• Search by category

  • Show all

Asthma UK discusses RASP-UK

March 13, 2017
 - Tim Hardman

In its recent white paper on severe asthma, The Severe Asthma Report 2017, Asthma UK describes how action is urgently needed to improve the prospects for people with severe asthma. In the report they reveal the challenges of treating this complex condition and discuss how UK industry and researchers can lead the global challenge to develop accurate diagnostics and treatments for the global population of people with severe asthma. In the report Asthma UK describes how The Refractory Asthma Stratification Programme (RASP-UK) is leading the way. The study builds on the findings of U-BIOPRED and other biomarker-based research projects. This UK academic and industry collaboration aims to develop research and move away from the ‘one size fits all’ approach to treatment in severe asthma. Rather than continuing to use the stepped approach to treatment, which is based heavily on oral corticosteroids, the project aims to stratify treatments to different cohorts to reduce the stages that people have to go through to find an effective treatment. By studying the biomarkers of people who respond to corticosteroids and people who do not the project aims to predict who will and will not respond to corticosteroids, therefore enabling stratification to appropriate treatment at the outset rather than a trial of treatments over time.

The research which is already well-advanced will ensure that adherence and steroid response is considered as part of identifying the people who do not respond to treatment. This will make sure that the use of corticosteroids is optimised and people are not unnecessarily taking steroids, which patients have long stated as having long-term negative effects on health and lifestyle. The research will be undertaken through workstreams at centres around the UK, but patients will be stratified into two strands, one for populations who respond to steroids, the other for those who do not respond to steroids. For steroid responsive severe asthma there are already a number of treatments in the pipeline, however we know less about non-steroid responsive asthma and we need to speed up the development of new biologic treatments for these patients, a key aim of the RASP-UK consortium.

RASP-UK in a supported initiative from the MRC Framework for Stratified Medicine Research for the identification of key sub-groups of patients within a heterogeneous populations that might benefit from targeted treatments. In these circumstances research plays a critical role in shaping treatment guidelines for conditions like severe asthma by providing evidence-based data that can improve diagnosis, treatment, and management strategies. Here’s how research impacts these guidelines:

New Therapeutic Options

  • Drug development and clinical trials: Research leads to the discovery of novel therapies, including biologic drugs (e.g., monoclonal antibodies) that target specific pathways involved in severe asthma. These drugs are tested through clinical trials, and successful results lead to their inclusion in treatment guidelines as new standard therapies for specific patient populations  .
  • Personalised medicine: Advances in genomic and biomarker research help in identifying subtypes of severe asthma (e.g., eosinophilic asthma) and pave the way for personalised treatment plans that are more effective and tailored to individual patients.

Improving Disease Understanding

  • Research helps elucidate the pathophysiology of severe asthma, identifying different phenotypes and endotypes of the disease. This deeper understanding allows for more precise targeting of treatments, leading to recommendations that reflect heterogeneity in asthma and the need for different treatments based on the underlying mechanisms .

Refining Treatment Algorithms

  • Evidence-based revisions: Studies testing new therapies, techniques, and strategies are published in peer-reviewed journals. These findings are evaluated by professional organizations like the Global Initiative for Asthma (GINA) and the American Thoracic Society (ATS). Results that demonstrate improvements in efficacy, safety, and patient outcomes often prompt updates to treatment algorithms in the guidelines .

Reducing Side Effects and Enhancing Safety

  • Research also focuses on understanding the long-term effects of asthma treatments, particularly corticosteroids, which are often used in severe cases. Insights from safety studies can lead to changes in recommendations, such as reducing reliance on systemic steroids and promoting alternative treatments with fewer adverse effects .

Guiding Precision Medicine and Biomarker Use

  • The discovery and validation of biomarkers (e.g., blood eosinophil levels, FeNO) through research informs which patients are likely to respond to biologic therapies. Guidelines are increasingly incorporating biomarker-based treatment decisions, allowing for more accurate patient stratification and improving outcomes for severe asthma sufferers.

Improving Patient Outcomes

  • Research demonstrating real-world evidence of improved control over asthma symptoms, reduced exacerbations, and improved quality of life as a result of newer therapies or strategies can directly influence guidelines. The impact on overall health outcomes and healthcare utilization also informs how guidelines are adapted to optimize patient care.

In summary, ongoing research through the RASP-UK initiative aims to guide modifications to asthma treatment guidelines that are up-to-date with the latest scientific findings, providing healthcare professionals with the best available tools to manage severe asthma effectively. The process is iterative and driven by a combination of basic science discoveries, clinical trials, and real-world data analysis.

About the author

Tim Hardman
Managing Director
View profile
Dr Tim Hardman is Managing Director of Niche Science & Technology Ltd., a bespoke services CRO based in the UK. He also serves as Managing Director at Thromboserin Ltd., an early-stage biotechnology company. Dr Hardman is a keen scientist and an occasional commentator on all aspects of medicine, business and the process of drug development.

Related Articles

Get our latest news and publications

Sign up to our news letter

© 2025 Niche.org.uk     All rights reserved

HomePrivacy policy Corporate Social Responsibility