Asthma phenotyping, therapy, and prevention: what can we learn from systems biology?
- Pediatric Research
- (2013)
- doi:10.1038/pr.2013.8
- Received
- Accepted
- Accepted article preview online
Abstract
Asthma has a high prevalence worldwide, and causes a significant socio-economic burden. A classical paradigm attributes asthma symptoms to an allergic, Th2-driven airway inflammation causing airway hyperresponsiveness and resulting in reversible airway obstruction. Diagnosis and therapy are mainly based on these pathophysiological concepts, which are increasingly challenged by recent studies, and a frequent failure in controlling asthma symptoms. Important recent findings are e.g., the protective “farm effect” on asthma development in children, the possible prenatal mechanisms of this protection, the recognition of many different asthma phenotypes in children and adults, and the partly disappointing clinical effects of new targeted therapeutic approaches.
A more comprehensive view on asthma pathophysiology and a higher success rate of new therapies might arise from systems biology approaches. Systems Biology integrates clinical and experimental data by means of bioinformatics and mathematical modeling. In general, an “-omics” approach, and a “mathematical modeling” approach can be defined. Recently, several consortia aim to bring together clinical and molecular data from big asthma cohorts with novel experimental setups, biostatistics, bioinformatics, and mathematical modeling. This “systems medicine” concept of asthma will help to address the different asthma phenotypes with adequate therapy and possibly preventive strategies.
Author information
Affiliations
Systems Biology Platform & Molecular Pulmonology/iLung, German Center for Lung Research, Universities of Giessen and Marburg Lung Centre, Philipps-University Marburg, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- Alexandra Sittka,
- Xin Lai &
- Bernd Schmeck
Department of Systems Biology and Bioinformatics, University of Rostock, 18051 Rostock, Germany
- Julio Vera &
- Xin Lai
Department for Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, UKGM University Medical Center, 35043 Marburg, Germany
- Bernd Schmeck
No comments:
Post a Comment