Minimally Invasive Biomarker for Asthma Disease Severity

Feasibility of Using an Eosinophil-Specific Biomarker-(Eosinophil Peroxidase) in Clinical Practice

Can a clinical test be developed that could help manage asthma symptoms?

Project goals:

Develop a point-of-service assay to assess eosinophilic airway inflammation

Proposal Specific Aims:

1. To establish the infrastructure and test the feasibility of sputum collection in a clinical setting as a minimally invasive patient sampling process for biomarker testing
2. To transform the laboratory-based eosinophil peroxidase (EPX) ELISA detection assay into a clinic-friendly assessment that does not require sophisticated laboratory equipment

Asthma subjects:

Inclusion

• Provider diagnosed asthma
• FeNO>50 ppb
• FEV1 > 1.0 Liter

Exclusion

• COPD by history
• Bronchiectasis by history
• Pregnant participants

Normal subjects:

Inclusion

- Age matched to asthma subjects

Exclusion

• Any eosinophil disorder by history
• Asthma by history
• Rhinitis or sinusitis by history