World Asthma Day: Advancing research with an asthma “handprint”
07.05.13
One of the major hurdles in asthma research is the fact that there are many different types of severe asthma, related to different mechanisms of disease. This means that different asthma patients can react differently to treatments, both existing and innovative, and makes development of improved treatments difficult. To address this problem, U-BIOPRED researchers are working to create and validate testing methods that can be used to group asthma patients into distinct types. After sorting patients by their biomarker-determined “handprint” scientists can determine whether a patient’s handprint can help predict how the disease will progress. Subgroups of patients can further be examined to see if they react similarly to existing and experimental treatments.
The U-BIOPRED Consortium has brought together major players in the field of asthma research with the support of the Innovative Medicines Initiative, the € 2 billion public-private partnership between EFPIA and the European Commission. Like IMI’s other projects, U-BIOPRED is focused on innovative medicines research. By improving understanding in the differences of drug-response among asthma patients, the research done by the U-BIOPRED Consortium paves the way for new, more targeted treatments for asthma.
Asthma affects an estimated 300 million people worldwide, and is related to some 250,000 deaths per year.[1] It is characterised by recurring difficulties breathing; symptoms include wheezing, tightness of the chest, coughing, and breathlessness. Improving treatment options can help patients suffering from asthma live safer, more comfortable lives. An asthma “handprint” that helps classify types of patients is a step in the right direction.
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[1] World Health Organization. Global surveillance, prevention and control of chronic respiratory diseases: a comprehensive approach, 2007.
