UA grant to fund study to find faulty 'asthma' gene

The University of Arizona College of Medicine's respiratory center received a 4-year grant Sept. 1 from the National Institutes of Health, said Fernando Martinez, Arizona Health Sciences Center respiratory sciences director.

Researchers will conduct studies to find the "mistake" in human genes that may increase the odds of asthma, said Martinez, principal investigator for the project.

The team plans to compare the DNA of subjects with and without asthma, then search for variations in certain pieces of DNA, he said.

"We have the same genes that are structured the same, but with little changes," Martinez said. "The same genes react slightly differently."

The illness affects an estimated 14 million to 15 million adults and children per year, according to the Journal of the American Medical Association. There are 4.8 million children under age 18 afflicted with asthma.

Martinez said if the faulty gene is located, the team plans to examine blood from newborns to determine if the presence of the genetic "mistake" puts children at a higher risk for asthma.

"We're interested in things in the first year of life that affect the immune system," said Anne Wright, research associate and co-investigator for the project.

Wright and Martinez agreed that identifying the gene early could lead to the elimination of asthma in young children.

"This way we can intervene before it happens," Martinez said.

While asthma is strongly determined by genetics, other causes for the disease include colds, infections and allergies.

The symptoms of asthma include trouble with normal breathing, increased nasal secretion and allergic reactions affecting the skin.

Martinez said after identifying the cause of asthma, new medicines can be developed to counteract the disease.

"I believe we can find a cure early in life to identify risks, so people won't develop asthma," Martinez said.

The project is a continuation of a children's respiratory study that followed infants enrolled at birth and their families nearly 20 years ago, Martinez said.

The ultimate goal of the research is to find a cure for the illness.

"We can find a cure anywhere between 10 to 15 years after determining what causes the disease," Martinez said.

Irene Hsiao can be reached via e-mail at Irene.Hsiao@wildcat.arizona.edu.