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Researchers identify six biomarkers to diagnose, treat several asthma phenotypes

Researchers have identified a 6-gene expression signature measured in induced sputum samples for use as a diagnostic tool for predicting asthma inflammatory phenotype and inhaled corticosteroid treatment responsiveness, according to recent study data.

This signature may assist in the clinical diagnosis and management of asthma, according to Katherine J. Baines, PhD, of the Priority Research Centre for Asthma and Respiratory Diseases, the Priority Research Centre of Information Based Medicine at Hunter Medical Research Institute at the University of Newcastle, and the department of respiratory and sleep medicine at John Hunter Hospital in New Lambton Heights, Australia, and colleagues.

They identified the six biomarkers and evaluated their reproducibility among 30 patients with asthma and 20 controls, in addition to the prediction of inhaled corticosteroid (ICS) response among 71 patients with asthma.

Katherine J. Baines

Twenty-three genes among 277 differentially expressed genes between asthma inflammatory phenotypes were identified by researchers and displayed significant differential expression in the discovery (n=47) and validation (n=59) populations, according to data.

Charcot-Leydon crystal protein (CLC); carboxypeptidase A3 (CPA3); deoxyribonuclease I-like 3 (DNASE1L3); IL-1-beta; alkaline phosphatase, tissue-nonspecific isozyme; and chemokine receptor 2 demonstrated reproducibility with the ability to single out eosinophilic asthma from other phenotypes (P<.0001).

Receiver operating characteristic curves were calculated for the 6-gene signature, and AUC values were reported for patients with noneosinophilic asthma (89.6%), paucigranulocytic asthma (92.6%), or neutrophilic asthma (91.4%) and healthy controls (97.6%), as well as distinguish patients with neutrophilic asthma from those with paucigranulocytic asthma (85.7%) and healthy controls (90.8%).

Researchers also said biomarkers predicted ICS response (>12% change in FEV₁; 91.5%); the ICS treatment appeared to reduce the expression of CLC, CPA3, and DNASE1L3 in those with eosinophilic asthma.

Disclosure: See the study for a full list of relevant financial disclosures.