S8: The Evolving Immune Landscape

Preschool wheezing and childhood asthma are common conditions which are still poorly understood due to the heterogeneity of the underlying pathological mechanisms and the time course of the disease development together with the variable connection between the two. Current diagnostic labels which have evolved over time are imprecise as clinical presentations are often similar across different underlying mechanisms and diagnostic tests are not only lacking but can be difficult in young children leading to difficulties in targeting therapy. Modern data approaches encompass machine learning (computers learning from data), artificial intelligence (smart computer systems), data science (analysing large numbers of medical records) and big data (combining blood tests, genes, clinical history, and scans). Carefully designed epidemiological and birth cohort studies have collected "big data" on a large scale, with a wealth of longitudinal clinical data and detailed information from various modalities including imaging, biomarkers, respiratory function testing among others have sought to address this conundrum of preschool wheeze and childhood asthma.