Abstract

Asthma affects people from childhood to old age and causes significant public health problems with great economic consequences. The type 2 inflammation pathway is considered the dominant mechanism of asthma, but clinical trials of recently developed treatments targeting this pathway indicate that large numbers of asthmatics do not benefit from this therapeutic approach. This limited effect of type 2 inhibitors, coupled with recent advances in our understanding of the clinical diversity of asthma, underscores the heterogeneous nature of the underlying disease mechanisms. The aims of this meeting are to focus on the heterogeneous disease biology of asthma and to explore how treatments can advance from a one-size-fits-all paradigm to one in which asthmatics receive personalized treatments based on biomarkers that classify their specific disease mechanism. The meeting program will combine cutting-edge presentations on the molecular mechanisms of inflammation and remodeling in asthma with others that address the complexity of clinical phenotypes of asthma, and will include updates on the application of new technologies to develop biomarkers to guide personalized treatment. Anticipated outcomes include greater understanding of mechanisms of disease other than type 2 inflammation and appreciation of the need to forge stronger collaborations between clinical and basic scientists to advance the goal of personalized asthma treatment. The overarching goal of the meeting is to bring together world-class researchers with expertise in immunology, cell biology and asthma disease biology to permit exchange of ideas and facilitate development of new scientific directions and therapeutic approaches for asthma.