Advances in asthma drug discovery: evaluating the potential of nasal cell sampling and beyond

Inhaled corticosteroid anti-inflammatory therapy is effective at controlling disease symptoms of asthma, but a subset of patients remains symptomatic despite optimal treatment, creating a clear unmet medical need. Moreover, none of the currently available drugs for asthma are really disease-modifying or curative. Although murine models of asthma, based on transgenic and knockout animals, may offer an integrated pathophysiological system for studying the characteristics of airway inflammation and hyperresponsiveness, these alterations are noteworthily different compared with those observed in asthmatic patients. Since a clear functional and inflammatory relationship between the nasal mucosa and bronchial tissue in patients suffering from asthma and allergic rhinitis has been recognized, using preclinical models based on human nasal cells sampling might support a prompt and effective anti-inflammatory drug discovery in asthma.

The authors provide a review, which discusses the potential role of nasal cell sampling and its application in advanced drug discovery for asthma. The contents range from the similarities and differences between asthma and allergic rhinitis up to artificial airway models based on sophisticated human lung-on-a-chip devices.

Nasal cell sampling and processing have reached a great potential in asthma drug discovery. The authors believe that models of asthma, which are based on human nasal cells, can provide valuable indications of proof of pharmacological and potential therapeutic efficacy in both preclinical and early clinical settings.