CIHR funds research into disease-environment link

The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) is investing $16 million over five years into etiological research on environment-microbiome-gene-interaction for chronic conditions such as asthma, diabetes and inflammatory bowel disease. The new funding will support eight research teams that will examine interactions between genes and the environment to guide new approaches for treatment, prevention and management of the diseases. The funding flows through CIHR's Signature Initiative on Environments and Health which was established to combat the increase in diseases attributable to environmental factors. The World Health Organization estimates that environmental factors are responsible for 24% of the global disease burden and 23% of all deaths. Partners include Genome BC and Crohn's and Colitis Canada....