Australian researchers to test vaccine as asthma treatment in world-first trial

Australian researchers will use an injection given to protect children against pneumococcal diseases to switch off the immune response of white blood cells that attack the airways in people with “eosinophil” asthma.

If successful, the treatment would revolutionise outcomes for about one million Australians with poorly controlled asthma and offer the first preventive treatment.

Lead researcher Professor Peter Gibson, from Hunter Medical Research Institute, will use the vaccine Prevenar 13 after their animal studies showed it could switch off the asthmatic response.

“There is a balance in the body of inflammation that causes asthma and protective inflammation,” Prof Gibson said.

“In asthma there is an imbalance, so you have too many eosinophils (white blood cells).

“This vaccine stimulates the immune system to bring it back into balance.”

Current treatments reduce symptoms but don’t treat the underlying cause, and there is no cure.

The trial, funded by Asthma Australia, will see 50 adults with eosinophilic asthma receive­ three doses of the vaccine over two months.

“The strength is it is a completely new attack at approaching asthma. There is no other vaccine out there,” he said.

“We need to get Australia’s asthma death rate down. They’ve stopped improving. More than 300 people still die each year from asthma.”