One in four European children under the age of 10 suffers from an allergy. Why is this a growing problem? Are the causes environmental or hereditary? Why is it that, despite relatively homogenous lifestyles in apparently comparable countries, the percentages of allergy sufferers show such marked contrasts? All in all, the scientists have certainly not finished grappling with the allergy headache. As part of their efforts, 25 leading research teams have come together within the GA2LEN European network of excellence.

Read RTDinfo, Magazine on European Research No.41

Some researchers believe that urban life, by reducing exposure to pollen, insects and other natural immunogens during childhood, makes the immune system lazy to the point where it fails to recognise these antigens. This hygiene hypothesis implies that the increase in allergies is the unexpected consequence of more sanitary living conditions. This possibility is being tested by GA2LEN, in particular by researchers at the Ludwig Maximilians Universität in Munich (DE).