The UW-Madison School of Medicine and Public Health received a $70 million grant, the largest to date, to benefit research of asthma and its effects on inner city children, according to a university release.
The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases awarded the UW SMPH the seven-year grant for its continuing work on the Inner-City Asthma Consortium, which focuses on asthma’s reduction and prevention, as well as immune-based treatments.
While environmental factors can initiate the development of asthma for all children, those living in urban areas are at a higher risk, William Busse, principal ICAC investigator and UW professor of medicine, said in the release.
"Our ongoing efforts to more effectively treat those affected by the urban asthma epidemic are critical to the well-being and future quality of life for millions of children who suffer with this disease,” Busse said in the release.
Asthma, which has been increasing by 2.9 percent annually since 2001, affects approximately 25 million people, about a third of whom are children, according to the release. Since 2002, ICAC has identified several risk factors and worked on creating effective clinical methodology to manage the disease.
