Asthma, Allergy, and Immunology
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Translational-Clinical Research
Asthma/Allergy |
 Mission Statement:The Asthma/Allergy Translational-Clinical research group has two main objectives central to our mission of impacting the care of patients with asthma and atopy:
Background: Current trends in translational research in asthma and allergy have sought to provide insight into the mechanisms of exacerbation through non-invasive means (e.g. sputum induction/nasal secretion analysis for cytokine and cells and measurement of exhaled NO). Additionally, there is a significant emerging effort in the study of the role and function of factors that a) regulate/dampen the immune response in infancy and adulthood and b) control resolution of exacerbated asthma/allergic rhinitis (e.g. circulating T-regulatory cells and airway dendritic cells). Current trends in clinical asthma/allergy research continue with focusing on medications that are not only effective but have optimal patient compliance (e.g. determining the benefit of regular vs. as-needed inhaled steroids for mild asthma and the development of more ‘patient-friendly’, patient actuated inhaler devices). Translational and clinical research projects run by investigators in the Boston University Pulmonary Asthma/Allergy Translational-Clinical research group:
Expertise and Novel Approaches Applied by Group Members: Our translational research is focused on understanding the interaction between the allergic diathesis and pulmonary disease manifestation. Two specific examples are i) a multi-center longitudinal birth cohort study of the interaction between heredity,  Principal Investigators: Research Fellows: Study Coordinators: Laboratory and Research Staff: Selected Publications: Himes BE, Hunninghake GM, Baurley JW, Rafaels NM, Sleiman P, Strachan DP, Wilk JB, Willis-Owen SA, Klanderman B, Lasky-Su J, Lazarus R, Murphy AJ, Soto-Quiros ME, Avila L, Beaty T, Mathias RA, Ruczinski I, Barnes KC, Celedón JC, Cookson WO, Gauderman WJ, Gilliland FD, Hakonarson H, Lange C, Moffatt MF, O’Connor GT, Raby BA, Silverman EK, Weiss ST. Genome-wide association analysis identifies PDE4D as an asthma-susceptibility gene. Am J Hum Genet. 84:581-93, 2009. Szefler SJ, Mitchell H, Sorkness CA, Gergen PJ, O’Connor GT, Morgan WJ, Kattan M, Pongracic JA, Teach SJ, Bloomberg GR, Eggleston PA, Gruchalla RS, Kercsmar CM, Liu AH, Wildfire JJ, Curry MD, Busse WW. Management of asthma based on exhaled nitric oxide in addition to guideline-based treatment for inner-city adolescents and young adults: a randomised controlled trial. Lancet 372: 1065-72, 2008. Barton, S.J., Holloway, J.W., Yang, I.A., Cakebread, J.A., Cruikshank, W.W., Little, F.F., Jin, X., Farrer, L.A. , Clough, J.B., Keith, T.P., Holgate, S., Center, D.M., and O’Connor, G.T. Association of asthma with a functional promoter polymorphism in the Interleukin-16 gene. J Allergy and Clin Immunol. 117(1): 86-91, 2006. Kattan M, Stearns SC, Crain EF, Stout JW, Gergen PJ, Evans R 3rd, Visness CM, Gruchalla RS, Morgan WJ, O’Connor GT, Mastin JP, Mitchell HE. Cost-effectiveness of a home-based environmental intervention for inner-city children with asthma. J Allergy Clin Immunol 116(5):1058-63, 2005. Morgan WJ, Crain EF, Gruchalla RS, O’Connor GT, Kattan M, Evans R 3rd, Stout J, Malindzak G, Smartt E, Plaut M, Walter M, Vaughn B, Mitchell H; Inner-City Asthma Study Group.Results of a home-based environmental intervention among urban children with asthma. N Engl J Med. 9;351(11):1068-80, 2004. Little FF, Center DM. Induced Sputum Analysis for T Helper type 2 Cell Regulation. Closing the Loop. Chest 123: 00-00, 2003. Joost O, Wilk JB, Cupples A, Harmon M, Shearman AM, Baldwin CT, O’Connor GT, Myers RH, Gottlieb DJ. Genetic Loci Influencing Lung Function. A Genomewide Scan in the Framingham Study. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 165: 795-799, 2002. Crain EF, Walter M, O’Connor GT, Mitchell H, Gruchalla RS, Kattan M, Malindzak GS, Enright P, Evans R, Morgan W, Stout J. Home and allergic characteristics of children with asthma in seven US urban communities and design of an environmental intervention: The Inner-City Asthma Study. Environmental Health Perspectives 110: 939-945, 2002. Vojta PJ, Randels SP, Stout J, Muilenberg M, Burge HA, Lynn H, Mitchell H, O’Connor GT, Zeldin DC. Effects of physical interventions on house dust mite allergen levels in carpet, bed, and upholstery dust in low-income, urban homes. Environ Health Perspect 109: 815-819, 2001. O’Connor GT, Sparrow D, Demolles D, Dockery D, Raizenne M, Fay M, Ingram RH, Speizer FE. Maximal and partial expiratory flow rates in a population sample of 10- to 11-yr-old schoolchildren. Effect of volume history and relation to asthma and maternal smoking. Am J Respir Crit Care Med 162: 436-439, 2000. Selected Reprints:
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immune cell phenotype, and environment (including respiratory infections) on the development of symptomatic wheeze and asthma ii) applying a novel bead-based proteomic/microarray platform to rapidly analyze saliva and nasal secretions in patients with acute asthma exacerbations to determine etiology (viral, bacterial, allergen, or irritant). This latter project is the result of a recent fruitful collaboration between Investigators in the Pulmonary Center , the BU Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and the Department of Chemistry at Tufts University . In addition, BU is a study site in multiple NIH and industry sponsored clinical/translational studies of asthma pathogenesis in children and adults as well as clinical trials of new asthma therapies (as outlined above).
