Doctoral student studies the skin’s role in the development of allergic diseases in children
Bowen Tan at Karolinska Institutet is investigating how deficiencies in the skin’s barrier function can contribute to eczema, asthma and food allergies in children. The research has recently been awarded the Kerstin Hejdenberg Scholarship from the Asthma and Allergy Association’s Research Fund.
The skin acts as a barrier against the outside world. An important component of this barrier is the protein filaggrin, which strengthens the skin and helps it retain moisture. When the barrier does not function properly, the risk of eczema, also known as atopic dermatitis, increases.
Mutations in the gene that codes for filaggrin are a common cause of a weakened skin barrier and are considered a major risk factor for eczema. Eczema, in turn, is linked to a higher risk of asthma and food allergies later in life. Other genes may also affect the barrier function in similar ways.
Bowen Tan, a doctoral student at the Department of Women's and Children's Health, studies how different mutations affect the skin barrier and contribute to allergic diseases. The hope is that this knowledge can eventually be used for preventive purposes.
The work is being carried out within the Norwegian-Swedish PreventADALL study, in which children have been followed from birth up to the age of seven.
Bower's research project:
Skin barrier dysfunction in early life, genetic effects and the impact on allergic diseases