Skip to main page content
Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2016 Jul;55(1):1-4.
doi: 10.1165/rcmb.2016-0141PS.

Emergence of Biomolecular Pathways to Define Novel Asthma Phenotypes. Type-2 Immunity and Beyond

Sally E Wenzel1
Affiliations
Free PMC article

Emergence of Biomolecular Pathways to Define Novel Asthma Phenotypes. Type-2 Immunity and Beyond

Sally E Wenzel. Am J Respir Cell Mol Biol. 2016 Jul.
Free PMC article

Abstract

Asthma is increasingly recognized as a heterogeneous entity, encompassing a variety of different subgroups, or phenotypes, which share clinical and inflammatory characteristics. However, it is only recently that molecular pathways have been both identified and successfully targeted in association with these clinical-inflammatory phenotypes. This integration of clinical-inflammatory and molecular pathways has enabled the broad differentiation of "asthma" into those with and without type-2 inflammation, on the basis of elevations in pathways downstream of type-2 cytokines, such as periostin, exhaled nitric oxide, and blood eosinophils. Although these rather general downstream biomarkers can identify patients more likely to respond to novel type 2-targeted therapies, they may have limited ability to determine which patients respond best to which type 2-targeted therapy, or even who will respond less than optimally, despite elevation in the biomarkers. In addition, new biomarkers and targets are required for the 50% of patients with asthma without elevations in these type-2 biomarkers. The path forward will require integrated 'omics approaches, development of more complex mouse models of asthma, as well as identification and validation of novel biomolecular pathways.

Keywords:asthma; eosinophils; phenotypes; type-2.

Comment in

Similar articles

看到所有类似的文章

Cited by27articles

See all "Cited by" articles

Publication types

MeSH terms