New funding Secured to investigate the gut–lung axis in equine asthma
The Horse Microbiome Research Group at the University of Surrey, School of Veterinary Medicine is delighted to announce that we have been awarded a small project grant from the Horserace Betting Levy Board to support an exciting new project investigating the mechanisms underlying equine asthma.
Equine asthma is a common and important condition, affecting respiratory health, welfare and athletic performance in horses. The funded project will examine how microbial metabolites produced in the gut may influence inflammation in the equine asthma. The work focuses particularly on short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), which are increasingly recognised as important mediators of immune responses within the gut–lung axis.
Using an immortalised equine lung cell line, the study will investigate how SCFAs such as butyrate influence lung inflammatory pathways following stimulation with bacterial and viral inflammatory activators. The research has the potential to open up new directions for managing equine asthma. In the longer term, the findings could help inform the development of microbiome-based strategies, including dietary or metabolite-focused interventions, aimed at improving respiratory health and reducing the burden of equine asthma.
We are very grateful to the Horserace Betting Levy Board for supporting this work and enabling us to advance research into equine respiratory disease. We look forward to sharing updates as the project progresses.