Asthma Biomarkers for Predicting Response to Therapy
Asthma Biomarkers for Predicting Response to Therapy
Novel asthma biomarkers to predict the response to inhaled corticosteroid Brief description:
 This will be a single center study of asthmatic subjects and healthy controls which will
 investigate mechanisms underlying different response to inhaled corticosteroid, the mainstay
 of asthma therapy. Only about half of the asthmatic patients have improved lung function
 after treatment of inhaled corticosteroid. The investigators hypothesize that there are
 biomarkers such as epithelial cytokines (IL-25, IL-33, TSLP) in airway tissues or plasma of
 asthmatic patients which could predict the response of asthmatic patients to inhaled
 corticosteroid. Finding novel asthma biomarker will help the clinicians to choose the optimal
 treatment for individual asthmatic patient.
Group A:

 Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 70 years

 -  No respiratory symptoms

 -  Normal spirometric value and methacholine PD20 >2.5mg

 Group B:

 Inclusion Criteria:

 -  Male and female subjects between the ages of 18 and 70 years

 -  History of asthma

 -  No use of oral or inhaled corticosteroids for the treatment of asthma

 -  No use of leukotriene antagonist for the treatment of asthma

 -  Hyperreactivity to methacholine (PD20 FEV1 Methacholine < 2.5 mg) and/or ≥12% increase
 in FEV1 following inhalation of 200μg salbutamol

 -  Asthma symptoms of episodic cough, wheeze and/or breathlessness

 Exclusion Criteria:

 -  Current or former smokers

 -  Pregnant women

 -  Subjects with a history of lung disease other than asthma

 -  Subjects with a history of a medical disease, which in the opinion of the investigator
 may put the subject at extra risk from study-related procedures or because the disease
 may influence the results of the study