Environment more important to respiratory health than genetics: U of T researcher
A University of Toronto researcher has found strong evidence that environmental exposures, including air pollution, affect gene expressions associated with respiratory diseases much more than genetic ancestry.
Senior author Philip Awadalla, a professor in the department of molecular genetics, analyzed more than 1.6 million data points from biological specimens, health questionnaires and environmental data sets. His study is one of the largest ever to examine the relationship between gene expression and environmental stimuli.