Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi
New Delhi, Jun 26: While biological drugs (biologics) have significantly improved the quality of life for individuals with severe asthma, new research suggests these therapies may not fully eliminate the underlying immune cells responsible for airway inflammation.
A study by researchers at Karolinska Institutet in Sweden, published in the journal Allergy, reveals that some highly inflammatory immune cells persist—or even increase—during biologic treatment, potentially explaining why inflammation often returns once the therapy is discontinued.
The research team analysed blood samples from 40 patients before and during biologic treatment. Surprisingly, instead of a reduction, certain immune cells associated with asthma-driven inflammation actually increased in number.
“This suggests that biologics might not attack the root of the problem, no matter how much they help asthma patients during treatment,” said Professor Jenny Mjösberg, a tissue immunology expert at Karolinska Institutet’s Department of Medicine, Huddinge. “Continued treatment might be necessary to keep the disease under control.”
The team used cutting-edge techniques like flow cytometry and single-cell sequencing to map the characteristics of these immune cells. Their analysis revealed that biologic therapies, such as mepolizumab and dupilumab, which are commonly prescribed to manage severe asthma, may control symptoms but do not completely suppress the immune cells driving inflammation.
“This could explain why inflammation often returns when biologic treatment is reduced or stopped,” said Lorenz Wirth, a doctoral researcher involved in the study. “Understanding the long-term effects of these drugs is crucial.”
Biologics have only been in use for severe asthma for less than a decade, and their long-term impact on immune system behaviour remains unclear. The researchers now plan to examine lung tissue and long-term treatment samples to better understand how biologics affect immune cell behaviour directly in the airways.
The findings underscore the need for ongoing research to refine asthma treatments and ensure they deliver lasting disease control, not just symptom relief.