Gene Expression Patterns in Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells Associated with Asthma Exacerbation Attack

A large, prospective, non-interventional study was designed to study gene expression changes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) associated with asthma exacerbations over the course of a year. PBMC samples were collected from subjects at the time of the study visits defined as 1) Quiet: during stable disease at 3 month intervals, 2) Exacerbation: during a 14 day period of deteriorating asthma and 3) Follow-up: within 14 days after cessation of an exacerbation. Gene expression levels during stable asthma, exacerbation, and two weeks after an exacerbation were compared. This series of samples comprises of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) collected during the following study visits (a) quiet (N=394 samples from 118 subjects), (b) exacerbation (N=166 samples from 118 subjects) and (c) follow-up (N=125 samples from 102 subjects)