"Study Uses Nasal Brush Test To Identify Biomarker of Asthma" - Alison Rodriguez
Asthma is a common disease that affects people of all ages; however, it remains underdiagnosed. Researchers have recently identified a genetic biomarker of asthma that can be tested for using a nasal brush and basic follow-up data analysis. A study in Scientific Reports applied machine learning algorithms to the genetic RNA data retrieved from nasal brushes of patients with and without asthma. “Mild to moderate asthma can be difficult to diagnose because symptoms change over time and can be complicated by other respiratory conditions,” said senior author, Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, MPH, associate professor of genetics and genomic sciences, and pediatrics at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “Our nasal brush test takes seconds to collect. For time-strapped clinicians, particularly primary care providers at the front lines of asthma diagnosis, this could greatly improve patient outcomes through early and accurate diagnosis.”
- Supinda Bunyavanich, MD, MPH, Associate Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Pediatrics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
- Gaurav Pandey, PhD, Assistant Professor, Genetics and Genomic Sciences, Institute for Genomics and Multiscale Biology, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai