Clinical translation of basic science in asthma

Basic science has enriched our understanding of the pathophysiology of severe asthma. Clinical translation of these discoveries has resulted in biologic therapies that target key components of asthma-related disease pathways. For example, identification and validation of biomarkers such as elevated blood eosinophil counts made it possible to implement tailored biologic treatments targeting the function of cytokines such as interleukin-5, interleukin-4, and interleukin-13.1 The success of these strategies has prompted investigations of other molecules that are active in the pathogenesis of severe asthma. The results of two pertinent trials are reported in this issue of the Journal.