EFRAIM is the follow-up of the FP5-EC-project PASTURE (Protection against Allergy: Study in Rural Environments; 2001 – 2005).
The EFRAIM project prospectively investigates the protective factors in early life influencing the development of allergies in birth cohorts conducted in allergy protective environments in five European countries. Detailed information on a great variety of environmental exposures is being collected and large biobanks have been established. The mechanisms mediating these protective exposures such as the maturation of immune responses, gut colonisation, the mucosal barrier function and the genetic and epigenetic factors interacting with the environmental exposures are investigated.
Currently, allergic diseases can be managed effectively but not cured. The knowledge about protective exposures early in life can, however, be turned into the development of preventive strategies. The EFRAIM project is expected to produce ground-breaking new insights on protective agents and their mechanisms that can be used to prevent the further development of allergies.
