Predicting asthma with a drop of blood?

Asthma is one of the most common chronic diseases in the Netherlands. Gerard Koppelman studies the genetic causes of asthma amongst young children. He is a Pediatric Pulmonologist and Head of the department Pediatric Pulmonology and Pediatric Allergology at the UMCG. Koppelman hopes to find ways to treat and prevent asthma.

Environment and genes

Why do some children get sick and others don't? To find out, Gerard Koppelman and his team aim to map the dynamics between environmental stimuli and genetic characteristics. There may be many genes involved in the cause of asthma and the surrounding area has much influence. But children can outgrow the disease, they have something in them that makes them recover. What this is exactly, it is not yet clear.

Koppelman's mission is to prevent asthma by treating it earlier and better. The solution, as is expected, is located in genetic research. If the genes that cause the disease can be detected and there is clarity on the interaction between genes and environmental factors, then preventive measures can be taken.

Koppelman eventually hopes to develop a model that can predict, with just a drop of blood, which child develops asthma and what child doesn't.

Donate

With the support of the Alumni Chapter Amsterdam more research can be done. Would you like to contribute to the research of Koppelman? Please contact the Ubbo Emmius Fund.

• Alumni Chapter Amsterdam
• Ubbo Emmius Fund

More information

• When does a child get asthma? - short video