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Research Interests
Allergic Rhinitis
 Allergic Rhinitis is an important health problem affecting up to 40% of the worldwide population. Its prevalence in the Canadian population is between 10 to 25%. Asthma and rhinitis are frequently associated with atopy with preferential sensitization to airborne allergens. 40% of allergic rhinitis patients have asthma and as high as 94% of allergic asthmatics have allergic rhinitis. The main symptoms of allergic rhinitis are nasal congestion, runny nose, sneezing and post-nasal drip. Allergic rhinitis has a cellular inflammation pattern characterized by eosinophil, mast cell and CD4+ T cell infiltration.
In our laboratories, we study the inflammatory process and the effect of various stimulations (allergenic or therapeutic) on nasal mucosa. We use tissues obtained from nasal polypectomy and turbinectomy. Those tissues are either freshly used in an explant model or used to isolate primary structural cells.
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