January 28, 2009

the hygiene hypothesis – fact or fiction?

Speakers:
Prof Danny Altman, Professor of Immunology, Imperial College London
Prof Jan Bradley, Professor of Parasitology, University of Nottingham
Prof Graham Rook, Professor of Medical Microbiology, University College London
Prof Anne Cook, Professor of Immunobiology, University of Cambridge

Four of the world’s leading experts were invited to the SMC to discuss whether increases in the incidence of allergies and autoimmune diseases in recent times are attributable to changes in modern hygiene practices, and whether the fact that we now live more hygienically has somehow dysregulated our immunity. Issues under discussion included how the immune system has evolved, how it has changed in recent years, and the interplay between infections and autoimmune diseases such as Type 1 diabetes.