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Neutrophil chemotaxis may be biomarker for asthma

Researchers have developed a handheld microfluidic chip that can identify functional measures of asthma from one drop of whole blood, according to data.

The handheld diagnostic device discriminates asthma from allergic rhinitis by sorting through neutrophils from whole blood within 5 minutes. This generates a gradient of chemoattractant in the microchannels by placing a lid with chemoattractant onto the base of the device, according to researchers.

Eric Karl-Heinz Sackmann, PhD, of the University of Wisconsin’s Institute for Medical Research, and colleagues analyzed 34 asthmatic (n=23) and nonasthmatic, allergic rhinitis (n=11) patients aged 18 to 55 years. They discovered that neutrophil chemotaxis can be used to sort through asthma from nonasthmatic, allergic rhinitis patients.

The neutrophils from asthmatic patients migrated more slowly toward the chemoattractant compared with nonasthmatic patients (P=.002), according to researchers.

“The technology is handheld and easily transportable; can purify neutrophils from whole blood obtained from a lancet puncture within 5 minutes; and reports whether a patient is asthmatic or nonasthmatic with sensitivity of 96% and specificity of 73%,” the researchers wrote.

These data suggest that neutrophil chemotaxis may be a potential biomarker for asthma. Further studies are needed to confirm these findings, according to researchers.

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