Stunting in East London/Immunity to intestinal fungi

Screening for stunting in East London

Professor Andrew Prendergast, Professor Leo Dunkel and Dr Helen StorrAwarded £499,186

Poor growth in childhood can be due to underlying medical causes or socioeconomic disadvantage. In the UK, children are measured at ages 4 and 10 years through the National Child Measurement Programme (NCMP). However, pre-school children do not have heights measured systematically, measurements are often not recorded if they are done, and there is no referral system for growth failure.

This project is a pilot study that aims to develop a screening tool that would enable early referral and treatment of underlying medical disorders. A multidisciplinary team of academics from across three institutes at SMD has been assembled, including expertise in child health and growth, endocrinology, primary care, school engagement and screening. This project will allow the targeting of pre-school interventions for children whose poor height growth predicts reduced future educational attainment.

Human tissue-resident immunity to intestinal fungi

Dr Neil McCarthy and Professor James LindsayAwarded £131,389

This project adds research capacity to the applicant’s team and helps establish a new laboratory in the field of anti-fungal immunology at SMD. It will support the development of the new lab and maximise the potential of the Principal Investigator's MRC Career Development Award.

Changes in the balance of gut bacteria have been linked with recent rises in many chronic diseases, but we know very little about how human health is influenced by the fungus that also lives in our intestines. Children with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) have increased amounts of intestinal fungus, and patients with inherited problems in anti-fungal immunity suffer from severe gut inflammation. Dr McCarthy recently discovered that human gut tissue can be protected against fungus by a cell type called 'Vδ2' which is common in people but missing in mice. Vδ2 cells are activated by an immune system protein called BTN which detects a bacterial chemical called HMBPP. The proposal will investigate this newly discovered mechanism of anti-fungal immunity in IBD and aims to test whether intestinal Vδ2 cells can prevent fungus growth in the gut in order to protect us against IBD.

Mould assay

Dr Neil McCarthy