My work at the Clemente lab focused on analysing flourescense activated cell sorting (FACS) data from the ACTIVATE project. The goal of ACTIVATE was to transfer microbes to cesarean-section born infants to combat the development of food allergies: peanuts, eggs, milk.
Although genetics play a role in allergy development, environmental factors, like microbial exposures, are crucial for proper immune regulation in infancy. The microbiome plays a key role in immune system maturation, with evidence supporting that early disruptions in microbial composition may raise allergy risk. These disruptions can result from numerous factors, such as delivery mode, feeding method, and the external environment. Specifically, Cesarean-section births are known to significantly alter microbial diversity and composition, as infants are not exposed to their mother’s vaginal microbiome at birth. This study aims to restore the microbial composition of C-section-born infants at risk for allergies and potentially reduce the development and severity of allergies. Immediately after birth, C-section-born infants were swabbed with either gauze soaked in vaginal fluid (simulating vaginal microbial exposure) or saline (control). Then, we performed FACS cell sorting, DNA sequencing, and IgE testing to gain comprehensive data. Methodology is still ongoing, meaning that the results presented in this writing are preliminary. So far, we have seen that maternal cell counts are higher than infant counts but positively correlated, suggesting successful cell transfer from mother to infant. Since the experiment is ongoing, we must continue current methodologies such as completing DNA sequencing, testing Immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, and full data analysis. Once the data has been collected and analyzed, any results will advance knowledge surrounding the impacts of C-section birth, as well as the potential of VMT to combat the development of food allergies in CS-born children.
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