Environmental Health, Asthma and Allergy Prevention

Asthma is an inflammatory disease of the airways of the lungs. It is not one disease but a syndrome consisting of many so far not well-characterized and delineated genetic and environmental determinants. The focus of our work at the Institute of Asthma and Allergy Prevention (IAP) is to develop novel asthma and allergy prevention strategies and characterize in-depth asthma phenotypes.

Représentation d'une bronche saine (à gauche) et d'une bronche en pleine crise d'asthme (à droite).

Un bambino con cappellino si occupa delle vacche giocando con loro e portandogli il fieno nelle mangiatoie

Group Leader: Markus Ege

Children growing up on traditional farms experience a lower risk of asthma, respiratory infections, and allergies. But what is behind these associations? Foremost, children raised on farms are exposed to a higher extent and diversity of microorganisms. And that might be the key for understanding the complex interactions between microbes and the human immune system. Scientists at IAP seek to elucidate these interactions and exploit their potential for asthma and allergy prevention.

child using inhaler for asthma outside in a park with his father

Group Leader: Bettina Rankl

Our studies on the farm effect show how relevant microbiome-derived functional agents are to protect children from asthma. But how can we translate these findings to children and their families? With ongoing both experimental and human population-based studies and projects we aim to develop innovative and effective prevention as well as therapeutic strategies to stop asthma and allergies.

Group Leader: Sabina Illi

What are the different forms of asthma and how can we identify biomarkers (signal transducers) that will make it possible to identify these subtypes as early as possible? To answer this question is the aim of the ALL AGE ASTHMA COHORT (ALLIANCE) of the German Center for Lung Research (DZL). The large-scale study has been running since 2011 with now more than 1200 patients throughout Germany.

Illustration of human population carrying DNA under magnifying glass - population genetics and genetic studies

Project Leader: PD Sonali Pechlivanis

The Interdisciplinary Genetics Group is where curiosity meets collaboration. Researchers from diverse fields come together to study genetics from multiple perspectives. By integrating biological, computational, and technological approaches, our group aims to deepen the understanding of how genomic, transcriptomic, and epigenomic markers influence health and disease. We focus on combining multi omics data to uncover meaningful associations between these molecular markers and disease processes.

Prof. Dr. med. Dr. h.c. Erika von Mutius

Director and Department Head, IAP, EHC

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Dr. rer. med. Sabina Illi

Statistician, Deputy Director, Group Leader, IAP

Prof. Dr. Markus Ege

MA MPH, Group Leader, IAP

Bettina Rankl

Coordinator Drug Development, Group Leader, IAP

Dr. rer. biol. hum. Martin Depner

Biostatistician, IAP

Professor Jonathan Grigg

Professor of Paediatric Respiratory and Environmental Medicine, Queen Mary University of London, MD, FRCPCH, FFPH, IAP

Svenja Hüschen

Research Associate, IAP

Birgit Langer

Data Manager, IAP

Dr. med. Nicole Maison

Physician Scientist, IAP

Dr. Jimmy Omony

Biostatistician, IAP

Dr. Giulia Pagani

Bioinformatician, IAP

PD Dr. sc. hum. Sonali Pechlivanis

Epidemiologist, IAP

Elisabeth Schmaußer-Hechfellner

Data Manager, IAP

Beatrix Steer

Technical Assistant, IAP

Charlotte Steinhäußer

Project Assistant, IAP

double portrait of Erika von Mutius and Önder Yildirim

For decades, scientists have puzzled over a striking observation: children who grow up on traditional farms are far less likely to develop allergies or asthma than their urban peers. What is it about farm life that protects young lungs?

T cells_KI-generated_AdobeStock_1255361223_Mongkol

Scientists at Helmholtz Munich have achieved a breakthrough that could reshape the future of asthma treatment. For the first time, a team has shown that a natural environmental extract—derived from traditional farm dust—can not only protect against…

Dr Markus Ege, scientist at IAP, has been elected member of the Editorial Board of the Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology (JACI) for a 5-year term.

Bayerische Akademie der Wissenschaften BAdW_Fahnen_2019_BAdW_Fahnen_2019_(c)S.Obermeier

At its most recent plenary session, the Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities (BAdW) elected 14 distinguished scholars as new members. Among them are two Helmholtz Munich researchers: Prof. Erika von Mutius and Prof. Ulrike Protzer.

Scientists have reached a milestone in the research of childhood asthma. For the first time, they have clarified how a certain genetic defect in children initially leads to frequent infections and later to asthma. The study, published in the American…

Center Template, Icon, Featured Publication, Environmental Health

Helmholtz Munich researchers have discovered, that air pollutants activate previously dormant herpes viruses leading to a immune response. These new findings are now published in ASC Nano.

Johannes Wenner Research Prize for Dr. Nicole Maison (IAP, Helmholtz Munich)

Bayerns Ministerpraesident Dr. Markus Soeder: Bayerischer Maximiliansorden für Wissenschaft und Kunst
aufgenommen am 26.07.2023 in Muenchen.
Foto: Joerg Koch/ Bayerische Staatskanzlei

Prof. von Mutius is one of nine exceptional individuals who have been awarded the "Bavarian Nobel Prize" this year for their outstanding work in the fields of science and art.

For pioneering research into the development of allergic diseases, Giulia Pagani has received a grant of 61,400 euros from the German Research Foundation (DFG).

Erika von Mutius, Director of the Environmental Health Center, and her team receive an Advanced ERC Grant for their research on prevention strategies to curb asthma and allergies in children. ERC Advanced Grants are endowed with up to 2.5 million…

Vier Kinder springen von vier Heuballen in die Höhe

Many children suffer from asthma or allergies. Early and effective prevention of these diseases is the declared goal of science. Which research strategies do scientists pursue and what part does cow barn play in this story?

Intestinal bacteria, Gut microbiome helps control intestinal digestion and the immune system, Probiotics are beneficial bacteria used to help the growth of healthy gut flora

Asthma impacts millions of children already at a young age. Children growing up on a farm have a lower risk of developing asthma than children not living on a farm. The mechanisms behind this protective farm effect on childhood asthma are largely…