Asthma is now the most common chronic disease of childhood, affecting 1 in 7 Canadian children. It is also expensive with a total cost to treat estimated at over $2B per year in Canada. This research project focusses on studying the composition of microorganisms living in our intestines (gut microbiome). Using new genomic technologies to analyse stool samples from babies, the team may be able to predict which ones will go on to have asthma, and even better, this research will guide the ethical development of safe ways to replace these microbes to prevent asthma developing in the first place.