Abstract
Respiratory diseases linked to urbanization, such as allergies and asthma, are on the rise among children. The biodiversity hypothesis suggests that contact with biodiverse green environments and their associated microbiomes may help protect children against these conditions by training their immune system. This project will investigate how exposure to green school environments and their microbiomes is linked to respiratory microbiome composition and lung function in school children. Other specific goals are to assess microbial transfer from the environment to children's airways and to determine how specific microbial taxa influence immune pathways relevant to allergy and asthma. Our unique methodology will leverage an extensive microbiome sample collection and metadata from previous projects and combine it with human observational and interventional studies based on innovative microbiome sequencing, immune profiling, and environmental monitoring techniques. Furthermore, the ability of microbial isolates to shift immune responses away from pro-allergic pathways will be tested in a sophisticated differentiated cell model. As a result, this study will contribute to the biodiversity hypothesis and inform urban planning and public health policies by providing affirmative evidence for nature-integrated school environments. Additionally, our findings will support microbiome-based strategies to promote respiratory health.
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