-effect due to the complexity of human genetics and varying lifestyles. But the European Union-funded GABRIEL study has pooled the very best in the field from all over Europe and can draw on the latest genomic and environmental data and approaches.

Evidence that exposure to microbes in rural farming environments results in a lower incidence of asthma is going to be investigated by GABRIEL.

Imperial College London and Munich University are leading an 11.0 million-euros ($14.0 million) investigation into how genetics and the environment influence the development of asthma in Europe. The Sixth Framework Program-funded project GABRIEL involves over 150 scientists from 14 European countries, using the latest research across a variety of disciplines, including genetics, epidemiology and immunology, to identify key factors in the development of asthma.