The goal of the study was to assess whether the association of genetic polymorphisms with bronchodilator response is different between patients with asthma who are treated with inhaled corticosteroids versus those on placebo.
Ann Wu, MD, MPH, Assistant Professor with the Center for Child Health Care Studies, and researchers from other institutions conducted a genome-wide association analysis in 581 children from the Childhood Asthma Management Program (CAMP). They examined the top 12 single nucleotide polymorphisms that looked promising in the childhood clinical trial and replicated them in a clinical trial of adults called the Leukotriene Modifier or Corticosteroid or Corticosteroid-Salmetereol Trial (LOCCS).
The research team identified a region on chromosome 19 that appears to influence the effect of inhaled corticosteroids on asthma. A particular gene on chromosome 19, the zinc finger protein gene, ZNF432, whose function is unknown, may actually play an important role in this relationship.
Based on these findings, inhaled corticosteroids appear to modulate the association of bronchodilator response with variant(s) in the ZNF432 gene among adults and children with asthma.
Dr. Wu discusses her article in a post on her blog, “Asth.ma: Asthma Blog from the view of an asthma researcher, doctor, and mom.”