Prenatal Environment and the Link to Postnatal Immune-Related Disease
Rodney Dietert

The session will introduce the role of prenatal environmental factors as potential risk factors in the link to various postnatal inflammatory diseases. Emphasis will be placed on allergy and autoimmunity as inflammatory diseases of increasing societal concern. The environmental factors considered will include both dietary factors and environmental toxins. In this exploration, students will be introduced to the developing immune system, dietary components and environmental pollutants of prenatal concern, and immunological biomarkers used to evaluate immune status and gauge potential health risks.