LMU pediatrician and epidemiologist Erika von Mutius and her research group are looking for ways to protect children and adults from asthma and allergies. Their work on the so-called farm effect has aroused the interest of her peers and of the general public. In several large-scale European studies she and her colleagues have identified a number of factors that appear to play a role in protecting farm children from asthma and allergic diseases. In laboratory experiments they have shown that treatment of pregnant mice with a specially formulated nasal spray prevents the development of asthma in their offspring.