Scientists Discover Potential Asthma Biomarker Dr. Jay Schwartz

Introduction• Before opening Collin County Pediatrics more than 20 years ago, Dr.

Jay Schwartz gained experience both in the private sector and as a military physician. Over the course of his career, Dr. Jay Schwartz has treated numerous children with asthma and has become a recognized expert on the condition.

Asthma affects more than 25 million people across the United States. Unfortunately, the therapies currently available are far from curative and often do not effectively treat the condition's symptoms. Scientists attribute this mismatch to the fact that current therapies address allergic or inflammatory responses, which affect only 60 percent of patients with asthma.

The remaining 40 percent of patients experience wheezing as a result of abnormally functioning smooth muscle and epithelial cells in the airway.

Asthma Biomarker• These patients tend not to respond as well to standard therapies. New

research from Rutgers University and the University of Pennsylvania has emerged to suggest that this may be due to the presence of a neurotransmitter known as neuropeptide Y.

Data from the study reveal that neuropeptide Y, or NPY, appeared in higher concentrations in mice with airway hyper-responsiveness. This condition causes increased airway sensitivity in response to stimuli and is a key element of asthma. To further test the association, researchers exposed human genes to neuropeptide Y and found a similar hyper-responsiveness in airway tissues.

Study leaders suggest that these findings may prompt a study of NPY inhibitors as a therapy for individuals with asthma. They also hope to expand their research to include a larger animal model, which may provide additional information regarding the role of NPY in biological pathways.