A groundbreaking new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) introduces a revolutionary nasal swab test designed to diagnose specific subtypes of asthma in children. Developed by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh, this non-invasive diagnostic tool promises to revolutionize how clinicians prescribe treatments for various forms of childhood asthma.
The study analyzed data from three independent U.S.-based research projects focusing on Puerto Rican and African American children, populations known to face disproportionately high rates of asthma and related mortality compared to their non-Hispanic white peers. This innovative approach aims to bridge the gap in asthma care by providing precise and tailored treatments.
Dr. Juan Celedón, M.D., Dr.P.H., a professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh and chief of pulmonary medicine at UPMC Children’s hospital of Pittsburgh, emphasized the significance of this development. “Asthma is the most common chronic disease of childhood, and it disproportionately affects Black and Puerto Rican children,” he stated. “Developing new therapies to better treat these young patients is absolutely essential.”
Dr. Celedón further explained, “asthma is a highly variable disease with different endotypes, each driven by distinct immune cells and responding uniquely to treatments. The first step toward better therapies is an accurate diagnosis of the endotype.”
The research team collected nasal samples from 459 children across the three studies, analyzing the expression of eight T2 and T17 signature genes. The results revealed that 23% to 29% of participants had a T2-high endotype, 35% to 47% had a T17-high endotype, and 30% to 38% exhibited a low-low endotype. These findings highlight the test’s potential to identify specific asthma subtypes with remarkable accuracy.
“We already have effective treatments for T2-high asthma,largely due to advanced markers that have fueled research in this area,” Dr. Celedón noted. “Now, with this simple nasal swab test, we can detect other endotypes and begin developing biologics for T17-high and low-low asthma.”
this rapid diagnostic tool is not only a game-changer for asthma treatment but also a catalyst for further research. By enabling clinicians to pinpoint specific endotypes, it paves the way for targeted therapies and a deeper understanding of asthma’s underlying mechanisms.
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