Researchers investigate link between fungal proteins, innate immunity and asthma

Researchers at Mayo Clinic and the Virginia Bioinformatics Institute (VBI) have received a second grant from the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) to advance understanding of the role of environmental fungi in chronic airway disorders. Recently NIAID awarded the researchers a further $1.8 million for these studies over a five-year period to investigate how the environmental fungus Alternaria triggers airway inflammation and bronchial asthma.