The last few decades have seen a rapid and sharp increase in the prevalence of allergic diseases, including food allergies and allergic asthma, bringing with it an unacceptable level of morbidity, mortality, and economic burden. The increasing allergy incidence is acknowledged to be largely driven by environmental factors. Epidemiological studies support a link between exposure to environmental pollutants such as microplastics and phthalates additives and allergy severity, however, what underlies this relationship is unknown. Here we
will focus on the skin as a site of primary allergen sensitisation and study the role of common environmental pollutants, particularly microplastics and plastizisers, in causing barrier distress, dysregulated skin immunity and dysbiosis and how this may predispose to allergic sensitisation towards innocuous environmental allergens. We will use human skin biopsies as well as mouse models of topical pollutant exposure in combination with allergens and with subsequent intestinal or lung challenge to  explore whether topical exposure to environmental pollutants impacts on food allergy and/or asthma development. The results from this project will unravel the role of common environmental pollutants in skin barrier dysregulation and dysbiosis and in compounding induction of allergic sensitisation. This will further our understanding of the initiation and dissemination of allergic disease and may point to novel therapeutic strategies for prevention of the atopic march and reduction of systemic allergic disease.