Finding new clues in the link between asthma and DNA
Dr Kath Fawcett is an Asthma UK-funded Research Fellow at the University of Leicester. Ian Jarrold, our Deputy Head of Research tells us about about her research into the role of DNA in asthma, and the potential of this in the development of new treatments.
We know that asthma, like a lot of other diseases, has a genetic component. So that means that changes or differences in your DNA sequence, called genetic variations or variants, can affect your risk of developing asthma. But we can’t look at someone’s DNA and say that they definitely will or won’t develop asthma. So the goal of this research is not to predict who will develop asthma but help us understand it better.
Finding new clues
We know that certain variations of certain genes can mean you’re at higher risk of developing asthma, but there’s still lots we don’t understand and lots to do. Most studies have so far focused on variations in the DNA sequence itself but Dr Fawcett is looking at a type called structural variations, which have so far been understudied.
One of the challenges Dr Fawcett faces is making sure they have enough data, because they need very large sample sizes to make sure the research is statistically representative of real people. It can be difficult to access those large amounts of data but they’re able to use UK Biobank, which is a large population-based study of half a million people in the UK. It’s a very valuable resource for medical research.
A complex set of diseases
Asthma is very complex set of diseases, rather than one single disease. There is also a very complex set of risk factors in the development of asthma – not only genetic but also environmental too, for example air pollution. One of the important things about genetic studies is that we can identify what the underlying genetic causes are for different subtypes of asthma so that we can create targeted treatments.
Asking the questions that matter
The real promise of this study is that we can use this information to understand more about the biology of asthma, which will help us develop new treatments.
The hope is that this research will help to identify new drug targets for the development of new drugs, but also identify where maybe existing drugs can be repurposed. Treatments will be available more quickly because drugs that have genetic evidence are about twice as likely to succeed through the approval process. This means less time and money wasted, and more effective treatments for people with asthma.
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