Biologic therapies for the treatment of asthma.
Asthma is a chronic disease of the airway whose pathogenesis involves the complex interplay between many cell types and inflammatory mediators. The mainstays of therapy, inhaled bronchodilators and corticosteroids, do not target the asthmatic airway specifically and therefore are associated with untoward side effects. Anti-IgE (omalizumab) is the only biologic therapy to have transitioned completely from bench to bedside. Other candidate therapies, such as those that alter the T-helper 1/T-helper 2 cytokine balance, interfere with inflammatory cell trafficking, or modify normal intracellular signaling cascades involved in inflammatory gene transcription, have had only limited success in human clinical trials. This article describes several potential novel biologic therapies that have been or could be investigated.
Division of Rheumatology, Allergy, and Immunology, Department of Medicine, University of California-San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, CA 92093-0637, USA.
Amy L
AL
Wagelie-Steffen
Arthur F
AF
Kavanaugh
Stephen I
SI
Wasserman
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D001249:Asthma / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000276:immunology / Q000503:physiopathology; D001402:B-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D007073:Immunoglobulin E / Q000502:physiology; D007155:Immunologic Factors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D007378:Interleukins / Q000502:physiology; D013601:T-Lymphocytes / Q000502:physiology
D000911:Antibodies, Monoclonal; D007155:Immunologic Factors; D007378:Interleukins; D007073:Immunoglobulin E