The University of Arizona is set to launch a new study to improve the health of children at increased risk for asthma. The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute funded the Health Sciences-led, national clinical study by a $27 million cooperative agreement grant.
The study titled, "Oral Bacterial Extracts (ORBEX): Primary Prevention of Asthma and Wheezing in Children," will be participated by seven other prestigious research institutions across the United States, including, Emory University School of Medicine, Columbia University Medical Center, Harvard University/Boston Children's Hospital, George Washington University/Children's National Health System, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis, Penn State University College of Medicine and University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health.
Fernando D. Martinez, MD, and his colleagues at the UA Asthma and Airway Disease Research Center said that, the research will follows 30 years of research to prevent and cure this chronic disease in Children.
Dr. Martinez, said that, "Asthma is a disease that affects 10 percent of all children in the U.S., significantly impacting their ability to thrive." Martinez will lead the nationwide initiative.
"With this new study, we have the opportunity to identify children at the earliest stages of life who are at highest risk for disease and initiate early therapies to minimize respiratory tract illness. Following these children during the preschool years will further enhance our understanding of the disease, provide additional precision approaches to therapy and lead to optimal prevention strategies, and - hopefully - a cure."
"If we could prevent those illnesses, we may be able to prevent the alterations in the lung that predispose children for a lifetime of chronic asthma. The product also has a very good safety profile after decades of use in children as young as 6 months of age," Dr. Martinez said. "This could be transformational. For the first time this could give us hope that we can prevent this disease."
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