Compositions And Methods For Treating And Diagnosing Asthma

To date, genome-wide expression analyses have not identified genetic biomarkers that are prognostic or predictive of therapeutic response to treatment for individual asthma patients, nor have they identified genetic biomarkers that distinguish subtypes of asthmatic patients. In addition, no reliable non-genetic biomarkers with broad clinical applicability for prognostic or predictive responses to therapeutic treatment, or diagnostic of subtypes of asthma, have been identified. Thus, as asthma patients seek treatment, there is considerable trial and error involved in the search for therapeutic agent(s) effective for a particular patient. Such trial and error often involves considerable risk and discomfort to the patient in order to find the most effective therapy. Thus, there is a need for more effective means for determining which patients will respond to which treatment and for incorporating such determinations into more effective treatment regimens for asthma patients. Kristin Agopian kristin.agopian@ucsf.edu 415-340-2619