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Published 12 January 2009
Event 24 February 2009

Interpreting natural experiments

Why has eczema tripled in the last 30 years? Why do cats and dogs have very different effects on babies with allergies? How can the risk of childhood asthma be reduced?

Professor Mukhopadhyay is chair of Paediatrics for Brighton and Sussex Medical Sschool and the Royal Alexandra Children's Hospital. He researches the causes of asthma and allergy in children and adolescents, and the implications for treatment.

He and his colleagues have discovered a gene change that increases the risk of eczema and asthma. Present in about 10 per cent of the population, the gene makes a newborn baby three times as likely to develop eczema by the age of one. In this lecture, Professor Mukhopadhyay looks at how genes interact with the environment to influence eczema and asthma susceptibility. He hopes that future large-scale studies could reduce reliance on steroids and help develop focused, efficient and individualised interventions.

For the Study of the Allergy and Asthma Epidemic: interpreting natural experiments
Tuesday 24 February 2009 at 6.30pm
Chowen Lecture Theatre,
Brighton and Sussex Medical School
University of Sussex
Falmer BN1 9PX

Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.

All welcome - if you would like to attend please email events@brighton.ac.uk.