In a world first, Queensland researchers will induce asthma in patients to try and revolutionise the treatment of the condition.
Researchers at QIMR Berghofer in Brisbane are trialling a drug that inhibits a gene found to be more active in people with asthma.
Dr Manuel Ferreira said for the first time participants would have their asthma induced in safe conditions to see if the drug worked.
“What we are testing at the moment is whether the drug prevents asthma exacerbations, so that would mean people would take it regularly from preventing exacerbations from happening,” he said.
Madeleine Flynn has battled asthma all her life as a family condition, which has now been passed onto to her son Edison.
“[When] we first detected it, he had this really raspy breathing one night and it was quite scary so I rushed him off to the hospital,” she said.
Ms Flynn said they both used a puffer to try and keep symptoms under control.
“The puffer is OK but to have something a little better would be great,” she said.
Dr Ferreira said one in 10 people suffer from asthma in Australia.
“Many of them – 50 to 60 per cent do not manage their asthma symptoms properly with current medication,” he said.
Researchers would use dust particles to bring on asthma symptoms in sufferers.
Volunteers would participate in 10 visits across six weeks over the course of the trial.
They would be administered a drug called tocilizumab (TCZ), which was already used to treat people with arthritis.
It was found to prevent or reduce asthma in pre-clinical trials conducted by QIMR Berghofer and the University of Queensland in 2014.
“If it works, it could provide an alternative treatment for people who do not respond to current treatments,” Dr Ferreira said.
Researchers will screen 40 asthma sufferers to find 16 patients to take part in the trial.
Ms Flynn was keen to get on board.
“It would be so worthwhile and really help families like ours,” she said.
The trial is being led by scientists at QIMR Berghofer Medical Research Institute and the Princess Alexandra Hospital in Brisbane.
Dr Ferreira said the trial’s approach was “extremely safe”.
“[It] allows us to test in a matter of days, instead of months, whether the drug reduces the severity or duration of asthma,” he said.
“Adults who currently have mild asthma, or suffered from the condition when younger, may be eligible to participate if they only require asthma relievers such as Ventolin to manage their asthma.”
Results from the trial are expected next year.