A Cure for Asthma? Researchers Chart a New Path Forward

A coalition of researchers and clinicians is working to define what a cure for asthma would entail and to identify the scientific pathways that could lead to one. Asthma is currently considered a treatable but incurable chronic condition.

Disease Background

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways that can cause symptoms such as wheezing and breathlessness. Current treatments manage symptoms but do not reverse the underlying biological processes of the disease.

According to recent data:

• Asthma affects approximately 363 million people worldwide, including about 2.8 million Australians.
• In 2024, 478 Australians died from asthma.
• Between 2023 and 2024, there were approximately 32,000 hospitalizations where asthma was the main cause, with 90% of these considered potentially preventable.
• Australia’s health system spent an estimated A$1.3 billion on asthma in the 2023–2024 fiscal year.
• Recent national surveys indicate worsening symptoms and an increase in attacks over the past 15 years.

Proposed Definition of a Cure

Researchers involved in the CURE Asthma initiative propose that a cure should include:

• Sustained elimination of symptoms and restoration of normal airway function.
• Resolution of underlying disease processes, including the absence of inflammation and airway narrowing.
• Resetting of the molecular processes that drive asthma, so that markers of inflammation and lung tissue return to a state comparable to that of a person without asthma.

“A cure means the sustained elimination of symptoms and the restoration of normal airway function.”

Pathways to a Cure

Researchers point to several observations that support the possibility of a cure:

• Spontaneous remission: In some cases, particularly in children, asthma can go into spontaneous remission. This occurs in an estimated 20–30% of cases.
• Biological therapies: Treatments targeting specific inflammatory pathways have been able to induce sustained remission in some patients with severe asthma.

The proposed path to a cure includes:

Understanding Molecular Mechanisms
Studying how risk factors such as genetics, allergies, smoking, obesity, and air quality interact at the cellular level.

Digital Twin Technology
Using machine learning to create "digital twins" of individual patients, allowing researchers to simulate disease mechanisms and test potential treatments computationally before human trials.

Cell Reprogramming
Developing medicines that aim to "correct and reprogram" diseased cells to restore normal function, rather than simply suppressing symptoms.

Biomarkers for Confirmation
Identifying biomarkers in blood, airway tissue, or exhaled air that could confirm that the disease has been cured, potentially after a period of three to five years.

Statements from Researchers

“Explicitly naming the ambition to cure asthma marks an essential change in thinking.”

— Christine Jenkins, Head of the Respiratory Program at the George Institute for Global Health, and Gary Anderson, a professor at the University of Melbourne

The researchers involved in the CURE Asthma initiative argue that prioritizing research and funding is necessary to achieve a cure.

This article synthesizes information from two sources, including an article republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license.