From the gut to the lungs: How microbes affect allergic asthma

Chances are you know or have met someone affected by allergies or asthma. Asthma affects around 300 million people worldwide and caused around 400 thousand deaths in 2019. So what are we going to do about it? Let’s look at your gut microbes. Scientists have discovered distinct differences between the microbes that live in the gut of healthy and asthmatic people. These microbes can influence the way your body functions in surprising ways. Let’s look a little closer… To survive, these microbes make molecules from the food you eat, and we call these molecules, metabolites. These metabolites can travel from your gut into your blood and go throughout your body, where they can make it to your lungs. From here the metabolites can move out of your blood and into the cells that line the little air sacs where you breathe, and this is where my project is focused! I’m looking for specific metabolites that can act here to dampen allergic responses, which could lead to using these metabolites to improve the quality of life of those affected by allergic asthma!