Researchers at the University of Pittsburgh have developed a nasal swab test that can diagnose specific asthma subtypes, known as endotypes, in children. The non-invasive approach could lead to more precise medication prescriptions and pave the way for better treatments for lesser-studied asthma types.
Asthma is a common chronic disease in childhood that disproportionately affects Black and Puerto Rican children, who are more likely to die from the disease than their non-Hispanic white counterparts. Current methods of diagnosis often involve genetic analysis of lung tissue samples taken during bronchoscopy, but this invasive procedure is not feasible or ethical for younger patients.
The new nasal swab test analyzes the expression of eight T2 and T17 signature genes in nasal samples. It has been shown to accurately diagnose endotype across three independent studies involving 459 youth from Puerto Rico and African American communities. The results reveal that 23-47% of participants had either T2-high, T17-high, or low-low endotype.
The test’s development is significant because it can help clinicians target specific immune cells driving disease with biologics, which are effective for treating severe T2-high asthma but lack targeted treatments for T17-high and low-low endotypes. This new approach also holds promise for answering questions about why some children experience worsening symptoms during puberty or improving treatment outcomes.
The study’s lead author, Juan Celedón, stated that the test can “start to move the needle on developing biologics” for these lesser-studied asthma types and pave the way for more personalized treatments. The research has the potential to improve asthma outcomes, particularly in minority communities, by providing tools to test which biological pathways have a major role in the disease.
This breakthrough could lead to better understanding of asthma’s variability and how it changes over time or with treatment. As Dr. Celedón noted, “We don’t know” if endotype changes or is influenced by treatments, but the nasal swab test can help uncover these answers.
Source: https://www.news-medical.net/news/20250102/New-nasal-swab-test-for-diagnosing-asthma-subtypes-in-children.aspx