Analyzing an Individual's Gene Profile to Prevent Acute Asthma Attacks
New findings by Gurjit Khurana Hershey, MD, PhD, have revealed insights into the genetic components of asthma and allergies and how treatments affect or could affect disease outcomes. Children who suffer from acute asthma attacks share a genetic profile that appears to be unique to these children, according to a Journal of Allergy and Clinical Immunology study by Dr. Hershey. The discovery opens the door to the possibility of designing treatments specifically tailored to children who suffer from the most severe forms of asthma.
"Children who had an acute asthma attack had a gene expression profile that was clearly different from those with stable asthma. The amazing thing was that the gene expression profiles were consistent across patients despite the likely differences with respect to the cause of asthma," says Dr. Hershey, associate professor of pediatrics in the Cincinnati Children's Division of Allergy and Immunology.
To date, researchers have identified individual genes involved in asthma, but this is the first time that clusters of known genes have been identified as being activated in acute forms of childhood asthma.
Dr. Hershey's findings suggest that it may be possible to develop treatments based on the unique genetic profile of patients. For example, specific therapies for acute asthma could be targeted to genes that are seen in acute, but not stable asthma. Also, in addition to differentiating between an acute and stable asthma attack, the genetic profile may be useful in identifying an imminent asthma attack.
"Now that we know what genes are turned on during an asthma attack, we will conduct studies to see if this genetic profile can be used to personalize care. The current methods of treatment primarily consist of anti-inflammatory drugs, which may not be optimal for acute attacks," says Dr. Hershey, who is also director of the Center for Translational Research in Asthma and Allergy at Cincinnati Children's.
Dr. Hershey aims to identify gene profiles that are expressed during asthma that are exacerbated by different factors, such as exercise, viral infection or allergic triggers. In doing so, physicians will be in a better position to assess and treat a patient's asthma with greater precision.
"As we learn more about disease and how patients respond to treatment, we will eventually be able to develop personalized therapy for patients with different gene expression profiles," she says. "The way we practice medicine in the future will change. Using new technology, we can personalize care and choose the optimal medical regimens for each individual."
