AIRWAY EPITHELIAL CELL INFLAMMATORY PHENOTYPE IN CHILDRENCLINICAL TRAINING FELLOWSHIP - CATHERINE MCDOUGALL

Airway epithelial cell inflammatory phenotype in children - variation with age, wheezing illness and drug treatment

It is now widely recognised that the cells lining the airways - the airway epithelium - make a major contribution to the inflammation that leads to much of the pathology associated with asthma. However, little is known about how the airway epithelium contributes to the inflammatory changes in the airways of children with asthma. I propose to culture airway epithelial cells from nasal brushings taken from children with asthma or from children who are wheezy because of viral infections and also from healthy children. We will then analyse the secretion of inflammatory mediators by the cultured airway epithelial cells together with the expression of the genes controlling their production. Epithelial cells from the asthmatic and viral groups will be sampled during active disease/infection and when the children are symptom free. I will also examine the impact of asthma medications on the ability of cultured epithelial cells to produce inflammatory substances. It is hoped that the results from my studies will increase our knowledge of how the airway epithelium contributes to inflammatory changes in wheezy children as a consequence of asthma or viral infection. This may in turn aid the development of more targeted and effective therapy for these conditions.